Stroud events

Here’s the current list of things we know about that are happening in the near future.  Where relevant, we’re also listing events a bit further afield that you might be interested in, too. These are local events that are (unless it says otherwise in the listing) run by assorted local groups – these are all independent of the Green Party.

If you are aware of other talks, events, workshops or other community activities in the coming week or so, please do mention them in the comments. If there’s an event you would like our support in promoting, please email the details to brynnethnimue (at) gmail (dot) com.

13^th June Kings Stanley market, held in the Village Hall on the 2nd Friday of the month throughout the summer between 3pm and  6.30pm (except August) so the remaining dates are 13th June, 11th July and 12th September.  There is a mix of local produce, including Popes sausages, Godsells cheese, Days cider, Stroud brewery, bread, cakes, honey, plants etc, also a variety of craft stalls, books, bric-a-brac, memorabilia and collectables.  There is also a community table where anyone can sell plants, fruit and veg with no upfront fees. The playgroup organise a cafe with drinks, cakes and ice-creams.  

This is the second year we have been organising the market and it has been very popular.  We usually have about 28 stalls and it is generally well attended.  

Stroud can boast of having many excellent musicians and four of them will be playing and singing at this month’s “Your Musical Memories “ concert at Stroud’s Subscription Rooms at 2.30pm on Thursday, June 19th. The flautist Liz Leachman will be playing flute music by Handel, Faure, Debussy and Edward Elgar and will also introduce a little of her own vocal improvisation inspired by her love of Indian Classical Raga. Liz lives and works in Stroud where she plays and teaches the flute and piano. Liz also offers group sessions in “Singing for Well-being” and is a regular performer at the “Musical Memories” concerts.  This month she will be joined by two of Stroud’s wonderful singers, Celia McCabe and Haydn Sutton. They, too, have become cherished performers at previous “Your Musical Memories” concerts. Celia is a well-known member of the local Capella Singers and Haydn sings with Gloucestershire's All Male Police Choir. They will, of course, be singing well-known songs to warm your memories and cheer your hearts. They will be accompanied by yet another popular Stroud musician  Jean Lea, who for many years has been the organist at the Slad Parish Church. Add to this your regular host and pianist Trevor T. Smith who will be playing “Hollyhock” by Billy Mayerl and you will be able to enjoy a cornucopia of Stroud’s musical talent. This month’s themed singalong, which always concludes the “Your Musical Memories” concerts, celebrates songs about the Great Cities of the World. So come to the Subscription Rooms on Thursday, June 19th at 2.30 pm and enjoy your music “live”. Tickets are only £5.00 (which includes refreshments) and can be booked at the Subscription Rooms’ Box Office, telephone number 01453 760900. (When booking, please mention if you use a wheelchair as the number of wheelchairs allowed in the Ballroom are restricted due to fire regulations.)

Songs of Change – meets on Tuesday nights at Paganhill Maypole Village Hall. We are led by Sophie Sterckx (formerly “Greatorex”). This is an open group drawing on songs from about peace, the earth, equality, etc. 

Stroud Valleys Project Bike Ride 2014 - Sunday 22^nd June 2014

The Stroud Valleys Project Annual Sponsored Bike Ride

Please put the date in your diary, on your calendar, in your tablet, on your phone or wherever you like as long as you save the day! We’ll let you know more as the plans for our best ever bike ride develop.

There will be routes from 10 miles to 36 miles so you can cycle as much or as little as you wish. Our goal this year is to raise over £2000 so, if just 100 people raised £20 each we could easily reach our target.

As well as cycling there are other ways to get involved. You could sponsor a cyclist, help marshal at the event, or come along on the day and help us to register people.

Plant wildflowers in your garden

Shared on from the Stroud Valleys Project.

I hope you like the picture.  These flowers are at the bottom of the Bisley Road Cemetery and were planted by Stroud Valleys Project working with Stroud Town Council. They were planted in late Spring and look at what a beautiful display we got. Now is the time to think about Autumn sowings.

To help you, Donald McIntyre from the native seed company, Emorsgate Seeds, has kindly agreed to come and give us an illustrated talk and PowerPoint presentation at the Lansdown Hall on Saturday 7^th September, doors open 10.30 for an 11am start. Tickets cost £6 in advance and £7 on the door.  We hope that everyone will walk up to the Festival of Nature afterwards (which is a free event) and sample the wonderful food that is on offer there.

 Donald McIntyre was born and grew up in this area so the Stroud Hills and Valleys are close to his heart.  He founded Emorsgate seeds to sell native wildflower seed to the landscape industry and to gardeners.  Emorsgate started off with 1 acre of land and they now have 130 acres.

In addition this is also about celebrating 25 years of Stroud Valleys Project and to do this we want to make, manage or monitor 25 wildflower sites across the District.  We want to start the conversation about how this will happen so we hope this event will be a great starting point for us to be more involved in this sort of work. Please, do forward this email or if you can put up some posters near you, please let us know and we will print some off for you.

The Talk is Aimed at: people who live in Stroud District who already have an interest in gardening and who want to find out how to encourage wild flowers in their garden.  Also, landscape gardeners, jobbing gardeners, local garden designers – I hope there will be something there for everyone

 Topics to be covered: Why wild flowers are important. Their decline over recent decades. Some background about Donald McIntyre and Emorsgate Seeds. How you can start by monitoring what you have in order to make the most of our floral heritage in this area.  How to note your wildflowers. How easy is it to grow wild flowers in Stroud? Is the soil suitable? What special measures might people need to put in place? If you’ve only got a small garden, what’s the best way to start? Which wild flowers flourish in Stroud? The St Catherine’s seed mixture. How to manage your wildflowers for a display year on year How can people get more information? Some seeds and books will be available for sale at the event

For further information, contact Julie Wickham.

Stroud Valleys Project
8 Threadneedle Street
Stroud
Gloucestershire
GL5 1AF
tel. 01453 753358
www.stroudvalleysproject.org