Newbury Spring Festival

Newbury Spring Festival 

7th-21st May 

Newbury Spring Festival is one of the most popular and successful music festivals in the South of England. Over the last 38 years the Festival has grown hugely in size and quality building up a reputation of international status. With dynamic programming, Festival Director, Mark Eynon attracts the very best from the classical, jazz and world music fields to perform in and around Newbury.

Presenting young artists and developing youthful audiences has always been a key part of the Festival and this year is no exception. Activities include Benjamin Grosvenor and others going into local schools to hold workshops for around 1,300 children, and giving the best emerging young musicians concert experience through the Young Artists lunchtime recital series, to which students are offered free tickets. The Festival’s own Sheepdrove Piano competition also showcases the breadth and wealth of international young musical talent drawn from all the major UK conservatoires.

The Festival prides itself on its reputation for presenting concerts in some glorious venues both in Newbury and the surrounding countryside. Great care is taken to tailor the right performance to the venue, whether it be an intimate recital at magnificent Highclere Castle or in the Long Gallery at Englefield House, top level choral concerts in Douai Abbey and East Woodhay church or a song recital in Ramsbury church. This year a new addition to the festival will be a gala performance of Rigoletto at Combe Manor, set in the rolling Berkshire hills, and staged performances of Bach’s Coffee Cantata in St Nicolas Church Hall. In the centre of Newbury, St Nicolas’s church with its excellent acoustics is the festival’s concert hall welcoming world class orchestras and international soloists. Newbury’s resident theatre, the Corn Exchange continues to present a nightly programme of ballet, cabaret, jazz and world music as well as regular lunchtime concerts.

The Festival is also proud of its involvement with the local community: by encouraging people to come and sing in the Spring Festival Chorus, which will not only perform with the CBSO on the opening night, but also contribute to a special church service the following morning. Local choirs, individuals and families can also join them for a special ‘singalong’ event the following weekend, culminating in a concert for all the family in Newbury Corn Exchange.

FURTHER DETAILS

Programme details
www.newburyspringfestival.org.uk

Tickets
Available from 1st March 2016

Booking
www.newburyspringfestival.org.uk
T: 0845 5218 218

For more information contact
Arabella Christian
Press & PR
Newbury Spring Festival
press@newburyspringfestival.org.uk

The Royal County of Berkshire Show: 19/20 September

With summer holidays a fading memory and autumn in the air, it’s time to look forward to The Royal County of Berkshire Show – one of the best shows of its type in the country and a wonderful weekend of entertainment for all ages.

This year’s show is on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, and with gates open from 8am to 6pm on both days you can really make the best of a full day out. 

The fun-packed show takes place at its fabulous site, the enormous 150-acre Newbury Showground at Priors Court, Hermitage RG18 9QZ, right in the heart of the Berkshire countryside. It is easily accessible and well signposted for those arriving by car, east–west via the M4 and north–south via the A34. (You are advised to follow the AA signs rather than sat nav as the organisers put a special traffic management system in place to ensure you reach it by the best possible route that keeps the traffic flowing.) Alternatively, there is a bus service operating from Newbury bus station and Thatcham Broadway to the showground.

This year’s star attraction in the main arena will be world-class quad bike stuntman the Kangaroo Kid who is sure to thrill the crowds with daring wheelies, rolls and jumps. He has been known to jump over everything from a steamboat to a plane in flight!

The success of the ‘have a go’ theme of 2014 is being built on this year, with even more opportunities to try ‘taster sessions’, for example on an inflatable Army assault course, riding Segways and skateboards, learning how to milk a cow or build a den … or why not try your hand as a would-be celebrity chef in the cookery theatre?

Food is an important part of the show, and the food tent is always a big draw. Around the showground, too, will be lots of food stalls, with delicious treats to suit every tastebud.

But remaining true to its agricultural origins, a favourite feature of the show is always the livestock classes, with the best breeds of cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry coming from all over Britain. 

Horses are also a mainstay of the two days, and the show provides a great finale to Britain’s outdoor showjumping season, with some of the best international showjumpers competing. Something that will delight everyone in the main arena is the charming Shetland Pony Grand National, a qualifier for a national event for this team of small ponies and young jockeys who are making their first visit to Newbury. Other equine competitions such as scurry driving and the heavy horses are great fun and always attract large audiences.

The shopping village is highly popular and the out-of-town shopping experience offers 500 outlets. This coupled with the not-to-be-missed craft tent makes it the ideal place for a spot of early Christmas shopping.

Looking forward to his first Royal County of Berkshire Show is Daren Bowyer, who took on the role of Chief Executive of Newbury Showground earlier this year. Show Chairman is local businessman George Becknell, who has been involved with the show for four decades, and who is working alongside this year’s Show President Sir John Madejski, well known as Co-Chairman of Reading Football Club.

Entry on the day is £20 for adults, £16 for concession and £7 for children (free for under 5s), but you can make great savings by pre-booking tickets online from www.berkshireshow.co.uk or purchasing from Newbury Visitor Information Centre.

Newbury Real Ale Festival 2015

4,500 people can’t be wrong. That’s how many attended Newbury Real Ale Festival last year, and what fun they had consuming 18,000 pints between them. Join them this year for what promises to be another fabulous event, and something of a musical extravaganza to boot.

The event takes place at Northcroft Fields, Newbury RG14 1RS on Saturday 12 September, with gates opening at 12 noon.

