Extras that didn’t make it into the printed magazine for August 2018.
- Sense and Sensibility at Basing House
- Bluebird Care Backs Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Month
- Anvil Arts, Basingstoke – September 2018
- Basingstoke Lions Club – June 2018
- August Events at the Basingstoke Discovery Centre
- Whipping Up a Storm at the Vyne
- Piccolo Preschool Nursery Celebrate its 10th Year Anniversary
- Basingstoke Civil Service Retirement Fellowship
- Friends of Sherfield Family Fun Day
- Basingstoke Disability Forum ConneXions Activities
Sense and Sensibility at Basing House
A wonderful evening performance of one of Jane Austen’s most popular novels Sense and Sensibility will be performed by the renowned Chapterhouse Theatre Company outdoors in the walled garden at Basing House on Sunday, 19th August. Join Chapterhouse as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood make their first forays into the exciting world of Regency society. Adapted by award-winning writer Laura Turner, this exquisite and lively tale follows the sisters as they fall in love, make mistakes and experience heartbreak for the first time in their quest to find a balance between sense and sensibility. Beautifully designed Regency costumes make this an evening of unmissable summer garden theatre. Picnic with family and friends in the picturesque walled garden for the perfect evening of magical theatre under the stars. Make sure you bring rugs or low-back seating.
Chapterhouse Theatre Company is now in its 19th year of touring open-air theatre to stunning country houses, castles and heritage sites across the UK and Ireland. From the first year of performances at 30 venues, Chapterhouse now visits over 180 venues every year, and has become a greatly anticipated addition to thousands of theatregoers’ calendars.
Entrance is from 5 pm and the performance starts at 6 pm. Prices for adults £17.60; children (5 to 15 years) £11; under 5s free; family (2 adults, 2 children, 5 to 15 years) £49.22 – including booking fee. Tickets are available online at:
www.seetickets.com/event/sense-and-sensibility/basing-house/1194211 or by contacting the visitor centre by phone on 01256 463965 or in person.
There is a free car park at Basing House Lodge, Redbridge Lane, Old Basing RG24 7HB (please use the car park and not on the street in the village). Visitors arriving on foot should enter via Garrison Gate (near The Crown pub).
Tickets are non-refundable, non-transferable. Performances go ahead in all but the worst weather.
For more information telephone 01256 463965
Bluebird Care Backs Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Month
This July is Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Month and Bluebird Care Hook & Kingsclere is supporting Macmillan in promoting cancer awareness. The aim is to highlight and raise awareness in ethnic communities of cancer, screening and services available.
Many different factors can cause cancer, such as family history, diet and lifestyle.
Our ethnicity can also mean that we have a lower or higher risk factor of developing certain cancers. In general, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups have a lower risk of developing cancer than people from a White/Caucasian background. For instance; in England, White women have a 60-80% higher risk of getting lung cancer than Black and Asian women. But there are some exceptions – such as mouth cancer being more predominate in the South Asian communities, and Black men are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer than White men in the UK.
Furthermore, cancer awareness and use of cancer services tend to be lower in ethnic communities. Consequently, this means that BME groups may seek help at a later stage when the cancer is more advanced, or may not even go to their GP for help at all! A delayed diagnosis can often result in poorer survival and recovery chances.
Director of Bluebird Care Hook & Kingsclere, Phil Miles said:
“The stigma of having cancer and a language barrier can often prevent people seeking advice from a medical practitioner, and thus obtaining an early diagnosis.
We are supporting Macmillan in the need to raise awareness and support people from ethnic groups to check possible signs and symptoms, to seek help from GP’s and to uptake cancer support services.”
Changes in lifestyle can help prevent people being diagnosed with cancer. These include:
- Decreasing smoking and alcohol intake
- Eating a nutritious balanced diet
- Being a healthy weight
- Exercising regularly
- Being careful in the sun
- Understanding your body and looking out for any unusual changes
- Attending screening check-ups
Macmillan also offers a wide range of translated cancer information. Visit their website to find more about cancer among BME communities: www.macmillan.org.uk
Bluebird Care is a national provider of care in the home, specialising in working with customers who live with dementia, physical disabilities and many other acute and chronic conditions. Bluebird Care work alongside their customers’ families, social services and the NHS to ensure each person receives the care they need.
