February 2015
Oakley Hall Hotel Offers
Join our Glasshouse Dining Club
By 31st March for your chance to win a Romantic Getaway...
All new Glasshouse Dining Club members will be entered into our free prize draw – one lucky person will WIN a luxury Romantic Getaway to enjoy with their loved one!
The winner will get a one night Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Stay for two people, with 1Ž2 bottle of champagne in their bedroom on arrival, traditional Afternoon Tea, and 3 course dinner in our 2 AA Rosette Glasshouse Restaurant. Before enjoying a good night’s sleep in one of our exquisite bedrooms – followed by a delicious full English Breakfast the following morning.
It’s absolutely free to join the Glasshouse Dining Club and you will be able to enjoy 10% off your restaurant bill all year round*, as well as hearing about special offers before anyone else.
JOIN AND ENTER
Wedding Fayre - Sunday 1st March
Meet over 50 wedding suppliers and view our new Garden Suite...
Enjoy lunch in our stunning Glasshouse Restaurant or make a day of it with a Champagne Afternoon Tea.
Free admission
FIND OUT MORE
If you know somebody getting married or still looking for a venue - please feel free to pass this invitation on!
Easter is just around the corner!
Indulge with a delicious Easter Sunday Lunch from £35 per person
Why not join family and friends on Sunday 5th April for a traditional three course Easter Sunday Lunch or Afternoon Tea complete with a FREE chocolate Easter Egg for all the children.
Lunch is served between 12 - 2pm at £35 per adult and £14.95 per child.
Afternoon Tea between 3 - 5pm at £22.95 per adult and £9.95 per child.
VIEW OUR MENUS
BOOK BY EMAIL
Or call 01256 783350
Ah, if only the weekend could be longer?
Enjoy a very Lazy Sunday from just £64.50 per person
Weekends are never long enough! Well now with our amazing Lazy Sunday stay offer you can make your weekend last that little bit longer. Finish off your weekend with a relaxing three course Dinner, Bed & Breakfast stay in one of our luxury bedrooms - the perfect way to put off Monday morning!
Join us on any Sunday and stay in either our courtyard or brand new main house bedrooms, from just £129 per night in a Deluxe Room.
Book your Lazy Sunday Stay online
Or call 01256 783350
Executive Bedrooms, Courtyard Suites and Four Poster Suites are also available. See the full offer details.
Taste Sensation Sunday
27/02/15 14:03 Filed in: What's On
TASTE SENSATION SUNDAY
Treat your taste buds to a truly splendid gastronomic experience by visiting ‘Taste’, an exciting new food and crafts festival hosted by King Edward’s School in Witley.
The event is being run by seasoned event organisers Splendid Fairs and Festivals and is free to members of the general public. ‘Taste’ will see the School’s exhibition hall transformed into a bustling food market, showcasing the very best culinary delights produced by locally sourced producers. From scrumptious sushi to award winning curry sauces and pickles, from perfect pizzas to artisan breads and pastries, the list of delicious gourmet goodies on display is endless - and even if you don’t buy, you certainly won’t go home hungry after visiting the wide range of exhibitors! The festival will also include an array of stalls featuring local crafts.
Exhibitors include:
The Tinderbox – Woodfire pizza
Flax & Mallow – Country garden gifts and accessories
Let’s Sushi – Packed sushi and sushi ingredients
RSPB – Conservation work
ollo foods – Award winning curry sauces and pickles, Indian street food
Jenny Robbins – Handmade fused glass pieces, pendants, dishes, platters and bowls
Chalk Hill Bakery – Artisan breads and pastries
Chilli Jam Factory – Chilli jams, chutneys and traditional / unusual jams
Taste of Vietnam – Offering delicious traditional cuisine from Vietnam
Spotted Beetroot Designs – Handmade jewellery
Dulci Bella Marshamallows – Handmade handpiped marshmallows and lollipops
Bee Cosmetics – Honey, honey fudge and natural skin care products made from beeswax and honey, beeswax candles and polish
Cocoa Antics – Hot chocolate spoons
My Secret Kitchen – ‘secret’ products to transform any meal
Garlic Wood Farm – Serving steak burgers, rare breed pork and herb sausages
Jimmy Ginger’s Fine Chillies – Savour the hottest tastes in town
Podgy Pieman – pick of the finest pies and sausage rolls
Riverford Home Delivery – Organic vegetables, fruit and meat delivered directly to your door
The Ice Cream Bike – Cool down with the ultimate iced treat
Sugarush – selection of sweet treats
The Art of Curry – Freshly cooked artisan curry sauces
Taste is open from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm on Sunday 22 March. Ample free parking is also available.
