DESPITE the weather being variously described as either 'quite refreshing' or 'absolutely damn freezing' the pagan community of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley turned out in force for both May eve, or Beltane (April 30), and May Day itself, with over 150 people converging for the traditional welcoming of the Mayday dawn on May Hill – complete with several morris dancing teams, including the Forest of Dean Morris and the Lassington Oak Morris – to celebrate the event.

The Wyedean Pagan and Wiccan Society held their usual Beltane celebrations and ceremony on the evening of April 30, with some making a long night of it and heading off to May Hill for sunrise afterwards. The Asha Centre, meanwhile, played host to around 20 people who held a Welcome the May ceremony at St Anthony's Well in Flaxley, which was attended by local pagans, and visitors from as far away as Greece.

The Beltane and May Day theme was carried on to the monthly meeting of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Earth Mysteries Group, which met at the Courtfield Arms in Lower Lydbrook on Thursday evening.

Over the border in Wales, the Brecon pagan group convened on May morning for the first time in two years, and were joined by representatives of the Ross on Wye pagan group, at dawn on The Skirrid, where upwards of seventy people were said to have gathered –making it one of the largest pagan events in Wales for some time.

A spokesman for the Wyedean Pagan and Wiccan Society said: "Despite the cool conditions, the turnout right across the South West – but especially the Forest – has been very good indeed. This is also a reflection of the fact that in the latest release of figures from the 2011 Census results, paganism is now ranked as the seventh largest religious affiliation in the UK – despite it not having a tick box! The number of pagans in England and Wales has doubled in the past decade."

Further information on the Wyedean Pagan and Wiccan Society is available on 0776 531 4223.