Bluebird Care offers a unique service of tailored care visits. As well as personal care they also help with meal preparation, welfare checks, shopping, social trips, visits to the hospital and provide extra support for post-discharge customers.
For more details contact Bluebird Care by calling 01256 762324, emailingkingsclere@bluebirdcare.co.uk, or by visiting their website http://www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/hook-kingsclere/home
Anvil Arts, Basingstoke – September 2018
Fri 14 Sept, 8pm
The Haymarket
Adam Kay – This is Going to Hurt (Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor)
The award-winning comedian shares entries from his diaries as a junior doctor in an evening of stand-up and music.
TICKETS: £20; over 65s, under 16s and f/t students £18
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE £3 BOOKING FEE
Sat 15 Sept, 7.30pm
The Haymarket
The Billy Joel Songbook
performed by Elio Pace and his band
This powerhouse of a show from Elio Pace and his six-piece band features hit after hit and includes Uptown Girl, Just The Way You Are and My Life.
TICKETS: £27.50; over 65s, under 16s and f/t students £25.50
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE £3 BOOKING FEE
Sun 16 Sept, 7.30pm
The Anvil
An Evening with Brian Blessed
The larger than life British actor, known for his hearty, king-sized portrayals, will have the audience captured from the moment he walks on stage. He’ll include anecdotes from Flash Gordon and Blackadder, as well as his other appearances on film, stage and television.
TICKETS: £28
TICKET PRICE INCLUDES £3 BOOKING FEE
Sun 16 Sept, 7.45pm
The Forge
Amanda Anne Platt and The Honeycutters
Their music has been described as Appalachian honky tonk and the five-piece band, which boasts a powerful lead vocalist in Amanda, has attracted five-star ratings for recent albums.
TICKETS: £15; over 65s, under 16s and f/t students £13
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE £2 BOOKING FEE
Wed 19 Sept, 7.30pm
The Haymarket
Phill Jupitus – Juplicity
c.Andy Hollingworth
Join the stand-up comedian, poet, improviser, and TV stalwart (Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Live at the Apollo, Alan Davies As Yet Untitled) for tales, laughs and diversions. Adult themes and situations, but delivered childishly.
Suitable for ages 14 and over
TICKETS: £18
TICKET PRICE INCLUDES £3 BOOKING FEE
Thu 20 Sept, 7.30pm
The Anvil
Lucy Worsley – Queen Victoria – Daughter, Wife, Mother and Widow
Lucy’s illustrated talk reveals a complex, contradictory woman, who had a traumatic childhood, who loved dancing, who suffered calamity and bereavement, before coming out the other side as an eccentric, powerful and really rather magnificent old lady.
TICKETS: £21
TICKET PRICE INCLUDES £3 BOOKING FEE
Fri 21 Sept, 7.30pm
The Haymarket
The Bootleg Shadows
A night of foot-tapping hits, celebrating the music of The Shadows and Cliff Richard. Relive such hits as Apache, Kon-Tiki, Cavatina, Let Me Be The One, Bachelor Boy, and Move It.
TICKETS: £22; over 65s, under 16s and f/t students £20.50
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE £3 BOOKING FEE
Fri 21 Sept, 8pm
The Forge
Guitar Journey: Giorgio Serci & Jonny Phillips
Two of Europe’s leading acoustic players take a musical journey following the development of the guitar from its origins in Spain and North Africa along a path across Europe, Africa and the Americas.
TICKETS: £15.50; over 65s, under 16s and f/t students £13.50
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE £2 BOOKING FEE
Sat 22 Sept, 7pm
The Haymarket
Breaking Tradition present
Quest – featuring The Demon Barbers
Breaking Tradition, the UK’s leading folk and hip hop dance company come together with award-winning folk powerhouse The Demon Barbers to invite 7-12 year olds and their families on an unforgettable adventure.
QUEST ventures inside an extraordinary computer game world fusing Morris, clog and sword dance with popping, locking, breaking and martial arts to the beat of new songs and traditional melodies with an electronic edge.
