9 minute read
What’s On
thE MENDiP tiMES What’S ON GUiDEFOR JUNE 2021
Please send entries for these listings as a single paragraph of less than 25 words. We’re happy to list entries for charities and voluntary groups free of charge – but please submit them in the format below. We may not be able to use entries which are too lengthy or submitted as posters or leaflets. Commercial entries cost £25.
Tuesday May 25th to Saturday June 5th
Theatre Royal Bath live theatre reopens with a new stage adaptation of t.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes. all advance tickets are sold out but any returns will be available from 12noon on performance days.
Monday May 31st
Alexandra Bowling Club, alexandra Park, Bath, open day 10am-4pm. try something different and come along – we have the bowls so that you can have a go. all welcome but children should be accompanied by an adult. Please book a slot so that we do not become over-crowded: 0117 9864866 or wwwalexandrabowsbath.co.uk
Saturday June 5th to Saturday June12th
Hilliard Society of Miniaturists, Wells town hall, Ba5 2RB, 10am–5pm (last entry 4pm) closed on Sunday, June 6th. Disabled access, free entry.
Thursday, June 10th
Valley Arts, the Canterbury tales, holt Farm Organic Garden BS40 7SQ, 7pm. Details: www.valleyartscentre.co.uk
Saturday, June 12th
Temple Cloud in Bloom pop-up plant sale in the village hall car park and on the village green, 10am-1pm.
Saturday June 26th
The Reduced Ring Cycle is coming to Croscombe! Wagner took 15 hours, Somerset based Bluebirds theatre, experts at re-telling even the most complex tale, take an hour. Meet all the weird and wonderful characters from the Ring Cycle and listen to some great operatic music in a beautiful family-friendly mash-up outdoor performance. advance tickets only as numbers are limited by Covid restrictions: www.takeart.org/whats-on .
Sunday June 27th
Yard and rummage sale organised by Saturday Stitch and Fosseway Gardening Club, 10.30-12.30, harvester Yard, Ditcheat (near the church). Details: 07772 008594. Chew Valley Rugby Club re-start their Classic Car and Bike meetings, 10am-3pm. Kitchen and bar open for breakfast and drinks. Free parking and entry for classic car and bike owners and anyone interested in classics. Further events planned for Sundays in July and august. For up-to-date info please check Chew Valley Classic Car and Bike Meet Facebook page or call 07831 336444.
Saturday July 3rd
Jazz in the Paddock, Winscombe, 6.30 for 7pm. Bring a picnic and chairs and enjoy a beautiful summer’s evening listening to the Big R Big Band, Church Paddock, Winscombe hill, BS25 1DE. adults £10, U16s £5, family ticket £25 (2 adults and up to 4 children) from hampden Osteopathic Clinic 01934 843617 and on the gate.
Sunday July 4th Somerton Fun Day Sunday July 4th and Monday July 5th
Garden Open for the NGS. honeyhurst Farm, Rodney Stoke, BS27 3UJ. 2-5 p.m. adults £4 Children free. Cream teas, cakes & plants available.
Sunday July 11th
Picnic in the meadow. Rodden Meadow, Frome. 11am–2pm. a host of activities, from river dipping to tree climbing. Bring a picnic and have fun in one of Frome’s most loved open spaces. Details: www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk
Saturday July 17th
Christ Church Nailsea Summer Fair in the Rectory Garden, 9.30am-12.30pm. Bouncy Castle, balloon modeller, bubble-ologist, candyfloss, crafts and various stalls and refreshments. admission free.
Boat race entries are open
Flashback to the last races in 2019
thE annual Wells Moat Boat Race is set to return in august, thanks to the determination of organisers, the City of Wells Lions Club.
Entries are now open for teams wanting to take part in the afternoon of fundraising and fun, which attracts thousands of spectators
to the moat around the Bishop’s Palace.
Rod Major, from the Lions club, said the format of the races –on august Bank holiday Monday – might be altered but would still offer entertainment for all.
WEDMORE’S street fair and harvest home teams are combining forces this year to organise a community summer fete in St Mary’s Church and Church Street on Saturday, august 7th.
Wedmore Friends of Weston hospicecare are having a stall at the fair and are looking for complete jigsaws for sale. Please deliver them to Bramblings, Plud Street, Wedmore BS28 4BE or call 01934 712089.
To enter, contact Rod at rod@wfs.me.uk or 01749 670100
Wedmore street fair June in Frome
Before the pandemic
Withpredictions of a dry and warm summer ahead, the Merlin theatre in Frome has a full season lined up for its purpose-built outdoor theatre space, ECOS – the European Community Of Stones amphitheatre. the programme includes music, comedy, film and poetry as well as bringing some of the country’s best touring theatre right into the heart of the South West.
Exhibition programme announced for two Somerset museums
thE Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury will showcase local artists in its summer programme, after reopening on Wednesday, May 19th. the programme has begun with the first solo exhibition by Glastonbury-based artist Joanna Briar which brings together ink drawings with linocut and woodcut prints in an exhibition inspired by the museum itself and by the countryside surrounding it.
