Help Surrey’s nature bounce back this Christmas – world-beating heathland habitats need your help and every donation will be doubled this December
Wildlife lovers in Surrey can make a gift with double the impact this Christmas, thanks to an appeal by Surrey Wildlife Trust with the backing on the philanthropic Big Give Christmas Challenge.
Surrey Wildlife Trust’s 100 for Heathlands Campaign – part of its urgent Save Surrey’s Nature appeal – is aiming to raise £100,000 for our county’s rare and threatened heathland environments – habitats that support a huge range of animal and plant life that can’t thrive elsewhere, from Nightjars and Sand Lizards to wildflowers, butterflies and the small-but-ferocious Heath Tiger Beetle.
Image: Nick Upton
From midday on Tuesday 3rd December to midday on Tuesday 10th December, contributions from members of the public up to a total of £25,000 will be doubled by a match funding pot of £25,000, made up of £12,500 from Big Give Champions and £12,5000 from pledgers Kia UK – potentially enabling SWT to raise a total of £50,000 towards its target.
Sadly, more than 86 per cent of Surrey’s lowland heathlands have been lost in the last two centuries, with those that remain requiring careful management to survive the impact of climate change, pollution, the over-growth of dominant plants and excessive development. As well as working with volunteers, conservation experts and local communities to keep Surrey’s heaths in top condition, SWT wants to create new corridors of good habitat to make Surrey’s landscapes more resilient, help wildlife find safe places to live and prevent the fragmentation of these special places.
The Trust is even exploring the reintroduction of native species like Beavers, Black Grouse and Red Deer to restore heathland ecosystems to their full potential for wildlife and people, and plans to carry thorough studies to assess the feasibility of these initiatives.
Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Director of Reserves Management James Herd, who leads conservation work on heaths including Barossa, Pirbright Ranges, Whitmoor Common and Chobham Common says: “Helping protect our beautiful local heathlands is a great way to create some good news this Christmas. Nature faces immense challenges, but we have big plans to turn things around. If we all do what we can for the places we care about, we can ensure that wildlife has a secure home for generations to come – and that will be good for every one of us.”
What your donation can do:
£10 helps maintain areas of bare ground on heathland reserves to benefit insects and reptiles.
£25 pays for a conservation grazing animal to graze a site for a week, keeping it in good condition for nature.
£36 will pay for a habitat survey to ensure we are doing the right thing for particular species.
£165 pays for one hectare of heathland management on Whitmoor common.
£300 pays for a tree popper, an important piece of equipment for scrub clearance used by Reserve officers and volunteer groups.
£1,200 pays for 4 hectares of heathland restoration and management on Chobham common.
West Horsley Place is sharing the benefits and beauty of the estate with everyone in the community with the opening of a new sensory garden
The peaceful and beautiful sensory garden at West Horsley Place has been designed to be as accessible as possible to all.
In creating the garden, a group of blind and partially-blind people and members of their access panel who face a variety of different access barriers, were consulted.
The design included raised beds to bring plants closer to people, colours that help create contrast and ‘banks of smells’, as well as benches and places for sitting and reflecting.
The West Horsley Place team, which includes a dedicated group of gardening volunteers, worked for six months to transform the neglected patch of ground into a charming space. Plants were transported and propagated from the existing collection and materials were all recycled from the wider estate.
Over the last few years, West Horsley Place, the ancient Manor House where the BBC series Ghosts was filmed, has started opening to the public with an exciting programme of tours, workshops and performances. In Oct ober 2022, they announced a two-year project funded by the National Heritage Lottery called Heritage Without Barriers. This project has helped them to fulfil their aim to improve people’s wellbeing with access to culture, heritage and nature.
The sensory garden, which was opened by the Mayor of Guildford, Cllr Sallie Barker, pictured, is part of that project. It has also been supported by Surrey Gardens Trust, West Horsley Parish Council, East Horsley Parish Council, the Stevenson Family Trust, the Banister Charity Trust, the Horsley Community Fund and other charitable donors.
