New Local Writing hot off the press

WHAT IF?...
Local writers go to press with their new booklet of stories and poetry.

Stimulated by the writing challenges they faced while attending Sue Johnson's writing workshops at Number 8 Community Arts Centre in Pershore, eight writers set about putting a collection of their work together.

There was a lot of head scratching about deciding a theme for the booklet, how to ensure a variety of contributions and meeting deadlines for publication.

Now the booklet is hot off the press and contains thirteen stories and fifteen poems. Lots of big questions are there: What if I'm made whole again? What if I tell your fortune? What if we find love again?...and more.

Kathleen Fitzmaurice, a local writer from Harvington, was the driving force behind the project, editing the collection and getting it in to print.

The booklet is available to purchase now for £3.75, from Kathleen's web site www.rhymebydesign.com. Her site also offers a personalised poetry writing service and the opportunity for all rhyming poets out there to enter a three monthly rhyming poetry competition.

Copies are also available from another one of the eight out of 8 writers, Lisa Kimberley if you email lkimberley@hotmail.com

Sue Johnson's inspirational Writer's Toolkit classes start again at Number 8 on 10th September.

The group is donating 25% of the profit from this booklet to St Richard's Hospice, Worcestershire.

Chris Rowbury - Woven Chords

Chris Rowbury has been leading the Stamford-based community choir Woven Chords for the last 10 years. To celebrate his 10 years with the choir (and 15 years since they were formed), Woven Chords have just released a brand new live CD. The CD contains 27 tracks from concerts over the last five years ranging across 21 different countries! Singing in unaccompanied harmony, and always in the original language, Woven Chords’ joyful performances swell the spirit and touch the soul. You can buy the CD from their website: http://www.wovenchords.com/ where you can also hear sound clips.

1001 Garden Questions Answered

Tutor Andrew Mikolajski is just about to release his latest book “1001 Garden Questions Answered”.

This easy-to-read gardening companion will help to demystify some of the many common problems gardeners face, offering explanations and solutions that are easy to put into practice. From general quieries that require large-scale planning, such as how to decide where to site a patio, to specific queries, for example, about how to prune a clematis, this handy volume offers invaluable guidance and suggestions for successul gardening. Each chapter looks at a different aspect of gardening, so finding solutions to particular problems will be straightword. All terminology is clearly explained, so whether your question is general or specific, this comprehensive volume will help you to find a solution.

Andrew edited the RHS Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers and the RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening (both Dorling Kindersley). His other published works include The Practical Encyclopedia of Garden Pests and Diseases, Garden Plants and Gardening Techniques (both Lorenz books), The Busy Gardener's Guide (Time Life), and Conifers, Small Trees and Heathers and in the New Plant Library series (Southwater). Andrew tutors a series of gardening courses at Farncombe Estate and will be giving gardening demonstrations and answering questions at Farncombe’s Open Day on Sunday 12 September 2010.

You can pre-order Andrew's book here .

New Calligraphy website for tutor Josie Brown

Josie has always loved the physical action of writing and considers it more a matter of the pen dancing on paper. The historical aspect of who wrote what kind of writing, when, where and why offers her a context for contemporary interpretation of individual letters, words and texts in a manner to feed the eye with feelings.

With a passion for colour, experimental gilding and bookmaking, for Josie, calligraphy is a medium for endless exploration, particularly through marrying up ancient techniques with modern methods to create visually expressive texts.

Josie has a Higher Dip in Calligraphy, Heraldry & Illumination, is a Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS) accredited tutor and a founder member of Glevum Scribes. She has taught throughout the country for 25 years and carried out commissions for the military, academic and private sectors. She has also written a Calligraphy GCSE and a 30 Unit OCN course. Primarily, Josie is an enthusiastic, energetic and sensitive tutor who caters for the individual, helping them to reach their personal goals.

Josie will be tutoring at Farncombe in 2010 and 2011 and taking part in Art in Action 2010.

For more details of her work and Calligraphy workshops see Josie's new website http://www.josiebrown.co.uk/

Learn more about the Broadway Gardens of Alfred Parsons

Marion Mako is a freelance garden historian and designer who has worked in both the UK and USA, specialising in English herbaceous planting. She has also lectured at the University of Bristol for the Garden History MA and carried out research on public and private gardens covering a wide variety of subjects such as; gardens of the artists Alfred Parsons and Edward Hornel, the history of the garden at Kellie Castle in Fife, eighteenth century cascades, The Courts garden in Wiltshire and the history of the Duke of Westminster’s gardens at Eaton Hall. In addition Marion leads bespoke garden tours and illustrated talks as well as presenting a mini-series on Follies and Grottoes which was aired on BBC Points West in September 2007. In 2007 - 8 she researched the historic gardens of Cheshire for a collaborative book with the renowned garden historian, Professor Tim Mowl (published October 2008) and is currently researching another book in the series, on Somerset to be published in Spring 2010.

