What's On in Shepton Mallet is brought to you by the Bath & West Showground — home to the biggest events in Somerset — and La Bella Italian Restaurant.

If you're the type to say "nothing ever happens in Shepton," prepare to eat your words and possibly a cupcake. This week is rammed with fossil hunts, coffee mornings, DIY repairs and even a night in a prison (on purpose). Whether you're hunting for prehistoric sea monsters, sipping wine while pretending to write a novel, or rummaging through someone else's attic contents at the Bath & West, there's more going on than you can shake a slightly cracked toaster at.

Thursday 12 February

The Glastonbury Women's Friendship Group is turning one and throwing a party the only way they know how—gathering at Glastonbury Town Hall at 2.30pm for stories, museum-themed imagination games, and a proper cuppa. Visitors welcome, biscuits likely.

Over in Wells, The Bishop's Palace kicks off its Winter Gardening and Snowdrops Walk and Talk. It starts at 10am with a garden wander, moves on to snowdrop lore, and ends (of course) with tea and cake. Expect flowers and facts—bring a coat.

Friday 13 February

Writers, procrastinators and wine lovers unite: Writers' Wine Night is back at The Poachers Pocket in Doulting from 7pm. Free entry, flowing drinks and a cosy corner to finally start that novel. Or at least pretend to.

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Saturday 14 February

Valentine's Day. Romantic? Possibly. Chaotic? Definitely. Shepton Mallet is the place to be, weirdly enough.

There's fossil-fuelled fun at the nearby Somerset Earth Science Centre from 11am–3pm with their Community and Museum Open Day. Rock ID, fossil games and geological experts are all on hand. If rocks aren't your thing, maybe repairs are — Shepton Mallet Repair Café at the Art Bank (11am–1pm) is here to lovingly patch up your broken appliances.

St Peter's Church in Evercreech is hosting a Valentine's Coffee Morning with cake and gifts, while the Bath & West Car Boot Sale offers shelter from the weather and a chance to score a ceramic hedgehog you never knew you needed.

Meanwhile, Shepton Mallet Prison is letting kids in free all week (yes, really). Take a self-guided tour through 400 years of crime and punishment, and find out what prison life used to be like. Spoiler: it wasn't great.

Also starting today: the Somerset Star Count, asking you to go outside, spot Orion, and help track light pollution across the county. Stargazing meets science.

And if you're venturing further out, Luna the Globetrotter lands at the Fleet Air Arm Museum with a tech trail that runs all week. Think intergalactic scavenger hunt meets museum tour.

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Sunday 15 February

Craft fans in Street can join the Making with Me: Dino Edition workshop at Shoemakers Museum as part of their Fantastic Fossils programme. Bring your kids, your glue sticks, and your best ichthyosaur impression.

Tuesday 17 February

Two very different talks on offer today. In Shepton, Jonathan Foyle brings architectural gravitas to Caryford Hall with a deep dive into Wells Cathedral's chaotic 250-year construction. £8 on the door, coffee £1.50, probably no PowerPoint.

Back in Glastonbury, the Trinity Talking Circles launch kicks off with an opening session from storyteller John. If you're into emotional journeys, circular sharing and artsy notebooks, this is your moment.

Meanwhile at Wells Cathedral, it's Masons' Marks – the first of three drop-in family craft days this week. Soap carving is involved. Don't ask.

Wednesday 18 February

At Wells Cathedral, it's Stories in Stitches – a workshop exploring embroidery and church textiles before kids get to stitch their own tales. (Parental needle threading may be required.)

Or if high-tech is more your thing, the All Aboard Future Tech day at the Fleet Air Arm Museum is packed with coding, robots, secret messages, and 3D-printed souvenirs. Definitely not just for kids.

Thursday 19 February

Two craft-heavy options today: The Bishop's Palace is hosting Art Adventurer snowdrop-themed card making, and Wells Cathedral wraps up its creative trilogy with Wondrous Windows – crafts inspired by stained glass. No shards involved.

Friday 20 February

Street's Shoemakers Museum continues its fossil-themed fun with a fossil ID session at 11am. Bring your mystery rocks and let a real expert tell you whether it's a million-year-old treasure or just a particularly nice bit of gravel.

Saturday 21 February

The ichthyosaur storytelling sessions at 11am and 1pm in Street sound like a fever dream, but they're real and definitely worth checking out. There's also archaeological finds ID going on, so if you've dug up something weird in your garden, now's the time to get answers.

Sunday 22 February

Last chance for all of it. Fossils, Luna, prison tours, garden trails, soap carving memories—it all wraps today. If you've made it through the week without gluing your fingers together or losing a child in a museum, that's a win.

Finally, a reminder for SEND families - The Loft in Street runs relaxed, welcoming SEND Suppers with soft play, sensory spaces and adapted meals — meltdowns expected, booking is essential and the next one takes place on Tuesday 24 February. Contact [email protected]k or call 01458 446885 for a rare night out without judgey side-eye from strangers.

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