Elementary, dear Watson...!

SHERLOCK HOLMES COMES TO STAMFORD WITH THE TOWN’S ARTS CENTRE HOSTING THE VALLEY OF FEAR

STAMFORD

THURSDAY 30th MARCH

FRIDAY 31st MARCH

SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE VALLEY OF FEAR n Stamford Arts Centre, PE9 2DL. Tickets £16, call 01780 763 203 or see www.stamfordartscentre.com.

Blackeyed Theatre, in association with South Hill Park, presents Sherlock Holmes: The Valley Of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle hosted by Stamford Arts Centre. A mysterious, coded message is received, a warning of imminent danger, drawing Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr Watson into a tale of intrigue and murder.

STAMFORD & OAKHAM

MARCH - OCTOBER GUIDED TOURS n Pre-booking essential, call 01780 729076 or see www.thestamfordtown guidedtours.co.uk.

Take advantage of the local knowledge of Jill Collinge and her five volunteer guides as they take guests on a tour of Stamford (Wednesday to Sunday from April, Stamford Town Hall, 11am) or Oakham (11am, Fridays from Rutland County Museum). Lots of facts, history and insight even for those who possess a reasonably good existing knowledge of the towns!

LEICESTER

FRIDAY 17TH MARCH

PRUE LEITH: NOTHING IN MODERATION n Tickets £33.50, 7.30pm, De Montfort Hall, LE1 7RU. Call 0116 233 3111 or see www.demontforthall.co.uk.

An evening with the Great British Bake Off judge, restauranteur and author. Frank and funny!

LEICESTER

MONDAY 6th MARCH

TUESDAY 7th MARCH

WEDNESDAY 8th MARCH

A BALLET TRIO AT DEMONTFORT HALL IN LEICESTER n Tickets £22.50-£45, 7.30pm, call 0116 233 3111 or see www.demontforthall.co.uk.

Varna International Ballet brings Collelia to the stage on Monday, then Giselle on Tuesday and Swan Lake on Wednesday.

STAMFORD

SUNDAY 12th MARCH

10CC’S GRAHAM GOULDMAN: A HEART FULL OF SONGS

It’s only between 10cc’s sell-out, bi-annual UK tours that the band’s co-founder Graham Gouldman is able to fully indulge his Heart Full of Songs project and take it on tour. The semi-acoustic four-piece performs a broad spread of Graham’s song-writing catalogue, including chart hits for 10cc, the Hollies, Herman’s Hermits, Yardbirds, the late Jeff Beck and Wax with Andrew Gold. Acoustically performed by the composer, a Heart Full of Songs is a great experience for music lovers! n From 7.30pm, tickets £31, Stamford Corn Exchange PE9 1PX, 01780 766455, www.stamfordcornexchange.co.uk.

Mother Goose in Leicester

CURVE INVITES SIR IAN McKELLAN & JOHN BISHOP TO BRING PANTO TO LEICESTER... IN MARCH!

OAKHAM

SATURDAY 11th MARCH STAGE AND SCREEN FAVOURITES WITH RUTLAND SINFONIA n Oakham School Chapel, 7.30pm, tickets £14/door, call 0333 666 3366 or purchase from Oakham Wines. See www.rutlandsinfonia.org.uk.

Favourite tunes from productions like Cats, Les Miserables, Singing in the Rain, Lord of the Rings, Magnificent Seven and West Side Story.

Violinist Katherine Collison performs, David Calow conducts.

The Rutland Sinfonia is an ‘amateur’ orchestra based in Oakham, but 46 years after its formation and with a reputation for quality and character, there is nothing amateurish about the quality of its performances.

LEICESTER

WEDNESDAY 15th MARCH -

SUNDAY 19th MARCH

MOTHER GOOSE

Who puts a panto on in March?! Ian McKellen and John Bishop, that’s who!

The whole nation is flocking to see Ian McKellen and John Bishop as they join forces to bring you a hilarious family-friendly panto. Mother Goose is the ultimate theatrical feast – full of fun, farce and surprises that will make you honk out loud.

