Barn beauty

Liz Nicholls

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This month, enjoy The Secret Garden at Cirencester’s newest community asset: the 200-seat Barn Theatre and professional producing house

The Barn Theatre is the centrepiece of ongoing development at Cirencester’s grade II listed Ingleside House. The unsubsidised, not-for-profit theatre will pursue a reputation as a major producing house, attracting the best of UK theatre talent to the area. A large purpose-built education suite, now nearing completion, will host a theatre and musical education projects year-round.

The Barn Theatre’s completion will represent the culmination of two years of hard work. The theatre building itself which was formerly a WWII Nissen Hut housing community and youth theatre has undergone a complete transformation and is now equipped with a 200-seat air-conditioned auditorium space, a new stage and orchestra pit beneath, and the latest in lighting, sound and projection technology. A newly built atrium joins the theatre to the adjacent Ingleside House, providing a contemporary theatre bar and foyer, and through access for audiences and visitors to the beautiful Ingleside House and gardens.

The venue now also includes a stunning, new stand-alone restaurant and piano bar (Teatro) with talented young chefs offering excellent food in amazing surroundings. Pre-theatre dining and a varied programme of live music at the 50-seat restaurant mean Teatro is ideal for a full evening’s entertainment, on theatre nights, or at any time.

The Barn Theatre officially opens on Monday, 19th March, with a production of the Tony Award-winning musical The Secret Garden, based on the 1911 book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The script and lyrics are by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman with a score by Lucy Simon. It originally premiered on Broadway in 1991 going on to win three Tony Awards. Dominic Shaw, who has worked on several West End Shows including Beautiful – The Carole King Musical; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Legally Blonde and currently, Kinky Boots will direct the show.

To book tickets (£14 – £28) for The Secret Garden please visit www.barntheatre.org.uk or call 01285 648255.

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New heights

Round & About

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As we fly into a new year, why not volunteer for your local air ambulance charity and make a difference locally?

A new year… have you made any resolutions? Well if yours included spending some time helping as a volunteer, then your local air ambulance would love to hear from you – and will give you some training as well.

Volunteers provide invaluable support to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) throughout the year, fulfilling many important and rewarding roles. From giving talks to local groups, to distributing donation pots, attending fundraising events and presenting two highly successful educational programmes, volunteers play a key role in the day to day activities of the charity.

HIOWAA is seeking to recruit a wide range of volunteers from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and is keen to hear from anyone interested in volunteering, regardless of how much time they can give. They also recently launched a popular Volunteer Training Programme, offering volunteers training in areas including public speaking, first aid, health and safety, compliance and inter-personal skills.

In particular, HIOWAA is looking for volunteers to help present LifeLines, the charity’s newly launched educational programme for young people aged between 11 and 18. The volunteer role would suit anyone with teaching experience, or anyone comfortable presenting to groups of youngsters.

“Our volunteers playing a vital role in helping to keep the Air Ambulance flying and saving lives, says charity manager Sherie Williams Ellen. “They provide an essential link to our local communities and we simply could not manage without them. Our volunteers have busy lives and often have to fit volunteering around several other commitments. We are keen to hear from those who want to volunteer on a regular basis as well as those who can help out once or twice a year. Volunteering provides the perfect opportunity to support our life saving service and is also a great way to learn new skills and be a lot of fun.”

To find out more information on how you can help your local air ambulance, please visit www.hiowaa.org

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