Lowde & proud festival fun!

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Lowde Fest offers music from bands big & small and much more fun at Hazeley Bottom on Saturday, 1st July

Are you looking for the best festival to attend this summer? Wanting that Glastonbury experience at a more affordable expenditure…? Then look no further as Lowde Fest is back on 1st July!

Taking place at Hazeley Bottom Farm in Hampshire with the best summer vibes, lively music and a full day of entertainment, Lowde Fest brings a two-stage twist to not only have the latest big acts but a new wave of talent too. Dome stage will pay homage to some of the world’s biggest and best bands/performers and the Keith Bennet stage will provide a key platform for upcoming talent. Some of which include Kerry Goodhind, who has previously featured by BBC Introducing and is now working on a new EP, and singer-songwriter Louis Coupe whose previous highlights include performances at Radio 1’s Big Weekend and the Royal Albert Hall.

On top of the Glastonbury vibes, Lowde Fest also focuses on giving back to the kids through music by fundraising for the continued use of music to improve the well-being of young people. The festival is the vision of founder Martin Lowde after the passing of his father, Lowde Fest is an important opportunity to support the work of the Lowde Music Trust, which champions Music for Good.

Martin says: “We founded Lowde Fest on a very simple premise, we wanted to give people in and around Hartley Wintney and Hook a fantastic, affordable day out in a safe space, with professional entertainment standards.”

To add to the music, families and friends can also enjoy the funfair catered for all ages (subject to each ride). Rides and attractions include the dodgems, gravity ride, flying plane, face painting and the kids zone. Want to stop for a bite to eat? Well, the selection of food and drinks from all over the world will keep your hunger and thirst quenched during the day. If you’re looking to take your Lowde family day out experience further, Lowde offers opportunities for camping too.

Make the most of your summer with Lowde Fest, the perfect Glastonbury alternative. Buy your tickets at lowdefest.com & under-fives go free.

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Eynsham Carnival on Saturday, 1st July

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Roll up, roll up to this family-orientated village carnival featuring a parade, shirt race, morris dancing & craft fair!

Eynsham Carnival is a village institution – bringing traffic to a standstill on the first Saturday in July.

A parade follows the traditional madcap Shirt Race around the centre of the village ending at the Queen Elizabeth playing field in Oxford Road, OX29 4HG. Fantastic acts, funfair, stalls and a craft fair along with a bar, tug of war and lots of family friendly activities make for a great day out.

Morris dancing, Shirt Race and parade from 11am in the village centre, carnival field open from 1pm. Craft fair 12pm-6pm. Disabled parking only on site, other parking available a short walk away at the Siemens plant.

£5 on the door/ £4 advance/ £3 children & concessions. Under-fives & carers free. Tickets available in advance in Eynsham from Evenlode DIY, Post Office & Eynsham Cellars. Visit Eynsham Carnival and see @EynshamCarnival on Facebook.

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Alpine skier’s art exhibition in Guildford

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Teenager Molly Butler is helping making her alpine skiing dreams come true through her art exhibition at The Hideaway Café

Molly Butler, a sprinted 16 year old learned to ski about the same time she was learning to walk! She is intent on pursuing one goal – to become a top alpine ski racer.

Being selected to represent Team GB at the European Youth Olympics in Italy in January, and in May being selected for the GB alpine squad, was just the first step on the journey.

As Molly is from a family without substantial wealth, it is no mean feat in finding the funds to cover the equipment, training, travelling and so on. A full year of required training to maintain this level of competition is more than £30,000. But sadly, for GB alpine athletes, there is no funding available, constant support is needed to continue.

To help fund her ski racing several years ago Molly set up a small business where she sells prints of her artwork, cards and other small gifts. View her work at (mollybutler.co.uk).

This summer Molly is exhibiting her art for three months from June 19th at the Hideaway Cafe in Guildford, an initiative of the Matrix charity providing a lifeline for vulnerable young people across Guildford Borough.

She’ll be working hard to help with the extortionate fees race training brings with it but she will be helping others with 25% from her sales going towards Matrix, making the whole exhibition even more worthwhile and meaningful.

Molly is so happy to be living her dream, she says: “I was born to ski, I couldn’t think of doing anything else in my life.”

Her second ‘love’ is her art. “I’ve combined my love for both skiing and art to create my unique hand-drawn gifts,” she explains. “The inspiration for my original artwork prints and the designs comes from the mountains and the natural world. All of my products make great gifts and are practical too. Wherever I am, or whatever I’m doing, the snow-capped peaks always remind me to keep chasing my dreams.”

By visiting Guildford and stopping by the Hideaway café to view and purchase Molly’s artwork (as well as enjoying a great coffee and cakes) you are not only supporting Molly, you will be joining her on her journey as well as supporting others.

And you can share every step, and all the action, by following Molly on Instagram and Facebook.

If you can’t make it to the exhibition please consider visiting her website and making a purchase.

She also has a dedicated Fundraising page.

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Print your own t-shirt

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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.”

Contact [email protected]  for tickets.

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Favourite Farnham views at New Ashgate

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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.

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Youth in Mind Berkshire conference

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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.

Visit Youth in Mind Berkshire Conference 2023 Tickets.

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Thames Valley Food & Drink Festival

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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.

For tickets and further information see thamesvalleyfestival.co.uk.

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Show your support in Carers Week

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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.

Details of all the above are on the ACS website, www.actionforcarers.org.uk/events

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

Tuesday 6th
• Camberley– High Cross Church, Knoll Road, Camberley GU15 3SY
• Epsom – St Barnabas Church, Temple Rd, Epsom KT19 8HA

Wednesday 7th
• Horley – Horley Baptist Church, 289 Ct Lodge Rd, Horley RH6 8RG
• Shepperton – Greeno Centre, Shepperton

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

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Get your GOAT at The Star

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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.

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What’s on at Avebury

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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.

For more information and to book visit Avebury | Wiltshire | National Trust

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