Berkshire Printmakers invite you to an evening of creativity and enjoying food and wine
Berkshire Printmakers are back in Newbury for a fun, creative, evening of T-shirt printing @Buick Mackane on Friday, 23rd June.
Mix this with delicious food and wine and you have the ingredients for a fantastic evening from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
it is a fun adult only evening, suitable for beginners and those of you with little silkscreen experience. Berkshire Printmakers will take you through step by step how to make paper stencils, combine these with our patterned screens, colour mix and print your own unique T-shirt design to impress your friends on the beach this summer. The evening finishes with delicious food and wine is free flowing throughout the evening.
Review of Berkshire Printmakers @ Buick Mackane: “I went to this in October and it was amazing. Really great teaching with loads of designs, colours, screens etc. and it was great to be able to take away something you have created yourself. The food was delish and free flowing wine too.”
Head to New Ashgate Gallery to enjoy Susie Lidstone’s Lost Alleys of Farnham from 17th June to 29th July…
Susie Lidstone has been painting for some 30 years and works from her small studio in Farnham. For this exhibition, she has painted more of the hidden alleyways and homes in Farnham, presenting hidden gems of beautiful architecture.
Susie says: “I am delighted to show my new paintings created for The New Ashgate gallery showing my love of Farnham and the hidden gems of the market town’s architecture each boasting, I hope, a strong sense of place.”
Susie trained in Fine Art Printmaking at West Surrey College of Art and Design has gone on to accept commissions from all over the world. Susie is one of only a few women worldwide to be a full member of The Society of Architectural Illustration. Fascinated by the architecture of Farnham and all its alleyways, Susie enjoys capturing the hidden parts of Farnham and the shops that have gone but form so much of the history of the market town.
A Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference for anyone who works with children and young people in Berkshire West and beyond
Hosted by Mind in Berkshire, this mental health and wellbeing conference is for anyone who works with children and young people in statutory bodies, the education sector, voluntary sector organisations, and individuals in Berkshire West and beyond.
Young people play a key role planning and delivering the conference, identifying subjects they would like covered, and questioning and discussing with speakers the mental health challenges they face, and the support they feel young people need.
Speakers at this year’s conference include Dr Luke Beardon, autism expert and author of multiple books about autism, and Dr Dimitri Gavriloff who specialises in behavioural sleep medicine.
Hot off the press, the findings of the Oxwell Student Survey, completed by 43,000 young people in schools across the country, will be shared by Professor Mina Fazel. She will be joined by young people to discuss some of the issues raised by the survey, and by Sarah Emery, CEO of Berkshire Youth, who will share conclusions drawn from their 2023 survey of young people across the country.
Workshops will be delivered by a variety of organisations including Citizens Advice, Samaritans, Soulscape, No 5, Reading FC Community Trust, Safe and Sport in Mind, Brighter Futures for Children and NHS Berkshire Healthcare Children, Young People and Families Service Jess Willsher, CEO of Oxfordshire Mind said: “Post pandemic and in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, an increasing number of children and young people are having to cope with mental health challenges.* At a time when it’s more important than ever to understand mental health and wellbeing support from a young person’s perspective, we’re delighted to be hosting our second Youth in Mind Berkshire conference. It’s an opportunity for all of us who work with children and young people to come together, learn from experts and each other, and find ways of working creatively together to provide the best support we can.”
Alongside speakers, presentations and workshops there are exhibition stands and a wellbeing area.
Tickets are now on sale for the second Youth in Mind Berkshire conference which takes place on Thursday 27th June at the Palmer Building, University of Reading.
Head to Brightwell Vineyard for a splendid array of wine and artisan treats, June 17th & 18th
The third edition of The Thames Valley Food & Drink Festival – (thamesvalleyfestival.co.uk) – returns to Brightwell Vineyard, just outside of Wallingford, over the weekend of June 17th & 18th.
The line-up includes over 30 lip-smacking independent food and drink producers drawn from the Thames Valley region – including six independent English wine producers – with negligible food miles.
On offer is wine and food tastings, self-guided walks among the vine rows, artisan food stalls, with plenty of seating to eat and drink while listening to live jazz, swing, and popular melodies, soaking up the far-reaching countryside views. The festival takes place in the grounds of Brightwell Vineyard who will be showcasing their award-winning wines, including Bacchus, Pinot Noir, Sparkling Chardonnay and its prestigious English Brandy.