The Trust’s Director, Ilona Harris said: “We would like to thank the National Heritage Lottery Fund and our generous supporters for making this project possible. We are proud custodians of a 400-acre estate that is free for people to enjoy. It is wonderful to now have a space which is accessible and brings the benefits and beauty of that estate to everyone in our community. We hope you will come and enjoy it soon.”
West Horsley Place is a Grade I listed medieval manor house and estate, the house dates from 1425, though there has been a building on site since Saxon times. Recent work to conserve and maintain the house has made the principal rooms safe and comfortable for public access, but the house remains on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.
The West Horsley Place Trust aims to bring the house, gardens, 400-acre estate and eight Grade II listed outbuildings back into good repair and to improve people’s wellbeing through culture, heritage & nature.
How many of Nathalie Beauvillain Scott’s detailed life-like portraits will you recognise in her Faces of Guildford exhibition?
You may well recognise the people featured in the work of French artist Nathalie Beauvillain Scott currently on display at venues in Guildford.
She started the Faces of Guildford project five years ago and it is now coming to an end with an exhibition which runs through to January in the town centre. It includes 13 oil portrait paintings and 13 pencil drawings of Guildfordians who have had an impact on the community in the past and the present. Nathalie has had a close relationship at some point with most of the people included in her exhibition.
Nathalie was born in Fontainebleau, a little town near Paris and as a child always had an interest in drawing. At Secondary school she specialised in Art and History of Art.
In 1989 she became involved with a group of artists based in Weybridge. She was then creating deltaic paintings on a huge scale based on the shape of the delta. She then went back to Paris to study art for a few years.
In 1993 she returned to the UK where she met Tony Scott, founder of Guilfest. While bringing up their three children, Nathalie worked as a mural artist getting commissions all around Surrey in schools, private houses, bars and hospitals.
Her interest in portraiture started in 2003 and she has received many portrait commissions ever since.
She specialises in highly detailed portrait paintings of everyday life. Her portraits of everyone from children to celebrities and royals are recognised for their incredible likeness. Nathalie paints almost exclusively in oil on canvas. The time-consuming process begins with a detailed drawing and she then applies a succession of thin layers of oil. Some of her portraits will have a narrative content telling a story whereas others will be more about capturing the personalities of her sitters at a specific time in their lives. She recently started to draw portraits in pencil on paper.
Her meticulous approach to portraiture resulted in her work being displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2015 as part of the BP Portrait Award.
For the last few years, along with six other local artists, Nathalie has been running an artist-run exhibition space, GU ART currently in White Lion Walk Guildford.
You can view Nathalie’s incredible work at New House Art and Space Gallery, Fays Passage until November 30th, GU ART, White Lion Walk, December 4th-11th, St Mary’s Church, Quarry Street, January 4th-12th and Growlers & Cans, Chertsey Street, January 15th-22nd.
