Easter Passion Play

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Join the community event in the Abbey Grounds and witness the Passion Play

The Big Easter Event in Abingdon on Saturday, 6th April, is set to be great fun for the whole community with the highlight being the Passion Play.

It tells of the dramatic final days of Jesus’s life. The rollercoaster from adoration by the crowds through plotting, cynical power politics, suffering and betrayal to the end…but what end?

The aim of putting on the Passion Play is not to project any particular interpretation of the events of those days, but to encourage people to think about the events in their own way…what do they mean? Should they mean something? So what happened and why did it happen?

This will be the third time that the Passion Play attempts to answer these questions, after 2013 and 2016, but this time with a difference. The 2019 staging will be a completely new production featuring a small team of professional actors from LAMPS  Collective, an Abingdon based theatre company. These will be supported by a large ensemble of amateur actors and singers who will have the exciting opportunity of performing alongside them – many local people who been attending auditions and rehearsals over the past few weeks. It builds on the experience of the successful creative team which staged previous productions and will once again be directed by Sam Pullen-Campbell.

The Passion Play will be re-inacted from 2pm to 3pm in the Abbey Grounds, where beforehand the Big Easter Event which starts at 12.30pm will entertain with live music from local choirs and musicians, food including lots of chocolate, spring crafts and games and stalls.

For more to do at Easter, check out our Easter egg-stravaganza

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Full steam ahead

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Step back in time as Didcot Railway Centre launches Lady of Legend

The Great Western Society will see 15 years of hard work, sweat and tears realised when Lady of Legend is officially launched at Didcot Railway Centre.

Since 2004, the society has been working to recreate an example of the iconic ‘Saint’ class locomotive and now work is complete it will be unveiled by culinary queen Prue Leith, a former member of the British Railways Board, on Friday, 5th April at 11.15am.

The GWR ‘Saint’ class locomotives, introduced by G J Churchward in 1902, represented one of the most important steps forward in railway traction of the 20th century. The class incorporated many revolutionary advances in design and the ‘Saints’ are now acknowledged to have had a huge influence on almost every aspect of steam locomotive development.

The final engine, the Saint David, was withdrawn from service and scrapped in 1953, ending the work of the service – until now.

Lady of Legend will be on display over the weekend to visitors to the railway centre as will another well-known local lady, baking icon Christine Wallace, who will be familiar to many from Bake Off.

She will be found in a marquee at the centre cooking up Edwardian dishes from the era and dressed as Downton Abbey cook, Mrs Patmore. Edwardian cookery was quite lavish so visitors will be in for an extra treat with tastings available.

Also on show will be several other engines, coaches and wagons and you can enjoy a ride in coaches from the 1930s.

For more information and to book tickets, visit Didcot Railway Centre

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Wind in the Willows

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Help save Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad and create a wilder future

Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad are starring in a new campaign from The Wildlife Trust calling for a wilder future.

A Wind in the Willows trailer (below) featuring in cinemas this weekend shows the threats the much-loved characters are facing and what can be done to help our wildlife before it’s too late.

And it’s received backing from Sir David Attenborough as well as the stars who provide the characters’ voices – Stephen Fry as Badger, Catherine Tate as Ratty, Alison Steadman as Mole and Asim Chaudhry as Toad.

The trailer mirrors the reality of creatures such as the badger, water vole, mole and toad with disruption to their lives by roads, river pollution and intensive agriculture.

Kenneth Grahame wrote Wind in the Willows more than 100 years ago and in the time since it was published in 1908 many of the UK’s wild places and its wildlife have been destroyed.

Ratty, the water vole, is the UK’s most declining mammal and despite work to identify the number in Surrey it is unclear if any still exist in the county. It is presumed extinct.

Almost 70 per cent of toads have been lost over the last 30 years too.