Wine buffs (and bluffs) can also sample English wines from six leading local vineyards including Brightwell, Dawes Hill, Fairmile, Jojo’s, Freedom of the Press and Hendred. Each offering subtly different white, rosé, red and sparkling wines grown on the mineral rich soils of the Thames Valley and Chiltern Hills. Those whose tipple is a spirit will not be disappointed, with artisan makers including the GB Mead Company, vermouth from In the Loop Drinks, gin from Henley Distillery and Old Sun Rum. South Oxfordshire Brewery will be serving-up pints brewed only five miles away.
A tantalising array of artisan fare is designed to tempt the tastebuds of visitors from far and wide, and food vendors will ensure nobody leaves hungry with stalls including savoury tarts from Tarte in a Box, vegan cakes from The Witches Kitchen, doughnuts from Oh So Dough, Alex’s delicious sweet and savoury Crepes, Marlow Cheese, and wraps with Bohemian Rhapsody, Supreme Burgers, surf n Fries and the Pizza Boys. Sample local charcuterie, biltong, or Johnny Hot Stuff’s chilli sauces. Perhaps book a home delivery hamper from Riverford Organics. There’s tableware by Blue and White Company, and beeswax candles from Henley.
The Horsebox Coffee is back too, offering a range of hot drinks including freshly ground coffees.
Doors are open from 11am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday, with ample free parking on site for visitors.
Prices: Tickets purchased in advance for one Day entry cost £9 per person, with children under 10 free. Purchase a full ticket for £14 which includes festival entry, six tasting vouchers, a tasting glass and glass holder. Tickets purchased at the gate on the weekend will be £10 and £15 respectively. Cash and cards welcome.
It’s time to celebrate the UK’s unpaid carers and recognise the huge amount they do!
Carers Week 2023 runs from Monday 5th to Sunday, 11th June, raising awareness of caring, highlighting the challenges family and friend carers face, and acknowledging the huge contribution they make. It’s also a time to help people who don’t think of themselves as carers, to identify as carers and then access much-needed support.
Surrey’s carers charity ‘Action for Carers’ will be celebrating the week across the county, with lots of free events and activities.
There’s different events at different hubs, including free massages, support groups, makeovers, Zine horkshops, back care and more. There will of course also be free tea, coffee and cake available at all the Hubs to celebrate Carers Week.
The charity also have a ‘Doing Well’ workshop at Polesden Lacey on Saturday, 10th June. And for those who struggle to leave home, there’s free online events, including mindfulness and yoga sessions.
The drop-in carer hubs will be open 10am-2.30pm, as follows:
Monday 5th • Woking – The Vyne Centre, Knaphill, Woking GU21 2SP • Guildford – The Hive, Park Barn Drive, Guildford GU2 8EN • Cranleigh – The Bandroom, Village Way, Cranleigh GU6 8AF
Thursday 8th • Hersham – Centre for the Community, 7 Queens Road, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames KT12 5LU • Caterham – Westway Community Café, 25 Chaldon Road, Caterham CR3 5PG
Friday 9th • Leatherhead – Leatherhead Community Hub, Kingston Road, Leatherhead KT22 7PX (if driving, you need to go round the rear of the building, via Aperdele Rd) If you’re an unpaid carer, then why not pop into your nearest Hub, and find out what practical and emotional support is available. It can make a real difference
The GOAT summer pop-up is coming to The Star, Witley
Stop the search for the perfect summer spot, The Star gastropub in Surrey is launching an al fresco pop-up that promises to be nothing but the GOAT.
Firing up in collaboration with Cabrito Goat Meat – a multi award-winning, ethical meat company on a mission to put all the billy goats born into the UK dairy system back into the food chain – The Star’s GOAT pop-up will be serving up delicious, sustainable dishes in the picturesque country pub’s expansive south-facing garden and terrace all summer long.
All your satiating street food favourites are getting the GOAT treatment – from melt-in-the-mouth burgers to moreish tacos and poutines packing a punch. The Star’s chef owners Jamie Dobbin and James Lyon Shaw (whose independent pub group Brucan Pubs was hailed the ‘undeniable winner’ of Best Food Offer at the Publican Awards 2023) are using every morsel of Cabrito’s 100% British goat meat, produced from a sustainable farming system, to its greatest potential.