Love them or loathe them, pantomimes are most people’s first introduction to the theatre, the tales of good triumphing over evil are as old as time but that doesn’t stop their enduring allure. So book your tickets and take your seat…
Boo, hiss or sealed with a kiss, if it’s December then it must be panto month so start practising your jeering and cheering and tuck into those sweets as you enjoy Robin Hood and Maid Marion as they right wrongs, sing songs and sort out the wicked Sheriff in the swashbuckling panto at the Yvonne Arnaud, Nov 30th-Jan 5th. Starring Lucy Benjamin as the Sherriff of Nottingham who is making residents’ lives a misery raising taxes. Will Robin and his gang of merry men come to the rescue and help them fight back. Also stars Guildford favourite Peter Gordon and Guildford Shakespeare Company’s Matt Pinches. Book at Robin Hood | Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
Panto just wouldn’t be the same without a famous face gracing the stage and Woking’s New Victoria is welcoming Christopher Biggins and Steps’ Faye Tozer among its cast of Sleeping Beauty. Once upon a time in a land far away, Princess Aurora is given a 21st birthday present by her evil aunt Carabosse (Tozer). By pricking her finger on an enchanted spinning wheel she is placed under a cruel curse and forced to sleep for 100 years. Expect magic, music, comedy and special effects from Dec 6th-Jan 5th. Tickets: Sleeping Beauty Tickets | New Victoria Theatre, Woking in Woking | ATG Tickets
Get ready for a spellbinding pantomime like no other at Camberley Theatre this Christmas, Dec 7th-31st. Join Snow White and her lively band of friends in a fun-filled adventure packed with unforgettable songs, hilarious moments, and stunning scenery. With a few twists on the classic story, this is Snow White as you’ve never seen before and will have you laughing, smiling, cheering and booing all the way through. Buy tickets at Snow White | Camberley Theatre
Godalming Borough Hall is hosting Jack as he climbs that beanstalk in search of riches trying to evade the giant. The professional show – featuring a talented cast with top West End credits – promises spectacular song and dance, colourful costumes and lots of fun and laughs for the whole family, Dec 14th-28th. For the 6th year running, the Pay What You Can scheme will return to the venue’s popular panto, with the producers doing their best to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy a family pantomime. Book tickets for the giant of a pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk by calling 01483 361101 or visit Godalming Panto | Jack & The Beanstalk 2024
Magic spells, glittering costumes and a few modern surprises await at Prior’s Field School theatre where you’ll find Godalming Theatre Group presenting Cinderella, Dec 18th-22nd. Tickets at Musicals | Godalming Theatre Group | Godalming
Pantos aren’t just for Christmas, many local theatre groups will be entertaining audiences in the new year, like the Ewhurst Players who are on stage at the village hall with Cinderella in February. VisitHOME | Ewhurstplayers nearer the time for dates & more.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be hi-ho-ing at The Arbuthnot Hall, Shamley Green thanks to SHADES on Jan 23rd-25th, more at shamleygreenshades.co.uk. Red Riding Hood will be trying to evade the wolf at Compton Little Theatre, Jan 16th-18th. Buy tickets at Compton Little Theatre event tickets from TicketSource. There’s fun for all with the mischievous puppet Pinocchio in Churt Amateur Dramatic Society’s panto in the village hall, Jan 28th-Feb 3rd, Churt Amateur Dramatic Society event tickets from TicketSource.
Embark on an uproarious adventure with Peter Pan & the Lusty Boys the Adult Panto, the latest masterpiece from the Guildford Fringe team! Brace yourselves for an hour of non-stop hilarity with no dull moments, as this rib-tickling spectacle takes centre stage until Jan 4th at The Back Room of The Star Inn. Indulge in naughty, smutty, and downright silly humour that’s sure to leave you in stitches. Book at Peter Pan & the Lusty Boys at The Back Room of The Star Inn event tickets from TicketSource
There are more than pantos to enjoy with the magical musical Santa’s Wish at G Live, Dec 18th-24th. Snowflake the magical elf is in a tricky spot, Santa’s sleigh has crashed and now he is lost. Can Snowflake help Santa and save Christmas? The heart-warming adventure is full of colour and fun and a sprinkling of circus magic. Tickets at Book Santa’s Wish tickets | G Live Guildford
Enjoy a family show fit to burst with festive fun at Farnham Maltings. Diana Hendry and John Lawrence’s joyous tale, Christmas in Exeter Street, is being brought to life in the Maltings’ second annual Christmas show from Dec 13th – 24th. With 37 characters, seven animals, 10 instruments, and an abundance of Christmas magic, Cordelia O’Neill’s new adaptation conjures the beautiful chaos and heart-warming generosity of the festive season.Tickets are available from £10-£22 at Christmas in Exeter Street | Farnham Maltings
WAOS Musical Theatre are staging the moving and powerful Evita at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Dec 10th-14th. The story portrays Eva’s rise alongside her husband, President Juan Perón, her advocacy for the poor, and her battle with illness. The musical is renowned for its emotional depth, Latin-infused score, and the iconic ballad Don’t Cry for Me Argentina. Book tickets at WAOS Musical Theatre presents Evita Tickets | Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking in Woking | ATG Tickets
Bird & Blend Tea Co brings its tea mixology innovation to Surrey with an array of tea-licious flavours
Bird & Blend are taking the humble cuppa to the next level with the opening of their new shop in Market Street, Guildford on Friday, 22nd November.
