Snowdrop Day at Keswick Old Hall, Low Rd, Keswick, Norwich NR4 6TZ on Sunday 12th February 11am – 4pm.
Entrance: £3.50 (children free). Soup and rolls will be available. Dogs on leads welcome. In aid of the organ restoration fund at St. Nicholas’ Minster. For more information tel Paul Davies on 01493 843647
Arts and Eats at the Ferini Gallery, Pakefield, Lowestoft on Friday 27 January 2012, 12 – 2pm
Local poets and painters converse in words and images
We begin with a lunch of homemade and filling winter vegetable soup with homemade bread and cake/fruit and tea to follow. Local poets and artists will then present a response to each other’s work in words and images.
Cost £6. Please book with Ian Fosten at ian@fosten.com or 0779 106 8080
Ferini Art Gallery 27 – 29 All Saints Road, Pakefield, Lowestoft NR33 0JL
St. Nicholas from the East, Dec 2011
The Mayor and Sheriff of Norfolk’s annual civic Carol Service will be held at St. Nicholas on 9th December 2011, 7.30 pm.. During the service the church will be inaugurated as a minster by the Bishop of Norwich, and to celebrate this significant event Mayor Barry Coleman will be holding the ceremonial silver mace created in 1684 when the mayor’s role was first introduced
72 local organisations and individuals have contributed to the Christmas Tree and Crib Festival which will be on display on the evening and continues over into the following Satur day 10th (closing 4.00 pm). There are many original, imaginative trees as well as some elegantly decorated traditional ones and the event makes a very enjoyable visit. Money is being raised towards much-needed funds for the repair and maintenance of the fabric of the building.
100 million years in Norfolk - a Norfolk Wildlife Trust talk at Great Yarmouth Library on Wednesday 23 November (Northgate Room, 2-3.30pm), looking at the prehistory of the region now called Norfolk and how through examining fossil and archaeological records we can discover what our landscape looked like and what wildlife inhabited the county, also about where fossil evidence has been found in Norfolk and how humans eventually came to live here. The talk is free, no need to book.
Further events this Autumn Season are:
Wednesday 7th December, 10.00-14.00 hrs – a minibus trip in search of grey seals, involving a bracing walk along sand dunes in search of these charismatic animals. Location, Great Yarmouth Library, free event but booking essential, tel 01603 598333
Friday 16th December, 10.00-16.00 hrs – Beginner’s Guide to Wildlife Photography. Location, The Priory Centre, free event but booking essential, tel 01493 743023.
A new season of events for 2012 will be advertised in the New Year. Norfolk Wildlife Trust is running this project in Great Yarmouth (also similar in Norwich, Thetford and Kings Lynn) to encourage people living in an urban environment to get involved with wildlife. To find out more click here.
Norfolk Wildlife Trust runs a free information service. If you have any wildlife queries, tel 01603 598 333 or email mailto:wild@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk
The Original Dusmagrik Theatre Company will be presenting a new version of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” at the Gorleston Pavilion from the 17th – 19th November.
With lyrics by Chris Blackwood and music by Piers Chater Robinson, the show faithfully follows the original story interspersed with rousing chorus numbers and delightful solos played live by a band under the direction of John Stephens. Jonathan Rust, currently a second year musical theatre student at City College Norwich, is taking the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge. The show is directed by Mary Carter with choreography by Catherine Cook and Gemma Mays.
The show will run from Thursday November 17th to Saturday November 19th at 7.30 nightly with a matinée on the Saturday at 2pm. Tickets £10 adults, £8 students, £6 children from Box Office 01493 662832 or book online www.gorlestonpavilion.co.uk
St. Nicholas Church Preservation Trust and the Parish of St. Nicholas have invited entries for the Tree/Crib Festival, which is hoped will be innovative, with both traditional trees and cribs and also those that are out of the ordinary. Imagination and lateral thinking were encouraged with the aim of creating a festival that will stand out from the other festivals in the area. 79 entries have been submitted.
