JULY
10th July to 31st August 2019. Summer theatre returns to the Southwold Arts Centre this year under new ownership. Matthew Townshend has taken over under the new brand of ‘Theatre on the Coast’. Shows include Patrick Marlowe’s The End of the Line, A Bunch of Amateurs by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, Debbie Issitt’s The Woman who Cooked her Husband, finishing with Hobson’s Choice by Harold Brighouse. Find out more at www.mtproductions.co.uk Tickets available online from start of April via Ticketsource.
AUGUST
Saturday August 10th to Monday 26th. Lavenham Art Society August 2019 Exhibition at St Peter & St Paul Church in Lavenham, Suffolk, open from 9am-6pm Monday to Saturday and 12noon-6pm on Sunday. Free admission and car park nearby. The Church is wheelchair friendly.
Saturday 24th August to Tuesday 27th August, 10 am – 5 pm, 11.45 am – 5 pm on Sunday. Coggeshall’s 32nd Annual Flower Festival. The 32nd Annual Coggeshall Flower Festival will take place over the August bank holiday weekend in the beautiful Church of St Peter ad Vincula, which lies at the heart of the historic town of Coggeshall. A spectacular floral interpretation of ‘Songs of Praise’ will include hymns, ancient and modern, that we all know and love including, ‘On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist Cries’, ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ and ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’
St Peter’s has established a well-deserved reputation for outstanding flower festivals and preparations for this year’s festival began back in January. 35 flower arrangers will work over 4 days to put the festival together, creating more than 140 arrangements in 27 displays.
The Flower Festival also offers a treat for music lovers. Musical recitals will take place in the Church during the weekend and on Saturday 24th August at 7.30 pm there will be a concert given by Andy Wilsher – A Tribute to the Rat Pack and Michael Buble.
SEPTEMBER
Monday 2nd September. Solar Society. Your local adult daytime learning group. Miles Scrivens will ask the question and discuss ‘Peterloo: How close did Britain come to revolution in the early nineteenth century? The meeting starts at 2.30pm at The Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Castle Hedingham and finish about 4.15pm. Free light refreshments during a short interval. All welcome. Entrance £4.00. No membership fee. More details from Miles Scrivens, 01787 469766 or Wanda Sellar 01787 463459
Saturday 7 September. Sudbury’s Silk Festival. This year for the first time, Sudbury is celebrating the amazing work of its mills by staging its first Silk Festival on Saturday 7th September. There will be an exhibition-fair in St Peter’s Church with displays by the silk mills, the Warner Textile Archive, May Berkouwer, a textile conservator, Sudbury Ephemera Archive, Colchester Institute Department of Textiles will explore education pathways and student textile designers’ will show their work. Dyers and spinners from Lavenham Guildhall will spin ‘Lavenham Blue’ wool dyed with woad and Sudbury Heritage Centre and Museum will open. As part of the festival an exhibition of 18th Century inspired costumes by Vivienne Westwood at Gainsborough’s House will also open on 7 September with free entry the house on the day. Silk Walks around the town and an Architectural Heritage Walk looking at Sudbury’s silk history will also be taking place
Saturday 7th September from 11am til 4pm. HARVEST FAIR at All Saints Church, Little Cornard CO10 0PD. The ancient church will be decorated for Harvest, there will be games, a Spinning demonstration, Bric a Brac, sales of Books and Jig saws, Cakes and Refreshments. A Fun Dog show at 2pm. Tel. Brenda 01787 227615
Thursday 12th September, 12.45 - 1.45pm. Free music recital in St Andrews Church, Earls Colne featuring the Aurora Singers. Refreshments available.
Saturday September 14th 2019 at 2.00pm. Toppesfield and Gainsford End Village Show in Toppesfield Village Hall. Competitive Show, Refreshments, Raffle, Art Exhibition. Also Cricket Match at 2.00 pm on Toppesfield Playing Field. Toppesfield vs Old Southendians.
Saturday 14th September at 7.30pm. Quiz Night in St Andrew’s Church, Earls Colne to help fund the maintenance of the church building. Teams of up to 6 people, £5 per person. Bring your own food. Call Rachael to book: 07870 632 976
Saturday 14th September. Shalford Horticultural Summer Show is to be held at the Village Hall. All classes in the show are “open” and are, therefore, not limited to local residents. The hall will be open for staging entries from 8.00 to 10.30am on the morning of the show. Viewing of the entries starts at 2.30pm with prize giving at 4.00pm. If you would like to exhibit, the schedule may be viewed on the Shalford website; http://www.essexinfo.net/shalford/horticultural-society/ Enquiries to Heather Smith (Chairman) on 01371 851378. Come and support your local show.
