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. Plus, don’t forget the free traditional egg-rolling from the View Point at Box Hill over the Bank Holiday weekend!

Make your way along the trail and find bunny-inspired activities to test your family’s agility, your wits and creativity at Claremont Landscape Garden, March 23rd-April 14th.

Hop to Winkworth Arboretum in Godalming to help Basil the Bunny start his first day as the Easter Bunny’s assistant. Become Basil’s alarm clock, race him to work, and meet his Easter friends. March 23rd-April 7th.

One of Polesden Lacey’s statues has sprung to life in the Easter trail. Grizwald the Griffin needs some help to cook up an Easter feast. Follow the interactive trail around the grounds, where there will be plenty of fun activities for all the family. March 23rd-April 21st.

Hop into spring with Easter Adventures trail at Dapdune Wharf. Bounce through the rabbit racecourse, test your archery skills, plant a seed, add your pledge to nature and discover what’s in the mystery wellies and more, March 29th to April 1st.

Discover the myths and legends of the Punch Bowl and look out for the Exmoor ponies at Hindhead Commons with activities and challenges for all on the Easter Trail, March 29th-April 14.

Enjoy a spring showers themed trail at Runnymede this Easter, March 29th-April 1st. Wander through the meadows at Runnymede and find activity stations as you go, including Welly Wanging, Wheelbarrow Racing, and Smelly Wellies.

Thousands of daffodils (over 40 varieties) are spread across the Pleasure Garden at Petworth. A free map and trail booklet will take families on a spring adventure that weaves through the gardens. Stop off at six wildlife-willow sculptures on the way for fun games and activities, March 29th-April 14th. Also shop at an artisan makers market. Full details of Petworth Spring Festival here.

Join West Horsley Place for family craft activities and a fun Easter trail on April 3rd, 4th, 5th and 10th, 11th and 12th. Explore the ancient manor house with more than 1,000 years of history, enjoy make-and-take seasonal crafts and then head outside to discover the formal garden, spring flowers and trail. Tickets can be booked at West Horsley Place Trust.

Join Painshill this Easter for an egg-cellent BIG statue trail, March 16th-April 14th, and see if you can find all the colourful characters. Giant eggs are waiting to be found in the beautiful landscape and an Easter map will help you follow this magical egg hunt to find all 20 eggs. There is also an activity Easter sheet on the back of the map to take this home and enjoy! Book here to join the quest of a fun filled hunt! Free anytime for members. Included in general admission for those with day tickets.

The Barn Emporium in Petersfield is the perfect place to visit this spring for a Mother’s Day gift, refresh your wardrobe or spruce up your home décor. It hosts over 50 independent traders selling handcrafted and vintage items. With free customer parking why not also visit Durleighmarsh Farmshop and the Tea Barn. Discover more here.

Visit Gilbert White’s House & Gardens this Easter, join family and friends for a walk through the beautiful spring gardens and try the ‘record-breaking birds egg hunt’ – there are some brilliant birds in the world and on this year’s egg hunt you will find out all about them – and finish the day with a lovely lunch or afternoon treat in White’s cafe. More here.

To get you in the mood for the Easter weekend there’s a pop up market and loyalty market at The Otter Nursery, Murray Road, Ottershaw on Saturday, 23rd March. Shop at more than 20 artisan market stalls, meet the Easter bunny, face painting and other activities, a free gift for children as well as food and drink to savour and discounts on trees and plants.

There’s plenty of family fun coming up at Camberley Theatre this spring from modelling with clay to interacting with dinosaurs, from cheering your favourite Milkshake characters, to swashbuckling adventures! From singalong favourites to a tap dancing horse and a host of adventures along the way! They look forward to welcoming you soon… Details and to book, camberleytheatre.co.uk Fired Frog Pottery Cafe are a family-friendly ceramics cafe based in St Johns in Woking. They are open throughout the Easter holidays for two-hour pottery painting sessions, as well as running their regular adult only Prosecco and Pottery nights and workshops and classes. Just book online to go and visit!

Image: National Trust/Paul Harris

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The Henley Players present Pygmalion

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Much-loved classic comedy comes to the Kenton Theatre, March 20th to 23rd

Eccentric phonetics expert, Henry Higgins, thinks he can pass off a poor flower girl in polite society with a few months of elocution lessons.

