Grayshott Folk Club favourites

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Grayshott Folk Club are delighted to welcome back award-winning trio Harp & a Monkey

Award-winning song and storytelling trio Harp & a Monkey specialise in poignant, uplifting and melodic short stories, original and traditional, about everyday life, love and remembrance – the extraordinary ordinary.

Expect songs about everything from Medieval pilgrimages to bare-knuckle Victorian boxers and naked lifesavers at Grayshott Village Hall, Headley Road, GU26 6TZ on Friday, 28th June at 7.30pm.

The Mancunian outfit’s work has been described as ‘bold and brilliant’ by The Observer, ‘fantastic’ and ‘fascinating’ by Mark Radcliffe on BBC Radio 2, ‘inventive’ by Mojo magazine, ‘excellent’ by The Guardian, and ‘unique’ by folk legend Mike Harding.

With four acclaimed albums under their belts, the multi-instrumentalists (banjo, harp, accordion, guitars, glockenspiels and more) are regulars on the national concert circuit and guarantee poignancy, humour and great audience rapport at their live shows.

They have delighted us with their charm and wit here at Grayshott in the past (March 2018, September 2019), and it’s been far too long since we persuaded them to travel back down here – making this a show you will not want to miss.

Check out Harp & a Monkey here: Harp and a monkey Soldier’s song (youtube.com)

Tickets £15. Available (in person only) from Grayshott Post Office, by phone with Des O’Byrne on 01428 607096 or Harp And A Monkey Nr. Hindhead, Surrey Tickets

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Dinton Pasture’s Great British Food Festival

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Get ready for a culinary extravaganza at Dinton Pastures Country Park on June 29th and 30th as The Great British Food Festival comes to town

Indulge in a fantastic culinary delights at the Great British Food Festival, Dinton Pastures which is set to host a tantalising celebration of British cuisine.

On June 29th and 30th, culinary enthusiasts, families, and foodies alike will gather to savour the best of Great British food at the Great British Food Festival.

This two-day extravaganza promises a feast for the senses, showcasing the richness and diversity of British gastronomy. From traditional classics to innovative twists, attendees can expect an unparalleled culinary experience.

“We’re thrilled to bring the Great British Food Festival to Dinton Pastures,” said Daniel Maycock, Event Manager. “This event celebrates the best of British street food and artisan produce highlighting its heritage, quality, and creativity. It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to come together, enjoy delicious food, and create lasting memories.”

The festival will feature a vibrant array of food stalls, offering everything from mouth-watering street food to artisanal produce. Attendees can explore a treasure trove of flavours, whether indulging in freshly baked pastries, sampling gourmet cheeses, or relishing succululent meats cooked to perfection.

In addition to the delectable food offerings, the festival will host live cooking demonstrations by renowned chefs, providing insight into the techniques and inspirations behind their signature dishes. From mastering the art of pasty to perfecting the ultimate barbecue, these sessions are sure to inspire culinary enthusiasts of all levels.

Families can delight in a range of activities tailored to both adults and children, ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy with interactive workshops and entertaining performances.

Visitors can immerse themselves in the vibrant atmosphere with live music adding to the festivities throughout the day. Whether relaxing on the grass with a tasty picnic or exploring the various attractions, there’s no shortage of entertainment at the Great British Food Festival.

Tickets for the event are available online at Great British Food Festival at Dinton Pastures Berkshire, offering visitors the opportunity to secure their place. Why not upgrade your visit and enjoy the VIP experience with lots of tempting extras.

Join a weekend of gastronomic delights, entertainment, and community spirit at the Great British Food Festival.

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Bells and beers for Pilgrim Morris

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The cheery sight and sound of morris dancers is a sure sign of summer, so make sure you catch Pilgrim Morris this season

Pilgrim Morris of Guildford were established in 1972 and dance a variety of traditions in the Cotswold style, generally dancing around Surrey and north-east Hampshire during the summer season.

