Solva works cultural miracle

 A remarkable story of community engagement and enthusiasm came to a head last weekend with the celebration of the Edge Festival, Solva’s inaugural carnival of the arts, food, sport, swimming, music, drinking and much else. It is so-called because Solva lies on the rim of Wales, at the brink of the ocean. As our late, great historian John Davies once said, it is “the most delectable place in coastal Pembrokeshire”.

The festival was definitely edgy, and a bit nervous because nobody knew how it would work out. It was ambitious, held over four days in multiple venues with a wide range of participants, from writers, poets and comedians, to actors, surfers and celebrity chefs.

It was certainly damp. It rained everyday, sometimes all day. Yet despite that multiple events went ahead. A high point came with a four-kilometre open water swim from the harbor out to Green Scar rock in St Brides Bay that attracted entrants from across the UK. There was a six-a-side football tournament, rock and folk bands, cookery demonstrations, a pig roast and food of all kinds, plus a concert with Meic Stevens, one of Solva’s most famous sons. In all there were 221 swimmers, 41 musicians, 70 footballers, 40 climbers, hundreds of filmgoers, and drinkers galore. In short, and in defiance of the weather, it was a great success. To the surprise of the pessimistic it even broke even, despite costing upwards of £20,000.

Which is a lot of money for a small community of scarcely more than 1,000 people. How did they manage it? How did the Edge Festival come about and why was it such a success?

In June and July last year Solva was invaded by a film crew remaking Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas’s radio play that was first filmed in 1972, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and using Llangrannog as a backdrop. The new version stars Rhys Ifans, and Charlotte Church, with dozens of Solva villagers hired as extras. For two months the place was transformed. At the end of the shoot, during the wrap party in The Ship Inn, it was decided that Solva’s new cultural profile had to be continued in some way, and so the idea for the Edge Festival was born.

But to make it happen they first had to raise money. Some support came from local businesses and organisations like Literature Wales and the Milford Haven Port Authority, but far from enough. So Solva set to and organised a series of fundraisers including an Italian Supper and a Spanish Feast at the Café on the Quay and a six-course dinner at the Ship Inn to mark the end of the Six Nations tournament. With these and other events, including a raffle, they aimed to raise £10,000. By the end they got to £18,000.

Solva’s Edge Festival has mobilised a whole community and worked wonders for the local economy. It has demonstrated how from small beginnings, with dedication and commitment, something truly ground breaking can be achieved. Watch out for next year.