Settle into your sun-soaked spot and choose between: the Nanny Mac burger with double patty smash; a single patty Billy the Kid burger with American cheese; Pulled Goat Shoulder tacos with red cabbage slaw and chimichurri; and comforting Curry Goat poutine.
Jazzed up jackfruit options are also coming in hot for those who want the GOAT experience without actually, well, eating goat, including the Gone Goat burger with meat-free patties, Spiced Jackfruit tacos and Jackfruit poutine.
Launching on Saturday 10th June, The Star’s GOAT pop-up will run from 12pm till 6pm every Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer. The ultimate way to get your goat.
There’s much more than just the stunning stones to enjoy at the National Trust heritage site in Wiltshire
Visit National Trust place Avebury in Wiltshire, home to museums, a manor house and a World Heritage-listed neolithic site.
The main visitor offering includes the manor where you can step back in time to rooms furnished in a different time period, reflecting the lives of those who have lived there over the last 500 years. Why not take a guided tour around the largest stone circle in the world? Expert guides can tell you about the people who built it and find out all about the archaeology of the Avebury World Heritage Site. The small Alexander Keiller Museum is filled with fascinating artefacts that have been discovered through past excavations.
In addition to the usual delights, this summer, you can also enjoy:
Sentinels of Stone’ by Tony Galuidi
Until 11 June, normal opening hours, free An exhibition of 35 painting of standing stones, painted in acrylic on canvas, by Tony Galuidi, displayed in the atmospheric threshing barn.
In Stitches – women and needlecraft in Avebury Manor
Until 5 November, 11am-5pm, free with normal admission Explore the lives of some of Avebury Manor’s female residents through the lens of needlecraft. Find out more about the women of Avebury’s historic crafts from Tudor times to the 1920s and the role they played, at Avebury and beyond, in this new exhibition.
Avebury Trust 10
23 Jul, 9am-11am, free Enjoy a challenging 10k trail run with stunning views across the wider Avebury landscape. Registration is from 8.30am at the Coach house (on Avebury high street, next to the Red Lion pub). The Trust10 run will begin at 9am.
May Half Term Activities
Until 4 June, 10am-5pm, £2 per trail, £2 per craft pack A family adventure around the gardens of Avebury Manor, with sensory activities. Learn about the pollinators that help turn the apple blossom the garden into delicious fruit
Avebury landscape walk – Waden Hill
10 June, 1.30pm-4pm, £8 per person, booking essential Explore some of the Neolithic monuments which make up this ancient and intriguing landscape. The volunteer guide will help you to unlock the past by explaining the history of the landscape as you walk. Avebury | Wiltshire | National Trust
Relax with yoga on the lawn – Church Garden on Avebury Manor
10, 17, 24 June & 1, 8, 15 July, 9.45am-11am, £12.50 per person, booking essential Relax in the stunning setting of Avebury Manor Garden as you take part in a rejuvenating outdoor yoga session with local instructors. Suitable for beginners or experienced yoga lovers.
Looking ahead…
An exhibition of work by William Stukeley
William Stukeley was an eighteenth-century antiquarian who had wide and varied interests, one of which was the study of prehistoric monuments. He made detailed drawings of these, including many of the Avebury landscape. Images of his work will be on display in the Great Barn at Avebury from 24 June. Free to enter.
Glow worm walk at Figsbury Ring, near Salisbury
Fri 30 June & Fri 14 July 9.45pm-11pm £8 per person. Booking essential. Is a glow worm really a worm? Why do they shine? How can an insect produce light? Learn the answers to these questions and more by joining the rangers for a nocturnal promenade and talk under the moon and stars at Figsbury Ring.
The Hindhead Royal British Legion Club are hosting its incredible beer festival again and can’t wait to get everyone back to taste the amazing beers lined up
Last year’s beer festival was a wonderful success, with a record attendance over the weekend, amazing live music, wonderful beer, cider and lager from local breweries and amazing food and this year will be a bigger and even better festival!