The main problems wildlife face in this country are:

• Loss of habitat from intensive farming and places broken up by roads

• Climate change which disrupts breeding patterns, threatens life cycles and creates food shortages

CEO of Surrey Wildlife Trust, Sarah Jane Chimbwandira said: “People move to Surrey because they love the convenience of commuting to work and living within a beautiful county, with leafy neighbourhoods, iconic woodland views form the Surrey Hills and peaceful riverside walks.”

The decline in UK habitats since Kenneth Grahame’s wonderful tale is truly shocking

She added the county’s wildlife is in great decline and in for it to recover it is essential “to create a mass movement of people calling for change”.

Sarah Jane said: “The Wildlife Trust film is a sad version of The Wind in the Willows – showing how Ratty and Toad have hit the buffers – but it’s not too late to save them in Surrey. We can create strong laws to establish a Nature Recovery Network, which will enable a wider future and help nature make a comeback.”

The aim of the film is to inspire people to help by: contacting politicians to ask for stronger environmental laws; walking in the paw prints of others and imagine what wildlife needs to survive where you live and create a wilder future where you are by playing a part in making changes.

Alison Steadman who plays Mole said: “The decline in UK habitats since Kenneth Grahame’s wonderful tale is truly shocking. Millions of people in this country profess a love of wildlife and we need everyone to be taking it back action to bring about nature’s recovery.

“I wanted to take part in this film to help inspire people to get involved and bring our nature back.”

Sir David gave his support to The Wildlife Trust’s campaign saying: “What we create may not look exactly like the countryside that Kenneth Grahame drew such inspiration from, but our wildlife won’t mind just so long as it has the places it needs to live and thrive.”

Find out what you can do to get involved at www.surreywildlifetrust.org.uk and if you’re going to the cinema this weekend don’t forget to look out for the trailer.

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Chelsea Blues Festival

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Under the Bridge: a great night of live music is on the bill at Chelsea Blues, Rhythm & Rock Festival.

Enjoy a night of bluesy rock action Under the Bridge at this Fulham Road festival with leading musicians, many of whom have learned their craft from the best.

Brought to you by one of the leading blues and rock organisers in the country, Solid Entertainment, Chelsea Blues Festival is packed full of blues, as you might expect, rhythm and rock – pretty much as it says on the tin.

Among the acts on stage will be Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre and his band.

Martin has been the guitarist of Jethro Tull for 43 years. His sound and playing have been a major factor in their success with album sales exceeding 60 million; the band are a key part of rock history.

As well as several Jethro Tull albums, Martin has worked with legends of the music industry such as Paul McCartney, Phil Collins and Gary Moore and shared a stage with Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac.

Martin has put together a band to play music from Tull’s catalogue which includes musicians from a similar background.

Also on the bill are the Stevie Nimmo Trio; Stevie is one half of Scotland’s Nimmo Brothers with his roots firmly in the blues and er, roots world.

JFK Blue are a stylish blues/rock band and have been described as having a Southern rock feel, and you’d imagine that’s the kind of vibe Bourbon Street Revival are channelling too mixing contemporary with rare and well-loved classics.

The line-up is completed by Deep Sea Blue who pride themselves on being a “new wave of indie blues”.

More acts are set to be announced but whoever else joins the bill it sounds as if it’s a night not to be missed on Saturday, 30th March, at Under the Bridge, SW6 1HS. Tickets £29.

To book go to www.chelseabluesfestival.co.uk

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Treehouse run

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On your marks, get set for the sixth Treehouse 10k in Cholsey on Sunday – there’s a run for everyone and how about making it a real family affair as it’s Mother’s Day? 

In addition to the 10k, there’s a 5k run and the Family Bunny Run. Both the 10k and 5k cover a course that includes a mix of quiet roads, farm tracks and footpaths around the village. 

All finishers will receive an event T-shirt and hand-made wooden medal with trophies given to each category winner. 

The Family Bunny Run is open to families/children under 16 and is just half a kilometre around the recreation ground – participants can decide how many loops they want to compete. As it’s so near to Easter why not add bunny ears or a tail to your outfit? 

