Bringing Nature to Life in Minehead
In 2023 and 2024, we teamed up with Somerset Wildlife Trust, the National Trust, and Exmoor National Park to run free, family-friendly events that celebrated our local environment and nature. These events brought our community together to explore, identify, and record local wildlife using the iNaturalist app, helping us all connect with and protect our natural surroundings. Building on these relationships, in 2025 we commissioned an artist-led project, The Flags of Nature. Through these vibrant, nature-inspired flags, that celebrate our landscapes, wildlife, and stories, there is a lasting creative legacy connecting people with place and the natural world.
Art Meets Nature
In April 2025, we announced a unique opportunity for a Somerset-based artist or creative practitioner to collaborate with us on an inspiring public art project.
After reviewing the fantastic applications, we were excited to commission local Minehead-based artist Maija Zarins to co-create a series of 12 flags that reflect and celebrate the rich natural environment and species in West Somerset.
About the Project
Over the summer of 2025, artist Maija Zarins immersed herself in the landscapes, species, and stories of West Somerset and Exmoor as part of her wild residency for the Flags of Nature commission.
Her journey took her across moorland trails, deep into temperate rainforest and into conversations with conservationists, myth-keepers, and the animals themselves! Both real and Folkloric.
The stories, impressions and visual inspiration she collected on her journey have informed the designs for the flags.
The final installation will be showcased at the Minehead Bay Festival on 29th August 2026, offering an engaging and thought-provoking display for visitors and the community.
A Wild Residency: Reflections of the Artist
My artwork explores the intersection of nature, and observation with a particular focus on the beauty of patterns and textures found in the landscape. Through this project I have sought to highlight native wildlife while reflecting on the significance that the natural world has on our well-being and human experience. Each flag showcases a particular animal or element of wildlife either native to Exmoor and the Minehead area, soon to be reintroduced, or of mythical origin from regional folklore.
This collection of flags has been created in response to the unique combination of landscapes surrounding Minehead; moorland, forest, water, and cliffs.
Maija Zarins
Artist
The Exmoor Pony
Maija began by visiting the Exmoor Pony Centre, a charity in the heart of Exmoor that promotes and protects the rare and ancient breed. Through her time spent meeting and sketching the ponies and her conversations and research, Maija drew creative inspiration from these special animals- one of the oldest and most genetically pure horse breeds in the world.
These hardy, intelligent ponies are deeply tied to the landscape, with a lineage that stretches back to prehistoric times. Once common across the British Isles, the Exmoor pony now survives as a rare native breed, cared for and preserved through dedicated conservation efforts on the moor.
The Yeth Hounds
As part of her residency, Maija delved deep into the mythological lore of Exmoor and was inspired by the tale of the Yeth Hounds. These ink-black hounds are said to roam in a pack on the moorland under moonlight, their banshee-like cries echoing across the hills. Local legend holds that they are restless spirits that form a phantom pack. A symbol of the wild, untamed spirit of the land, the Yeth Hounds have inspired storytellers and artists for generations-and are a key motif in one of Maija’s designs. As part of her research, Maija met with Jane, who breeds the Exmoor Lurcher. These Lurchers are the inspiration for the Yeth Hound flag design.
The Pine Marten
Maija also met with Lucy Bennett from the Somerset Wildlife Trust who has been working on The Two Moors project, reintroducing the native Pine Marten to Exmoor, after a successful initiative on Dartmoor. Lucie explained the intricacies of the project and the unique qualities of the solitary and playful Pine Marten. These beautiful creatures are extremely shy and territorial; each has a unique set of bib markings, which helps to identify individuals. You can learn more about the reintroduction of Pine Martens on Exmoor here.