Placebo join Southampton Summer Sessions

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Rock legends join Tom Jones and Madness for this Summer’s hottest shows

Alternative Rock legends Placebo are the latest headliner to be announced for the somewhat long-named TK Maxx presents Southampton Summer Sessions. Guildhall Square is well known as the Cultural Quarter of the City. Proud to be the hub of live music venues, museums, galleries, bars, cafes, and restaurants. This summer will see the square transformed into a buzzing live music hub, welcoming artists from across the globe for this series of Southampton Summer Sessions. That’s far too much sibilance for any festival.

Placebo bought a touch of gothic androgyny and a smart edge to a scene that, in the aftermath of the Grunge explosion, was primarily obsessed with Blur and Oasis. The band are now a duo and still going strong after 8 albums. So, whether it’s Nancy Boy or Every You Or Every Me that floats your boat, Placebo should have the songs to deal with any residual teenage angst that might be knocking about.

Support comes from Friedberg – a four-piece led by Anna Friedberg. Friedberg is also known as Anna F, who was a successful pop star in her native Austria. Now fronting a band comprised of her friends, they specialise in making quirky pop anthems – as evidenced on their latest release Hello or the frantic Midi 8. Definitely worth checking them out live.

These latest names join the already announced Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Tom Jones, Madness, Paloma Faith, and Kaiser Chiefs on the growing lineup of incredible acts taking over Guildhall Square for Southampton Summer Sessions from 15 to 30 June.

Tickets for the latest show go on general sale on Friday 08 March at 10 am via smmrsessions.com / ticketmaster.co.uk. Fans can follow @smmrsessions for the latest news and updates.

 Placebo headline the festival on Wednesday 26 June

 For ticket information and further updates, music fans should follow @smmrsessions and visit smmrsessions.com

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Varvara Neiman Exhibition and Event

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Elgiva Theatre hosts an exhibition and a “meet the artist” event in March

A solo exhibition featuring local artist Varvara Neiman began at the Elgiva Theatre in Chesham on Saturday and will run until the 1st April.  Power Of Colour In Light is open to the public from 10.30 am – 3.00 pm daily, except Sundays. There is no cost to enter during these times.

Varvara obtained her MA in Fine Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg in 1996. Subsequently she worked in several local theatres specialising costume and set design.

Following a move to the UK in 1999 Varvara concentrated on her career as a professional artist, staging exhibitions in Suffolk, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and London. She now has a studio in Beaconsfield and is a member of both the Bucks Art Society and “HP9”, a group of local artists.

Varvara is also an art educator and teaches for artsmart School of Art and Buckinghamshire Adult Learning. She is currently teaching Life Drawing and her key subjects also include Portraiture, Water Colour, Oils and Acrylics.

At this solo exhibition Varvara is showing two of her favourite subjects, Portraiture and Landscape.

“I have always drawn people from a very early age and am passionate about creating a character either from life or from photos when undertaking commissions,” she says. “These can be celebratory surprises or simply commemorative. My favourite portrait artist is Rembrandt from whom I am always learning that a portrait of a person is all about their eyes which are a mirror of their soul.”

Varvara is very enthusiastic about painting en Plein Air and passionate about Cezanne’s famous quote: “Painting from nature is not copying the object; it is realizing one’s sensation…”

“For me whether it is a watercolour technique or painting in oils or acrylics it is about the power of light reflecting in a prism of a kaleidoscope of colours,” she says.

Varvara will also be showcasing her watercolour technique on Saturday 16th March when the is a chance to meet the artist at the Elgiva. The event starts at 1pm, and will explore Varvara’s artistic journey and inspiration and she will discuss her work in depth.

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Give something back…volunteer!

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Find your perfect volunteering opportunity at OCVA’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair at the Westgate Oxford Shopping Centre on 20th March 2024

Oxfordshire residents are invited to pop into the Westgate Shopping Centre on 20th March (10am-2pm) to find out more about the huge range of volunteering opportunities on offer across the county.

Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action (OCVA) has been supporting the voluntary and community sector to flourish in Oxfordshire for 90 years and their Volunteer Recruitment Fair will bring together more than 20 different groups, including charities working in health and wellbeing, education, the environment and more. They are all keen to chat with potential volunteers.

With recent research from the National Lottery Community Fund finding that half of UK adults intend to take part in local volunteering activities in 2024 – and one in ten (14%) planning to volunteer for the first time – this is a fantastic opportunity to find the perfect role to suit you.