It turns out that spirited Eliza Doolittle has a mind and personality of her own and is not willing to lose them as easily as she sheds her cockney accent.

Strong characters and great wit animate this classic comedy, and the themes of social mobility and women’s empowerment are as relevant today as when Pygmalion was first performed, over a century ago. Whether you’re a lover of classic drama or a seeker of truth, this play promises an unforgettable evening.

Pygmalion spawned many adaptations for film and stage and was recently revived at the Old Vic.

The Henley Players’ Saturday matinee performance is once again ‘pay what you want’ with a minimum price of £5.

To book visit here.

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Want to be in GSC production?

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Guildford Shakespeare Company issues a community casting call for its outdoor Romeo & Juliet, application deadline March 1st

This summer Guildford Shakespeare Company are staging their most ambitious project to date and are looking for an ensemble of community performers to be part of it.

The company are taking to the streets of Guildford for a multi-venue, promenade production of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.

Swapping the streets of Verona for the streets of Surrey’s county town, the production will feature iconic landmarks including the Guildhall balcony, Holy Trinity Church, Tunsgate, the historic High Street and Guildford Castle. Audiences will move with the action, from one location to another, following the fateful story of the star-cross’d lovers.

Alongside the professional cast, GSC are recruiting a youth ensemble from local schools and their own drama clubs, and forming an adult community ensemble, to bring the play as fully to life as possible.

Matt Pinches, GSC Co-Founder and Director says: “We really want our 18th birthday summer season to celebrate everything that’s positive about Guildford. Our community is at the heart of everything GSC does, whether on stage or in our huge range of outreach and education programmes. This is an opportunity for so many elements of Guildford to come together and be part of something special.”

The Community Ensemble will help bring to life the pivotal scene of the Capulet ball, where Juliet and Romeo meet for the first time. This is a high society party where the movers and the shakers of Verona strut their stuff and where the Capulets are showing off the best they can. Performing will involve some dancing/movement, and possibly a little dialogue.

“If you love performing, or dancing, or just want to be part of something special, we would love to hear from you. No experience is necessary, just a desire to take part and buckets of energy.”

Casting will take place across two dates, 23rd and 25th March, with rehearsals beginning on Saturday 25th May. Deadline for applications is 1st March. Please note this is an unpaid participation opportunity.

Full details of all dates, times and how to register are on the GSC website.

Romeo & Juliet runs June 21st to July 13th.

Booking opens later in the spring. More details here.

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Gareth Ennis talks war comics

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“Quentin Tarantino of comicbooks” gives online interview for the Soldiers Of Oxford Museum

Garth Ennis, the writer behind The Boys and Preacher, is to give online interview and live audience Q&A for Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum. The interview will be streamed on Saturday 9th March from 7pm, followed by a live Q&A session where the audience will be invited to put forward their own questions. Watchable via the museum’s website, the event is the latest in a series of popular online events the museum has been running over the past three years.

The interview ties into one of the museum’s most recent exhibitions, Into Battle! The Art of British War Comics, which runs until the end of April 2024. The exhibition and this accompanying event are a collaboration with Oxford-based publisher Rebellion, best known for 2000AD and Judge Dredd, alongside their recent revival of several classic British war comics.

In the interview, Garth discusses how his childhood enthusiasm for comics led to a career writing for 2000 AD, Marvel and DC Comics.  He will also discuss the landscape of British War comics in the seventies and their decline in the eighties and describe how writers re-invigorate classic characters for contemporary audiences.

This event will offer a chance to hear from one of the leading comic book writers, whose literary achievements have recently been translated into successful television series.

The interview and Q&A will be free to view and participate in, with donations encouraged throughout the stream in support of the museum. Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust aims to preserve the county’s military heritage for future generations in its archives and museum, and a diverse range of stories through its exhibitions and events like these. Shortly after the live event ends, a recording will be made available to watch on-demand, from the same page, for those that wish to catch-up later.

You can watch the interview with Garth here.