On Friday 2nd June from 6pm, we will be open to everyone to kick off the celebrations with live music from The Barley Boys, who closed the event last year, they are an amazing band who interact with the crowd and got everyone singing and dancing last year, we cannot wait for them to open the festival this time around.
Saturday 3rd June won’t be any less exciting, we open at 1pm for an afternoon of beer, lager and cider tasting, this year we are having a family afternoon with Fun Kids entertainers, our local ice cream store, Scoop joining us and a family BBQ area, where we will be providing some amazing burgers and hot dogs from Bells Butchers in Haslemere.
We will be showing, what is sure to be a fiery FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Manchester Utd on our big screen, with Manchester City aiming to become the first English team to win the treble for over 30 years, so we are sure to be in for an exciting game before we get right into the evening. There will be live music from the wonderful Eloise Kate after the FA Cup Final to get us up and dancing before the amazing Floored close the weekend with some wonderful live music to get everyone on the dance floor.
We have a wonderful food court this year, including Scoop providing ice cream, and our BBQ on Saturday afternoon, we will also be hosting Simply Hog roast and will have a stone-baked pizza truck too to keep everyone sustained during the weekend.
We would like to thank our wonderful sponsors, we have 30 sponsors this year and have 20 beers from 12 local breweries including Langham’s Brewery, Hog’s Back Brewery, Tillingbourne Brewery, Longdog Brewery, Windsor & Eton Brewery, Firebird, Listers and Triple FFF Brewery, plus 3 local ciders and five lagers. This year’s funds raised from the festival are being invested into our community hall, which needs extensive work on a new heating system.
Join us on Friday 2nd June from 6pm and Saturday 3rd June from 1pm for an incredible weekend in Beacon Hill. Buy your tickets online via our website or over the weekend at the door, we look forward to welcoming everyone to our amazing festival.
Families are encouraged to join 30 Days Wild, the campaign by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) to connect with nature every day in June, backed by the NHS.
Wildlife trusts across the UK have run the 30 Days Wild challenge every June for nearly a decade, encouraging people to take one wild act each day. This can be anything from watching wildlife from a window to listening to birdsong or taking a meal or drink outside.
For the first time the initiative has won the backing of the UK’s National Health Service. Liz Shearer, BBOWT’s community engagement director, said: “We are over the moon that the NHS has endorsed our challenge: we have always known that spending time in green spaces can have huge health benefits for many people, helping to lower heart rate and blood pressure and reduce anxiety, but now we have the official support of our fantastic health service. Try taking one tiny act to connect with nature and see what it does for you – you could change your life.”
Last year more than 500,000 people took part in 30 Days Wild, including more than 5,000 in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Across the UK, 114,245 households, 11,740 schools, 898 care homes and 1,384 businesses joined in.
Anyone taking part can order a free activity pack, with different packs for families, individuals, businesses and schools containing activities, games and packets of wildflower seeds to sow. A survey of nearly 1,000 participants last year found that people’s favourite activities were watching wildlife and listening to birdsong (85%).
The NHS has decided to back 30 Days Wild as it celebrates its 75th anniversary celebrations this year. The Greener NHS programme at NHS England will showcase NHS gardens and green spaces that support biodiversity, improve air quality, and provide health benefits for staff and patients, both physically and mentally – across the NHS estate.
Join 30 Days Wild and download a free activity pack at 30 Days Wild.
Support a real force for good – the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) thanks a concert Surrey Police Band will give on Sunday, 18th June, in Godalming
Surrey Police Band is a self-supporting organisation funded by its members. As members of the group, established in 2007, serve on shift patterns, the band was designed to have a flexible rehearsal schedule.
As Major (Retd) Ian W Wadley VR, Honorary Secretary of the Surrey Committee explains: “This flexible ethos towards attendance has subsequently attracted people from many walks of life including the police, military, civil service & wider civilian community.”
You’re all invited to book your tickets to enjoy an evening of music to suit all tastes by the Surrey Police Band and support The ABF – The Soldiers’ Charity – at the same time. The ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is the Army’s national charity, supporting soldiers, past and present, and their families for life. You can find out more about the great work the charity does at ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
Doors open at 6.30pm for the concert on 18th June at Waverly Borough Hall, GU7 1HR, and the band will play 7-9pm. Free parking is available and there will be a licensed bar and a raffle.