Jenny Bowley, Volunteer Development Officer for OCVA, said: “OCVA is delighted to be working with Westgate Oxford to raise the profile of volunteering in Oxfordshire. We know volunteering is a lot of fun, can help you to use existing skills and to learn new ones, and is great for health and wellbeing, so we hope this fair will link more people with some of the amazing charities working across the county.”

Brendan Hattam, Centre Director at Westgate Oxford, said, “By hosting the OVCA’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair, we hope that our guests will learn about the missions of an array of fantastic regional and national charities, and the tangible impact they have on their communities, whilst also encouraging them to get involved in volunteering.” 

If you’re interested in volunteering, why not visit OCVA’s website or the Oxon Volunteers website?

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Raffle to support Berkshire Music Trust

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Help to raise the necessary funds to continue their work and maybe win some great prizes

“Making music for everyone” is at the heart of what Berkshire Music Trust do as a registered music charity with the aim of providing musical opportunities for all. They run various activities across Berkshire including lessons, ensembles, early years classes and adult opportunities including singing cafes for people with Dementia and Parkinson’s across Berkshire community. They also have music centres in Reading, Newbury, Windsor, Bracknell, Wokingham and Caversham, and they also teach in Berkshire schools.

The Music Trust are running an online fundraising raffle and the money raised from this raffle will help to raise the necessary funds to continue their work.

There are over 45 prizes currently all from organisations across Berkshire, and tickets are only £2! (Winners drawn on 19th March) Follow this link to join the raffle, you’ll also find displays of the prizes.

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A virtual shaggy dog story

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Grand Theft Auto and AI help Surrey team turn dog pics into 3D models

Photographs of dogs could soon be used to help generate 3D models more accurately than ever before – thanks to an award-winning study from the University of Surrey and the famous video game, Grand Theft Auto.  

The researchers taught an artificial intelligence (AI) system to predict the 3D pose from a 2D image of a dog – which they trained on images they created using Grand Theft Auto V.  

Moira Shooter, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Surrey, said:  

“Our model was trained on CGI dogs – but we were able to use it to make 3D skeletal models from photographs of real animals. That could let conservationists spot injured wildlife, or help artists create more realistic animals in the metaverse.” 

One way to teach AI to get 3D information from 2D images is to show it photos while giving it information about 3D ‘ground truth’ – where the objects actually are in 3D space. For humans, that means wearing motion capture suits.  

Even on their best behaviour, getting dozens of dogs to wear motion capture suits can prove challenging.   

Instead, researchers created a myriad of virtual dogs to study.  

They altered the code of Grand Theft Auto, switching the main character for one of eight kinds of dog – a process known as “modding”. They generated 118 videos of the dogs sitting, walking, barking and running in a range of different weather and lighting conditions.  

The team called their new database ‘DigiDogs’ – made up of 27,900 frames. They will now fine-tune it using Meta’s DINOv2 model to make sure it can predict a 3D pose just as well from real dog pictures.  

Moira added, “3D poses contain so much more information than 2D photographs. From ecology to animation – this neat solution has so many possible uses.”  

Here comes the science bit…

The research won the prize for Best Paper at the IEEE/CVF’s Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision.

It helps promote the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and 15 (life on land). 

All images were produced by Moira Shooter of the University of Surrey, using the engine of GTA 5 (Rockstar Games). 

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Who ate all the pies?

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Turns out we did…

It’s British Pie Week soon! 4th to 10th March to be precise. It’s an annual event to celebrate a popular icon of British cuisine. That said, when you learn that Brits are estimated to eat £1billion worth of pies each year, it would appear that every week is British pie week. That figure doesn’t even counting those that are home-made, which is a somewhat incredible fact.

To celebrate British Pie week, the good folks at Denby have shared some mouth-watering pie recipes with us. They’re a bit different to the traditional pies you might be used to, but we still think you might be tempted!

Crunchy Topped Leek and Broccoli Fish Pie – Serves 4 -6

Ingredients

  • 200g fresh sourdough breadcrumbs
  • A good handful of fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
  • 150g unsalted butter, melted
  • Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
  • 2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 300g broccoli, cut into small florets
  • A splash of extra virgin olive oil
  • 800g firm white fish (we used cod) cut into medium sized pieces
  • 1 tablespoon of plain flour
  • 2 x 300g tubs of sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
  • 250ml warm water
  • Lemon zest, to serve

Method

  • Heat the oven to 400°F / 200°C and prepare a shallow casserole dish with a splash of olive oil.
  • Place the breadcrumbs, half the melted butter, half the chopped tarragon, salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix to combine. Set to one side.
  • Heat the remaining butter in the shallow casserole on a low to medium heat on the hob. Add the leeks, garlic and broccoli florets and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until softened.
  • On a small plate, season the flour with salt and pepper and coat the fish pieces. Place them in the shallow casserole dish.
  • In a small bowl, add the sour cream, tarragon, mustard and water, mixing well.
  • Pour over the ingredients in the casserole dish and stir gently to combine. Top with the breadcrumbs and cook in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
  • Serve the fish pie into bowls with seasonal greens such as kale or Swiss chard. Enjoy!