After kicking off the season on St George’s Day as one of the guest sides on a walking tour of Odiham, Pilgrim Morris followed up with the ever popular Summerpole event on Guildford High Street – perhaps you enjoyed their dancing last month?

There is a full schedule of events for the summer season that can be found on the Pilgrim Morris website with some of the highlights for the coming year being the Walking Tour of Windsor dancing as guests of Windsor Morris in the streets of the historic town on Saturday, 29th June and the Albury Produce Show on Saturday, 20th July as well as numerous pubs this month and next.

Pilgrim Morris always welcome new members so if you fancy giving it a go, come along during the Practice Season (October to April). We practice at Holy Trinity Junior School, Addison Road, Guildford, on Wednesday evenings between 8pm and 10pm.

Being a Pilgrim is about more than dancing: we normally have a music session after our pub gigs and the team has a strong social side. We also present the traditional Guildford Mummers Play on Twelfth Night (January 6th) in the oldest pubs in Guildford town. Please come to one of our events this summer and join in the fun.

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New life for Newbury’s Old Library

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A public fundraising campaign is being launched to repurpose the interior of Newbury’s Old Library to meet the creative wellbeing needs of the local community

Can you help open up the historic much-loved Old Library to connect with the community and boost opportunities for all ages through creative activities?

The Corn Exchange (Newbury) Trust, which comprises of the Corn Exchange, 101 Outdoor Arts and the Learning Centre, and which also manages The Base Greenham, will restore this beloved Newbury building, creating a permanent home for creative participation work to engage locals with the arts.

Corn Exchange’s creative initiatives focus on improving access to high quality cultural experiences, particularly to improve mental health, and to support older communities and young people. These activities seek to address issues of social isolation, health inequality, and deprivation in West Berkshire, and dismantle the financial barriers that historically prevented people from pursuing the arts.

Key projects set to feature at the Old Library include Ageing Creatively, addressing social isolation of older communities with classes with 5,000 engagements annually, and Links to Thrive, a pioneering ‘arts on prescription’ project bringing free creative opportunities to people with mental health conditions.

Careers in the Arts (run jointly with the Watermill Theatre) will also operate from the new venue; working with local schools and young people to raise aspiration and awareness of the career opportunities within the creative industries and to develop transferable skills through creative engagement, advice, mentoring and fully-funded placements. This area of the company’s work is flourishing, with 27,000 attendees across these programmes in 2022/23.

Jessica Jhundoo-Evans, Director of Corn Exchange Newbury & 101 Outdoor Arts, said: “We are asking you to help us raise the money to transform the Old Library into a new community space and a permanent home for our creative participation activity. This area of our work provides a wide range of inclusive opportunities with specific projects for young people, schools, under-5s and new parents, over-55s, and a thriving youth theatre. It provides a lifeline to many local people and is more vital now than ever before: reducing social isolation and loneliness within our community; improving mental health locally; and supporting young people in building confidence and self-esteem.

“The Old Library is the perfect new space and we are asking for your support to help open up this historic, much-loved Newbury building for our community. With dedicated engagement spaces, a small café/bar and a place to gather and connect with others, the possibilities for our communities are really exciting.”

For further information and to donate, please visit Old Library fundraising campaign (cornexchangenew.com)

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Stonesfield open gardens glory

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In need of gardening inspiration? Visit Stonesfield open gardens and pick up some tips

Enjoy the glory of nine open gardens in Stonesfield on Sunday, 23rd June, including some which have never been open to the public before.

Organised by Stonesfield Gardening Club, a number of gardens are opening in aid of local charities. There are a variety including a mix of flower beds with a productive vegetable garden including soft fruits and apple trees. The lawns are slowly being left to become meadows.

A garden for wildlife where you are asked to pause a while, maybe sit for a few minutes, smell the roses, listen to the bird song and the waterfall. Stepped gardens with shrub and herbaceous borders, wildflower orchard, fruit cages and kitchen garden and a peaceful, work in progress garden, full of labours of love from lockdown learnings. Come for the view not the gardening knowledge.