Marion will be speaking at Farncombe as part of the Broadway Arts Festival on Saturday 19th June “Painting with Nature: The Broadway Gardens of the Artist and Garden Designer Alfred Parsons”. Tickets cost £8 and can be purchased online at http://www.farncombeestate.co.uk/coursedetail.asp?course=2117

Justhands-on.tv for patchwork, quilting and mixed media textile artists

The UK's first on-line TV website devoted to patchwork, quilting and

mixed media textile arts featuring Farncombe Estate tutor Jennie Rayment.

See more or sign up for free at www.justhands-on.tv

News from Chloë of the Midnight Storytellers

Sunday 13 June Broadway Arts Festival (Worcestershire)

'Outrageous Women: Harlots, Hags & Heroines' Café Cabaret show
6pm (1 hour) Lifford Memorial Hall

The Festival's theme in 2010 is the Edwardian artist John Singer Sargent, who was closely connected with Broadway.

Inspired by Sargent's sometimes provocative portraits of society ladies, Chloë has devised a one-off festival show. From wise women of East and West to eyelash-flutterers around the world, these are sumptuous tales of womankind in all her moods.

Contains adult references. Not suitable for under 12s
Ticket £9 (concession £7) Box Office 01242 691190 General enquiries 0845 190 540
PLEASE NOTE SPECIAL PRICE DETAILS ON WEBSITE
www.broadwayartsfestival.co.uk

Tuesday 15 June Broadway Arts Festival

'A Word In Your Eye: Stories to Start Art': workshop for artists

10am - 1pm Lifford Memorial Hall

A session of experimental creativity + laughter. Chloë tells vivid stories - then you are invited to interpret the images in your own way. Please bring your preferred sketching materials. This session is for adults and is suitable for beginners to professionals. You’ll be working at speed and should expect to take away several starts of fresh ideas, without necessarily developing a piece to completion. (Tea/coffee making supplies provided)

Ticket £6 Box Office (Everyman Theatre) 01242 691190
PLEASE NOTE SPECIAL DEALS VIA WEBSITE
www.broadwayartsfestival.co.uk

Tuesday 15 June Broadway Arts Festival

'Family Storytelling to Start Art' workshop

4pm - 6pm Lifford Memorial Hall

Your mission, as a family working together, is to draw + paint the lively tales that Chloë tells.
For age 6+, family groups and young people. All under 11s must be accompanied. Some art materials will be provided (tbc) but please bring your own, too.

Ticket £12 for a group of 4
£4 per extra child OR unaccompanied young person 11+
Box Office 01242 691190 General enquiries 0845 190 540
www.broadwayartsfestival.co.uk

Farncombe Estate tutor Dan Evans visits Kentucky in June 2010

Farncombe tutor, Dan Evans, is traveling to the USA this June to teach and perform at one of America’s biggest dulcimer festivals, Kentucky Music Week, in historic Bardstown, Kentucky. This will be the third time Dan has worked at this festival and his tenth music trip to the USA overall. As the leading UK exponent on the dulcimer, Dan will work with twenty five other leading players, all teaching their own style and technique of playing at this friendly week-long festival.

On this occasion he has been asked to lead three daily dulcimer classes to teach his precise finger-style playing as well as a daily voice class, based on his popular and confidence-building Everyone Can Sing weekend, which he leads at Farncombe Estate. Students of Dan’s voice workshop will doubtless have seen his dulcimer. There are often a few spare minutes before a break and Dan will invite the class to join him in singing a popular song, using the sweet sound of the dulcimer as accompaniment.

Dan enjoys all his US trips but this festival in Kentucky is especially rewarding. In Kentucky in the summer of 2000 Dan met and worked with legendary figures in the American folk world like Jean Ritchie and Bill Staines. In 2005 a group of Dan’s students performed a dulcimer arrangement of the Skye Boat Song in concert, thanks to Dan’s encouraging teaching style. This year Dan will meet some new players and there will doubtless be new adventures and stories to tell.

read about Dan’s first trip to Kentucky Music Week in 2000 http://www.english-dulcimer.com/adventures-in-Kentucky-2000.asp

learn more about Dan’s dulcimer music http://www.english-dulcimer.com/default.asp

find out about Dan’s popular Everyone Can Sing Voice workshop at Farncombe Estate http://www.farncombeestate.co.uk/tutordetails.asp?tutor=34

See botanical art tutor Simon Williams at the Botanical Artists exhibition on 16-25 April at Westminster Hall, London

Simon will be exhibiting at the Botanical Artists exhibition on 16-25 April at Westminster Hall, London. He is also attending the National Orchid Show on 20-21 March at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Vincent Sq, London.

