Whittington Music Festival dates for the diary 15th to 18th May

Dear Blogger

Message from Whittington Music Festival

Ready to Roll!

Remember the dates Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 May 2025 Festival News   The fantastic 2025 Festival programme is ready and details are on the website www.whittingtonmusicfestival.org.uk/festival-programme/. Publicity leaflets will be mailed out in early November. If you haven't previously received these by post and would like to, please email your postal address to admin@whittingtonmusicfestival.org.uk If you are able to help distribute leaflets to locations in Wrexham, Chester, Llangollen, North and Mid-Wales and Shrewsbury please let us know by emailing the address above. Your help will be much appreciated. The Saturday morning Masterclass sessions and afternoon Family Concert have been arranged, so we have some very excited young people! Both Braimah Kanneh-Mason and Mark Padmore will be coaching, as well as stunning saxophonist Rob Burton. There's free admission to the Saturday morning session and all of our concerts are free for under 26's. Christmas Gift Vouchers   For the first time, gift vouchers will be available from the festival box office from mid-November. An ideal Christmas present for a music lover! Date for your Diary   On Saturday 16th November at 7.30pm in Whittington Church the Scholars and Gentlemen choir will be singing a programme of Palestrina, directed by Mike Donkin. This is a fundraising concert for the festival, so please bring a friend! Tickets on the door, price £12. Bar available. Music Education and Outreach   Last month we focused on the effect our outreach sessions have on our musicians, and how they benefit from the experience. This month here is the enthusiastic reaction of the Head of Performing Arts at Derwen College: "Our students loved their session and the experience of being amongst live musicians. They especially enjoyed getting the chance to conduct the orchestra and we saw some ordinarily rather shy students come out of their shell. Everyone left with a smile. One of our students with perfect pitch engaged in a call and response activity with one of the violinists. The opportunity for an autistic learner to engage in this form of conversation with a stranger was invaluable in his development and confidence. He was also welcomed by Sophia to sit with her and play along with some of the other parts of the session, during which he seemed really engaged".   Whittington's Wonderful Musicians Regular Whittington concertgoers will remember David Shaw, violin, viola, voice and visual artist, who will be returning in 2025. Now known as David Edward, he has thousands of followers on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHmeto5X4Xk as he develops his extraordinary singing voice and composes new material. See David in action on Friday 16th May, singing his own composition 'Life Prayer', and in the Jazz on Saturday afternoon, and then playing violin on Saturday 17th May (Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' quartet) and Sunday 18th May (Schoenberg's 'Verklarte Nacht' and Brahms Sextet in G Major Op. 36).

Neal`s Yard Remedies Natural Skincare products @ Cafe Eleven

Dear Blogger

Message from Ruth at Cafe Eleven

Simply Diana will be hosting a Neals Yard Evening at Cafe Eleven next month.

Thursday 7th November 5.30 to 7pm

Its a chance to sample Neals Yard products, do a bit of Christmas shopping,  try a hand massage from Diana, and book discounted treatments only available on the night. 

Halloween Party for under 8s is 5-6pm

Dear Blogger

Apologies -  Halloween party for under 8s is 5-6pm - my fault!

Message from Carol Aspinall, Village Hall

Children`s Spooky HALLOWEEN PARTY at the Village Hall 25th October

See attached poster for details

Under 8s, 3-5pm            8 and over 6-7pm

Come if you dare!!

Park Hall Countryside Experience PUMPKIN FEST

Dear Blogger

Message from Farmer Richard at Park Hall Countryside Experience.

Pumpkinfest is Here! Our pumpkin and Halloween event is in full swing. We are open today, Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th October, and then every day between 25th October and 3rd November for half term. As well as a whole farm of fun, there are lots of extra activities. Take a stroll through Pumpkin Alley, hear the singing pumpkins, play pumpkin games, and visit the Little Scare House and the Witches Cavern! And you can leave all the mess of pumpkin carving with us because every paying child gets a pumpkin to carve in our pumpkin shed!  Today (Friday 18th October) all visitors will receive a free pumpkin (including adults) with general admission to Pumpkinfest. Access to the whole farm is included in the ticket price. We recommend booking online in advance and saving £2 per person! Buy Tickets Get Your Santa Experience Booked In Tickets to our Christmas event are now live. Enjoy our festive wonderland at the farm and an extra special visit to see Santa and his elves in the grotto. Every child will receive a generous gift to take home. We will have daily performances of The Flying Reindeer School for some panto-style fun, that will get the whole family involved. The farm will be open every Saturday and Sunday from 30th November until 22nd December, plus 23rd and 24th December will be our final opening days of 2024. Most days tickets sell out, so book now to avoid disappointment. Buy Tickets We hope to see you down on the farm very soon, From Farmer Richard, the farm team and all the animals (even this unusual character who wants to join the pig racing!) ???????????????????

Children`s Halloween Party at Ruyton Village Hall

Dear Blogger

Message from Carol Aspinall, Village Hall

Children`s Spooky HALLOWEEN PARTY at the Village Hall 25th October

See attached poster for details

Under 8s, 3-5pm            8 and over 6-7pm

Come if you dare!!