TICKETS: £15; under 16s £9
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE £2 BOOKING FEE
Sat 22 Sept, 7.30pm
The Anvil
Our Finest Hour
Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain
With the famous speeches of Winston Churchill, and the best tunes of the time from the dance halls and wireless, join the BBC Big Band, vocalist Annie Gill and stars of the West End in a celebration of Our Finest Hour. Kevin Whately (Inspector Morse) presents the evening which includes songs that won the war, We’ll Meet Again, The White Cliffs of Dover and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, as well as some of the brilliant music it inspired, including the Dam Busters March.
TICKETS: £32.50, £30; over 65s, under 16s and f/t students £2 off
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE £3 BOOKING FEE
Wed 26 – Sat 29 Sept, 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2pm
The Haymarket
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Against the background of the French Revolution and the guillotine, the ‘cleverest woman in Europe’ Marguerite St. Just is torn between three men – her husband, her brother and the power-hungry, aristocrat-hating Chauvelin. As the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel swashbuckles his way through Paris, will he be in time to save the life of yet another innocent victim? Or will Marguerite’s past come back to haunt her and snatch her from her new life as the wife of the foppish Sir Percy Blakeney … to the guillotine?
TICKETS: Wed-Thu £23, Fri-Sat £25, 2pm £20; Over 65s £2 off, under 16s and f/t students £14
TICKET PRICES INCLUDE £3 BOOKING FEE
BASINGSTOKE LIONS CLUB – JUNE 2018
In my May report I concentrated on some of the most enjoyable activities that are a part of being a member of the Club. So in this report I’ll try to give you a flavour of our community assistance. I have focused initially on support which has been completed within the last month. All bids for assistance are carefully considered before we commit to help.
Services for the elderly – equipment fund – £200
Support for disabled swimmer to attend scout jamboree in USA – £250
Repair of Spotlight official car – £395
Specialist Baby Unit equipment fund – £200
Donation towards powered wheelchair provision – £200
Prizes donation for disability footballers – £100
Family eviction prevention – £250
Uniforms for children in Women’s Refuge – £41
Looking back across the year, the most common problem brought to us is the need to replace “white goods” for families who do not have the resources to replace them. But the variety of problems brought to us is quite amazing – collapsed beds, need for decorating equipment, simple household repairs or garden tidying for elderly residents, baby food and nappies, travel tickets etc. etc. Plus of course we continue to support our Message in a Bottle initiative. We manage to solve most problems for under £200. But we still need to raise an absolute minimum of £1000 every month. Hence our fundraising programme which we hope you’ll feel able to support.
Currently in the programme we have Motown Music with Lou Taylor on 22 September at the British Legion in Old Basing – The Caerphilly Male Voice Choir on 13 October at QMC – Quiz Night on 3 November at the Cliddesden Millenium Hall – The Hampshire Police Band on 17 November. If any of these appeal, please get in touch with us via the website www.basingstokelions.org.uk/ or by contacting one of the organisers, – tony.bamberger@ hotmail.co.uk – mauricehockley@hotmail.com – jomolincoln@btinternet.com – philipjhwilson@btinternet.com .
Thank you for your support.
Philip Wilson
PRO Basingstoke Lions Club
August Events at the Basingstoke Discovery Centre
Childrens Events
Mischief Makers – Summer Reading Challenge (continues through August)
From Saturday 14th July / FREE
The Summer Reading Challenge is a national scheme produced by The Reading Agency and delivered by libraries to support children’s reading across the Summer Holidays. Aimed at 4 – 11 years olds, the challenge is for children to read any six books over the summer. Children can read whatever they like – fiction books, fact books, joke books, picture books, audiobooks – just as long as they are borrowed from the library. This years theme is Mischief Makers and is inspired by the much-loved iconic children’s title The Beano, which celebrates its 80th anniversary. Simply visit the Discovery Centre from July 14th to sign up – its completely free of charge.
Peter Rabbit Day
Wednesday 1 August: 10am – 12noon / FREE
Join us for free crafts, puzzles, trails, colouring, construction and other surprises
Peter Rabbit and Other Mischief Makers
Wednesday 1 August: 10.30am, 1pm & 2.45pm / £6 / Ages 4+
Children’s Sculpture Workshop
Our Friendly Giant is retiring this summer – we’ve loved having him looking after our Children’s Library – but now it’s time for a new sculpture to take his place. Join Lucy and volunteers from Basingstoke NADFAS to create a spectacular large recycled sculpture based on Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit to be displayed in the Discovery Centre for everyone to see. You can also create your own Mischief Maker puppet to take home too in this 90-minute workshop.