The Soldiers of Oxfordshire (SOFO) Museum opened during the summer of 2014. A new take on the classic military museum, SOFO shares stories of heroism, combat and peace from across the globe and throughout time and explores how conflict has affected the county and its people, from soldiers serving on the front lines to ordinary people living on the Home Front.

As well as a range of ever-changing displays and events, the permanent exhibits explore topics that are surprising and moving in equal measure, such as raw accounts of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen from both camp survivors and Oxfordshire soldiers.

Battles of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry puts you on-board a Horsa Glider as it prepares to land in Normandy in the early hours of D-Day 1944, while Secret Agents, Secret Armies explores the world of spies and espionage through the lens of Ian Fleming and his creation, James Bond.

SOFO holds a collection of over 3,500 objects and 7,500 archive items from two county regiments, the Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars (QOOH) and the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

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Flipping fantastic Launchpad fundraiser

Karen Neville

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Broader smiles than ever on Broad Street at the annual Pancake Day race

Launchpad’s annual Pancake Race which saw 34 teams brave the weather and batter it out on Broad Street celebrating Shrove Tuesday has so far raised £8,500.

The team from RSM UK, dressed in their animal-themed costumes, lifted the coveted frying pan trophy – becoming the 27th champion team. The money raised by all the amazing teams will help fund Launchpad’s vital services across Reading supporting people who are homeless, or at risk of losing their home.

Teams of four representing businesses and other groups from across Reading flipped pancakes as they competed in knock-out stages and a fantastic final. All the races were compered by Tarek Ahmed, from B Radio, much to the delight of hundreds of cheering onlookers, including the Mayor of Reading, Tony Page who presented the prizes. 

Winners RSM UK received a Cocktail Masterclass at The Roseate, and runners up, Nexus Planning were given vouchers for Wine and nibbles for four at Veeno. Third-place team Air IT won Afternoon tea for four from Afternoon Tea Box (Crumbs Food Co).

The team from Take Note Choir were best fundraisers, raising over £865 and won bottomless brunch for two and afternoon tea for two at Revolucion de Cuba. Collard Environmental – who raced as characters from the Wizard of Oz – won best fancy dress and received a £50 voucher for Honest Burger. Field Seymour Parkes were highly commended for their fancy dress and won £40 of vouchers for Shed. Our team spirit award went to Phantom Brewery who won Cocktails for four at Novotel. Winners of the Great Pancake Flip off were The Oracle, winning four tickets to The Biscuit Factory after flipping a pancake 57 times in a minute!

The entire Launchpad team is incredibly grateful for the support from these amazing local businesses and community groups.

Kirsti Wilson, Head of Fundraising and Marketing, said: “It’s brilliant that our Pancake Race has been as wonderful as ever. Every year the race is full of amazing costumes and laughter – and this year was no exception, even with the unfortunate weather. Few will forget the ‘2024 Where’s Wally Wiggle?’!

“We’re also grateful to the hundreds of people who cheered on the runners and made donations at the event – AND to our amazing team of volunteers – the race just wouldn’t be the same without them. Our fun-filled event has a very serious purpose – to raise funds and awareness that we are here for anyone in Reading who has become homeless, or is at risk of losing their home, regardless of circumstances.”

For more information about Launchpad and to donate, visit: launchpadreading.org.uk

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The Six Nations is the best!

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The annual rugby tournament is something to look forward to in this grim month

Shortest day of the year, done. Christmas, hecho. All that’s left is to traverse these next couple of drizzly months before we welcome Wimbledon, Glastonbury and ‘might be too hot’ season. For now, though, we need a vehicle to steer us towards those better days. How about the best sporting tournament on Earth? Oh, go on then. Six Nations time.

Nothing brought my family together quite like the Six Nations growing up. We’d all flood over to my grandparents early enough to be fully caught up with each other in time for the build up to start with John Inverdale or Gabby Logan. You can’t fault our dedication to the pre-match interviews.

As a family resonating from Scotland, we’d sit around the telly, fire crackling, daring to ponder whether today maybe, just maybe would be different. Might Scotland pull a performance out of the bag and pick up their seemingly biennial win? Oh, that renewed hope, always a killer. The game would very rarely be different, and Scotland would very rarely win. But that was never the point (thankfully, or we’d crumble); it was just a nice event to be a part of. So why is the Six Nations the best?