Offering an imaginative and magical customer journey, Bird & Blend Tea Co. create a fun, interactive in-store experience, mixing award winning, tea-based drinks. Flavours as inventive as Birthday Cake and Strawberry Lemonade to Chocolate Digestives, alongside firm favourites Builders Breakfast Brew, Earl Grey Crème and many more will be available alongside a brand new limited edition flavour, created exclusively for Guildford, called ‘Surrey Hills,’ a green tea packed with English berries to reflect the town’s beautiful countryside surroundings.
Retail stores are the heart of Bird & Blend Tea Co., alongside its ecommerce business, and in addition to mixing tea, the Guildford team of six will also host live free Matcha tea demos, offer a tea matching service, showcase new and innovative flavour combinations, run mixology masterclasses, events and so much more. The Guildford team are passionate about spreading happiness one cup of tea at a time…the new roles really are TEA-riffic.
The store will showcase its range of teas, and the largest Matcha tea range that can be found in the UK, via its bespoke Tea Wall display, alongside the wide range of tea tools and utensils and its takeaway tea bar. The store will even run its own award-winning Mixology Workshops, where guests can learn all about tea and even blend their own to take home!
At the opening party, on 5th December, guests will be treated to Bird & Blend’s signature Spiced Rum Chai or Strawberry Lemonade Drop on arrival. The first 50 customers will also receive an exclusive Guildford goody bag and lots of free tea. There will be plenty of seasonal samples for guests to taste, alongside the Guildford store blend, Surrey Hills.
With its arrival in Guildford, the team at the new store has nominated local charity Guildford Institute as its charity of the quarter, raising money and awareness to support the charity’s mission to provide an educational, cultural and social community hub in the heart of the town offering a special place for people of all backgrounds to meet, learn and explore. In store fundraising activities will raise funds and 50% of the in store profits of Surrey Hills will be donated.
Bird & Blend Tea Co. was founded by Krisi Smith and Mike Turner, who met at university. The brand is leading the way in tea innovation in the UK; creating a range of over 100 exciting tea flavours by blending ingredients including herbs, flowers, fruits, caramel, chocolate… & even cake sprinkles.
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Bird & Blend Tea Co., Mike said: “Customer experience is at the heart of everything we do. Alongside the fast growth of the digital side of our business, we’re proudly continuing to invest in local high streets too. We see our stores as not just retail spaces, but as community hubs where customers can come to make connections with one another and our team, and enjoy interacting with our teas. For us, there will always be a place for magical in-person experiences and we’re delighted to be arriving in Guildford.”
An upcoming highlight at University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Farnham invites you to shop for locally made gifts
Celebrate the handmade when you visit the Students’ Union winter market at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Falkner Road, Farnham, GU9 7DS.
Unearth affordable art and shop for colourful prints, handcrafted ceramics, and decorative jewellery, designed by UCA students, staff, and local craftspeople – the perfect place to pick up a Christmas gift. Entry is free.
The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) is a creative university defined by adaptability and innovation. We’re excited by change and difference, and the possibilities they open up.
Specialising in creative Arts, Business and Technology, we help students find opportunities that speak to them, and make the future their own.