Entry is £6 per person, cash only (accompanied children under 16 free). Tickets and maps will be available from St James Centre, High Street, Stonesfield OX29 8PU where teas and plants are also on sale. Gardens are open 2pm-5.30pm, last tickets at 5pm.

Limited car parking will be available in Stonesfield Primary School opposite St James Centre.

More at Open Garden | Stonesfield Gardening Club

Stonesfield Gardening Club is a friendly, sociable club with a full programme of events through the year. Membership is open to all.

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The Cricket Professionals of Oxford

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They have been playing cricket in Abingdon for a long time, as local author Michael Stimpson tells us in his new book The Cricket Professionals of Oxford

The first Abingdon Cricket Club was established in 1821 and played at a ground in Shippon. It was very much a club for gentlemen of the neighbourhood and not for the riff raff.

Throughout the Victorian period, cricket was played at many places in the town, including the Race Course on Abingdon Common, in the grounds of Caldecott House, and on a meadow in Rye Farm.

It was not until 1892 that a new cricket and football ground was opened, just over the bridge on Culham Road, and cricket has been played there ever since.

In the 1920’s and 30’s, all sorts of cricket teams sprung up in the town. The Abingdon Pavlova Cricket Club was the most successful, winning several trophies. Other teams at this time included the Abingdon Police, Abingdon GPO, MG Athletic, Abingdon Imperials and RAF Abingdon, as well as sides from different churches.

Some notable cricketers have played at Abingdon, including future England captain Plum Warner, who turned out for the town club whilst at Oxford University.

Michael also tells us how in recent times, the Abingdon Vale Cricket Club has nurtured the development of young players passing through its youth section. Of these youngsters, six have gone on to become professional cricketers, with two sets of brothers, Ben and Luke Charlesworth, and Tom and Ollie Price, joining Gloucestershire, whilst Harrison Ward and Zach Lion-Cachet now play for Sussex. All of these young cricketers are showing promise, with Ollie Price having played for England Lions on a tour to South Africa last winter. Oxfordshire Head Coach Rupert Evans said: “Abingdon Vale have good coaches, but it is just amazing that one cricket club has produced all of these lads.”

Abingdon has a long cricketing history, but looking to the future, some of its former youth players could go on to make a name for themselves.

The Cricket Professionals of Oxford by Michael Stimpson is available in local bookshops and Ebay pp £14.

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Fantastic florals at Blenheim Palace

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The Blenheim Palace Flower Show, sponsored by Sofas & Stuff, returns to the beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace from Friday 21st to Sunday, 23rd June

Featuring more stands and floral features than before, including a new for 2024 Fairground Fuchsia Carousel, this year’s Blenheim Palace Flower Show is sure to impress.

The magnificent Grand Floral Pavilion returns, as well as incredible outdoor floral displays in Floral Street, a brand-new plant inspired Butterfly Trail, talks and demonstrations from gardening experts, fabulous food and drink, homeware and crafts, plus live entertainment.

“It’s wonderful to be returning to Blenheim Palace,” said Mig Kimpton, horticultural curator for the Blenheim Palace Flower Show. “It’s such a stunning estate to be working in.

Our Grand Floral Pavilion is always at the heart of the show, and our outside Floral Street creates some wonderful displays that always impress visitors.”

Now in its 11th year, the show has grown in size and popularity, attracting thousands of visitors year on year to marvel at the stunning floral displays, receive advice and tips from expert plantsmen and treat their gardens to an array of gardening goodies from hundreds of exhibitors.

Step inside the Grand Floral Pavilion and marvel at the stunning Fuchsia Carousel, a 20ft moving display, resembling the classic fairground ride.

Following the success of last year’s Insect Trail, this year visitors will also be invited on a very special and creative Butterfly Trail around the show where florists, flower arrangers, students and artists have designed, built, and created large scale butterflies made from natural materials and flowers to display at the show. Visitors will be able to choose their favourite butterfly and the designer will win a People’s Choice Award.