For further details contact info@splendidoccasions.co.uk or marketing@kesw.org.
Treat your mother at Watts Gallery
27/02/15 11:33 Filed in: What's On
Treat your mother at Watts Gallery, an Artists’ Village – Sunday 15 March
Visit Watts Gallery this Mother’s Day and see the sumptuous new exhibition, Liberating Fashion: Aesthetic Dress in Victorian Portraits, featuring exquisite portraits by G F Watts, Frederic Leighton, Edward Burne-Jones, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, James Tissot and many more.
Treat your mother to a delicious cream tea with freshly made scones and local clotted cream and jam or chose from a wide selection of cakes and hot food in the Watts Gallery Tea Shop, rated 4 out of 5 stars on Trip Advisor.
All mothers can also enjoy 10% off in the Shop on Mothering Sunday. Chose from a range of unique gifts and exclusive Watts Gallery products.
Address: Watts Gallery, Down Lane, Compton, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 1DQ
Telephone: 01483 810 235
Email: info@wattsgallery.org.uk
Watts Gallery is a company limited by guarantee (company number 6147572) Registered office as above. Registered Charity Number: 313612 VAT Reg. No. 924 8349 02
The ABBA REUNION Tribute Show
CAMBERLEY – Camberley Theatre Saturday 7 March 2015
From the Director, Producer and Choreographer of the Award Winning ‘Abba Mania’ Musical Starring the original ‘Frida’ from London’s West End!
Following a 4 month run in London’s West End, Strand Theatre in 2001 and successful International tours selling out theatres, stadiums and concert halls, this award winning, critically acclaimed Abba Tribute performer, producer, choreographer and director together with The Reunion Group, created “The ABBA REUNION Tribute Show”.
The 4 real members of ABBA have been saying for years that they will never reform so with this in mind the producers ( The Reunion Group ) decided that they would give the fans the next best thing! Not just another ABBA Tribute band.
Now in it's 10th year, the show has become Internationally recognized as one of the top world-class authentic ABBA experiences, not to be missed!
They have toured and sold out numerous prestigious UK theatres, plus India, Norway, France, Holland, Sweden with, East Africa, Latvia, Belgium, Germany, and Australia in place for 2015/2016
“The Abba Reunion Tribute Show” gives Abba fans, old and new, the opportunity to once again get together and re-live the addictive Abba phenomena that swept the airwaves and discos during the 70’s and 80’s in a truly feel good party style concert. From Mamma Mia to Dancing Queen, all of the hits are performed with unrivalled authenticity from both an audio and visual perspective complete with live band. There is a huge focus on the 1977 and 1979 live world tour footage plus the iconic pop video looks that feature the famous flamboyant costumes and dance moves.
This year sees a jaw dropping recreation finale of the Euro vision winning song, Waterloo.
Visually, the performers are transformed into the famous four Abba members, Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn and Anni- Frid ( Frida) by using top of the range professionally made wigs, make-up and hand made replica costumes. Each character has been studied by means of video clips, both live and studio performance, to mimic the movements and mannerisms enabling a more true to life presentation of how Abba really were.
Meticulous scrutiny and strict vocal tutoring have been applied to recreating the voices of Abba, especially the major differentiating qualities of the 2 female voices of Agnetha and Frida, who together, make the legendary Abba sound. From a musical stand point, again, careful attention to detail has been employed to create the complete Abba facsimile using only professional industry musicians.
