Windsor Lions back in the saddle

Round & About

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Windsor Great Park

Popular cross country horse ride returns at Windsor Great Park

Windsor Lions are delighted their popular cross country horse ride in Windsor Great Park will be taking place this year on the weekend of 9th and 10th September.

Very sadly the event had to be cancelled last year due to the death of our much-loved queen, but such is the popularity of the ride that entries have now closed: the weekend is fully booked with riders numbering a fantastic 750 plus!

The ride, which is in its fifth decade, allows riders of all ages and mixed abilities to enjoy the nine-mile course around beautiful parkland otherwise inaccessible to many riders.

Event Organiser Richard Vaughan is very happy with the support for the ride: “We are so pleased that we can welcome riders back after the sad cancellation last year, and even more so as we have a number of new and exciting jumps which we are sure many will enjoy.

“The event takes place at the kind permission of the authorities in Windsor Great Park for which we are always very grateful. And of course, all the entry fees and sponsorship money from our wonderful riders and our generous commercial sponsor The Shanly Foundation, enables us to fund the great work that Windsor Lions Club carries out in the Community – such as Prostate Cancer Screening event earlier this year and our Santa Sleigh which will be back on the streets of Windsor in December.”

More information on the ride can be found at Volunteer | Windsor Lions

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Trail blazers!

Liz Nicholls

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Windsor Great Park

You can admire Surrey Sculpture Society’s talents at Savill Garden thanks to the Art in the Garden exhibition from 21st September until 1st November.

Marrying the vibrant colours of autumn with an equal variety of sculpture, this exhibition has become an annual event at The Savill Garden, one of Britain’s finest ornamental gardens.

Its 35 acres of gardens are perfectly sited within the boundaries of Windsor Great Park at Englefield.

This year, Art in the Garden Exhibition features 45 artists exhibiting more than 60 sculptures, all set off perfectly by the garden’s stunning seasonal highlights.

Visitors can expect the traditional and the experimental, from moving and thought-provoking to dainty and bold pieces, on a journey of discovery and enjoyment.

Surrey Sculpture Society chairman says: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the team at The Savill Garden to stage what has become an annual highlight in our calendar. It would be hard to improve on the gardens themselves, however, yet again the team have devised a new and intriguing trail allowing the sculptures and landscape to complement each other beautifully. We are thrilled to be able to showcase our artists’ work to the public in such a prestigious and welcoming venue.”

The society’s trail designer Dawn Conn adds: “I’ve been privileged to design this curated event that prides itself on showcasing and selling unique sculptural pieces in this beautiful outdoor setting. I’m excited to present the huge diversity of materials and mediums used in the sculptures: from stone to bronze, jesmonite to glass, mosaic to metals, rubber to resin, along with an increased focus on sustainability using more reclaimed timber, upcycled metal and recycled bronze.

Visitors can expect the traditional and the experimental, from moving and thought-provoking to dainty and bold pieces, on a journey of discovery and enjoyment.

Find out more

The Savill Garden is at Wick Lane, Englefield Green, TW20 0UU. Admission to the sculpture exhibition is included in entrance to The Savill Garden. For further info visit

windsorgreatpark.co.uk/en/experiences/the-savill-garden

and follow @WindsorGreatPark on Facebook, @WindsorGtPark on Twitter and @windsorgreatpark on Instagram.

Also visit surreysculpture.org.uk, follow @SurreySculptureSociety on Facebook and @surreysculpturesociety on Instagram.

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Great & good

Round & About

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Windsor Great Park

This festive season, look no further than Windsor Great Park as the setting for your family time together.

Free seasonal walks at Windsor Great Park

Keep active this season. Wrap up and embark on a family expedition in Windsor Great Park. From 01 December, follow one of our free seasonal walks* from The Savill Building. Take up the challenge to find a new favourite walk and discover more of the Great Park.

Vintage carousel and carriage rides at The Savill Garden

Big and little ones alike can take a spin on our popular vintage carousel or travel on horse and carriage through the winter woodland. The carousel will be at The Savill Garden from 14 -23 December and 26 December – 01 January inclusive. To book a carriage ride, email [email protected].

The Savill Garden Kitchen and Christmas shopping at The Savill Garden

Enjoy a warming dish from the Savill Garden Kitchen and shop from artisan suppliers from around the UK.  Remember to come along to one of our shopping evenings in The Savill Building, every Thursday in December until 7pm.

*Car park charges apply.

The Winter Garden in The Savill Garden**

Marvel at the variety of beautiful and fragrant plants that thrive in the winter months in The Savill Garden. Discover the flaming dogwoods and willows in the Winter Garden and the golden grasses from New Zealand. The Queen Elizabeth II Temperate House is the perfect place to enjoy plants from across the world, alongside our National Collection of Mahonia.

**Garden entry fees apply.

Christmas trees at Windsor Great Park

28 November – 22 December

Buy your freshly cut Christmas tree from Windsor Great Park, at Forest Gate SL4 2BY . With the helpful advice from the on-hand foresters, choose from trees ranging in height from 3 feet to 25 feet. Wreaths, fresh boughs of holly and mistletoe as well as a wide selection of decorations are also available.

More info

Website

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Great expectations

Round & About

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Windsor Great Park

Youngsters – of all ages, from tots to teens – can enjoy a taste of wildlife and the countryside thanks to volunteers helping with events in Windsor Great Park, writes Peter Anderson

There are lots of super-natural events in Windsor Great Park’s educational centre.

Windsor Great Park Environmental Centre is an exciting five-year partnership project between the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust and The Crown Estate. From the Nature Tots to the Young and Teen Ranger meetings, there are monthly sessions where children can get real hands-on experience of life in the countryside, and the flora and fauna you can find here, with guidance from skilled supervisors.

Nature Tots is a parent-and-toddler group with a difference. You can head along with your pre-school little one and introduce them to the great outdoors. The 90-minute sessions spend about the first 15 minutes outside before coming indoors and there are a wide-range of activities to spark their curiosity and have fun in natural surroundings. Each session will include seasonal nature discovery, games, crafts and lots of fun! Story-time and drinks also included. Children must be accompanied by a supervising adult, and younger brothers and sisters are welcome.

Young Rangers is a monthly wildlife group which meets in the early evening for children aged between eight and 12. Here they can become nature detectives and find all about the birds, bats, deer, mini-beasts and more, which live in the park and forest. Activities include pond-dipping, bug hunts, animal tracking, shelter building and bushcraft. Drinks will also be provided during the sessions, and they will require a signed consent form from an adult. There are two sessions per month, but the second one is a repeat to allow for any children who cannot make the first session.

Teen Rangers is a monthly group of budding naturalists aged between 12 and 16 who meet in the early evening. Here you can spend time in the forest discovering who and what lives there, but it may not be them you spot first! You may need to use your tracking skills, but you will have skilled volunteers and trainers from BBOWT to help you with that, as well as shelter-building and bushcraft, as you learn all about the flora and fauna in this marvellous location.

For further information on dates, times and suggested donations, please visit www.bbowt.org.uk. The website also has information on other events organised by the trust and how you can donate to help the valuable work BBOWT does to protect and preserve natural surroundings around the three counties.

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