For starters, it’s a simple easy-to-follow format that works. Six teams. Five rounds. Every home nation plays each other, and you never really know who’s going to win any of the three games that take place each weekend. Jeopardy also plays a huge part. So few games equals very few (if any) dead rubbers.

It’s tribal, without being tribal. It always amazes me how these players knocking chunks out of each other manage to channel their aggression so skilfully, but the same goes for those watching on. You’d think you’d need segregation, but oh no. Tens of thousands of fans packed into some of the best sporting arenas in the world, all mixing. A healthy attitude, and an element of perspective seems to be a common supporter denominator. Well let’s hope we win but if we don’t then that’ll be a shame, but this is a fun way to spend a Saturday anyway.

It’s also a spectacle, and it’s dangerous. Thirty people doing things you wouldn’t dream of doing. The players on the pitch become fictional, putting their bodies on the line, running and catching under pressure which feels so far removed from anything we do day to day; unless you are reading this and are some form of medical professional.

The tournament that’s a little under a quarter of a century old in its current format has geography to thank for its success too. London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris and Rome. All varied and popular cities, close enough together that a large number of away supporters will make the trip, but just far enough away that you need to make a weekend of it and populate the local pubs for the weekend.

Rugby is still faced with huge challenges. It has to find a way to navigate its way through a sea of safety concerns that need to be taken seriously and fend off the red trousers and brogues stereotype; something Full Contact on Netflix has made a brilliant start in debugging (just watch Finn Russell and Ellis Genge in the first two episodes). Though through the evolving sporting landscape, emerging new tournaments, investors and formats, the Six Nations is something we’re very lucky to live with, and I really hope it never gets taken away from us.

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Buy a butterfly to celebrate memories!

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BBOWT wildlife charity launches new commemorative display

To mark Valentine’s Day, a local wildlife charity has opened two new butterfly memory walls to celebrate special occasions, declare your love for nature – or your sweetheart!

The ‘Your Wild Memories’ displays have been installed by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) at two of its visitor centres. They feature specially-designed butterfly plaques which can be personalised with messages to remember precious moments, people or wild times.

The butterflies are made of brushed stainless steel and fly above an eye-catching wildlife border. They have been put up at the Nature Discovery Centre near Thatcham and College Lake visitor centre near Tring.

Laura Pepper, BBOWT’s Head of Philanthropy, said: “If your Valentine sets your heart a-flutter or you’ve just got engaged or married, why not celebrate your love with a specially engraved butterfly? Or you might like to commemorate a special birthday, a retirement, a favourite family walk or perhaps remember a loved one.

“Butterflies hold all sorts of different meanings for people, as well as being beautiful to behold. Our new ‘Your Wild Memories’ wall is a lovely way to celebrate your special memories and help the vital work of BBOWT at the same time.”

The Your Wild Memories walls have got off to a flying start, with butterfly messages added by local MPs, writers and nature champions.

Estelle Bailey, BBOWT’s Chief Executive, wrote: This special place, with nature at its heart. Here for every community.

Laura Farris, MP for Newbury, left this message on her butterfly at the Nature Discovery Centre: Delighted to support the NDC, bringing the wild into the heart of Thatcham.

Buckingham MP Greg Smith’s butterfly at College Lake reads: Thank you BBOWT, our nature champions. Proud to support you and work with you.

Writer and butterfly lover Patrick Barkham left this beautiful message: Breathe in green, Breathe in blue, Soar soul! Thanks, nature.

Priced at £250 (inclusive of VAT), each butterfly can be engraved to order with the wording of your choice. Funds raised from the sale of the commemorative butterfly plaques will go towards BBOWT’s work creating more nature everywhere for everyone, to benefit wildlife, climate and people.

To order your personalised butterfly visit: www.bbowt.org.uk/support-us/your-wild-memories Order forms are also available from College Lake or the Nature Discovery Centre. For more information call 01865 775476 (Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm) and ask to speak to the Membership Team.

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Spring Loaded

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There are activities and fun for all the family with Petworth House’s Spring Festival

The grounds at Petworth House are a fine way to spend the day, particularly during the Spring. With its large grounds, deer park, and historical rooms, there’s always something to pique the interest.