In such a hugely over saturated Abba tribute market, quality, commitment, reputation and professionalism are of major importance when booking to see a show. With these factors in mind you can be totally assured that this band perform their superb replica concert show to the highest standards possible, making them ‘better than their rivals Bjorn Again’, Express and Star.
Tickets for The ABBA REUNION Tribute Show are available from Camberley Theatre
Box Office No: 01276 707600
Website: www.camberleytheatre.biz
Ski tourists tips
24/02/15 10:11 Filed in: Property
Eight tips for ski tourists turned property-hunters in the French Alps
Interest in French skiing property is expected to see a seasonal surge towards the end of this month, after British families return from their half-term ski break tempted by the idea of owning a ski home, said ski property specialist SkiingProperty.com in February, adding that the favourable exchange rate is also luring more UK buyers to market.
“An especially memorable ski holiday can be enough to make a potential buyer take the next step and begin a serious search for a ski home,” said Julian Walker, director at Skiingproperty.com. “Hence, after one of the busiest weeks in the ski season, a spike in interest isn’t unusual, especially with Sterling hovering around a 10-year high against the euro.”
To assist first-time buyers in the French Alps considering a purchase in 2015, Skiingproperty.com has compiled an eight-point checklist.
1) Your resort. Think about its ski area – both the size and altitude (over 2,000 metres for guaranteed snow), lift infrastructure, transfer time, the option of driving from the UK, winter and leisure activities, amenities, shopping, ski schools and creches.
2) Seasonality. Will you use the property when the snow has gone and during the summer? If so, you’ll want to be somewhere that doesn’t shut down outside of the winter season and with plenty to do in the warmer months.
3) Location in the resort. Ski-in ski-out properties within walking distance of lifts and the resort centre are always the most sought after. But your money goes further if you buy outside a resort or a short drive from the slopes.
4) Leaseback or outright purchase? For access to a convenient, well equipped and completely hassle-free ski property, consider leaseback – remembering to check your annual personal usage, the annual maintenance costs and what rental return you will receive. Many leaseback ‘residences’ come with a spa, pool and communal areas, and properties are typically bought off-plan or new. Otherwise, for complete flexibility and for somewhere you can make a true second home, buy outright the usual way.
5) Rentals. If you intend to let your ski home, consider whether you will manage it yourself or through an agency, remembering to factor in any advertising costs and agency fees. Buying in a popular ski resort with a good snow record should deliver reliable rental yields – demand comes from the domestic (French) as well as international markets.
6) Currency. Good news for British buyers in 2015 is the stronger pound. In order to maximise this and get the best exchange rate available – and bring down the cost of your property in pounds, use a currency exchange specialist to send euros to France.
7) Mortgages. French mortgage rates, for residents and non-residents, remain at historic lows, with variable rates currently as low as just 2.2 per cent. Given the favourable exchange rate, a mortgage might make financial sense for many buyers.
8) Ongoing costs. French properties come with two types of council tax (‘taxe foncière’ and ‘taxes d’habitation’). Remember to factor these into your running costs. Check out any discounts on seasonal ski passes and ski hire available to homeowners in a resort.
SkiingProperty.com has a selection of properties in the French Alps, including apartments from less than €200,000 to €12million chalets.
Tel: +44 20 8150 9502
Email: info@skiingproperty.com
Website: SkiingProperty.com
#yourcauseyourathletes
24/02/15 09:25 Filed in: Sport | Competition
LEGACY 300 Supporting GB Athletes and Good Causes
To continue the narrative of GB Olympians working to benefit your local community - at the end of April 2015 Legacy 300 will be hosting a unique Athlete Fundraiser in London, auctioning off places on Individual and Team based experiences with Olympic Athletes to raise funds for one lucky sports related good cause in the UK. This could be for sports provision in your local school, general funds for youth or adult sports club, body or organisation in your locality.The contest winner will be invited to attend the London evening and their nominated sporting good cause will receive 100% of the proceeds from the sale of experiences on the evening; or they can choose to receive the places for their own Fundraising Events in 2015. Either way, this is a unique opportunity for the sporting good cause to benefit from this support from the participating GB Athletes.
