FREE FAMILY WORKSHOPS
11am–1pm | Studio 10 & Creator Space

Discover Watchet’s amazing wildlife and habitats through a series of free, family-friendly workshops with local nature experts, creative activities and storytelling. Each day, we’ll explore a different part of the natural world and create artwork inspired by what we learn, bringing it all together in our growing Watchet Eco System artwork in Studio 10.

Nature experts will share their knowledge and introduce you to the wildlife on our doorstep, while hands-on craft activities in the Creator Space will give you the chance to get creative and contribute to our collaborative artwork. Come along, learn something new and help us bring Watchet’s natural world to life!

Wednesday 21 Oct — Hedgehogs
Discover the wonderful world of hedgehogs with Jane Sharpe and the team from Watchet Hedgehogs, a thriving community group established in 2020 to protect and support local hedgehog populations across West Somerset. Jane and the team will share their knowledge of these fascinating creatures, explaining where hedgehogs live and sleep, how we can protect their habitats and what we can do to make our gardens more hedgehog-friendly. You’ll even have the chance to take a closer look at hedgehog spines! 

Inspired by what you discover, head to the Creator Space to make your own hedgehog using leaves and card, and experiment with leaf printing to create a woodland scene. Your creations will become part of our growing Watchet Eco System artwork in Studio 10.

Thursday 22 Oct — Marine Life
Explore the fascinating marine life found along Watchet’s coastline with Mark Ward, founder of Westward Wildlife, an organisation specialising in environmental education and marine and coastal surveys. Mark also works with Somerset Wildlife Trust and is passionate about helping people understand and appreciate the natural world around them. Mark will introduce us to the sea life living in and around Watchet, bringing along specimens to explore up close and sharing what to look out for along our local shores. Discover more about our coastal habitats and the creatures that call them home.

After learning about our marine environment, get creative in the Creator Space by making seaweed prints and cyanotype fish inspired by the coast. Your artwork will help bring the marine section of our Watchet Eco System to life in Studio 10.

Friday 23 Oct — Fossils
Travel back in time and discover the fascinating world of fossils! Explore how fossils give us clues about the creatures and environments that existed long before us, and get inspired by the shapes and textures preserved in stone. We will have fossils on loan from Geokoella Ltd, (who have their office at East Quay) are Specialist Consultants for Ecology, Geology, Building Stones and Soils.

In the Creator Space, experiment with string to create your own fossil-inspired prints. These prints will become part of our giant fabric fossil rocks, helping us build a creative record of Watchet’s natural history within our growing Eco System artwork.

Monday 26 Oct — Birds
Join our very own bird expert, Isabelle Fraser, a passionate bird enthusiast, nature lover and member of the EQ team. Isabelle will share her local knowledge of the birds that visit Watchet and those that make it their home, including some of the rarer species you might be lucky enough to spot.

Take inspiration from the colours and shapes of the birds around us and head to the Creator Space to make your own colourful 3D birds using sticky-back plastic and tissue paper. Our finished creations will be added to the Watchet Eco System artwork, bringing movement, colour and birdlife into our shared natural world.

Tuesday 27 Oct — Bees
Discover why bees are so important to our environment with local bee experts Rob and Jackie, volunteers with Exmoor Beekeepers. Through their work, they help support local bee populations and raise awareness of the vital role bees play in our natural world.

Rob and Jackie will introduce us to the fascinating lives of bumblebees and honeybees, explaining where they live, how they work and what we can do to help them thrive. There will also be an opportunity to get a closer look at a live hive and learn more about these incredible pollinators.

Inspired by the bees and the flowers they depend on, go to the Studio 10 to make pom-pom bees using forks and create colourful collage flowers. Together, these creations will fill the garden section of our Watchet Eco System artwork with the buzzing life and bright blooms that make a healthy habitat.

Wednesday 28 Oct — Moths & Butterflies
Join Ed Gent, Senior Tutor at Field Studies Council’s Nettlecombe Court, a centre specialising in outdoor and environmental education, to discover the hidden world of moths and butterflies.

Ed will share his knowledge of these fascinating insects, introducing us to specimens and explaining their habitats, life cycles and important role as pollinators. He will also set up a moth trap the night before, giving us the exciting opportunity to see which moths have been found and take a closer look at these often-overlooked creatures.

After discovering more about local moths and butterflies, head to the Creator Space to make your own colourful insects using water-reactive tissue paper. Experiment with colours and patterns to create beautiful, watercolour-effect wings, adding a flutter of colour to our Watchet Eco System artwork.

Thursday 29 Oct — Creative Storytelling with Martin Maudsley
Let your imagination take flight with musical storyteller Martin Maudsley in a creative workshop for the whole family. Drawing inspiration from the wildlife, habitats and creatures we have been exploring throughout the week, Martin will help us create stories connected to our growing Watchet Eco System artwork in Studio 10.

Through storytelling, music and imagination, families will have the chance to bring our shared natural world to life in new and unexpected ways.

Please note: The storytelling workshop has limited spaces. Please arrive at 10.45am to collect a ticket from Reception.

Alongside the storytelling, a drop-in craft activity will run in the Creator Space from 11am–1pm. Come along and make your own bugs to add to the Eco System artwork in Studio 10. This activity is open to everyone and does not require a ticket.

Friday 30 Oct — Animals
Join us for the final day of making in Studio 10 as we bring our Watchet Eco System artwork together and add the finishing touches to our growing natural world.

Throughout the half term, we’ll have explored Watchet’s wildlife, from hedgehogs and birds to bees, butterflies and marine life. Now it’s time to fill in the gaps and create even more animals using paper and card, helping to complete our collaborative artwork.

Come and be part of the final stages of our creative journey as we celebrate the wildlife and habitats that make Watchet so special.

Studio 10 open daily 11am–3pm.

There will also be a drop-in activity in the foyer throughout the October half term, from 10am–5pm, 21.10.2026 to 1.11.2026.

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PRINT WORKSHOPS
FREE DROP-IN | 2–4pm | Print Studio
All ages, teens & adults welcome

Friday 23 Oct — Block Printing
Celebrate Watchet’s wildlife and natural surroundings through the art of lino-cut printing. Explore shapes and patterns inspired by the plants, animals and habitats found in our local environment, then have a go at creating your own printing block.

Use your design to print onto clear Perspex and contribute your finished artwork to the growing Watchet Eco System installation in Studio 10.

Monday 26 Oct — Typography Printing
Explore our collection of letters and discover the creative possibilities of typography printing. Experiment with different letters, arrangements and layouts to create your own printed message to the earth

Whether you want to share a message about protecting nature, celebrating our environment or caring for the world around us, come along and turn your words into a collaborative piece of artwork

Wednesday 28 Oct — Screenprinting with Clay
Discover the creative possibilities of combining clay and screenprinting in this bookable workshop Please book Here 

www.eastquaywatchet.co.uk/events/screenprinting-with-blue-lias-clay Experiment with clay to create unique designs and explore how they can be transformed into distinctive screen prints.

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