Botanical Painting in Watercolour or Gouache - Painting & Drawing

Farncombe Student Donations for "Walk Free" - thank you !

On Saturday 5 December we had 4 walkers who were doing John O’Groats to Lands End (only 1200 miles) staying at Farncombe. Think for a moment about the weather over recent weeks ……………….! Charlie, Nick, Claudia and Martin are raising money for two charities that work with women and children who are trafficked as slaves and with former child soldiers. Their website is www.walk-free.org.uk

My first job, in 1967, was teaching in Kenya and from 1973 to 1975 I worked for Unicef in the southern Sudan, so those two causes have an immediate pull for me. In addition I am planning to ride 2,500 miles round England via 30 cathedrals for the Family Holiday Association and for Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre when I retire in 2013. I will buy the poor unsuspecting horse in the summer of 2012. So I have some empathy with those doing such things.

We asked the Farncombe students to support Charlie, Nick, Claudia and Martin and to encourage them, I agreed to give an additional 50p for every £1 raised.

I am delighted to say that on 7 December we paid £99 to the charities via the www.walk-free.org.uk website.

Well done Farncombe!

William

We've just signed up for Adult Learners Week 2010

Closing date for nominations is 29 January 2010 ....!

Nominations for the 2010 Adult Learners’ Week Awards are now open!
Nominate Now >

If you know an inspiring individual, group, family or project whose remarkable learning achievements have transformed people’s lives, nominate them for an Adult Learners’ Week Award.

There are four main award categories:

Individuals whose remarkable learning achievements have made a difference to their lives and can inspire others;
Groups of three or more people who have come together for a common purpose and transformed their and/or other people’s lives through learning;
Families whose members have seen the benefits of learning together; and
Opening Doors to Adult Learners which recognises creative and innovative projects or organisations that had a positive impact on the lives of their learners.
Additional Adult Learners’ Week Awards will also be presented in 2010:
the Digital Participation Award (sponsored by BBC) will recognise learning where the use of new technology has been central;
the Intergenerational Award (sponsored by MLA) will award intergenerational learning in the Museums, Libraries and Archives sector;
the Foundation Degree Award (sponsored by fdf) will recognise and celebrate an outstanding adult learner on a foundation degree programme;
the Power of Reading Award (sponsored by Booktrust) will recognise how the pleasure of reading or writing has inspired or resulted in an outstanding learning journey;
the Transformation Fund Award will award learners who have received funding from the Government initiative; and
the Outstanding Achievement Award (sponsored by the National Open College Network) will recognise outstanding learning on a NOCN programme.

Find out more about previous winners here

Everyone nominated will receive a Certificate of Achievement. The winners will receive a learning voucher and will be presented with their awards in a ceremony taking place during Adult Learners’ Week.

Nomination forms are also available in alternative formats. Please contact the Campaigns and Promotions team on 0116 2044200/4201 or email alw@niace.org.uk

Farncombe Estate strikes a new note and joins AOTOS

Cotswold lifelong learning centre Farncombe Estate has recently joined the Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS) as a Corporate Member.
AOTOS provides a vital forum for singing teachers and is specifically concerned with the needs and demands involved in the training of the singing voice.
Farncombe Estate, located just outside Broadway, has been running a programme of weekend courses since 2003. Courses now include Choral Evensong, Folk and World Music, Gospel Choir, and fun weekends celebrating the music of the Beach Boys, ABBA and Marvin Gaye.
William Reddaway, Head of Lifelong Learning explains “We are delighted to have joined AOTOS and look forward to meeting and sharing new ideas with fellow course providers, tutors and students. The choral element of our programme has been growing in recent years and we know that it is certainly one of the most popular! We are passionate about maintaining the highest possible standards in the learning experience at Farncombe and membership of AOTOS is another step towards upholding that commitment”.
For 2010, the Farncombe Estate course programme includes tuition by Musical Director Jeremy Jackman, ABCD member Amy Bebbington and recording artists/songwriters Sandra Kerr, Frankie Armstrong and Miranda Barber.

For further details or a free copy of the programme visit www.FarncombeEstate.co.uk or call 01386 854100.

Notes for Editors

Farncombe Estate ALC Ltd is a member of the Adult Residential Colleges Association, and a Corporate member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Association of British Choral Directors and the Association of Teachers of Singing.

Farncombe Estate Centre (FEC) is a sister company of the Cotswold Conference Centre and the Dormy House Hotel and owned by Sorven Holdings Ltd. FEC utilises the facilities of the Cotswold Conference Centre at weekends and is being run as a non-profit making organisation. Any profits will be re-invested back into the adult learning weekends to enhance and improve the learning experience offered.

