Past events

Community Day 2022

Coopersale Community Day🌻

From 2021-2025, we held an annual Community Day to celebration everything that makes Coopersale great. The day provided a chance for neighbours of all ages to come together to enjoy games, food, music and family‑friendly fun. It took place at Institute Hall (2021), Cricket Field (2022, 2023, 2024) and Coopersale & Theydon Garnon School (2025). The day was all about connection, enjoyment and community spirit.

Forest Fun for Everyone: June 2025🍃

In October 2023, Coopersale Community received £10,000 from the Aviva Community Fund, with support from our insurance broker, WB Baxter Ltd. This funding enabled our environmental action project, Forest Fun for Everyone, which set out to deepen our community’s understanding of biodiversity, local wildlife and the important role the forest plays in protecting our village.

All activities were based in Gernon Bushes Nature Reserve, a treasured local forest designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and protected by Natural England and Essex Wildlife Trust.

The project focused on inspiring awareness, appreciation and respect for the forest, encouraging people to make small, positive choices that support the environment. Highlights included:

Four public events attended by 77 residents
School sessions for every year group at Coopersale & Theydon Garnon C of E Primary School, reaching 199 children
A downloadable map and activity trail for families to explore (below)
Two new information boards installed in February 2026 to support long‑term learning and engagement (below)

New Gernon Bushes information boards

Coopersale Nature Guide Draft 2 (PRINT AT HOME).pdf

Downloadable map and activity trail

Scarecrow Festival🍂

Between 2021 and 2024, Coopersale held its annual Scarecrow Festivals — a wonderfully quirky tradition that brought colour, humour and imagination to the village each autumn. Over the years we enjoyed an incredible variety of creations, from heartfelt tributes to Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington to playful takes on Beetlejuice, Barbie, ET, Minions, Cleopatra and many original characters dreamed up by residents.

In the early years, the festival regularly featured 20–30 scarecrows displayed proudly around the village, each one adding to the sense of fun and community spirit. Participation dipped in 2024, and after careful thought we chose not to repeat the event in 2025. Even so, the Scarecrow Festivals remain a fondly remembered part of Coopersale’s recent history — a testament to the creativity and enthusiasm of everyone who took part.

Barbie

Scarecrow Wedding

Minions

Yoda

Light up Night

Santa's Grotto 2022

Christmas in Coopersale / Light Up Night❄️

Light Up Night in Coopersale began in December 2021 as a simple, socially distanced way to bring people together during lockdown. Residents were invited to decorate their homes and “light up” at the same time, creating a winter night walk that lifted spirits and brightened the season when we all needed it most.

What started as a doorstep tradition quickly grew. In the years that followed, Light Up Night became a highlight of the village calendar, with festive lights in the Piazza, mulled wine, hot chocolate and carolling in collaboration with St Albans Church.

Over the years, we trialled a Santa’s Grotto and a Christmas meal for older residents, delivered winter treats to those who were isolated, hosted a Christmas market and ran a popular wreath‑making workshop. Each addition reflected the same aim that inspired the very first Light Up Night — bringing joy, connection and warmth to our community during the darkest months of the year.

Piazza flower bed

In addition to the larger events, we:

held regular litter picks, cleaning up our streets and forest
hosted weekly winter warming coffee mornings at The Garnon Bushes Pub
ran quiz night to raise funds for activities
planted up and maintained a flower bed in the Piazza
held an annual 'grow the tallest sunflower' competition

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