Farnham artist Alison Molan of Pup Goes The Easel invites you to paint your pooch at a workshop at Sage & Salt in Petersfield and create the paw-fect paw-trait
Man’s best friend, woman’s best friend, everyone’s best friend – Alison Molan certainly believes so, she’s sharing the joy and love our four-legged friends bring into our lives with her colourful work.
Pup Goes The Easel started with her daughter’s Lurcher, Parker, developed with Frida, the Spanish Podenco and today the tale (tail?) continues with bright and bold pop-art inspired hues and the eclectic style of Frida Kahlo.
Alison’s portraits are not just paintings, their vibrant style reflects our relationships with our pooches and the bond created – one which you can create yourself at one of her workshops.
The next Paint a Pup workshop takes place at Sage & Salt in Petersfield on Friday, 8th November, 10am-4pm. These fun, sociable and informative one day workshops will give you all the materials you need and the hints and tips to create a painting of the pup you love. You will paint a work of art in the Pup Goes The Easel style, but with your own choice of colours and accessories to decorate your pup. At the end of the day, you will have a canvas to take home with you which captures the essence of your own pup.
These pawesome workshops are suitable for adults of all abilities and absolute beginners are warmly welcomed. The group sizes are kept small to enable you to achieve a whole painting in a day. These sessions are intended to be fun, relaxed and informative. It is widely recognised that being creative releases endorphins which enhance your mood and promote mental wellbeing. It is a pawfect excuse for some well-deserved ‘me time’.
Alison will provide a canvas, paper, pencils, acrylic paints and brushes which you will use, on the day, to create your unique painting. You will need to bring an A4 sized photograph or print of your own pup to copy (head and shoulders) as well as an apron to protect your clothes. In addition, she also asks you bring a light lunch and a water bottle. To book visit Workshops | Sage And Salt Studio
If you don’t think your artistic skills are up to scratch, commission Alison to em-bark on a custom pet portrait for you and let her capture the quirks and charm of your four-legged friend. Find out more about her work and enquire about a commission at Pup Goes The Easel where you can also see a range of cards and gifts for sale.
On 24th November at Borough Hall in Godalming, let the larger-than-life broadcaster and Eurosport commentator entertain you with the highs and lows of Tour de France
Carlton Kirby, AKA The Voice of Cycling, looks forward to sharing backstage tales at the Borough Hall.
Carlton wonders if he might be the last in the line of a certain style of commentator. Cricket’s Henry Blofeld, F1’s Murray Walker, Darts’ Sid Waddell… there was a time when sport was voiced by real characters bringing an extra sense of colour and context to the bare sporting action on screen. Now, Kirby – Eurosport’s Voice of Cycling – feels like an outlier.
“There has been a big shift towards TV employing former athletes – and often they can be quite straight in their approach,” he reflects. “But even in sports where non-athletes are still allowed in the commentary box, there’s a definite shift towards endless statistics and often quite dry technical analysis. I’m not sure that’s what the audience wants. Often, that sense of the wider occasion, all the emotion and fun and randomness involved – all the reasons people love sport – can get lost. But I want to make sure the audience at home get the full picture – I am compelled to mention, say, a very good local sausage shop, even if I have to get it into a manic sprint finish!”
Kirby is coming to the Borough Hall in Godalming for a show on 24th November, where he will share backstage stories from his years commentating on the Tour de France. His career has coincided with the golden age of British cycling, so, naturally, there will be talk of his dealings with the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish. But the tone of the evening is likely to be set by Kirby’s off-piste experiences, driving round Europe for months on end in the company of terse co-commentator Sean Kelly and getting into scrapes in low-budget hotels.
“I think, even for a lot of cycling fans, covering the Tour de France and other big races seems like some kind of extended holiday. Of course, it IS a magical thing – to be part of the biggest annual sports event on Earth, part of this travelling circus that means so much to everyone at home. But then we are also driving thousands of miles over the three weeks of the race, often late at night, staying in often quite random hotels. It is definitely a job not a holiday. Maybe not a proper job, but a job nonetheless!”