Apple Pie with Blackberries & Clementine – Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 250g plain flour
  • 110g cold, cubed butter
  • 4 apples
  • 150g blackberries
  • Zest & juice of 1 clementine
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp ground ginger
  • Handful of brown sugar

Method

  • Pre heat your oven to 170c. Rub the butter into the flour until a crumb has formed then add 3-5 tbsp water until you have a moist dough but still with a bit of crumble. Cut in half and roll one half out to 0.5cm thick. Place into an over proof medium size dish or small oven proof ramekins if you’re making individual portions.
  • Trim the edges of the pastry, prick all over with a fork and blind bake for 7 minutes. Whilst that’s cooking peel and chop your apples into small cubes. Add to a bowl with the blackberries, clementine, sugar and spices. Mix well.
  • Fill your pie crust to the brim and cover with the other half of your pastry. Roll out the off-cuts and decorate as you like! It looks stylish to plait around the edge or have fun making leaves.
  • Egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes until the pie is a rich golden brown.
  • Serve with double cream, vanilla custard or caramel ice cream to elevate the flavours. 

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The Barn relaunches at Coworth Park

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New menus, new open kitchen and grill set to entice diners

The Barn has relaunched at Coworth Park near Ascot with a brand-new kitchen and produce-led, ingredient-focused menu.

Housed in the original barn frame, the new open kitchen and grill takes pride of place in The Barn. Guided by seasonal ingredients from the UK’s best producers, the menu features Executive Chef Adam Smith’s take on British classics, and encourages a convivial, relaxed style of dining.

Fresh and preserved ingredients from the Coworth Park estate feature on the menu, as seen in the elderflower vinegar and cordial used as a dressing for the Scallop crudo starter. Adam also works closely with leading British producers, such as Beal’s Farm Charcuterie for English mangalitsa coppa, and small-scale suppliers for English wagyu and wild venison.

Main courses on the new menu include classics such as Smithy’s chicken pie, alongside simple meat, fish and vegetable focused dishes, including Hereford côte de boeuf (to share); Spatchcock quail with rosemary and lemon; and a selection of day boat fish from Cornwall that can all be served either grilled or beer battered.

From Garden herb chimichurri and Tarragon Hollandaise to 50/50 mash and BBQ broccoli, the tempting array of sauces and sides will see guests ordering generously for the table, for a relaxed, sharing style of dining. Chef Adam’s playful approach and a touch of nostalgia can be seen through the dessert menu, which includes The Barn Trifle; Baked cheesecake with Yorkshire rhubarb; and Soft serve ice cream with flake and sprinkles.

On Sundays, guests will be able to enjoy perfectly executed traditional roasts, with starters such as Prawn cocktail followed by Waterford roast sirloin of beef or Whole roast Devon White chicken (to share), served with all the trimmings. Decadent British classics rule the Sunday dessert menu, with options including Sticky toffee pudding and Apple & cinnamon crumble with custard and ice cream.

The Barn welcomes groups of all sizes and generations to experience its relaxed, rustic charm. Feasting menus, for groups of 10 or more, feature many of The Barn’s signature dishes and are served family style down the table for everyone to share. There is also a kid’s menu, designed to include young guests in The Barn’s ingredient-led relaxed approach to dining.

For locals, hotel guests and diners from further afield, The Barn is a perfect restaurant for all occasions and seasons. In winter it is the height of cosiness with the roaring fire, in summer the floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with natural light, and guests can also choose to sit on the large outdoor terrace.

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Calendar Girls returns to the stage

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The true story of the Calendar Girls launched a global phenomenon: a million copycat calendars, a record-breaking movie, the fastest-selling stage play in British theatre history, and now a musical written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth.

Tim Firth’s involvement with Calendar Girls began with the original movie 20 years ago and along with his writing partner of the musical, Gary Barlow, he has reworked this new production ahead of an extensive UK tour. Tim tells us a little about the new musical and the inspiration behind its reimagining.

