RESIDENTS gathered at Midsomer Norton Town Park on Saturday, May 9, for a spontaneous busking session to celebrate Somerset Day, filling the town’s amphitheatre with music and community spirit.

The sun shone on the open-air stage as local musicians Jon Parry, Paul Kirtley, Sandy, and Cllr Gordon Mackay performed a relaxed set for park visitors and passers-by.

The amphitheatre, a custom-built arena with seating for up to 300 people and electricity points facing out towards Celebration Meadow, was completed in 2021 by the Town Council and later gifted, along with the wider park, to the Town Trust.

The Town Park is already home to weekly yoga sessions, a timed 5k run, and provides access to the Five Arches Greenway. Well-maintained paths and nature walks lead visitors to the top of the former spoil heap, now transformed into a rich and thriving natural landscape.

Organiser Cllr Gordon Mackay said: “It’s great to see the park and amphitheatre used. It doesn’t have to be just grand events like the music festival or town fayre (July 12) — the stage is everyone’s. One day, I’d like to see the nearby Somer Centre offering a café and more facilities for people visiting the park.”

Across the county communities came together to celebrate their day, hoisting the flag of Somerset and even a naming the Somerset Dragon “Dunkery” via a BBC Radio Somerset campaign. Somerset MPs also flew the flag for Somerset at Westminster alongside Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle.

CEO and founder of Passion for Somerset CIC, Nigel Muers-Raby, said: “Somerset Day is about belonging, pride and shared identity.

“The Somerset Day weekend has once again shown the incredible pride people have in our county. The success of the weekend reflects the growing momentum behind the annual celebration, which continues to showcase the county on a regional and national stage.”