Special Offer for NADFAS members ends 31 March

Farncombe Estate 1st Time Booking Discount for members of NADFAS.

All special offers from the Nadfas magazine are now online at www.nadfas.org.uk

* New 1-day course * The Art of Ceramics 22 May 2010

Take up Ceramics!
Have a one day tactile experience and want for more!

Join Angie Sayer and design and make a hand built construction either for use or decoration.
Clay is a fantastic material and working with clay is a very satisfying experience. If you have never tried it before, you will soon see how easy, effective and pleasing it is to model and construct an individual hand-crafted item. You will be able to use your dextrous skills in an imaginative way and see the processes through from ideas to firing. Not just for beginners. Those with some experience will be able to extend their ideas and skills fully.
There will be a short introductory seminar by Angie outlining her passion for clay which she has had since she was a teenager. She will show pictures of her unique collection of contemporary pots, followed by making sessions for all.

Participants work will be fired to collect later.

Fee includes materials and firing - for more details or to book visit The Art of Ceramics (for greater pleasure) - Crafts & Textiles

Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts is fully booked

For detail of other Art History and Art Appreciation events please visit Art Appreciation & Fine Arts - Short Weekend Courses, Leisure Breaks & Events, Farncombe Estate, Broadway, Cotswolds

Writing Competitions Calendar

The new site for Sally Quilford's popular competition calendar. Also features calendar of events, including festivals, workshops and other writing related events. All competitions are listed by closing date unless stated otherwise.

Visit http://www.writingcalendar.com.

Congratulations to our winners !

Congratulations to our winners ! A Eastbury, D Dickens & P Grew who all won Farncombe gift vouchers in our February referral scheme prize draw.

To take part in our referral scheme please visit http://www.farncombeestate.co.uk/referafriend.asp

British public backs music education

NINETY-ONE per cent of adults in Britain want children to have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument at school, according to research from the Incorporated Society of Musicians.

The musicians' professional body commissioned YouGov to survey 2,095 people online in a representative sample of all adults in Great Britain.

People from all backgrounds were strongly in favour of giving children the chance to learn an instrument, with 90% or more support in all age groups and social grades.

ISM Chief Executive, Deborah Annetts, will announce the findings in her keynote speech, entitled 'Fighting for the future', at the Music Learning Live conference in Manchester on Friday 26 February. She said:

'These results are overwhelming evidence that people in Britain are hugely supportive of our world-class music education system. Now is the moment for us to speak up loudly and proclaim just how good music education is in this country and how much support it has.'

'In a time of political and economic uncertainty with the threat of cuts, we need to fight for the importance of music education. We now know that the public is unquestionably behind us.'

'Reasonable cost'

The ISM survey also found that 77% of respondents think the cost of central government funding for music lessons in England is reasonable.

The government contributes £82.5 million to music education through the Music Standards Fund - around 3p per person per week. This is supplemented by a further £137 million from local authorities, schools, parents, sponsorship and charities.

Adults' musical ambitions

The ISM research also looked at adults' own musical ambitions. It found that 19% of respondents said they already played an instrument or sang in a choir, and 43% said they would like to do so.

Deborah Annetts said:

'Every human being is born with a certain level of musical potential and music education must reflect this. We need those working in music to link up and ensure that all people have access to music education from the cradle to the grave.'

The Urban Folk Quartet - March 2010 Tour

The Urban Folk Quartet was launched in June 2009 and played in the UK, Italy, Belgium and

Spain in their first 3 months together, headlining major festivals from the word go.


The UFQ is virtuosic not just in feel and technical ability but in musical concept as well

– it is a coming together of four of the most inspired and experienced young people working in world music today.

BIRMINGHAM Wednesday 3rd March

Launch of the Urban Fox Folk Club with support from Ruth Angell.

Venue: The Yardbird, Paradise Place, Birmingham, B3 3HJ

Doors open 7:30pm www.urbanfoxfolk.com

Tickets £7 (£5 students)

http://www.theticketsellers.co.uk/buy_tickets/events/?id=10010129&elId=1398&ref=btnfact


CANTERBURY Thursday 11th March

Music for Change at The Farmhouse, Canterbury.

11 Dover Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3HD.

01227 456118

8pm

Tickets £6.50 (over 18s only)

http://www.thefarmhousecanterbury.co.uk/venue_buy_tickets.htm


BRIDGWATER Friday 12th March

Bridgwater Arts Centre

11-13 Castle Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 3DD

8pm

Tickets £10. £9 & £7

http://www.bridgwaterartscentre.co.uk/whats_on.php


RUGBY Saturday 13th March

Lawrence Sheriff School - Rugby

Clifton Road, RUGBY, CV21 3AG

7:30pm

Tickets £12

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/68595


BIRMINGHAM Sunday 14th March

Joe Broughton Fiddle School, Birmingham

SOLD OUT


SWINDON Monday 15th March

12Bar – Swindon

179 Westcott Place, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 5HT

8PM

Tickets £8 (£6)

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/711155


BEDFORD Tuesday 16th March

Harpur Suite – Bedford
Harpur Street, Bedford, MK40 1LE

www.fabnights.co.uk

8PM

Tickets £12

BOX OFFICE 01234-269519


LEICESTER Wednesday 17th March

The Quarter – Leicester

41 Halford Street, Leicester, LE1 1TR

8PM

This is a change from the advertised venue as they haven’t finished building it yet!


BATH Thursday 18th March

Rondo Theatre - Bath

St Saviour’s Road , Larkhall, Bath, BA1 6RT

8PM

Tickets £10 (£8)

http://www.rondotheatre.co.uk/production/625/


MILTON KEYNES Friday 19th March

The Stables - Wavendon

Stockwell Lane, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, MK17 8LU

8.30PM

Tickets £11.50 (£9.50 advance)

http://www.stables.org/Whats_on/Event/The_Urban_Folk_Quartet


THORGANBY Nr YORK Saturday 20th March

Village Hall - Thorganby

Main Street, Thorganby, YO19 6DB

8PM

http://www.thorganbyvillagehall.co.uk/events.htm


CHESTER Monday 22nd March

Alexanders – Chester

2 Rufus Court, Chester, Cheshire , CH1 2JW

Special double bill with Broughton-Bainbridge!

http://www.myspace.com/broughtonandbainbridge

8:30pm

Tickets £8 (£5 NUS)

http://www.alexanderslive.com/5.html#ufq


KENT Wednesday 24th March

Newstead Wood School for Girls - Kent

Avebury Road, Orpington, Kent, BR6 9SA

7pm

Tickets and Info 01689 853626


LONDON Thursday 25th March

Passing Clouds - Dalston

Richmond Road, Dalston, London, E8 4AA

9pm

Tickets £8 (£6 advance)

http://www.themagpiesnest.co.uk/gigs/urban-folk-quartet-theo-bard-passing-clouds-dawn-chorus


DARTINGTON Nr TOTNES Friday 26th March

Great Hall - Dartington

Dartington Hall, Totnes, South Devon, TQ9 6EL

8PM

Tickets £14, £13 (£5 young people)

http://www.dartington.org/arts/urban-folk-quartet



CLITHEROE Saturday 27th March

The Grand – Clitheroe

18 York Street, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 2DL

www.thegrandvenue.co.uk

7:30pm

Tickets £10

www.wegottickets.com/event/71834


Listen to the UFQ here: www.myspace.com/theurbanfolkquartet