Meet Mother Goose (McKellen) and her husband Vic (Bishop), running an animal sanctuary for waifs

Send your press releases and events to editor@pridemagazines.co.uk

OAKHAM

FRIDAY 17th MARCH

MACBETH: SUITCASE

SHAKESPEARE AT OAKHAM CASTLE n See www.oakhamcastle.org.

Innovative show at Oakham Castle in which a duo perform The Scottish Play with just a few props concealed within their suitcases. 45 minutes in duration and suitable for both children and adults, doors open from 7pm.

STAMFORD

SATURDAY 18th MARCH BURGHLEY HOUSE AND GARDENS n See www.burghley.co.uk. and strays, living a wholesome life... inside an abandoned Debenhams. But when a magical goose comes along, will fame and fortune get the better of them? n Curve Leicester, LE1 1SB, call 0116 242 3595 or see www.curveonline.co.uk.

Burghley House reopens the property to visitors, and its South Gardens will open from 19th - 31st March to show off its spring bulbs in aid of local charity The Evergreen Trust.

Will Ma’s feathers get ruffled? Will Pa tell everyone to get stuffed?! And is their humble life about to turn fowl?

Get ready for fairies with hefty vocal chords, puppets with tap dance qualifications and im-peck-ably constructed mayhem that will quack up the whole family!

Book Signing

Friday 17th March 11am-1pm at Walkers Bookshop Stamford

The COMPLETE Salvaged Summer Trilogy available to pre-order NOW for £40 (Incl P&P), in presentation wrapper with special Preview Booklet. These gloriously gentle, charmingly nostalgic and insightful stories are presented in beautifully crafted hardback books, with a generous font designed for an unhurried read.

Book 1: All for Overalls: “Just because you’re out of the way doesn’t mean you’re not in the middle of it!” The news from Dunkirk in the summer of 1940 finds a small Lincolnshire village adapting to wartime ways and the new RAF hospital, as characters and best-intentions abound! A 14-year old errand-boy, called Gertie, is spurred into action bringing half the village into his scrapes!

Book 2: If the Sock Fits! “You get them to believe they can fight back … and they stop feeling beaten.” This second book in the Trilogy moves on to autumn 1940 and the harsh reality of harvest time as the Battle of Britain rages in the skies overhead. However the Greatest Generation – and Gertie – were rising to the challenge!

Book 3: Raids, Rallies & Reserves: Blasted Blitz! Freezing winds and no overcoats … and now the Americans were coming! The village was gearing up to ‘get it done’ through 1941, but Doug’s ‘lovely lady’ still managed to plough up the grazing meadow and send a piece of wing skipping the hedge. The RAF pilot walked away with nothing more than a few scratches and a sandwich, leaving Riggs with two broken legs and Gertie playing cupid. As for Sarg at the gate wondering about that officer? Gertie could explain everything: “Oh don’t worry Sarg, he’s just there to stop the others falling out!” … and, of course, ‘Granny would approve.’

Books 1 & 2 available NOW. Book 3 available for pre-order from Walkers Bookshops of (Stamford & Oakham) and directly from purchases@GertiesPath.co.uk priced individually at £12.99 + P&P

Rediscovering the Beauty of BARROWDEN

Home to about 700 people, the village of Barrowden is a terrifically close-knit community which loves to take action to benefit the whole area. Its residents have already created a village shop, they’ve refurbished the church in 2019 and next on the list is the village hall!

>> IT CERTAINLY IS A PRETTY VILLAGE, but Barrowden’s beauty isn’t superficial. There’s a true sense of community and plenty going on, creating a happy, healthy place to live.

If anyone should know that, it’s villagers Sarah and Steve Preston. The two worked for Natural England, and whilst Steve specialised in protected landscapes, Sarah’s professional area of expertise was promoting access to the natural environment as a way of maintaining health and wellbeing.

