Mistletoe Matters - Events & Activities page

This page describes some organised mistletoe events and activities, and outlines opportunities for other activities. It includes the events of the Tenbury Wells Mistletoe Festival, and events organised by the druidic Mistletoe Foundation. The Mistletoe workshops run by Mistletoe Matters are also included where these are open to all.

Please note that this page does not list talks booked by, and only open to, individual societies and clubs (wildlife groups, gardening clubs, WIs, U3As etc). If you want to book a mistletoe talk, walks or workshop for your group please visit our talks page for more information.

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Mistletoe is very much a winter plant - so most mistletoe activities are centred around mid-winter. The mistletoe berries only develop their distinctive pearly-white colour in November, and harvesting for the season begins soon afterwards. Most UK mistletoe grows in the south-west midlands, and is harvested from traditional apple orchards there. Mistletoe sales occur in the same area from late November into early December.

Most of the mistletoe harvest is used for decoration, and kissing under, over the Christmas and New Year season, but mistletoe activities can continue right through to March. Ongoing management of excessive mistletoe growth (it can damage its host tree) is best done during winter, and the February-March period is the best time for planting mistletoe seeds. This is also the period that mistletoe produces its flowers. After pollination these slowly, over the spring, summer and autumn, develop into the new berries for the following winter.

Since 2005 Mistletoe Matters have been running mistletoe workshops for a variety of groups and organistions - including orchard conservation groups, the National Trust, BTCV and the Wildlife Trusts at sites right across southern England and Wales.

Themes have ranged from mistletoe management and harvesting right through to new mistletoe planting and conservation work. Some have been a mixture of all these subjects.

New workshops are planned for early spring 2012 - dates and venues to be confirmed but probably including locations in Gloucestershire (the picture, by Henry Johnson, shows an event at Days Cottage), and dates in February and March 2012. Details will be posted here when available.

If you want to arrange a specific workshop for your group please visit our talks page for more information.

Tenbury's Mistletoe Festival began in 2004, when the traditional Mistletoe Auctions, held in the town for over 100 years, seemed threatened with closure. Local people were determined Tenbury's Mistletoe legacy would continue, and so the Festival was born. Events are centred around the auction season, from late November to early December. They usually include the crowningof the Mistletoe Queen and a druidic celebration of mistletoe. More details are available on the Festival website.

A key fixture is National Mistletoe Day, endorsed by Parliament in 2005 and set to take place on 1st December (or the nearest Saturday) each year. This can be celebrated everywhere - not just in Tenbury! Mistletoe Day for 2011 will be Saturday 3rd December.

Tenbury's traditional mistletoe (and holly) auctions had to leave the old livestock market site in 2006, relocating to a rural site over the border in Herefordshire. But in 2010 they returned to the edge of town.

The Auctions are run by Nick Champion - for details about buying or selling please contact Nick via his website. Auction dates for 2011 will be Tuesdays 29th November, 6th December and 13th December - all taking place in the morning.

The Mistletoe Foundation is a druidic group celebrating mistletoe in the druidic tradition. It has no formal membership, and is not affiliated to any Orders or Groups, but is "open to all Druids, botanists and anyone else that loves this sacred plant".

Started in 2004 in the Forest of Dean, and run by Stefan Allen for the first few years, the MF is now co-ordinated by Suzanne and Jake Thomas, who run MF events such as the Druid Ceremony at the Mistletoe Festival in Tenbury Wells.

In 2011 events included a daytime mistletoe procession and multifaith ceremony at Tenbury Wells on Mistletoe Day (Sat £rd December 2011).

For more information on the Mistletoe Foundation and its events visit www.mistletoefoundation.co.uk.

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