First Word WarwickshireJanuary NEW.qxp_Layout 1 14/12/2021 13:02 Page 1
News from around the region
Scalextric car marks City of Culture year for Coventry Coventry is getting its own collectable Scalextric car to mark its year as UK City of Culture - and the new creation has been inspired by a very special model that was made in the city... A Jaguar XJ-S touring car that qualified for pole position in the 1982 24-hour SpaFrancorchamps European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) race - and won the 1984 edition - has been reimagined as a 1:32 scale Scalextric car. The car is emblazoned with Coventry City of Culture 2021 livery and will soon be available for keen collectors to buy. Find out more at shop.coventry2021.co.uk/products/scalextriccar
Soap favourite Michelle Collins to star in new comedy thriller Cluedo Former EastEnders and Coronation Street favourite Michelle Collins will star as Miss Scarlett when brand-new comedy thriller Cluedo stops off at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre in March. Based on the classic Hasbro detective board game of the same name and the hit 1985 Paramount movie, Clue, the show runs at the venue from 2 to 7 May... For more information and to book tickets, visit atgtickets.com
First-phase refurbishment of Worcester’s Victorian arches nears completion The first phase of a refurbishment of several Victorian railway arches in Worcester is nearing completion. The Arches-Worcester initiative, which has received an investment of over £3million from central government's Cultural Development Fund, aims to create a new cultural quarter for the city. The first four arches are now almost complete and are expected to welcome tenants during the next few weeks. 04 whatsonlive.co.uk
New venue for Stratfordupon-Avon’s book fair
Ghosts in the cathedral ruins...
Stratford-upon-Avon Book Fair takes place at the town’s Crowne Plaza hotel this month (Saturday 29 January). The popular event, which is promising to have ‘something for book lovers everywhere’, will feature up to 20 exhibitors selling rare, second-hand and antiquarian books on a variety of topics. Admission to the fair is free, with further information available at pbfa.org
New initiative aims to use art for social change
A new initiative in Worcester is aiming to offer agency to female-identifying artists, participants and audiences. Titled Mobilise and championing new work which focuses on the arts as a tool for social change, the initiative is supporting a visual arts outreach project and creating a new socially engaged piece of theatre called Badass Medusa #MeToo. The new work will premiere on International Women’s Day 2022. For more information about the project, follow @MobiliseArts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
A site-specific commission to mark the 60th anniversary of Coventry Cathedral will receive its world premiere on Thursday 27 January, with two additional performances taking place on the 28th & 29th. A collaboration between Coventry Cathedral and Coventry City of Culture Trust, Ghosts In The Ruins will explore contemporary ideas of peace and reconciliation. The commission is a response to Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece, War Requiem, which premiered at the cathedral in May 1962 as part of the Coventry Festival. The new work has been created by Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement recipient Nitin Sawhney CBE (pictured) and the people of Coventry. It will be presented in the Cathedral and the Cathedral Ruins.