HOW TO ENTER THE FREE FACEBOOK CONTEST - Simply visit www.facebook.com/Legacy300 to enter. One lucky winner will be chosen at random by the Facebook competition app after the closing date of 5pm 25 March.
20% saving on townhouse in St Ives, Cornwall
20/02/15 13:05 Filed in: Property
20% saving on brand-new four-storey townhouse bang in the centre of St Ives, Cornwall
Brand new, Pier View (sleeps six) is an impeccably designed four-storey townhouse, steps from the beach in the heart of St Ives, on Cornwall’s north coast. Decorated in subtle, soothing tones throughout, and finished with bespoke pieces of furniture and artwork, it’s a dreamy property with plenty of space for a family to sprawl; equally, it’s cosy enough for a couple seeking a luxurious and stylish bolthole.
The beautiful living space, with views across the rooftops to the harbour, is divided into two areas: a snug with Smart TV (including Netflix and a PlayStation 3) and a wine fridge, plus a sitting room with a love seat and sofas flanking an elegant fireplace. The kitchen, accessed from a cobbled path through a powder-blue stable door, is airy and light and has just about every mod con you can imagine. Of the three sumptuous bedrooms, one has been specifically designed for children using panelling and pegs hung with toys.
St Ives is a joy, with glorious sandy beaches, restaurants, shops, galleries and delis galore. What are you waiting for?
Introductory offer: for all stays between now and 27 March there is a 20% discount on Pier View. Long weekends (Friday to Monday) and midweek breaks (Monday to Friday) now cost from £136 pp (£811 total – was £1,013); weekly breaks cost from £180 pp (£1,080 total - was £1,350).
Call Boutique Retreats on 01872 553 491 www.boutique-retreats.co.uk for more information or to book.
2015 Shere Hill Climb Entries Open
20/02/15 11:11 Filed in: What's On
Shere Hill Climb takes place on 6 September 2015 and entries open on 1 March
The event takes place on a closed public road in the Surrey Hills, four miles from Guildford. Although only in its third year it’s already become one for the diary for anyone with the slightest interest in cars.
The organisers are looking for interesting cars that you rarely see on the roads these days, they don’t necessarily need to be valuable The car and driver must be road legal but no competition licence or preparation is required. There are only 135 spaces available, last year’s entry was heavily oversubscribed with many rare and exotic cars, ranging from a 1907 aero engine Berliet to a bright green two week old Lamborghini Aventador. You can get the flavour of the event from the videos and photos of previous years posted on their web site.
The cost of an entry is only £65 per car, with details and entry form available at www.sherehillclimb.co.uk
The hill climb course ascends by 300 feet over a distance of nearly a mile with a series of challenging corners along the route. There are panoramic views across the Surrey countryside, London and the Wembley Arch can be seen in the distance. Around four thousand spectators are expected, so if you don’t fancy taking part but would like to watch the action, the event kicks off at 9.30am. The event raises money for seven local charities. Last year, the event raised an impressive £13,000, the organisers hope to beat that figure this year.
For further details please contact Esmond Foster
Email: info@sherehillclimb.co.uk
Tel: 07901598871
Miel de Botton ‘Magnetic’
Debut album release March 9 2015
On this, her debut album, Swiss-born, London-based Miel de Botton presents a collection of deeply personal songs, in English and French, and breathes new life into her beloved chansons (Jacque Brel et al) with sensitive interpretations and innovative arrangements. Produced by Andy Wright (Simply Red, Eurythmics, Jeff Beck, Imelda May) at Abbey Road, South West Studios and State Of The Ark Studios, ‘Magnetic’ is presented on two discs and is the sensuous, exultant sound of a woman who is finally following her path; a woman just hitting her stride.