This year’s Spring Festival runs from Saturday 23rd March to 14th April and include talks, demonstrations, a community art installation, art and craft workshops, and family activities.

The garden team have been busy planting 4000 additional bulbs across the garden and 90 new containers to create an enhanced display that will carpet the gardens with a sea of daffodils. As a symbol of Springtime, the daffodil has been embraced elsewhere on site. The local community and volunteers have been busy hand crafting daffodils to create a spectacular display in the Battery House.

On Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th March there will be a two-day Makers Market, held in partnership with Petworth Pop-Up.

A highlight of the festival will be a series of talks and demonstrations from 23rd – 29th March held at the Garden theatre in the Glade. Join experts and specialists including author Robyn Booth, and Curator of Munstead Wood, Caroline Ikin as they share tips on Spring gardening, and discuss the ‘artist-gardener’ Gertrude Jekyll. These talks are free and there is no booking required.

Throughout the festival, families can pick up a free trail to explore the Pleasure Garden. You can explore the buggy friendly paths to discover six sculptures inspired by nature whilst enjoying fun games and activities along the way.

Between the 3rd and 10th of April, families can enjoy the Easter holidays with Spring themed crafts.  Wreath making runs from the 3rd to the 6th whilst the chance to design your own Cherry Blossom greeting card or bookmark takes place from the 7th to the 10th. These activities take place in the Battery House studio from 10.30-3.30 at a cost of £3 per child.

A host of other events are happening at Petworth over the Spring period, including a foraging walk and willow weaving.

The Spring Festival and Spring Family Trail are free events, however, normal admission to Petworth applies. For further information, including times, dates, and paid events, please visit the website.

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Local dig reveals ancient secrets

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Ancient Blacksmiths Unearthed at Wittenham Clumps

Archaeologists have unearthed an exceptionally rare Iron Age blacksmith’s workshop, dating back nearly 2,700 years to the earliest days of ironworking in Britain, right here in South Oxfordshire.

The discoveries were made by archaeologists from DigVentures during excavations at the headquarters of local environmental charity, Earth Trust, near Abingdon. Just downslope from the iconic Wittenham Clumps, the dig revealed a smithy containing artefacts like pieces of hearth lining, hammerscale, iron bar, and the exceptionally rare discovery of an intact tuyere – evidence of a serious ironworking operation.

“At Earth Trust, we’re thrilled whenever discoveries at Wittenham Clumps shine a light on the deep history of human activity in this area,” said Anna Wilson, Head of Experience and Engagement.

“Nearly 10,000 artefacts were recovered during the dig, and as we continue to analyse them the story gets more and more captivating. These new discoveries are literally forging new history before our very eyes and revealing more of the ancient mysteries behind this very special place” she said.

“We can’t wait to share more through our upcoming Festival of Discovery,” adds Wilson.

Festival of Discovery

The key finds will be on display February 17-18, 2024 during a special Festival of Discovery at the Earth Trust Visitor Centre in Abingdon.

The festival includes talks from the archaeologists, hands-on workshops with the archaeologists, and a free pop-up exhibition showcasing artefacts like the tuyere and rare small finds. 

Visitors will have an exclusive chance to see the discoveries up-close and learn more about the skills of these early Oxfordshire craftsmen. Tickets and more information are available here.

Ancient Blacksmiths of the Clumps

Radiocarbon dating reveals the smithy dates from 771-515 BC, soon after ironworking first arrived in Britain around 800 BC. The size of the hearth suggests this was no ordinary village blacksmith, but rather the workshop of an ‘elite’ or ‘master’ ironworker producing swords, tools, wagon wheels, and other high-value objects.

“It’s exceptionally rare to find a complete tuyere, especially one that’s as old as this. Although there are examples from later periods, including Saxon, Viking-age, and medieval pieces, this is one of the only known Iron Age ones in the country, if not Europe. The fact that it dates not just to the Iron Age, but to the first few centuries of ironworking in Britain, is remarkable” said Gerry McDonnell, the archaeometallurgical specialist who examined the finds.

