This Friday Darren Hayman will release a second volume of songs resulting from his Thankful Villages project, copies of which can be pre-ordered from the Caught by the River shop. Today we reveal the fifth village, which is Tellisford, Somerset.

Tellisford, Somerset – Thankful Village #23 from Darren Hayman on Vimeo.

Tellisford falls sharply into a valley. On a sunny day like this you have to stop yourself breaking into a run down to the River Frome. There is a spot famed for wild swimming by the weir in Tellisford. It is a bright sunny day and we only have to follow the bathers down past the mill and over the bridge.

Rolling fields of buttercup speckled green run down to the weir. A large picnic crowd have put up blue and white bunting. Dogs run freely off lead and dandelions, dragonfly and frisbees fill the air.

It’s the largest group of people I’ve been amongst in a thankful village and the youngest too. The sound of laughter and splashing fills the valley and no-one is scared of the water.

A World War 2 pill box sits by the weir and two boys make it their castle. Their towels become flags and they are kings of the weir.

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This Thursday, 25 May, Darren, along with guests July Skies, are playing a special album launch gig in the intimate and unique Bloomsbury venue The Horse Hospital, tickets for which can be bought here.

Previous Thankful Villages posts on Caught by the River /Darren Hayman on Twitter