Kirby’s CV also includes an unusually broad range of broadcast gigs, from the Le Mans 24 Hour Race to speed skating and, in the early days of Eurosport, both the Eskimo Olympics and the Rock/Paper, Scissors World Championships. Along with stints on breakfast TV, as a nightclub promoter and on the ‘…and finally’ quirky-news slot on local TV in East Anglia – not to mention a failed audition to present Blue Peter -, it has been a unique path to his current position.
“I do love it. I feel privileged to have called home Mark Cavendish on so many of his record-breaking 35 stage wins at the Tour; to have been involved when British riders have dominated both the Tour and the Olympics.
“At the show at Godalming, we will celebrate the magic of the Tour and of those British riders but also all the strangeness that comes with it. Wherever we go with the live show, it feels like a gathering of the clans – all the serious bike riders come out but also people who just enjoy looking at the French landscape while snacking on their sofa. All these hundreds of people who have fallen in love with the Tour for different reasons getting together. I can’t wait!”
The much-loved actress is starring in Filumena at Theatre Royal Windsor, October 4th to 19th and Yvonne Arnaud Guildford, October 22nd to 26th
Bill Kenwright Ltd presents Eduardo De Filippo’s classic comedy Filumena, as the second play to be directed by Sean Mathias this season at the Theatre Royal Windsor.
Amidst the heat of a Neapolitan summer, Filumena (Felicity Kendal) lies on her deathbed, waiting to marry Domenico (Matthew Kelly), the man who has kept her as his mistress for 25 years.
But no sooner than they are married, she makes a miraculous recovery, much to the surprise of her new, unwilling husband and his younger lover.
However, Filumena holds on to a secret from her past life, revealing that one of her three grown-up sons is Domenico’s. But which one? Will he accept all three?
Q: How did this play actually come about? It was from Bill Kenwright, wasn’t it? A: He wanted to find a play for me and he felt we must work together again. He was being the usual Bill Kenwright: absolutely, amazingly funny and relaxed and jokey. And, you know, the fact that he and Michael [Rudman, Felicity’s late partner] were not well at the same time was something to talk about. I had worked with him many, many times and we absolutely loved each other. I used to call him boss. Then Michael died and I was away and Bill rang and he was just so lovely and funny and reminiscing about things and he said, look you’ve got to do Filumena.
Q: What are your key memories and thoughts of Bill? A: I particularly loved working with him. I loved his sense of humour. I loved his passion. He was incredibly passionate about the work he did and very, very good at it, extremely good at it. He was incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable of the theatre and music and the world… and, of course, his passion for football.
Q: What is Filumena about and what drew you to this character? A: I read the play and I imagined saying the lines and I wanted to be in that play. That’s what draws me to something. I love the play. I love the way it evolves. And the character is strong. She has had everything thrown at her in her life. And she could be the ultimate victim; she is in fact a victim of circumstance and fate. But she is anything but victimised. And she just pushes ahead with determination. She has a wonderful sense of humour, and she is full of passion, passion for the man she loves, passion for her children, passion for her family, passion to live against all odds from a very difficult start in life and quite a difficult life. Overcoming difficulties and making them into something successful is something I admire in people and that is this character. For me, with acting, you’re creating something that is actually not real. It’s not you, but you have to understand the facet of that complicated character that you’re asked to draw.
The play is hugely religious, in that my character’s strength comes from her religion – she’s Catholic – and her strength comes from a belief in what is right. It’s also a play about deception, why it’s necessary, if it’s necessary. It’s a play about jealousy, about children, about class and caste and a woman’s place and it’s also a play about surviving love and how incredibly intolerable poverty can be, and how that can impact on a woman’s choices in those days. So it’s touching an awful lot of things that people talk about. The character I play is an older woman, but her life, the life of the man she loves when they were younger, was quite extraordinary and that’s what you learn about.