“What’s more, the size of it suggests we’re looking at a hearth that was much larger and more specialised than that of your average village smithy” he continued.

The vast majority of artefacts produced in the Iron Age weren’t very big and could be produced with quite a small hearth, while larger hearths would have taken much more skill and resources to control, said the researchers.

“The only reason a blacksmith would need a bigger hearth would be if they were forging something long like swords or trade bars, or big like cart wheels. And these wouldn’t be done by your average village smithy who would normally take care of everyday objects and repairs” explains McDonnell.

“The fact that this early Iron Age smithy had a specialist tuyere shows us this was much more likely to have been a serious operation by a highly skilled, elite, or master blacksmith” he concluded.

Even though the Iron Age takes its name from the mastery of this metal, sites that provide us with direct evidence of how they did this – especially ones from such an early period – are extremely scarce.

“It’s always exciting to uncover the remains of ancient buildings that were occupied thousands of years ago, but it’s even more special when we find such direct evidence of who lived there and what they were doing inside” said Nat Jackson, DigVentures Site Director, who led the excavation.

“In this case, the range of evidence is remarkable. We’ve got almost every component of the blacksmith’s workshop; the building, internal structures, hearth lining, tuyere, even the tiny bits of metal that fly off when the blacksmith is hammering the metal. The only thing we haven’t found is the tools” he said.

“It’s an incredible thrill to uncover something like this. It basically allows us to peer back in time and see what could have been one of Britain’s earliest master blacksmiths at work” he concluded.

Excavations also revealed an Iron Age settlement including a cluster of roundhouses, an Iron Age pantry, and evidence of ceremonial or ritual activity including animal burials, as well as a later Roman villa where archaeologists found the remains of a tiny Roman pet dog.

Local residents now have an exclusive opportunity to view these finds first-hand and learn more about Oxfordshire’s ancient ironworking heritage at February’s Festival of Discovery.

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What’s new pussycat (doll)?

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Festival season isn’t far away, and Henley Festival has just announced its line up for 2024

2024 has only just got its feet under the table and we’re already looking forward to basking in the sun, having a few cheeky ones, and having a proper knees-up in a field. That’s right, festival season is looming on the horizon like a glitter-filled, good-time cloud; which is preferable to the rain-filled, dark and pendulous kind that we’re used to. Obviously.

Henley Festival have wasted no time in announcing their headliners for this year’s event, and we have to say, it’s looking impressive already. Opening the festival is Pussycat Doll, Masked Singer panellist and Sunset Boulevard star, Nicole Scherzinger.  

Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart is set to captivate the Floating Stage audience with ‘Dave Stewart’s Eurythmics Songbook’. It’s been a full 41 years since the release of Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), so expect that particular tune to get an airing.

From one icon to another…the Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight will be heading to Henley on the Friday night, and sadly, it will be the final show of her UK Farewell Tour. At least we’ll have the chance to say goodbye to a genuine legend who, along with The Pips recorded some of the greatest music of the 20th Century.

As the sun goes down on Henley Festival’s Friday evening Rylan will be DJing and entertaining the crowd with a trademark larger-than-life performance! It doesn’t feel like 10 years since he lit up the ninth series of The X Factor, but apparently it is. He’s now one of the UK’s most loved broadcasters, and we’re always a bit partial to his appearances on Celebrity Goggle Box.

The House Gospel Choir is exactly what it sounds like: an exhilarating mix of Gospel and House. Worshipping at the altar of dance they find the place where spirituality and the euphoria of the dancefloor come together –  amped up further by a full house band and percussion from the one and only Dezy Bongo, creating an effortless live fusion of the biggest house and gospel tunes that never fails to raise the roof.

Keeping the rave going will be no problem on Saturday evening as Ministry of Sound Ibiza Anthems with Ellie Sax take to the Floating Stage presenting the anthems that have sound-tracked everyone’s most iconic Ibiza moments.

Also confirmed for this year are classical music’s most famous Aston Villa fan Nigel Kennedy and the king of lockdown cover versions Sam Ryder. With some top names gracing the comedy stage (Mark Watson, Sara Pascoe, and Dara Ó Briain) Henley Festival is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the summer.

You can get tickets here.

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