With coverage in the Evening Standard, You Magazine and The Telegraph, Miel’s music and story is starting to spread, and fast. Her first headline performance at Chelsea’s infamous The Pheasantry in November 2014 sold out, she was invited to be a special guest singing with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus at the Aldwych Theatre on their December UK Tour and played a special acoustic set at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital as part of their healing arts programme. Miel will return to the stage on January 27th when she performs a sold out show at The Purcell Room on London’s Southbank. Promising an evening that will take the audience on a trip of passion, sensuality and romance, Miel will also be joined by some very special guests from the worlds of dance and music.
Listen to Miel de Botton - Magnetic HERE
Listen to Miel de Botton - Magnetique HERE
Miel is clearly a woman who loves passionately and she expresses this in her songs; she dreams of a kiss from a stranger in her “dark nights” in ‘Embrasse Moi’. The charming acoustic ’Vivement la Joie’ is a burst of carefree happiness, Miel sounding like a footloose Vanessa Paradis. “It’s a poem I wrote to cheer myself up – a tiny ode to joy!”
An excruciatingly painful love story becomes ‘Beautiful You’ (“Don’t tell me that it was only a lie/I know what I saw…”), and that lost desire is also expressed in ‘Something More’. Despite all this unrequited longing, she is full of hope that things will turn out well and she believes her songs are about finding a way to heal from past pain. ‘Forest Prayer’ and ‘Dazzle Me Diamond’ are heart reaching songs about sensuality and love and the joy to be found in our lives. ‘Dazzle Me Diamond’ really is about diamonds – but this synth-heavy track is mystical too, expressing a longing to be in the presence of their strength, clarity and purity. “I need your rainbow lights to reach the dark corners of my mind.”
The majestically bare, Morricone-esque mantra ‘Bad Men’ is many a woman’s rallying cry, slowly stripping layers off those debonair men who talk about forever but can’t seem to follow through. This honest song explores the pain and pathos that underlies such relationships. With her title song, ‘Magnetic’, she talks of making her “voice become audible”, of not being “left to lie in the dark”. This is an epic ballad, almost a desiderata, in which she asks to be attracted magnetically to a beautiful life.
Mixing maturity and youth, this is a woman flexing her muscles, making life make sense. As she says, “I’m experiencing a depth of fulfilment I have never known.”
For more information please contact Republic Media
Email: info@republicmedia.net
Tel: 020 3213 0135
Whats on at the Riverhouse Arts Centre
19/02/15 10:01 Filed in: What's On
Whats on at the Riverhouse Arts Centre
There's a real treat for Jazz fans tomorrow, Friday, because the acclaimed Trish Clowes Quintet comes to Riverhouse featuring award winning pianist Gwilym Simcock, whom many of you will have heard perform in his solo concert last Autumn.
On Saturday afternoon, Poet Wendy Cope joins us for afternoon tea, readings, book signing and a Q and A. We are also excited to welcome Piers Lane as our next International Piano Series performer on February 28 so book now!
Join us for our first Story Story Night on March 6. It's the latest craze in storytelling for Adults. We will have a line up of fascinating experienced Storytellers in the first half (details below) and then open mic after the interval. Tickets for this stimulating evening are just £5! For the Kids, we have Lucky Dip Disco this Sunday 22nd. Our next Story Cafe 'Farmer Duck' March 1 at 3pm and book now for our fun packed Easter Show Signor Baffo's Restaurant on April 4. Simon Heath has been 'cartooning the cafe'. Come and see what he has created with children (and adults) attending his free workshops. His last day is Friday, so you can still get involved.
Riverhouse Arts Centre: Manor Road, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey KT12 2PF
Email: arts@riverhousebarn.co.uk
Box Office: 01932 25335
Website: www.riverhousebarn.co.uk
Guys and Dolls at King Edward's Witley
16/02/15 14:12 Filed in: What's On
Guys and Dolls - a musical fable of Broadway by Damon Runyon with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, which is the School’s major production this academic year.
The production features significant collaboration between the performing arts departments of Drama, Dance and Music and involves more than 50 pupils, ranging from 13 to 17 years old. The musical nature of this production allows access to a range of performance styles and pupils are benefiting from working alongside professional choreographers during rehearsals.
