Reignited by a highly motivated group of Town Councillors led by Sue Murray and supported by County Councillor Wynne Evans, Haverfordwest Festival Week set out to create ‘a fun filled, action packed programme of events for all the family to enjoy’. The eight-day event, which ran from Saturday 23rd to Saturday 30th July 2016, brought together many different individuals and organisations to deliver a diverse programme of activity.

For Confluence, it provided a valuable platform to raise awareness of arts and regeneration and with over 1000 people participating in activities associated with Confluence throughout the week it also made a significant contribution to the overall festival programme.

Feedback for the festival as a whole was fantastic and those involved in planning and co-ordinating are committed to developing it as part of the annual calendar of events in the town. A positive side-effect was the breaking down of barriers between organisations as they worked together to achieve a shared goal.

Click on the following links to find out more about the range of Confluence supported arts and regeneration activity that took place during the week:

  • Artsheds provided daily opportunities to meet and work with local artists on projects inspired by the town
  • The Big Model engaged more than 100 people over 3 days in informal discussions about the regeneration of the town
  • The Pembrokeshire Drover Karen Ingham’s moving image work was installed in an empty shop on the Old Bridge and welcomed more than 200 visitors
  • Breaking out of the Gallery – an outdoor town centre exhibition, developed through the Ideas Lab, was launched during the week and continued throughout August
  • Confluence partner, Transition Haverfordwest put the spotlight on the Paddocks Community Orchard with an inspirational storytelling and barbecue evening

After the festival week, individual Town Councillors have been pro-active in seeking out opportunities to support a range of arts and regeneration projects as well as exploring the potential of developing a more strategic and sustainable approach to working together over the coming years.