Peacemaker Festival, East Budleigh, May 2026

​In conjunction with the Roger Conant Group and the East Budleigh History Society, All Saints will be holding a Peacemaker Festival on the 15, 16 and 17th May 2026 in honour of local lad Roger Conant born in East Budleigh (1592) and the 400th anniversary of his founding the city of Salem, Massachusetts, USA in 1626. The Peacemaker Flag featuring the iconic Dove of Peace will fly over All Saints church.

Roger Conant is known as a peacemaker, who resolved a potentially bloody dispute over a fishing stage in New England. As the first governor of what is now Salem, he continued his peace-making between rival factions and established good relations with the indigenous population. We hope that you will agree that his activities provide a very appropriate message for today.

The Peacemaker Festival will run over the weekend starting on Friday 15th May with the Roger Conant Supper featuring an American-style menu at 7pm in the church hall. Ticket details to follow. We are grateful to the Roger Conant Group for arranging this event, assisted by the East Budleigh History Society.

On Saturday morning 16th May at 11am there will be an historic walk around East Budleigh led by the Otter Valley Association, ending at the Sir Walter Raleigh public house for optional refreshments at lunchtime. Booking details will be announced in due course.

On Saturday evening there will be a formal peace-themed classical music concert, organised in conjunction with the Budleigh Music Festival, and addressed by the Bishop of Exeter, the Right Reverend Mike Harrison. We will be delighted to welcome Oliver Manning, an exceptional classical guitarist. The concert will commence at 7.30pm in All Saints church following pre-concert refreshments in the church hall from 6pm. We are grateful to the Budleigh Music Festival for their help with sponsorship and marketing. Booking details will be available shortly.

On Sunday afternoon at 3pm there will be a Village Music concert featuring local musicians. If you would like to participate please do not wait for an invitation but contact Maria by text or phone on 0777 321 8582. (Some of you will remember East Budleigh’s Got Talent!) The Village Music Concert will be followed by an Afternoon Tea hosted by All Saints at 4.30pmin the church hall. If we are lucky, we hope this will provide the schoolchildren with the opportunity to sing their popular May Day songs in the church - and hopefully there could be a new Peacemaker Festival verse to our cherished East Budleigh Song!

Our plan is to record these musical events and Bishop Mike’s message to share with Salem in time for their 400th anniversary celebrations in June 2026. Some East Budleigh residents are planning to join these celebrations across the Pond.

We do hope that you will join in these community events arranged for the Peacemaker Festival and look forward to sharing further details with you soon.