The play is not very well known, so nobody has seen it played hundreds of times. So you hear it in your head as your own rhythm and tune. I’ve found working on this progressively more difficult, because I think it’s the first time for years that I haven’t had Michael giving me a kind of, well, how many more hours are you going to do that? And I have a way of working that has always been very much part of our life together and that really has brought home that he’s not here. He would always give me his opinion about a play and whether I should do it or not; I haven’t had it on this. So I had no idea whether he would say, don’t touch it, you will be absolutely boring, in which case I wouldn’t have. So that opinion isn’t there to draw on. So there’s no strength from that. I mean, in the past he has sometimes said, you must do this because you’d be wonderful. And he was, you know, usually pretty good and sometimes he would say that’s not for you and if I went ahead he was proved right. I tend to spend a long time at the kitchen table writing it out and rewriting and rewriting and that’s how I learn. And you know every now and again, well there would be words of encouragement or, have you got to act three? So I don’t have anybody to comment, but, you know, that’s not to say I’m not loving it. I do enjoy the process and I do think the more I read the script, the more I am just so happy to be doing this job. I just love this play.
Q: I was going to ask are you looking forward to getting back on tour? A: Going on tour is very much part of my history as an actor. I mean, I started my career going on tour. And I think as things have gone on in the last three, four, five, ten years, it’s more and more important that actors go on tour, because the West End is appallingly expensive. People don’t actually come up from the regions in the way they used to, so we have to go to them and going out on tour is important.
Q: What is it about Windsor that you always associate with or look forward to? A: One of the successful plays I did there was Noel Coward’s Fallen Angels, directed by Michael [Rudman] and produced by Bill Kenwright, so you can imagine it’s a very special place for me. It holds memories forever.
Q: Is there anything you always like to do when you’re in Windsor? A: I usually walk along the river with the dog. I think I may not have the dog with me, though, in the first few weeks of this play, because I have realised this is a huge part. I usually look at a play and think, oh I’m dead by the middle of the second act, and I think, that’s lovely! I didn’t quite realise how long a role it was until I started studying it. So I think I won’t be seeing much of Windsor this time, I’m afraid.
Q: Do you know much about the original playwright, Eduardo de Filippo? A: I don’t know much about him. The play is set in Naples. I saw the original production of this translation [by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall]. Years and years ago, Zeffirelli directed it, in 1977. That was in London with Joan Plowright. Judi Dench did the second production [here in 1998]. They were memorable. Absolutely memorable. But I don’t see that their performances are in any way going to be the one I do. There’s more than one way to play the character. It’s that beautifully written.
Q: One of the key people in the production is obviously the director, Sean Mathias. A: I’ve seen a lot of his work, which I think is just lovely. I’ve met him many times. He’s a gorgeously relaxing person to be with, but with a very firm and incredibly highly skilled and intelligent way of looking at plays. And so he absolutely was somebody that I’ve always wanted to work with. He creates this band of merry men, which is very important when you’re putting on a play. I think he will be, well, I hope, a friend for life, because he clearly is a very special person. He has something, which to me is a very important part of being a director, he has a very firm idea of how he will steer the ship right and it is not that it is his vision, but it is his collecting of all the various things that are going on. I like directors like that and I know I will love working with him.
Q: What is it all these years on that keeps you wanting to get back on stage? A: I think one of the things I realised is that I actually like to work. That’s what I am. I’m a working Cocker Spaniel. I’m not, you know, a show dog and I’m not a lap dog. I’m working and that’s what I love and I feel it’s just what I’m supposed to be doing. And I just feel better about it when I’m doing it. I love being in the company of clever people doing a job that I understand.
The New Ashgate Gallery is celebrating the rich tapestry of Surrey’s artistic talent at the Surrey Artist of the Year 2024 – vote and be part of the journey to crowning the winner
Surrey Artist of the Year is a celebration of the wealth of talent and creativity that exists in the county and you can have your say in bestowing the titular honour.
