The giant banana with a message at Camborne Green Fest

A man dressed as a giant banana giving a speech. A mobility scooter driving straight between a stilt walker’s legs. A black Labrador dancing to ska. It was that kind of afternoon at Camborne Green Fest.

The free festival returned to Camborne Recreation Ground on Saturday 12 September for its fourth year, hosted by Camborne Town Council. The idea is a day out in the park that also gets people thinking about a more environmentally friendly way of living, with live music, stalls from local organisations, creative activities, food and entertainment for all ages.

Second time lucky with the weather

Green Fest was originally due to take place in June, but a weather warning meant it had to be postponed. The September date turned out to be far kinder. The rain held off all day and the sun even made an appearance.

The atmosphere was peaceful and friendly throughout the afternoon. Families worked their way round the activities and stalls, while groups of young people made the most of the sunshine and the open space in the park.

Crafts, stalls and plenty to learn

Local charities and environmental organisations had stalls across the site, sharing their work and giving visitors the chance to find out more about sustainability and nature in Cornwall.

Cornwall College‘s craft stall was one of the busiest of the day, with visitors creating nature-inspired drawings using natural materials. The Kehelland Trust stall was another popular stop, alongside the Fairtrade Foundation, Healthy Cornwall and the Cornwall Marine Network.

Stilts, a scooter and a very large banana

Roving performers from Hotch Potch Performance added plenty of colour, with stilt walkers and street performers moving through the park. In one of the more memorable moments of the day, a visitor on a mobility scooter drove straight through the legs of one of the stilt walkers.

Fairtrade had its own eye-catching ambassador on site. Brian from Fairtrade spent the whole day dressed as a giant banana, and the costume proved an excellent conversation starter. He even delivered his speech on the importance of Fairtrade without taking it off.

Two ice cream vans were kept busy all afternoon, and local food vendors served up festival favourites.

Climate talk and a green space close to home

Climate Commission speaker Phil Green gave a moving speech on the impact of climate change. Cllr John Cosgrove, there in his capacity as a community member volunteer, spread the word about The Spinney, a green community space.

Ska to close the show

Music was a major part of the afternoon. Martha Woods opened the main stage, followed by C-Bone, Kerosene Cocktail and Rudi’s Message.

Rudi’s Message brought the festival to a lively close with an energetic ska set, getting the crowd dancing and laughing with plenty of back and forth from the stage. Some of the four-legged festival-goers got into the spirit too, including one particularly enthusiastic black Labrador who danced along with its owner.

📷CTC Fairtrade Certificate

A busy few weeks for Fairtrade in Camborne

The festival came at an exciting time for Camborne’s Fairtrade work. In August, Camborne Town Council was awarded its Fairtrade Community Award, and the council is now hosting activities for Fairtrade Fortnight, including Fairtrade flower arranging and chocolate tasting events.

The council has thanked everyone who came along, along with the stallholders, vendors, musicians, first aid and security teams, the photographer and its own staff who worked behind the scenes to organise and run the event. It hopes that visitors young and old went home having discovered something new about the environment and the people working across Cornwall to protect it.

A unicorn called Rainbow Sparkles

There was one more thing to settle before the day was out. Visitors to the council’s stall were invited to choose a name for the unicorn in the council’s logo, with a giant unicorn up for grabs as the prize. The winner was Mia, with her suggestion of Rainbow Sparkles.