Comic Day
Tuesday 14 August: 10am – 12noon / FREE
Join us for free crafts, puzzles, trails, colouring, construction and other surprises
Drawing Your Own Comic Book Character
Tuesday 14 August: 1.30pm / £5 / Ages 7+
A children’s workshop with local artist and teacher, Russell Bignold
From finding the shapes through to completed picture (including colouring in), Russell will guide you through the steps in this 90-minute drawing workshop for children aged 7+.
Children’s Crafts
Saturday 18 August / from 10am / FREE / Ages 3+
Bounce into the library for craft inspired by Winnie the Pooh and his friends to celebrate Christopher Robin’s birthday
Beano Day
Tuesday 28 August: 10am – 12noon / FREE / Ages 3+
Join us for free crafts, puzzles, trails, colouring, construction and other surprises
Beano Cookies Drop-in
Tuesday 28 August / 10am – 2pm / £1
Drop-in to Basingstoke Discovery Centre and decorate your own Dennis the Menace Cookie with Katie from Cookery Doodle Doo.
Whipping Up a Storm at the Vyne
With their dynamic adaptation of The Tempest, all-male Shakespearian theatre company The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (TLCM) have begun their tour of the UK. One of the selected venues is Tudor mansion The Vyne near Basingstoke. With the façade of the National Trust property revealed for the first time following a £5.4m roof project, The Vyne is to provide a quintessentially British backdrop for the performance on 11 August.
As the acclaimed troupe prepare to tread the boards for another season, we’ve caught up with Artistic Director Peter Stickney and actor Danann McAleer to get an exclusive insight in the world of outdoor theatre complete with pantaloons and the occasional noisy goose.
The Vyne: Firstly, tell us what The Tempest is about and why people should come and see it. Peter, as Artistic Director of TLCM and producer and director of The Tempest, we should probably direct this one at you:
Peter: The Tempest is arguably Shakespeare’s greatest play with some of his best characters and some of his finest poetry. But at its heart it is a simple story about our ability to forgive. The protagonist Prospero gets put through the wringer in many senses in this play but ultimately he manages to forgive his enemies.
The Vyne: We noticed from your performance last year you’re very hands on; you travel up and down the country, unload and assemble your stage set without any stage crew, perform to expectant audiences, often playing multiple roles.
It’s obviously a lot of hard work; what do you get out of it?”
Danann: It is hard work but it is incredibly rewarding. There is a fantastic connection between us, the performers, and the audience. The open air setting makes for a very different and special relationship without the formality of the theatre and I think that the audience can feel that and get a lot out of it too.
The Vyne: You can have many costume changes, how difficult is it to get into a Tudor costume? How long does this take and which is better; a dress or pantaloons?
Danann: I haven’t played a woman yet so I couldn’t comment although there is certainly a level of freedom that wearing a dress gives you! The level of the detail in the costume always amazes me. They are handmade for the company by a fantastic costume maker in Nottingham. It really helps with the characterisation and it gives that extra layer of authenticity. I’m hoping for a dress next time!
The Vyne: We’re curious; what’s the strangest thing that’s happened to you during a show?
Danann: We have some perhaps unexpected things to deal with such as the local wildlife. At The Vyne, the geese sometimes fly overhead and make a bit of noise during the performance. Anything like that is fun when it happens and we just take it in our stride.
The Vyne: A lot of people may not realise that The Lord Chamberlain’s Men isn’t subsidised in any way. Tell us how much your following means to you.
Peter: Without being too trite they mean everything. There is no point performing a play without an audience but in this case we wouldn’t even be able to! We don’t receive any subsidy as you mention and every penny of the money we receive from the venues ticketing and from programme sales goes into paying for the production.
As you can imagine touring to 70 plus venues over 18 weeks with 7 actors and our set, costume and props costs a lot. The company is one of the highest paying amongst open air theatre companies, this ensures that we get great actors and the audiences are guaranteed a fantastic performance but obviously it comes at a cost. It is one we are happy to pay and we hope our audiences agree.