As this is a fund-raising event for the fabric and organ of St. Nicholas Church a charge of £10 was asked for each exhibit (£5 for schools and colleges).
A charge of £2/adult will be made for those coming to see the festival (accompanied children under 16 years of age are free). Free entrance for exhibitors. There will be an opening ceremony on Wednesday 7th December at 10am. A trophy will be presented for the best tree or crib voted for by the public. They will be presented at the Mayor’s Carol Service on Friday 9th December in the evening.
A “Hunt the Snowman” competition will be organised for children.
The event will take place from Wednesday 7th to Saturday 10th December 2011 from 10.00am-4.00pm with a late opening until 7.30pm on Wednesday 7th December.
More information on the website: www.sncpt.co.uk
The medallions that Charlotte Howarth has created for the public art commission at the Central Library have now been installed. For futher information on this site about Charlotte click here.
The installation will be officially ’unveiled’ at the Central Library’s Celebration Day on Saturday 26th February, 2011, 11.00 -15.00 hrs, when there will a full programme of activities to mark the conclusion of the refurbishment programme:
Fancy Dress (as a Children’s Book Character), Shanty Singing, Theatre Group Performance, Wii Tournament, Free admission to the tolhouse with activities, Cinema Club showing short local themes, Head Massager, Family History Taster Sessions, Art and Craft Sessions, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Instant Takeaway Gardening, plus free refreshments!
One of the medallions created by Charlotte Howarth for the Central Library public art commission. Designs for the medallions were inspired by ideas created in the community workshops which Charlotte led last year. Click here for more information on the workshops.
St. Nicholas Church Preservation Trust and St. Nicholas Church are considering holding a “Tree and Crib Festival” to take place in the church in December 2011. The event would take place over 3-4 days between the Christmas Fair and Christmas and will be fundraising event for the church fabric and the organ.
Individuals, businesses, societies, schools, colleges, groups and charities are invited to participate by creating an exhibit on the theme of “tree” and “crib”, interpreted loosely to allow for original creative thought, with a fee of £10 per exhibit (half price for schools and colleges).
Before this project is taken further, the Trust would like to gauge enthusiasm from the town. If you are interested, please email Paul Davies at paulpearce@yarmouth8143.freeserve.co.uk.
The church is faced with serious problems with deteriorating pinnacles on the tower and a failing Victorian pipe organ. Long term ambitions include improving the heating. To see further fundraising initiatives organised by the Trust, click here
Mardi Gras 2011
The 2011 King Street Mardi Gras took place on Tuesday 8th March from 4-6.00 pm. The event featured entertainment, food and customs with an international theme, both in the street and inside the event’s tented area on King Street. This is the second Mardi Gras event to be held on King Street: the weather was much kinder than in 2010 and there was a good crowd. The event is organised by SeaChange Arts to celebrate the international festival that is Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day .
The theme this year drew heavily on the notion of spring versus winter – represented throughout the event in the form of ‘Fatso’ and ‘Hempen’ – two characters from the Lithuanian culture who do battle to signify the changing of the seasons. “We introduced Fatso and Hempen at last year’s event,” explained SeaChange’s Chief Executive, Joe Mackintosh, “This year, we’re developing their role and they will be central to the afternoon’s activities.”
The roles of Fatso and Hempen were filled this year by performers from Générik Vapeur, a French street arts company who SeaChange Arts work closely with as part of a European partnership, called ZEPA. The partnership enabled SeaChange to bring the full Générik Vapeur Company to Yarmouth last year to showcase their legendary street show Bivouac as part of the Out There festival.
The Mardi Gras event is designed to bring communities and businesses from around the King Street area to work together. The area is earmarked as a new cultural quarter for the town, focused around the £8m redevelopment of St Georges Chapel into a multipurpose Arts Centre.
For further information on the event visit www.seachangearts.org.uk
(Information provided by SeaChange Arts)