The obsessive gamblers of New York congregate to mount an all-time monumental dice game on which everything hangs for desperate Nathan Detroit and suave Sky Masterson, will wily Detective Brannigan of the New York Police Department, the mob and a host of girlfriends from the ‘Hot Box’ cabaret get in the way? Find out by joining us for one of our performances.
Tickets are £5.00 per adult and £2.50 for concessions available through the Box Office. Contact boxoffice@kesw.org or telephone 01428 686 700.
Lonely monkey finds his Val-entine
16/02/15 13:45 Filed in: charity
An embrace with Valerie ends a lifetime of loneliness for rescued Pepe
Lima, Peru: The tale of Pepe, a spider monkey rescued from a circus in world-famous holiday destination Cusco, by London-based Animal Defenders International (ADI) has gripped animal lovers around the world.
The intelligent, playful monkey had been kept alone and chained by the neck for eight years. The circus had snapped off Pepe’s canine teeth so that he could not defend himself, and the world’s leading veterinary dentist had to be flown in to repair the damage. Now, in the most moving chapter of his story so far, Pepe has finally been reunited with his own kind.
ADI has been assisting the Peruvian authorities to enforce their ban on the use of wild animals in circuses, as well as with the relocation of animals seized from the illegal pet trade – a mission called Operation Spirit of Freedom. In January, the ADI rescue centre outside Lima received Valerie, a young, illegally-trafficked spider monkey who was being used for entertainment in a restaurant.
For Valentine’s Day, ADI has released the heart-warming images of Pepe meeting Valerie for the first time, and their joy as they begin to play and chatter to each other:
ADI President Jan Creamer said “Pepe is a gentle soul with a big heart and we are absolutely thrilled to see him and Valerie together knowing they both spent so many years alone – it was a very emotional moment. Pepe has been incredibly affectionate with all of us, but we knew that what he really needed was someone of his own kind to love.”
“We urgently need funds for the habitats in the Amazon to make the forever homes for Pepe, Valerie and the other monkeys we have rescued. They deserve their own happily-ever-after. Just £6 will help give Pepe and Valerie the perfect happy ending.”
ADI has a temporary rescue centre just outside Lima, with a full time veterinary team acting as a hub for Operation Spirit of Freedom in Peru. ADI is caring for 21 lions and over 20 other native wild animals there – mainly monkeys. ADI will be relocating all of the animals to permanent homes in the next two months including flying the 21 lions plus 9 other lions from Colombia, to a sanctuary in Colorado, USA.
As part of the rehabilitation programme, ADI experts assess the individual animals and form family groups so they can be rehomed together. Prior to their emotional union, Pepe and Valerie had reached out to each other and held hands through the bars of their neighbouring enclosures. Then under the watchful eyes of the ADI team, the two monkeys were allowed to meet.
All of the native wildlife rescued during ADI’s Operation Spirit of Freedom, including Pepe and Valerie, will be relocated to sanctuaries in Peru’s Amazon forests but ADI must first construct the jungle habitats that will be their homes.
Jan Creamer, “The current care, relocation and habitat construction costs for this important rescue operation are enormous, but we hope that if Pepe and Valerie’s story touches people’s hearts this Valentine’s Day they will help put right the wrong done to these animals at the hands of people.”
Please donate to help ADI build Pepe and Valerie a new home in the Amazon here >>> LINK (UK)
Find out more about ADI’s Operation Spirit of Freedom here >>> LINK
Cranleigh Show’s new June date is looking good
16/02/15 12:59 Filed in: What's On
Cranleigh Show will be held on the Summer Solstice, June 21, this year, in a radical move away from its traditional August slot.
The change was prompted by the increasingly crowded late summer calendar, with a host of conflicting public and sporting events, including the huge RideLondon 2015 cycle race. The new June date is already looking to be a good choice as competitors and traders have responded with enthusiasm.
Laura Goldsmith from Rudgwick, who shows her Ryeland sheep at Cranleigh, said June was a much better date for families who often were on holiday in August, and for farmers who needed to harvest their fodder crops.