As part of the talks and displays throughout the weekend, the Oxfordshire Beekeepers Association will be giving live hire demonstrations with the chance for the public to ask questions and learn more about the importance of bees and pollination.

In the Talks Theatre, plantsmen and floral experts will give talks and demonstrations on all gardening topics, sharing their tips and advice on all garden matters, visitors will be able to purchase plants from their nurseries directly at the show.

The ‘Shop and Drop’ Marquee will give visitors the opportunity to drop off their shopping while they still enjoy the show before making their way back to the their vehicle.

The show also features an Outdoor Plant Village, Fine Food & Drinks Pavilion, Home & Interiors Pavilion and so much more.

The Blenheim Palace Flower Show runs from 10am to 5pm on Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd and Sunday, 23rd June. Free parking will be available for all visitors. Tickets are available online via Blenheim Flower Show

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Surrey Police Band Concert

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Head along to Godalming Borough Hall, GU7 1HR, for an evening of music with the Surrey Police Band in support of the Army Benevolent Fund.

On Sunday, 23rd June take your family and friends along to this evening of music that promises to suit all taste, as well as enjoying the licensed bar and raffle.

Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7pm start. Tickets are £15 each (including service fee), children under 12 free. Free parking is available at this event.

Why not visit the Surrey Police Band website to find out more about this organisation and their accomplishments over the years?

The band and organisers would like to thank everyone for their continued support of the Army Benevolent Fund.

To find out more and purchase tickets, visit the website.

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Leanda McConnell’s first exhibition in Ramsbury

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Artist Leanda McConnell is preparing her first exhibition at Golden Lion Gallery, Ramsbury

After 14 years working at Vogue, Leanda swapped the West End for West Berkshire and started a digital service featuring personalised original artwork and hand drawn family illustrations.

In this debut body of new paintings, she is looking to evoke the warm spirit of her previous artwork whilst reducing it to an essence of colour and texture. Whilst the works are abstract, the themes draw on feelings of the coast, summer days and dreamlike storms without wishing to influence the viewer’s own interpretation.

Leanda says: “I can’t help but think that when I’m trying to represent abstract feelings like love and happiness, it’s important not to give them too much of a shape. I’m very influenced by works of poetry and art from the Romantic period and appreciate their interpretation of the beauty and simplicity of the natural world through the ‘one life’. When I think about trying to do this myself, only a sort of everything and nothing philosophy seems to make sense.”

The oil paint is mixed with cold wax and applied thickly with a palette knife. Tools such as rope, stones and driftwood are then used to create the marks that give more texture in a way that is completely consistent with the theme of the painting.

Leanda will be showing her first exhibition at Golden Lion Gallery, Ramsbury from June 22nd to 29th.

Enquiries via leandagoldenlion@gmail.com or artleanda.co.uk

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2,000-year-old Passion Play story

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Abingdon Passion Play takes place in Abbey Gardens on Saturday, 22nd June with two performances, noon & 5pm, John Clare invites you to take your seat

Bring a chair and a picnic, sit back and enjoy a unique theatrical experience, as actors and singers bring the story of Jesus of Nazareth to life.

The last three Abingdon Passion Plays were performed around Easter time, which is the traditional time for Christians to reflect on the story of Jesus of Nazareth. The 2013 and 2019 plays took place in the Abbey Gardens, in 2016 the action took place in Abingdon’s iconic market square. The Abingdon Passion Play 2024 returns yet again to the Abbey Gardens and is using a modern script which brings the story into the 21st century. This time it is being performed in June.

The cast come from different walks of life in and around Abingdon, and over the past few weeks and months we have been able to get to know one another, and the communities where we come from, more closely, united in our enthusiasm for the play. Whilst times may well have changed, what motivates us as humans, our ambitions, our dreams and our flaws are not so very different from 2,000 years ago, which is why the story can still be relevant to people today.

Excited about the event and want to get involved? We are still looking for people happy to help as stage crew, front of house, and stewards. If you would like to help, please contact our Director, Ralph Westby, by email: lowbasse1@gmail.com, or by phone on 07790 498718.

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