Willow Gallery Art Exhibition until 24th December

Dear Blogger

Message from Willow Gallery, Oswestry

Borderland Visual Arts Exhibition until 24th December

WILLOW GALLERY Oswestry   Newsletter October 2024 View this email in your browser        LESLEY FISHER  Mereside in Autumn  Acrylic until 24 December Joint exhibition of artists and crafters from Cheshire and the Oswestry/Chirk Borderlands See a mix of paintings, photography, sculpture, drawing, print, textile art, mixed media, and ceramics A WAY OF SEEING WITH REG TURRELL POTTING SHED Originally, this was the outside privy. Later it was converted into a potting shed, but we tried to keep the character of the old building. I love the red brickwork, some of which is missing, and the random ancient nails sticking out of the mortar.   To depict the texture of the weather-worn wood, I did rubbings of the grain and used these as collage. Orange tissue paper was glued down, with brick shapes printed on top. Overdrawing was used to emphasise the beginning of decay – such as at the bottom of the door where it's starting to rot. Green algae are creeping up the walls with the red stems of wild geraniums. Looking into the shed, you see hints of the building's new use.   Crumpled white tissue created a background to suggest branches. I used watercolour, oil pastel, water-soluble pencils and black pens to build up textures. The horseshoe was dug up nearby and placed so that the good luck doesn't fall out (well, that's what a farmer told me!). Artist-in-residence Karl Robinson-Bray working on a new landscape Karl has a great love of wild places, and many of his landscapes are based on his experience of long country hikes - under all sorts of weather conditions and at all times of the year. Landscapes along with semi-abstracts and portraits are major themes in Karl's art. Upcoming at the Gallery Meet and converse with talented local craftspeople who create one-of-a-kind products you won't find anywhere else. Also enjoy a range of refreshments in our café. WORKSHOPS Whether you're a beginner, want to refresh your skills or to advance your knowledge, we offer many different kinds of art and craft workshops - and are always adding new ones. Places are limited to a maximum of 10, allowing plenty of opportunities for individual support and advice. Full details on our website. LEFT: How to paint your pet with MYFANWY POWELL   ABOVE: Atmospheric Landscapes with DAVID BANNISTER Shop at the Gallery See a wide range of handmade pottery Contemporary Welsh photography It was good to welcome back Ped4ir Môn Photography Collective for a further exhibition at this year's Autumn Open. Inspired by the world around them and, in particular, the natural world, if Hanna, Sharon, Siân and Joan see something interesting, they will try to capture it. Blodeuwedd Photograph by Hanna Baguley In Welsh mythology, Blodeuwedd was made from the flowers of oak, broom and meadowsweet by the magicians Math and Gwydion. Blodeuwedd is also the ancient name for the Owl into which she was turned after betraying her husband, Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Other Local Events & Information OSWESTRY DE-PAVE PROJECT   Wednesday 20 November 7.30-8.30pm Methodist Church Hall, Oswestry Kat Hinton of Shropshire Wildlife Trust will talk about a new project to reduce flooding and bring back nature within the town. Art World at the National Gallery until 19 January 2025 A century after acquiring its first two Vincent's works - Sunflowers and Van Gogh's Chair - the National Gallery is hosting the UK's biggest ever Van Gogh exhibition. Sunflowers was bought for £1,304 in 1924. at the British Museum until 23 February 2025 This sprawling and ambitious exhibition unravels how the journeys of people, objects and ideas that formed the Silk Roads shaped cultures and histories.  CANADIAN IMPRESSIONIST'S LOST WORK FOUND A painting bought at auction for £2,000 has been uncovered on the BBC series Fake Or Fortune? as a work by Helen McNicoll, worth an estimated £300,000. The buyer discovered the signature of the Canadian Impressionist after taking the artwork out of the frame. Subsequent research has shown sufficient evidence to support the conclusion that the painting, showing women working in a field, is a lost work, called The Bean Harvest, dating from the early 20th century. The painting had been missing for 110 years. One of Canada's most important Impressionist artists, Helen McNicoll (1879–1915) achieved remarkable international success during a tragically short career (she died at the age of 35). Remembered for her vibrant landscapes, beach scenes and depictions of women and children, her art helped introduce Canadians to the Impressionist Movement at a time when it was still relatively unknown. A vibrant, not-for-profit art space packed full of contemporary artwork from local and national artists. We host exhibitions, art classes, craft fairs and other community-focused events - bringing together creative individuals and art lovers from our local communities and beyond. CONTACT US Tel: 01691 657575 email: willowgalleryoswestry@gmail.com Website: willowgalleryoswestry.org Facebook: Willow Address: 56 Willow Street, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 1AD Gallery/Café open Tues-Sat 10am-4pm (3.30pm café last orders) Closed: Sundays/Mondays/Bank Holidays Editor: Hilary Moorcroft October 2024 FORWARD TO A FRIEND       Douglas Hutton   Days Like These   Oil on canvas

This email was sent to brownhill@eleventowns.co.uk why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences The Willow Gallery · 56 Willow Street, Oswestry, United Kingdom · 56 Willow Street · Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 1AE · United Kingdom