Last year runners were challenged to run with a Stormtrooper, this year you’ll be turning to the “dark side” and taking on Darth Vader. 

And as it’s Mother’s Day, Round & About columnist Christine Wallace from the Great British Bake Off will be starting the 5k and 10k races before holding a cake decorating demonstration in the pavilion and answering your baking questions. Her cake will then be raffled off for a mum to enjoy. 

Online registration at a reduced rate ends at midday tomorrow (Wednesday, 27th March) but you can register on the day between 8am and 9am. 

To register and for more information for the run go to www.treehouse10k.org.uk 

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Cycle Safely

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More and more of us are cycling, but are you wearing a helmet? A Reading-based charity is encouraging everyone to Cycle-Smart.

Cycling is a great way to get fit, not to mention the benefits to the environment and the number of children and adults getting on their bikes has increased.

But are you getting on your bike and wearing a helmet? Often considered uncool, they are quite simply lifesavers and one charity is out to promote the importance and benefits of wearing one as you cycle.

The Cycle-Smart Foundation in Reading is committed to saving lives through the promotion of safer cycling, and helmets in particular. The award-winning charity was founded in 1998 by paediatric nurse Angela Lee who through her work saw the devastation head injury can cause, not just to the child but to the whole family.

Helmets have been proven to be effective in reducing potential brain injury and the charity works with parents, teachers, police, road safety officers and healthcare professionals to get this message across. Children’s skulls are thinner than an adult’s and their heads are bigger in proportion to their body, making them top heavy so if they do fall they are more likely to fall head first.

There are a few ‘rules’ to follow when fitting a child’s helmet:

• It should sit snugly and be comfortable to wear
• The helmet should remain secure when the child shakes or nods their head
• The rim should sit on the forehead, just above the eyebrows
• The helmet should not be tilted backwards leaving the forehead exposed and should not be worn too far forward as to cover the eyes
• Straps should not be twisted and there should be no slack in them
• Ensure the helmet does not affect the child’s ability to hear
• Cycle helmets have a use by date on them – a little known fact

Angie says: “Cycle-Smart educates children to understand the importance of their brain and that it is the body’s computer/games console, meaning it’s responsible for speech, feeling/touch, sight, hearing and more. Surprisingly, head injury can follow a low speed accident and not just high speed or impact as you may presume. The use of a helmet may dramatically reduce the injury sustained. We often get sent photos of damaged helmets from people who have been in a cycling accident and they say the helmet saved their life.”

Cycle-Smart go into schools to teach in peer groups, finding this the most valuable method to change attitudes towards helmet wearing, with pre-teens and teens the hardest to reach group as much of their decision making is swayed by image, peer pressure and the need to blend in.

“Through our programme we help to empower them to make an informed choice about their physical safety. We survey the children and young people who have attended our programme and many have reported back to us how they now wear a helmet and also encourage the rest of their family to as well,” says Angie.

Cycle-Smart has been chosen to benefit from the Co-op Community Fund this year. Go online to www.coop.co.uk/membership and search for Cycle-Smart Foundation.

For more information visit cycle-smartfoundation.org

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Study Skills

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Parents help is at hand to get your child though their exams 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPOYPxRg_to

If like many parents you have a child about to take their GCSEs or A levels, you’ll know what a stressful time it can be for the whole family, so how about some help? 

Study Skills Academy is holding two parent workshops over the next few days to help you support your child as much as possible and help you all get through it as easily as possible. 

The academy can offer guidance and practical advice on simple strategies to support your child and get you all though the experience in one piece! 

They will look at a variety of topics including:

Understanding the teenage brain

Managing screens and sleep

Revision strategies to use and how you can help

How to make a revision plan and stick to it

Managing stress levels for all 

Their workshop is Monday, 1st April, 7.30pm to 9pm at The Cholsey Pavilion and cost just £10.

To book and for more information go to Study Skills

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The Rose of Hungerford

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Hop aboard The Rose of Hungerford and enjoy a trip along the canal

There can be few more enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon than on a canal boat along the Kennet & Avon and there’s the chance to find out more about how you can get involved in just that at an open day this month.

