What's On in Shepton Mallet is brought to you by the Bath & West Showground — home to the biggest events in Somerset

Shepton Mallet and the surrounding area have a varied weekend ahead, with Skate Jam returning to West Shepton Skate Park, a pallet upcycling course near Evercreech and a free children's autumn workshop listed at Dobbies. Shepton Mallet Men's Shed is also open on Thursday, while Sunday brings both a Somerset Levels running event and theatre at nearby Croscombe — enough variety to make deciding what to do the first challenge of the weekend.

Thursday, 3 September gets things under way in Shepton Mallet, where Shepton Mallet Men's Shed is open at Unit 8, Charlton Estate, from 9am to 4pm. The group offers companionship and the chance to learn and share practical skills, with making and mending very much part of proceedings. In other words, a perfectly respectable reason to spend Thursday surrounded by tools.

Later that day, Charity Quiz Night in aid of Royal Air Forces Association 2026 Wings Appeal takes place at Ad Astra Cider Farm in Stone Allerton. Doors open at 6pm and the quiz begins at 7pm, with teams of up to six charged £5 per person. All quiz fees will go to the RAFA 2026 Wings Appeal, while pizzas will be available to buy and a full bar will operate during the evening. The event will also have an RAF theme ahead of the 86th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, so brushing up on your aviation knowledge may not be the worst preparation.

Friday, 4 September is the final day of Summer Fun on the Farm at Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury. The programme has included opportunities to explore the galleries, meet visiting animals and take part in craft activities, with the museum open from 10am to 5pm. Drop-in activities are free with a Museum Unlimited Annual Pass unless otherwise stated. It is the last chance for this particular summer programme, which is September's traditional way of reminding everyone that summer does eventually have to hand the keys back.

Also in Glastonbury on Friday, Fresh Air Fridays runs at Glastonbury Library from 10am to 11am. The free weekly session combines stories and rhymes with indoor and outdoor play. Later, chair yoga takes place at the library from 2pm to 3pm, with attendance by donation. A morning of stories followed by an afternoon of gentle stretching is a fairly civilised way to approach Friday.

Friday evening brings PRP Gospel Choir at Wells Methodist Church, with its monthly session running from 7.30pm to 9pm. Led by musical director Emma Wheat and accompanied by a live band, the non-auditioned choir teaches songs by ear in three-part harmony and welcomes people of any faith or none. Sessions cost £10 on a drop-in basis. No sheet music, no audition and, therefore, rather fewer opportunities for anyone to claim the printer ate their homework.

Saturday, 5 September starts early in Wells, where MP Tessa Munt will hold a constituency surgery at Coffee #1 from 8.30am to 10am. The drop-in session is open to residents on a first come, first served basis and no appointment is required. It offers people the chance to raise local, constituency or personal matters directly with their MP — possibly best attempted after the first coffee rather than before it.

Over in Evercreech, a training course in upcycling with pallets takes place at the BlackPaw workshop from 9.30am to 4pm. The one-day beginners' furniture-making course costs £135 and introduces participants to using pallets for upcycling projects. Finally, a Saturday where being handed an old pallet is the beginning of the activity rather than the end of a delivery.

Shepton Mallet's Skate Jam returns to West Shepton Skate Park from 10am to 4pm. The day includes coaching, demonstrations and competitions for skateboarding, scootering and BMX, with sessions for complete beginners and younger participants before competitions for under-13s and over-13s later in the day. All ages and abilities are welcome, so there is at least some reassurance for those whose main skateboarding skill remains standing upright.

Glastonbury Library has two more Saturday sessions on the calendar. Its free Poetry Group runs from 10.30am to 12.30pm and meets on the first Saturday of the month, while gentle yoga runs from noon to 1.15pm and is available by donation. One works the imagination, the other works the hamstrings; attempting both at once is probably unnecessary.

Glastonbury will also welcome the Pilgrimage in Glastonbury on Saturday. The Pilgrimage of Mary, Woman of Hope begins at 11am, with various processions taking place during the day to and from Glastonbury Abbey. The annual Clifton Diocesan pilgrimage has been held in Glastonbury since the early 1950s. With processions on the programme, this is one occasion where taking the scenic route is rather the point.

In Wells, Wells City Band's free bandstand concert runs from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. The concert is listed by Wells Tourism as a free outdoor music event, providing an hour of live music without anyone first having to remember where they put the ticket confirmation email.

Back in Glastonbury, Naturalist's Sip & Draw takes place at the Heart of the Tribe Gallery's community hub. Sessions run from 1pm to 3pm and 3pm to 5pm, with tickets priced at £20 in advance or £25 on the door. The event combines drawing and storytelling inspired by nature, with natural specimens, patterns and organic forms providing material for artists and writers. Materials are provided, and a complimentary drink is included. Butterflies, drawing materials and a cup of tea: Saturday afternoons have certainly become more ambitious.

Sunday, 6 September begins with runners heading onto the Somerset Levels for the Somerset Half Marathon and 10km. Both races start and finish at Sweets Tea Rooms, with the event beginning at 9.15am. Entry is listed from £30 for the half marathon and £22.50 for the 10km. For everyone taking part, Sunday breakfast may feel considerably more earned than usual.

At Dobbies Garden Centre in Shepton Mallet, Little Seedlings free September workshop – Autumn Colours is listed for 10.30am. The free children's session explores seasonal colour, how plants prepare for winter and autumn wildlife, before children plant a daffodil bulb to take home. Advance booking is required. The Shepton time is currently shown by third-party event listing Enjoy!, while Dobbies confirms the workshop programme nationally; anyone attending should therefore check the booking page for the latest local availability before travelling. A daffodil planted in September is, at least, a pleasingly optimistic vote for spring.

History takes a considerably darker turn in Glastonbury on Sunday with The Monmouth Rebellion at Glastonbury Tribunal on the High Street. The event will explore the stories of local men who followed the Duke of Monmouth during his failed rebellion against King James II in 1685, along with the Bloody Assizes and the treatment of people wounded in the fighting. There will also be a look at the role of the barber-surgeon, from an era when the phrase "medical appointment" carried rather more suspense than anyone would ideally like. A start time has not been confirmed in the information available.

The weekend finishes at Croscombe Village Hall with Alys Williams' The Light House at 7.30pm, with doors opening at 7pm. The professional theatre production tells a real-life story about love, mental health and holding onto one another during difficult times, using puppetry, clowning and gently embedded audience participation. Tickets are £13 for adults and £9 for people on a low income or aged under 25, and the production contains themes of suicide and self-harm. Tender subject matter, then, but a play explicitly built around hope rather than pretending life always behaves itself.

More local stories

• Wells Literature Festival tickets selling fast
• Shepton Mallet Brick Festival returns this month
• Burrowbridge A361 full closure to end this week

Organising something locally? You can nub your event for free in Wells, nub your event for free in Shepton Mallet or nub your event for free in Glastonbury and Street and get it added to the local What's On listings.