We also work very hard to keep our ticket costs as low as possible. A night of top quality professional theatre at a beautiful venue for less than £50 these days is pretty good going and we try to make it much cheaper than that. We think it is very important that our shows are available to as many people as possible.
The Vyne: Thanks very much for talking to us and best of luck on the tour!
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men will perform The Tempest at The Vyne on 11 August 2018. Tickets cost £19 and must be pre-booked. Under 5s go free. You can find out more information and book your tickets by visiting www.nationaltrust.org.uk/the-vyne or by calling 0344 249 1895.
Piccolo Preschool Nursery Celebrate its 10th Year Anniversary
We celebrated our tenth year anniversary on Saturday 30th June at our Summer Fete. We would like to say a big thank you to Jane – Manager Director -, who organised a host of activities for all to have an amazing time on the day. There was a BBQ, two bouncy castles, face painting, raffle, tombola, hook the duck to name but a few.
Piccolo Preschool Nursery was founded in 2008 by Claudia R Cafarelli and Jane Sherwood, – Managers Directors – with the idea to create an early years setting with strong foundations for the development of young children.
We have taken a moment to reflect on these ten years; we achieved a decade of high quality early childhood education for young children in the community and beyond. Throughout the years, Piccolo Preschool Nursery, has been and is buzzing with many different learning activities, coupled together with an amazing team of Preschool Practitioners, who are our major assets. Our members of staff are all highly qualified and dedicated to the development of all the children that come to the setting, together with parents/carers involvement.
We are proud of what we have achieved over the last decade, it’s a time for all at Piccolo Preschool Nursery to reflect on where we have been and to reaffirm Piccolo’s Preschool Nursery ethos to continue to provide a high quality early years childcare and education. We are all really passionate about early childhood education and strongly believe in the value it brings to the community and beyond.
At Piccolo Preschool Nursery, we would like to extend our thanks to all of our children, families, and employees for the ongoing relationships, dedication, support and trust you’ve placed in us. This milestone belongs to us all.
Basingstoke Civil Service Retirement Fellowship
It was pleasing to see over 60 people at the meeting held on 4th July including 3 visitors and some members who had not been able to attend for a while. After enjoying the usual tea, coffee and biscuits David Cowling, the Chairman, welcomed everyone and gave a reminder that if anyone had not completed their form relating to the new Data Protection Act it should be completed and returned as soon as possible. Christine Broadbent, the Welfare Officer, gave her report and then Tony Brazier, the Secretary, gave details of the forthcoming trip to Polesden Lacey, a National Trust property, on Tuesday 11th September. He also asked for any ideas for speakers and trips for next year which will be discussed at the next committee meeting.
The speaker this month was Mike Hill who had served on the Royal Yacht Britannia and he gave a history of the ship, some facts about the trips it had undertaken and an insight as to life on board. In service from 1954 until 1997 she was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660, and is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893. During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million nautical miles around the globe.
Now retired from royal service, Britannia is open to visitors and is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland with over 300,000 tourists visiting the yacht each year. The nearly £3 million cost of commissioning the ship was considered to be justified by the fact that it could be re-equipped as a hospital ship if required. The volunteer crew of 240 had to wear bell bottomed trousers which had a black bow on the back in memory of Prince Albert and were required to wear white soled plimsolls so that the highly polished wooden decks were not marked.
The next meeting is on 1st August when we have a return visit from Mel Rees who will be speaking on “My Family and Other Meerkats”. The group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at Brookvale Village Hall from 10 am to 12 noon and all retired Civil Servants and their partners are welcome. Further details about meetings can be obtained from the Secretary Tony Brazier on 07715 640171 and for information about any of our trips please contact Kate Lambeth on 01256 328791.
David Cowling
Friends of Sherfield Family Fun Day
Family Fun Day,Sunday 23rd September 11am to 4pm. Free Entry at Sherfield School RG27 OHU. A Celebration of the Schools Talent and Community Spirit with lots of stalls, fair rides, BBQ, live music and beer tent plus lots more. Please click here for further details.
Basingstoke Disability Forum ConneXions Activities
Basingstoke Disability ConneXions have organised a number of activities for July, August and September. Please click here for further details.
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