“There was something in the heart of lockdown that was all about time; about suddenly being dumped with a container load of it, about managing that, not resenting it, realising you were lucky to have it and not to waste it…if you were well enough to enjoy it. Of course, it’s only looking back that we can get that kind of perspective. For the pair of us it just presented as an inexplicable urge to DO stuff; to write, to plot new work and to re-examine work that already existed.  This led us to new projects; it also turned our heads back towards Calendar Girls the Musical. 

Now, by this time it was a good few years since we had written the show and there was justifiable trepidation in returning to the project. After all it had been in the West End, done a national tour and was due to be performed by many companies around the UK if lockdown finished. However, that UK was going to have changed. A strange sense of liberation came out of the confinement that meant, we thought – whatever you’re thinking, just try it. Take the chance. Have a fresh look. Take the jump.

Maybe we’ll never get that sense of empowerment again. It was like the bravery you have when starting out as a kid and feel you have nothing to lose. That was it; the spirit we momentarily regained meant we re-wrote like we had nothing to lose. In a sense we were led by the words of Dare, one of the songs in the show; something about taking a jump without the fear meaning you stand a better chance of making a landing on the other side.

The film is twenty years old this year, the real girls more than twenty years older but their story, like their sunflowers, seems to keep reseeding of its own accord; and when it does, the flower is always, always the same. It’s only the shape that changes.”

After opening to rave reviews in the autumn, the brand-new production of the smash-hit production Calendar Girls the Musical, written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth comes to Woking from Tuesday 26 to Saturday 30 March.

Calendar Girls the Musical brings together a stunning cast of music, stage, and television stars. Baring it all in 2024 are Laurie Brett (Eastenders) as Annie, Liz Carney (The Full Monty, The Mousetrap), Helen Pearson (Hollyoaks), Samantha Seager (Coronation Street), Maureen Nolan (The Nolans, Blood Brothers), Lyn Paul (The New Seekers, Blood Brothers) and Honeysuckle Weeks (Foyle’s War). They are joined by Colin R Campbell, Andrew Tuton, alongside Jayne Ashley, Lucas August and Victoria Hay in the ensemble.

Following the death of a much-loved husband, a group of ordinary women in a small Yorkshire Women’s Institute are prompted to do an extraordinary thing and set about creating a nude calendar to raise money for charity. But upturning preconceptions is a dangerous business and none of the women are prepared for the emotional and personal ramifications they will face as the fabulous and funny calendar brings each woman unexpectedly into flower.

This production sees this incredible true story continue to bloom, this reimagined book and new music sees the show packed with unforgettable songs, bringing the joy to life live on stage. 

Tim Firth and Gary Barlow said: “The chance to look again with fresh eyes at our musical is something that came as an unexpected opportunity during lockdown and we’re both hugely excited not only with the shape we found, but also to work on a new production of it with such an amazing cast” 

This tour is proud to be supporting Blood Cancer UK, the charity dedicated to funding research into all blood cancers including leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, as well as offering information and support to blood cancer patients. Every performance continues to add to the millions already raised for Blood Cancer UK and prove that there is no such thing as an ordinary woman.

Calendar Girls is at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking from Tuesday 26th March – 30th March

Tickets are on sale visit here for booking links and more information.

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Cosmic Cats connects across continents

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New book celebrates collaboration between Kennington and Kenya

Abingdon-based The Nasio Trust has been chosen as the beneficiary of a new project which brings together an anthology of work by children from two schools, one in Kennington and one in Kenya.

St Swithun’s School, Kennington and The Nasio Trust are launching Cosmic Cats, an collection of stories written by children from Kennington and Mumias, Kenya. Their work was chosen by authors Julia Golding and Sylvia Vetta and teachers Lesley Maskell and paul gamble to be published in Cosmic Cats. The illustrator Korky Paul designed the cover and it’s published by Oxford eBooks, a Kennington based company.

The schools launch with a presentation from Korky Paul, will be on Wednesday, 6th March at St Swithun’s ready for its release on Amazon and other platforms on World Book Day. On the same day there will also be a live zoom link with the children from Kenya.

The public launch and book sales will be from 11am to 12pm on March 9th in Kennington Village Centre.

The book celebrates the collaboration between the two communities to help set-up the first community library in Mumias with profits from the sale of the book (£8 each) going to the Nasio Trust’s Library Appeal.

A library in Mumias will empower a diverse group of students, youths, farmers, women, and social entrepreneurs by providing access to books they need to expand their horizons in a region where such resources are scarce.

The Nasio Trust is working to empower communities in western Kenya to break the cycle of poverty by providing education, healthcare, and opportunities for income-generation to create sustainable communities.  