What village could be a better example of a place to live that’s pretty, has a close-knit feel and residents who all look out for one another, for everyone’s wellbeing, than Barrowden?

“We came to the village 20 years ago and quickly settled in,” says Sarah. “We retired a couple of years ago but honestly, we’re involved with so much in the village that I don’t know how we found time to work!”

“Barrowden is a beautiful village both to look at and live in. It is a classic English village, with golden stone houses and cottages, extensive village greens, and its duck pond, overlooked by the village pub.”

“Everyone is very welcoming, friendly and helpful with many people very active in the village making it a vibrant place with plenty of community spirit.”

“Newcomers to the village are given a Welcome Pack to make them feel at home, listing all the facilities, services, organisations and key people in the village, with something happening to interest everyone. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and get more hands on, too.”

One example is the village’s Community Shop, which Sarah helped to set up as part of a committee 14 years ago.

Today the community enterprise endures and there’s a team of directors running the shop, for the benefit of everyone in the village. >>

>> “It is a tremendous asset offering the day-to-day basics through to more specialised locally produced items.”

“It’s also excellent value as a recent exercise demonstrated with a typical basket of provisions actually cheaper in the shop than at the supermarket... and that’s without taking into account any fuel costs.”

“The shop not only sells food and basic groceries but stationery and newspapers, plus greeting cards and a wide range of locally made crafts and gifts.”

“The shop also has a cafe, popular with villagers as well as passing cyclists, walkers and tourists; Barrowden is on the Jurassic Way.”

“It sells sandwiches made on the premises and cakes and scones made in the village. Currently it is acting as a Warm Hub on Tuesday afternoons to help beat the cost of living crisis and rising heating costs.”

“The vulnerable and needy are supported in their purchases at the shop through the Barrowden Charity.”

“The shop has a paid manager but relies on volunteers for additional staffing support. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and the shop welcomes new recruits in a number of different roles.”

Close to the shop is probably the smallest Doctor’s Surgery for miles around; a satellite from Uppingham, offering three sessions per week, it’s very much valued by villagers and surrounding settlements.

“Living in the village it’s easy to get involved in various clubs, and many of these are held in the Village Hall, next to the shop.”

Regular activities include the village’s cinema club, lunch club, open mic night and WI, each of which take place monthly. Fitness and even Scottish country dancing classes are offered weekly and the hall is used for many meetings, parties, and local interest talks to list a few.”

“The hall was built in 1927 and time is taking a toll on its structure, so the village is looking to replace it with a building fit for the next 100 years. An active group of committed volunteers is heading up this initiative developing plans for a new hall on the same site, and it has just started fundraising.”

The village’s Grade II* listed 11th century Church of St Peter was reordered in 2019 with a new floor, WC and servery and the removal of the Victorian pews.

“The result is a light, airy and welcome space for quiet contemplation and religious services, and it also provides a fantastic acoustic space for musical concerts, talks and larger social events.”

“A keen group of bellringers keep the bells active on a weekly basis and the bell tower is the next part of the church which will benefit from some refurbishment.”

For the more active Barrowden resident, the village has an active cricket club on the recreation ground with its play area for the little ones and some fitness equipment too.

The adjacent allotments provide a haven for green-fingered villagers who spend many happy hours growing wonky vegetables. For those who prefer their food on a plate, not in the ground, the Exeter Arms pub is set in an idyllic position overlooking Barrowden’s village green.

Featured in Pride’s November edition, we admired publicans Mark and Kate’s work refurbishing the pub and creating a menu of British pub classics... the outdoor bar and kitchen will also be very busy too, once the temperature picks up.

“There are plenty of other opportunities for the community to come together with the annual village bonfire and firework display, the biennial open gardens, the vintage car meet on the green, carols round the tree and Advent windows at Christmas time to name a few.”

“We have lived here for over 20 years, and it would be hard task to find anywhere that lived up to what Barrowden has to offer. For a village of 700 it’s amazing what is on offer!” says Sarah. n