Presented in collaboration between the New Ashgate Gallery and Surrey Artists Open Studios, this annual event has been showcasing the exceptional talent of local artists since 2009. From intricate designs to bold expressions, discover a rich array of artwork spanning mediums such as painting, drawing, textiles, ceramics, glass, and paper art.
The exhibition at the New Ashgate Gallery runs until November 9th but you have the chance to get involved, see the artwork firsthand and cast your vote in person at the gallery until October 25th when Surrey Artist of the Year 2024 will be revealed.
The 17 artists competing for this year’s prize of a bursary of £1,000 and a solo exhibition at the New Ashgate Gallery are:
v Simran Ahira, Woking: Day and Night, mixed media painting v Tracey Jane Cooper, Reigate: Ocean Jewels, mixed media painting v Sarah Cox, Guildford: Swoop and Swirl, painting v Diana Croft, Dorking: Monet’s Garden, printmaking v Liz Hauck, Horley: Blue Velvet, painting v Alison Hunt, Hindhead: Copper Mist, painting v Richard Jack, Farnham: Mixed Emotions, sculpture v Jennifer Jokhoo, Redhill: Midsummer, printmaking v Rosalinda Kightley, Guildford: Orange Nasturtium, painting/printmaking v Claire Kent, Dorking: Precipice View, textiles v Colette Moscati, Farnham: The Flashes, painting v Peg Morris, Gomshall: Sassuolo Enfilade, printmaking v Julie Patton, Horley: In Coming Tide, enamel/ceramics v Philip Ryland, Farnham: Glitterball, painting v Sarah Rawlins, East Horsley: Positive Energy Scarf, textiles/painting v Julia Stockwell-Hamid, Ockley: Silver Rain I, painting/jewellery/sculpture v Chantelle Watson, Shamley Green: The Journey – Pitch Hill, Surrey, painting
As part of the commitment to fostering creativity within the community, they’re offering free family workshops during the October half-term on the 29th and 30th. Join the paper crafts and cardmaking led by Lucy Dorothy Nichols, the 2023 winner, alongside artist Kate Kennington Steer from the DAiSY network.
This year’s exhibition coincides with October Craft Month in Farnham, a celebration of craft and making that brings together artists, makers, and enthusiasts from all over the region. October Craft Month will feature a series of events, workshops, and exhibitions designed to inspire and engage the community in the joy of handmade crafts.
Lucy Dorothy Nichols, Surrey’s Artist of the Year 2023, returns for a simultaneous One Year On exhibition in the New Ashgate Gallery. The collection of works by the paper artist celebrates the joy of storytelling. But it isn’t a collection celebrating your average story… This is a world where stories that seem impossible to believe are perfectly plausible, a world where dreams and reality are delicately intertwined.
Taking titles from the Observer Pocket Book series as her starting point, Lucy has disregarded the wealth of interesting facts and figures contained within the pages of those well-loved, little reference books and instead conjured up a series of intricate paper sculptures which turn those facts and figures upside down. Stories, created from treasured papers, old envelopes, discarded wrapping paper and even the odd chocolate bar wrapper, now spill out from between the pages of these colourful little books. There are tales of shops selling musical notes by the jar, of marvellously magical rainbow-making machines, and if you look up, you’ll be able to wonder at skies full of birds laden down with bags, all flying off on their latest adventure. Pictured top right is Mozart and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.
New Ashgate Gallery director, Dr Outi Remes says: “The Surrey Artist of the Year competition is a testament to the incredible talent and creativity that thrives within our community. We are proud to support and showcase these artists, providing them with a platform to share their work and inspire others.”
Sadly Richard Jack, shortlisted for the Surrey Artist of the Year 2024, has recently passed away. At the request of his family, his artwork, Mixed Emotions, will still be part of the exhibition as a tribute to his talent and contribution to the arts community. The New Ashgate Gallery extends its condolences to his family and honours his enduring legacy.