“And it is brilliant that the show has moved back to a Sunday,” she said, “As it enables people to have Saturday to prepare their animals for the show ring.”
Top arena billing this year is shared by two nail-biting entertainments - scurry racing, a first for Cranleigh, and Dylan’s Stuntworld –motorcycle aerobatics back by popular request. Scurry racing is a high speed, exhilarating, fiercely competitive sport, in which pairs of feisty ponies harnessed to a four wheel scurry carriage gallop against the clock through an obstacle course.
James Dylan’s motorcycle stunt repertoire is even more hair-raising as his team-mates egg each other on to more and more gravity defying flights – hanging on by just the handlebars.
Cranleigh Show is a traditional agricultural show, so it is a great way to see immaculately presented cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and poultry. And it is one of the most family friendly shows in the area, with loads of activities and entertainment for young and old.
The Countryside Arena celebrates the Dog! Richard Curtis is bringing his Dancing Dogs while the Warrenby Gun Dog team will demonstrate the consummate obedience of working dogs. Bring the family dog to have a go at Racing Lurchers, Dog Agility and the Companion Dog Show.
Don’t miss out discounts are available for early bookings. Go to www.cranleighshow.co.uk
Romantic Holidays
ROMANTIC HOLIDAYS
Escape with the one you love most on an out of this world travel experience crafted
just for you and your partner.
Visit the Quintessentially website here for more details >>> LINK
‘Do Not Be Afraid’
11/02/15 10:15 Filed in: What's On
‘Do Not Be Afraid’ Art Exhibition Opens at Guildford Cathedral in time for Lent
Catherine Clancy’s work inspired by great poets and hope
Guildford, 17 February – 6 April 2015: Artist Catherine Clancy is holding an exhibition in Guildford Cathedral titled, “Do Not Be Afraid”. Her evocative abstract paintings and impressive sculptures are the culmination of a year’s work, which form this ground-breaking exhibition. The work is timely; as people prepare for a period of abstinence Clancy mirrors in image what is felt in the heart.
Clancy speaking ahead of the exhibition said: “All of us in our lives face dark times, from the loss of a loved one, to the loss of a relationship, or health and financial problems. My work looks at how we face down these fears, how we have to go through the dark to emerge into the light. Ultimately this is a journey about the return of the spirit after desolation and despair”.
Clancy has chosen the title ‘Do Not Be Afraid’ as reference to the visitation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary during the Annunciation. She wishes to illuminate Mary’s ability to say ‘yes’ when truly scared. The title also refers to a more recent example of bravery when the poet Seamus Heaney said: ‘Noli Timere’ – ‘Do not be afraid’ as a last gift of love and reassurance, to his wife as he passed away. In response to, and in support of the exhibition, a series of lectures will be given at the Cathedral over Lent, exploring the same title, “Do not be afraid”.
The exhibition’s opening work takes inspiration from Eliot’s poem the ‘The Four Quartets’, beginning with despair where all seems lost, to a spiritual awakening. Clancy is also influenced by other poets such as Robert Graves, Robin Robertson and the writings of some of world’s great philosophers, charting the journey from darkness to a more hopeful place. This triumphant moment is beautifully captured by her painting ‘A Blinding Brightness.’
Clancy’s work is profound and will arrest the soul. Her use of oil and colour is stunning. The well-known Irish philosopher Richard Kearney commenting on Clancy’s work in her catalogue said: “Beautiful images and hugely moving text”.
Catherine Clancy works as both a painter and a sculptor. Catherine holds a PhD in Philosophy and Fine Art from University of the Arts London. Prior to this she studied at Central St. Martins. The exhibition opens at Guildford Cathedral on 17th February 2015 and runs for seven weeks. The opening times are from Monday to Saturday 9.30am – 4.30pm
For more information contact: Catherine Clancy – Artist
Email: catherineclancy@me.com
Telephone: 07903 354278
Website: www.catherineclancy.co.uk