Tuesday 17th September, 7:30pm. Essex Wildlife Trust Braintree Event. Dragonflies and Damselflies. Talk by Wildlife Educator and Photographer, Neil Phillips in St Andrews Church Hall, Parsonage Street, Halstead, CO9 2LD. Dragonflies and Damselflies are among the most beautiful and interesting of the insects. This talk will look at how they live, breed and hunt, while also looking at the species found across the UK. For more information contact Tracey Kay on 07742 294358 or email kay.tracey@yahoo.co.uk
Saturday 21st September at 3.00pm. Jumble Sale in Great Maplestead Village Hall. Admission 30p. Raffle and Refreshments. Contributions will be gratefully received by Diane Smith 01787 473300, Doreen Faulks 01787 460727, and Liz Newton 01787 461308 or can be delivered to the hall on the Friday between 9am and 4pm or on Saturday morning from 8am until 1pm.Clothing and fabrics particularly needed and small pieces of furniture and garden equipment would be very welcome. All proceeds in aid of the Village Hall.
Sunday 22nd September. Helen Rollason Cancer Charity Family Fun Day and Dog Show sponsored by The Essex Dog Training Centre, Brentwood CM15 9NN. Show opens at 10am, classes start at 11am. Stalls galore, raffle, displays, refreshment plus much more. For more information or to book tickets call 01245 380719 or visit www. helenrollason.org.uk
Monday 23rd September. The Maplesteads WEA Autumn 2019 Course begins with a free-of-charge first session starting at 6:30 pm. The 7-week course, entitled Italian History and Culture, is being run by Suffolk-based Italian expert Denise Bianchini. This course examines the major role Italy has played in the culture and history of Europe, from the middle-ages, through the renaissance period and up to the present day. Its historical "Risorgimento" (unification), modern day politics and language are intriguing and course participants may also learn enough Italian to be able to ‘get by’ on holiday To find out more, come to the overview of the course, and take the opportunity to meet the tutor and other course members, at Great Maplestead Village Hall in Lucking Street at 6:30 pm on Monday 23rd September 2019. Subsequent sessions will start at 7:00 pm. The initial session is free of charge and you are invited to enjoy some complimentary refreshments and be introduced to what is sure to be a most interesting course, held in a friendly, informal atmosphere. For further information please contact Jean Bowers (01787 460181).
30th September to 1st November 2019. The South Stour Churches Festival is a major arts, crafts, music and literary festival to be held in the 15 beautiful churches in the North Hinckford benefice on the Essex side of the River Stour throughout October 2019. The event celebrates the range of local talent in the creative arts in our 15 communities. Our diverse programme gives visitors an opportunity not only to enjoy a wide range of creative events but also to explore the beautiful churches set in stunning countryside of the South Stour Valley. It is hoped that as many people as possible will take part in a month of creativity in the arts, whilst also delighting in the architectural splendour of 15 historic churches and the surrounding countryside.
OCTOBER
Sunday 6th October. Join the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity for an Afternoon Tea at the prestigious and newly opened Hatfield Place. We will be celebrating the opening of our new Mid Essex Support Centre and marking 20 years since the passing of our dear founder; Helen Rollason. Afternoon Tea will be served in the main house drawing room overlooking the beautiful grounds and garden. Guests will be able to enjoy the harmonious and uplifting voices of the Orpheus Singers; an all-female choir based in Hadleigh, followed by a traditional afternoon tea accompanied by music from the Oakwood String Quarter.
Tickets are £24.95 per person which includes an afternoon tea of sandwiches, scones, cakes, tea and coffee. Hatfield Place, The Street London Road, Chelmsford CM3 2ET. To book your place at this exclusive event please call 01245 380719 or email fundraising@helenrollason.org.uk
Monday 7th October. Solar Society. Your local adult daytime learning group. we will be joined by Graham Laurie, who will talk to us on ‘ Roald Dahl’s War in many foreign fields’ The meeting starts at 2.30pm at The Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Castle Hedingham and finish about 4.15pm. Free light refreshments during a short interval. All welcome. Entrance £4.00. No membership fee. More details from Miles Scrivens, 01787 469766 or Wanda Sellar 01787 463459
Tuesday 15th October, 7:30pm. Essex Wildlife Trust Braintree Event. Friends of Horsey Seals. Vice Chair, Hattie Llewellyn-Davies will give a talk about Grey Seals and the Horsey Gap Colony in particular, plus the work of the group in protecting these mammals in St Andrews Church Hall, Parsonage Street, Halstead, CO9 2LD. For more information contact Tracey Kay on 07742 294358 or email kay.tracey@yahoo.co.uk
NOVEMBER
Monday 4th November. Solar Society. Your local adult daytime learning group. Clare Mulley will give a talk on ‘Save The Children—The story of Eglantine Webb.’ The meeting starts at 2.30pm at The Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Castle Hedingham and finish about 4.15pm. Free light refreshments during a short interval. All welcome. Entrance £4.00. No membership fee. More details from Miles Scrivens, 01787 469766 or Wanda Sellar 01787 463459
Tuesday 19th November, 7:30pm. Essex Wildlife Trust Braintree Event. Shifting Sands. Talk by Pip Mountjoy, Keystone Species Officer in St Andrews Church Hall, Parsonage Street, Halstead, CO9 2LD. Pip will talk about the work Natural England are carrying out in restoring areas of Breckland, especially in the light of recent rabbit declines. For more information contact Tracey Kay on 07742 294358 or email kay.tracey@yahoo.co.uk