Rooted in Godalming, Respectful of Nature

By Meryl Wingfield

ChoirBLAST is proudly rooted in the lovely town of Godalming, a place surrounded by nature in all its glory: green parks and meadows, gorgeous towering trees, a burbling river and the soundtrack of birdsong. Being in nature, just like singing, is wonderfully good for us. It boosts wellbeing, helps reduce stress, supports our immune systems and can ease feelings of anxiety and depression. And of course, nature gives us the essentials of life too: clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and the food that sustains us.

From the very beginning of ChoirBLAST, we’ve thought about how we can celebrate singing while also caring for the natural world that hosts us. Over the years, we’ve taken practical steps to reduce the festival’s environmental impact. One of our stages is powered by a solar battery, while our other stages draw electricity from nearby buildings to avoid the use of diesel generators. We reuse staging and decorations wherever possible, and we work hard to make sure waste is carefully sorted so that as much as possible can be recycled.

Recently, we took another important step by calculating the festival’s carbon footprint for 2025. What we learned was surprising: the largest share of our emissions comes from transport, specifically how choirs, volunteers, audience members and vendors travel to and from Godalming.

This is where the heart of ChoirBLAST really comes into play. Community is at the centre of everything we do, and reducing our impact on the planet is something we can only achieve together. We already ask our wonderful vendors to think about packaging and waste, and many are making thoughtful choices to reduce their footprint.

Looking ahead to ChoirBLAST 2026, we’d love everyone in our community to think about how they travel to the festival. If you can, please consider avoiding driving alone. Car sharing, travelling by train, coach or bus all produce far fewer emissions per person, and as a bonus, they help ease pressure on parking in Godalming too. Of course if you’re really local, cycling or walking is even better! 

Small choices, made together, can add up to a big difference. Just like singing in harmony, when we all play our part, something truly powerful happens.