The Rose of Hungerford is a purpose-built 55ft long wide-beamed passenger trip boat owned by the canal trust. The boat is now preparing to operate public trips for the 2019 season as well as being available for private charter.

Trips run every Saturday and Sunday from April through to October and from May, additionally on Wednesdays and there’s a special treat for Mother’s Day on 31st March when the popular cream tea cruise will be operated.

In 2017, The Rose of Hungerford undertook more than 200 trips, carrying around 6,000 passengers. It travelled about 660 miles and through 772 locks as it toured the canal.

If the idea of this appeals to you as more than just a ‘passenger’, they are always on the look out for more volunteers to help with all aspects of the running of the boat.

The Rose of Hungerford is owned by the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and crewed entirely by trained volunteers but keeping the service in operation is about much more than just crewing the boat with help needed with a multitude of behind the scenes tasks too. They’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in getting involved.

Pop along to the open morning on Saturday, 23rd March at Hungerford Wharf from 9.30am to 12.30pm to find out more about the trips, meet the crew and volunteering aboard The Rose of Hungerford.

visit their website for more information and to book a trip!

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Spectacular science

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Science and art come alive this March at Innovate Guildford 2019

Our science and arts festival, Innovate Guildford is back for its fourth year and this year’s event promises to be the biggest and best yet!

Innovate Guildford celebrates the best in innovation in Guildford and beyond. Building on the success of previous events, there are exhibitors from across the local area – Innovate Guildford will inspire and delight people of all ages. There’s plenty for the kids to do and best of all the event is completely free!

Already confirmed this year are McLaren Cars, The Pirbright Institute, a pop-up Planetarium and the Academy of Contemporary Music. They will also be interactive exhibits and workshops for lots of hands-on fun.

Proving there really is something for everyone at this year’s Innovate Guildford, visitors will be able to take part in a wide range of activities including slime design, coding, Minecraft, robotics and even step inside a planetarium.

Plus we’ve got a special treat for computer gamers – Guildford’s megastar game company Media Molecule will be at the show with brand new entertainment!

The event which showcases technology, innovation and creativity in the region, will run from 10am to 5pm on Saturday 23rd March at G Live, so save the date for a day out with a difference.

To find out more about the day, exhibitors and workshops visit innovateguildford.co.uk

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Health walks

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Step out and step up your health and fitness with a good walk

Walking, we all do it everyday, but have you ever really thought about all the health benefits and how you can make it really count?

With Walking for Health, the Guildford walks programme, you can take part in a short free walk nearby to get active and stay active at a pace that suits you.

And as well as being active, it’s also a great way to explore what’s around you and make new friends while you walk, you don’t need any fancy equipment and unlike most things – it’s free!

To take part in one of the Guildford Walking for Health walks just pop along to the start point and one of the trained leaders can take your details then you can get involved in as many and as often as you like.

Walks currently take place every Monday in the Guildford area and are due to start on Tuesdays in Worplesdon and Thursdays in Shere. For more information about any of these contact Annelize Kidd on 07554 423010

Shalford area walks can be enjoyed on Wednesdays, contact Georgina Churchlow on 07714 821159

For walks in the Whitmoor Common area on Fridays, contact Roger Philo on 07905 282658

Volunteers are also needed to help the walks happen either as a walk leader or a back marker. If you are interested in helping with the walks, contact Annelize Kidd on 07554  423010

Or email any queries to [email protected]

If you still need convincing, it’s worth bearing these health benefits in mind:

– Help your heart and lungs work better

– Lower your blood pressure

– Keep your weight down

– Lighten your mood

– Keep your joints, muscles and bones strong

– Increase “good” cholesterol

The Walking for Health programme operates around the country helping people to lead healthier, more active lives. To find more walks near you or if you’re not in the Guildford area have a look at walkingforhealth.org.uk

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