Find out more about its work at thenasiotrust.org

(Image credits: Children from Mumias School, Kenya; Children from St Swithun’s School; Author Sylvia Vetta with Nasio Trust founder, Nancy Mudenyo Hunt.)

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Spring into Easter

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Easter comes early this year, March 29th – April 1st, which gives us an opportunity to enjoy the glories of spring as well of course, as eating chocolate!

There’s so much more to Easter than just choccy eggs, for many it has the deepest religious significance, for others it affords a long weekend of spending time with your loved ones hopefully with some bright cheery spring sunshine then and beyond.

This Easter pop along to a National Trust property near you for a family trail. Jam-packed with outdoor activities, games, riddles and crafts, every Easter celebration is different and ends with a chocolate egg.

Basildon Park is going to the movies, March 23rd-April 14th, as children and families become director of their own Easter movie in the parkland. Basildon Park is often seen on screen as a location in films and the 10 action stations of the Easter trail will help families create their own movie. There’ll be plenty of walking, fun games and photo opportunities to be had along the way. There are also two pre-bookable Easter wreath-making workshops on March 19th and 21st.

You may bump into some grazing sheep and early lambs on your springtime adventure across the country estate at Greys Court near Henley (March 23rd-April 14th) as you follow the Easter trail with 10 activity stations, showcasing the cheery signs of spring. Take part in an Easter wreath making workshop on March 20th and 22nd. Booking necessary.

Get ready for an egg-citing adventure at Stonor and Tumblestone Hollow this Easter when the popular Easter Trail returns to the gardens and adventure playground between March 29th and April 14th. Discover the nature walk, craft activities and storytelling sessions, all within the picturesque backdrop of the gardens and woodland adventure playground. Children are free to weave their way throughout the gardens, walkways, playground and woodland, solving riddles, spotting signs of spring, listening to stories and getting creative.

Wellington Country Park has fun activities for all ages including the very young (up to four) with the Mini Easter Eggstravaganza on March 26th to 28th. Enjoy Junk Jodie Easter crafts, interactive story time with Woolly the Rainbow sheep and Bo Peep and song and dance time with the Blossom Buddies, bubbles in the big top and the Welly Tots Showcase with six exciting new role play zones. From March 29th to April 7th, there are activities for children up to 8 with Easter crafts, singing and dancing with Canary Mary and friends, story time and Circus Wellingtonia.

Thames Vale Vultures are back on their motorbikes for the popular Berkshire Egg Run on Friday, 29th March in support of disadvantaged children/adults/families in Berkshire. Meet at 11.30am, Stadium Way Industrial Estate, Tilehurst (Scours Lane end), for 12.30pm ride to the Abbey Rugby Club, Emmer Green and presentation. Please bring an egg or two to donate.

Be an Easter Egg-splorer at Windsor Castle, March 30th to April 14th. Get crafting in the Castle’s Learning Centre, enjoy Easter themed-activities and while touring the State Apartments become an egg-splorer and follow the family trail to find some tiny objects in the Castle. Many activities are related to the 100th anniversary of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House. Book here.

Join BBOWT at Windsor Great Park this Easter holiday and eggsplore the wild woodland and muddy meadow in search of egg-laying creatures! Around the trail you can learn all about the exciting eggs you can find in nature, and crack the egg mystery to win yourself a tasty chocolate egg. There will be activities, games and take-home crafts along the way, April 2nd to 4th. Visit here to book.

Create and grow at Squire’s Garden Centre, Wokingham and keep the little ones entertained. Plant three colourful plants in a wicker basket, decorated with a raffia bow, to create a lovely gift or place in your garden. Advanced booking essential. Follow the clues around the centre to help find the magic word and receive a sweet treat in the Spring Flower Hunt. No booking necessary. Activities April 2nd to 5th and 8th to 12th.

Have fun at the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading and enjoy trails and activities in the galleries and garden, April 2nd to 14th. Have a go at a themed trail in the garden, free, discover the Spring Family Activity Packs, take part in a variety of gallery and garden trails including the woodland brass rubbing trail, ride on the fabulous wooden play-on tractor and wagon and bring a picnic or enjoy an Easter treat in the cafe.

Whether you’re in the mood for a thrilling night of drama, uplifting musical theatre, live music, or even standup comedy, Theatre Royal Windsor has a packed season, with something for everyone! Right in the heart of Windsor, they often host major shows before their national tours or West End transfers. Visit theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk for details of all their upcoming shows.

Image: National Trust/Paul Harris

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