If one of your writers would like to arrange a visit to Farncombe to experience some of the courses on offer, or for further information or images - please contact: Farncombe Estate Centre
01386 854100 / Annette@FarncombeEstate.co.uk

Farncombe Estate has recently joined the Associated Teachers of Singing as a Corporate Member

The Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS) was founded in 1975 to promote a wider understanding of all aspects of the teaching of singing. They create opportunities which bring together teachers from all over the world. All AOTOS activities and services are open to members specialising in teaching any expression of song: from classical, through music theatre and folk, to jazz, rock and gospel, either privately or in school, college or conservatoire.
http://aotos.org.uk/directory/

Snail Mail Creative Writing Workshops

What happens when we stop texting, emailing and instant messaging and pick up a pen and paper? Led by poet Miriam Nash, the Snail Mail workshop explores letter writing as a form of creative writing, opening new and unexpected doors to creativity. Come to one workshop for a taste, or the full series for a chance to delve deep into this almost forgotten form of communication.

Upcoming dates:

Saturday 31 October 11am-1pm
Saturday 28 November 11am-1pm

Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EB
Price: £10/£6

To book visit www.foyles.co.uk/events.asp and scroll down

For more info visit www.miriamnash.com

In partnership with Foyles and Slow Down London

broadway arts festival 2010

2010 Broadway Arts Festival – Dedicated to John Singer Sargent RA and the Broadway Colony
John Singer Sargent Festival : 11 - 20 June 2010

Friday 11th June 2010, Official Festival launch including an evening talk on John Singer Sargent at Farncombe by Heather Birchall, Curator (Historic Fine Art) Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester.

Start of Farncombe Estate weekend with Hugh Brewster, renowned author, on John Singer Sargent and Francis D. Millet.

For more details visit www.FarncombeEstate.co.uk/BroadwayArtsFestival2010

Meet Farncombe tutors at Evesham Arts 4 All on Sunday 31 May

Evesham Arts4all - drama, song, dance, poetry, writing, painting, pottery, crafts, theatre and more 12-5pm Sunday 31st May 2009 Evesham Arts Centre, Victoria Avenue, WR11 4QG http://www.eveshamarts4all.co.uk/

An afternoon to sample all sorts of art, craft & entertainment by local artists, groups & businesses. Entrance FREE.

This really is an afternoon with all sorts of things for you to see and do!

There's a packed timetable of performances, workshops, demonstrations & tours you can watch or take part in - plus a hall full of stalls with things to buy, information to pick up & people to answer questions. In addition to the long list of contributors below we'll have professional facepainting, childrens' storytelling, an exhibition of drums & Irish dance and the rising local band The Irony will play a set.

Entrance is FREE to the public (some activites may make a small charge to cover material costs). Sandwiches, cakes, soft drinks and a licenced bar will be available. There is a free car park next to the Arts Centre. Most areas are accessible to wheelchair users.

The fun starts on Sunday May 31st at 12 noon and goes on to 5pm - come & see what's going on!

The Metamorphic Technique

Would you like to be more creative? Do you want more freedom and fulfilment in your career and personal life? The Metamorphic Technique is a wonderful way of releasing your inner potential. If transformation is going to happen it’s going to impact your life in a physical way, so we use a light touch to the feet, hands and head. If you are going to become more than you are already, if you are going to spread your wings, then defunct beliefs and old patterns need to dissolve. MT does this effortlessly. By using detachment and awareness your life force can propel you to fulfil your creative destiny.

Contact Nikki, Mandy or Charley on 01386 854 100 for further information or to make a booking...

Juliet Heslewood - Lecture at Farncombe Estate is the subject of her new book!

Juliet Heslewood studied for her first degree at London University and later gained her MA from Toulouse. For over 25 years she lived in France where she devised and led study tours on art and architecture as well as continuing her writing career. Her books include ‘The History of Western Painting’ and its companion on Sculpture – both for young people – which were translated into twelve languages. She has a new book out now, the subject of another popular lecture which she gives at Farncombe: “Mother: Portraits by 40 Great Artists”. From Rembrandt, Rossetti and Van Gogh to Picasso, Kahlo and Hockney, forty portraits make up this collection of atists’ mothers. A delicious combination of art history and biographical anecdote, it is also an elegant celebration of the powerful relationships between sons, daughters and their mothers.

Juliet will be happy to sign copies of her new book, when students attend her lecture at Farncombe Estate on the 29/03/2009 - copies will be available to purchase

New Permanent Galleries at the British Museum

Medieval Europe 1050–1550
The Paul and Jill Ruddock Gallery
Opening in March 2009
The new gallery features the famous Lewis Chessmen alongside Byzantine art, Romanesque and Gothic metalwork and ivory, coinage, jewellery, arms and armour, prints, leatherwork, tiles, and scientific instruments.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/galleries/europe/room_40_europe_ad_1000-1540.aspx

New painting blog by Paul Priestley

Visit Paul Priestley's new blog site http://paulpriestley.wordpress.com