Twickenham Festival charity auction

Do you have a collectable item that is now surplus to your needs? Would you help to restore one of Twickenham’s greatest treasures by donating it to a charity auction during Twickenham Festival?

As part of the Twickenham Festival High Road Auctions, Twickenham, is generously holding a charity auction of high quality collectables to benefit Turner’s House Trust Appeal. It takes place at 2pm on Sunday 21 June and will feature donations of paintings, ceramics, glass, silver, jewellery and furniture. Among items already promised is a wonderful drawing by WW2 artist Feliks Topolski and a 1790s watercolour of the Thames at Brentford.

Sandycombe Lodge, the country villa that our universally acclaimed landscape artist JMW Turner designed as his country retreat, is to be saved for the nation. However, in order for restoration work to proceed, Turner’s House Trust, which has already raised over £2 million, must find the final £250,000.

“We have been generously supported by private and institutional donors, as well as many pro bono hours donated by our wonderful volunteers. We just need to get the final slice,” explained Catherine Parry-Wingfield, the Trust’s chairman.

“High Road Auctions is delighted to be hosting the charity auction to benefit Turner’s House Trust as part of the Twickenham Festival. We hope it will be a fun event in support of a worthy cause and we look forward to welcoming everyone to our saleroom,” said David Holmes, branch manager, High Road Auctions, Twickenham.

“This a great opportunity for all of us to help preserve for the nation this unique 3-dimensional Turner work that we are so lucky to have in Twickenham. We are extremely grateful to have this wonderful support from High Road Auctions. Even if you have nothing to donate, do come and join us on the day: you may even return home with something new to cherish,” said Catherine Parry-Wingfield.

Auction donations should be delivered to High Road Auctions, 55-61 Heath Road: smaller items from Tuesday 9 June; larger items such as furniture from Tuesday 16 June. All items delivered by 6pm Wednesday 17 June.

Tags: Twickenham Festival charity auction, Twickenham Festival

A Literary Festival in Kew Gardens, 24-28 September 2015

Kew Gardens is to launch its first ever literary festival this autumn. From Thursday 24th to Monday 28th September 2015, the Gardens will welcome a host of world famous authors and writers from all genres for a series of scintillating talks and events. Festival highlights include Margaret Atwood, Mel Giedroyc, Michael Morpurgo, Esther Freud, Neel Mukherjee, Bill Bryson, Iain Sinclair and Ella Woodward.

Stunning surrounds, breath-taking architecture and over 250 years of science and history make Kew Gardens a perfect location for a new London literary festival. Each ticket includes full access to the Gardens for the day, and many of the talks will take place in Kew’s listed buildings, including the Nash Conservatory and Museum Number 1, overlooking the iconic Palm House.

Visitors will immerse themselves in the rich world of books as beauty, creativity and knowledge come together at the festival. Come and soak in the landscape in between thought-provoking talks, as the season moves into the mellow hues of autumn.

Richard Deverell, Director of Kew Gardens says: “We are delighted to be launching a new London literary festival. Kew is so much more than just a botanic garden, and as an organisation with over 250 years of knowledge, creativity and burning scientific passion behind it, I am thrilled to be welcoming some of the world’s best writers and thinkers.”

The Festival’s programming directors Anne Elletson and Tanya Burgess say: “Books and nature both stimulate the imagination and take us to new and unexpected places; and what better place than Kew Gardens, a science institution and botanic garden to provide a new London platform for debate, discovery, creativity and a flow of ideas.”

For more information and for tickets, please visit www.kew.org

Tags: What's on, Kew Gardens, Literary Festival, Ella Woodward, Iain Sinclair, Bill Bryson, Margaret Atwood, Neel Mukherjee, Esther Freud, Michael Morpurgo, Mel Giedroyc, September 2015

Elephantastic loving life

Creativity will soon be flowing for primary school children in the Horsham area who will be putting forward ideas to win one of only three giant elephants to decorate for the town’s Elephantastic project.

The school that submits the most eye-catching and innovative design will receive the huge naked cardboard elephant which they will ‘dress to impress’ in readiness for its public appearances and ultimate auction to raise funds for the elephantastic charities. The Elephantastic spectacular is set to take Horsham by storm from 26 July through to 31 August where 150 unique and colourful elephants will brighten up the streets of the town centre and its surrounding rural areas.

Following the success of the giraffe trails in 2013, Elephantastic, organised by Horsham Rotary Club in partnership with Horsham District Council, local traders’ organisation, Horsham Unlimited and Billingshurst-based marketing agency PMW Communications, is set to be the biggest event of its kind at almost triple the size.

