Welcome to the Woodlands May Festival website

Learn about the Woodlands May festival..

The festival was first held when the local Squires wife and the sister of the colliery owner approached the owner, Arthur Markham. They persuaded him to let all the men in the model village have the day off, with pay! This would enable them to spend valuable time with their families for one day a year. This was well before holidays were common, let alone with pay.