The organisers have selected the ‘best of the best’ ales and ciders from around the country, and there will be around 140 ales and 100 ciders to choose from, including those from local brewers Two Cocks, West Berkshire Brewery and Tutts Clump. (But if beer or cider is not your thing there is a selection of wines to try instead.)

Tickets can be bought on-line in advance, and included in the admission price of £10 are THREE, yes THREE, drink tokens. All drinks are bought via tokens – this speeds up serving time with no change needed – and additional drink tokens (which are non-refundable) can be purchased on site.

This is a family friendly event, so there will be a tuck shop selling snacks and soft drinks. Although the family dog is not invited, under-18s get in free but must be accompanied by an adult. Anyone lucky enough to look under 18 will need to show ID to be served alcoholic drinks.

This year there is a fantastic mix of music genres performing, from rock to reggae, from blues to indie, from dance to acoustic. The Main Stage features some of the finest tribute bands around, including Guns 2 Roses, Noasis and The Doors Alive, and original work from the likes of Echotape and In Darklight. The Tent, too, has some fabulous offerings, including from popular local artists such as Oli Hill and Jenny Bracey.

There will be plenty of opportunities to tuck in and soak up the beer, with no less than four hog roasts supplied from Graham and Charlie Plank’s Bucklebury farm. Beer and barbecues make a wonderful pairing – try America-style treats from Sal’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q and slow-cooked delights from Pit Smoked BBQ. California Taco brings the joys of tacos, fajitas, quesadillas and the like from native Californian Laura Hunt, who now lives in Newbury. There will also be authentic wood-fired, handmade pizzas from Little Reds. Or how about a kebab or burger and chips from local seller Ghassan? And if you’ve got a sweet tooth you won’t be able to resist Crown Ice Cream.

Thanks to the sponsorship of several local companies, the festival is once again raising money for Naomi House, the local children's charity, who last year were presented with a cheque for £10,000. There are all sorts of benefits to being a sponsor – including Cider Friday, need we say more? – so if you want to be part of the mix next year, check out the website for details.

The music draws to a close at 10pm, with an expected festival finish time of 11pm when weary but happy festival-goers will be wending their way home and looking forward to the next one.

Further details of the event from www.newburyrealale.co.uk 

Biddy on the Canal

A warm summer’s afternoon. Lunch in town then something I had been wanting to do for ages but have never quite got around to doing – taking a boat trip on the Kennet & Avon Canal.

Boat trips take place from April through to September, floating on Saturdays and Sundays at 12 noon and 2pm, and on weekdays every Thursday at 2.30pm. You can pre-book tickets in person at the Visitor Information Centre at the Town Hall in Market Place, or call them on 01635 30267 to book by phone. You can even pop in and book up to half an hour before the boat is due to set sail, or take a chance down at the canal (at the Wharf, by the Tea Room on the Canal) and see if there is space. (The boat takes a maximum of 29 passengers, so best to book if you want to guarantee a space on a specific day). 

The boat itself is called the Jubilee, built in – you’ve guessed it, the Queen’s Jubilee year. But which one? You’ll find out when you go on the trip! The Jubilee is a lovely, traditional narrowboat. On the fine day I went on it the sides were open to the elements and the gentle movement of fresh air was most welcome. But on cooler or wet days, there are zip-up plastic windows to keep you enclosed and dry, so you can see out without getting wet.

I arrived well ahead of sailing time (you are asked to arrive 15 minutes beforehand) and the crew – all of them volunteers – were already busy getting everything ready. However, there was a very warm welcome and the plank was immediately put down so that I could climb aboard and enjoy the view from the water until we set off. There was much banter between crew and passengers, making for a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. 

Bang on time, and following the essential safety messages from Boat Master Trevor, we were off, with Chris at the helm. Now it was time to sit back and relax… pure indulgence at a wonderfully slower pace of life than most of us are used to these days.

Trevor gave us lots of fascinating facts about the boat, the canal and what we were seeing from our vantage point. Did you know, for example, that the bridge at Northbrook Street is the oldest on the waterway? And that’s all I’m telling you!

Trevor’s wife Jill was on hand to serve liquid refreshments of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties as the mood takes you, and also chipped in to answer questions. For anyone who has never been through a lock before, this is a great experience. Luckily the passengers don’t have to lend a hand as we had husband and wife team Julian and Sarah there to do all the hard work. 

The gentle round trip takes around an hour and a quarter, and the half-way turning point is near Northcroft Leisure Centre. Apparently it would take four hours to get as far as Kintbury … which you can do if you choose to charter the Jubilee for a private function, which I think would be great fun. 

The Jubilee also lays on special trips for children during some school holidays: Pirate trips in August (AAAR!); Halloween Trips in October (WOOOOH!); and Santa Trips in December (HO HO HO!). (See the website for more details about the boat and trips, and the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust in general: www1.katrust.org.uk).

Despite the leisurely pace of the trip, it went by all too soon (and don’t worry, there is a loo on board!) and everyone aboard had clearly had a wonderful time. And then, of course, there is the delightful Tea Room on the Canal for a cream tea once you disembark – a perfect ending.

With the joy of having a waterway running through Newbury I am not quite sure why it has taken me so long to get around to doing the Jubilee trip, so if you haven’t either… well, what are you waiting for? It’s the perfect way to while away a summer afternoon… 

Biddy x