During the summer the museum, working in partnership with the Royal Bath and West Society, will open its first “living exhibition”. there will be a vibrant programme of family events and activities that capture the spirt of the Bath and West Show, as well as an opportunity to discover more about the society’s wideranging history. autumn sees the museum continue its successful collaboration with Somerset art Works. alice Kettle is a highly-regarded textile artist whose large-scale narrative embroideries are inspired by contemporary issues and ideas. themes of cultural heritage and displacement are explored through the contributions of migrants brought together in works by alice. the museum is run by the South West heritage trust, which has chosen for the season the theme of the Stories that Make Us, also reflected in the programme at its other museum, the Museum of Somerset in taunton, where works submitted to the Royal Photographic Society’s international Photography Competition are on show. the museum will be the only South West venue to host this annual display of contemporary photography from across the globe. the museum is known for its family-friendly summer exhibitions. this year the cartoons and art of the horrible histories illustrator Martin Brown are featured. the horrible histories books, written by terry Deary, were launched in 1993 and are now world bestsellers. they have inspired tV series, stage shows, exhibitions and even a feature film. the series relaunches in 2021 with new titles including a history of flight called Up in the air. Visitors will be able to see the original covers for some of the horrible histories and discover more of Martin’s work from his beginnings as a humorous graphic artist and fan of cartoons. the museum’s successful exhibitions dedicated to 20th-century British art continue in the autumn with a celebration of the colourful achievement of Brian Rice, one of Britain’s leading abstract artists, originally from south Somerset. head of Museums for the South West heritage trust, Sam astill, said: “after a very difficult year we’re now looking forward with optimism to the opportunities ahead. We’re collaborating with some brilliantly creative people and some key partners to deliver a programme that can provide enjoyment,
inspiration and learning for everyone.”
Glastonbury Tor, by Joanna Briar. Her exhibition runs until July 3rd
All visits must be pre-booked at www.swheritage.org.uk
Literary festival in Shepton
LOCaLcouple, tim and Julia O’Connor, have launched a new festival, Literally Shepton, which will take place over the weekend of July 9-11th. it promises a variety of comedy, theatre, music, spoken word, author visits and a short story and playwright competition, with events at Shepton Community Bookshop, the art Bank and a Love your Library event at the newly refurbished town library.
FOOD enthusiasts will be delighted that the Food & Drink hall is firmly on the menu of attractions at the one-off Bath & West Country Festival in august. this popular feature of the usual Royal Bath & West Show has relocated to the Showering Pavilion and has a new sponsor, Jon thorners. amongst the food stands in the hall and on the Main Lawn will be Fanny annie’s (retro street food); alimentos (Spanish street food); hidden Pizza; the Curry man; Salcombe Dairy; Unstabled Bar and Café and the Chock Shop (homemade brownies) whilst cheese aficionados can enjoy Godminster Cheese, the Great British Cheese Company and Bath Soft Cheese.
Food will combine with the festival vibe courtesy of “Liver Cottage”, with comedy chefs hugh Fearn and Lee Whittingstall presenting alternative cookery demonstrations. as the mobile kitchen garden moves through the crowds they’ll create “fusion food on the move”, blending home grown ingredients with food foraged from the corner shop, the streets, and the audience.
Blurring the boundaries between traditional and contemporary, urban and rural, fresh and “Best before June 1972”, the Liver Cottage chefs stick to their motto: “Don’t leave anyone wanting more!”
Cider lovers will be delighted that the British Cider Championships will take place at the festival, within the Orchards & Cider area, which has moved to the Sedgemoor Building. alan Lyons, head of Shows, said: “the Food & Drink hall is one of the best-loved parts of the Bath & West experience. it gives our visitors the opportunity to try unique West Country produce, and is also a wonderful platform for our stallholders.”
Alternative cooking with chefs Liver Cottage
The Bath & West Country Festival takes place on Friday, August 27th- Sunday, August, 29th. Tickets are available at: https://www.bathandwest.com/tickets
Show is on schedule
a BRaND-new showground will greet visitors to this year’s Mid-Somerset agricultural Show at Shepton Mallet in august. Work is well An artist’s impression of the completed building on the new showground advanced on a dedicated office/store for the agricultural society on the showground at Cannard’s Grave.
Class schedules for the one-day show, on Sunday, august 15th, are now available online with some changes to ensure more space in the marquees, but organisers are confident it will still offer a day to remember for exhibitors and visitors alike. there will be reduced arts and crafts and flower show classes and also a reduced number of cider classes. For this year only, no cookery demonstrations will take place in the Food hall. all livestock classes will be the same, as will horse classes, but pre-entry only for horses this year with no entries taken on the day.
Show secretary, Christine Barham, said: “We will of course be following any government guidelines relevant at the time, but above all we want people to feel comfortable being at the show.”