Earlier this week another of the giant models was delivered to its new owners at PMW Communications, where PR Director Gemma Hook had the pleasure of interviewing the elephant upon his arrival and got the inside scoop on the company’s latest recruit. The full interview can be found here >>> www.pmwcom.co.uk

John Le Rossignol at the Horsham Rotary Club commented: “There is so much room for creativity when it comes to Elephantastic, people are having a lot of fun with it. It’s been a crazy few weeks and we’ve certainly been kept on our toes with the influx of orders and shipping of the elephants. With fewer than 50 now left in stock businesses who want to be involved need to make themselves ‘herd’!”
“We are calling on companies located in the rural surroundings of the town in particular, to host the elephants as part of the countryside trails, it’s a fantastic opportunity to draw people to the area and be part of something really powerful and visually appealing.”

Almost 30 locally based charities are so far set to benefit from money raised including Elephantastic partner; the Born Free Foundation, Chestnut Tree House, CoCo’s Foundation, the Dame Vera Lynn Trust and also smaller charities such as Woods for Learning, the Phoenix Stroke Club, and local community groups.

For people who want to see elephants being decorated first-hand, artists from the Horsham Artists Open Studios Group are painting an elephant family during their Pop-Up exhibition in Swan Walk from Thursday 21 May through to Sunday 24 May.

ABOUT ROTARY INTERNATIONAL IN GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND - Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland www.rotarygbi.org is a volunteer organisation where members use their skills and their time to improve the lives of others while having great fun in the process. There are nearly 1,800 Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland and 51,000 members. Rotary is open to anyone aged 18 and upwards. All that is required is a positive attitude and a sense of adventure. Rotary International was founded in 1905 in Chicago and is now the world’s largest international service organisation with 1.2 million professional men and women as members. There are 33,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographical areas.

ABOUT BORN FREE - The Born Free Foundation is a dynamic international wildlife charity, devoted to compassionate conservation and animal welfare. Born Free takes action worldwide to protect threatened species and stop individual animal suffering. Born Free believes wildlife belongs in the wild and works to phase out zoos. We rescue animals from lives of misery in tiny cages and give them lifetime care. Born Free protects lions, elephants, tigers, gorillas, wolves, polar bears, dolphins, marine turtles and many more species in their natural habitat, working with local communities to help people and wildlife live together without conflict. Our high-profile campaigns change public attitudes, persuade decision-makers and get results. Every year, Born Free helps hundreds of thousands of animals worldwide. For more information about Born Free please visit: www.bornfree.org.uk

Tags: Elephantastic, Dame Vera Lynn Trust, CoCo’s Foundation, Horsham Artists Open Studios Group, Woods for Learning, Phoenix Stroke Club, Chestnut Tree House, PMW Communications, Horsham Unlimited, Born Free Foundation, Horsham Rotary Club, Horsham District Council

Loseley Park - A stately home for all occasions

On Friday May 15 Loseley Park celebrated the completion of its new roof – the first complete re-roofing in nearly 160 years. 90,000 deep orange tiles have replaced the old slate and a party of 60 attended the event, including The Mayor of Guildford, Nikki Nelson-Smith, and Anne Milton, MP for Guildford. The work started at the end of September, using 550 tons of scaffolding soaring 100 foot high and stretching 200 feet across the whole of the House.

A magnificent screen with a giant photo of the façade covered up the scaffolding for the past seven months and 30 men worked on the site at any one time. Before going up to lay the last two tiles on the roof itself, Anne Milton toasted the new roof: “It’s a huge privilege to be here today and everyone has played their part. I’d like to thank the More-Molyneux family for this House, which is part of our history in Guildford.”

Mike More-Molyneux, Loseley’s owner, said: “To say we are thrilled would be a gross understatement. It’s lovely to be celebrating this very special occasion and everyone has worked so hard and with such skill to achieve the end result. We really do appreciate it. We also feel that the tiles have mellowed the house and also as a result brought out the colour of the stone.”

Mike is the direct descendant of Sir William More, who built the manor in 1562 at the behest of Elizabeth I, who stayed with her entire Court no less than four times during her reign. “Loseley is deeply rooted in history and it is extraordinary to think that the last time we had a new roof was 1856 when Queen Victoria was instituting The Victoria Cross, and The National Gallery was just opening in London.”

For more information about Loseley Park visit >>> www.loseley-park.co.uk

Tags: Loseley Park, Guildford, godalming, Mike More-Molyneux, The Mayor of Guildford

HAVE YOU EVER FANCIED A HOME SWAP HOLIDAY?

BBC One's Home Away from Home is back and looking for people who want to try out a home swap holiday in the UK.

Do you live in a home you'd be happy to swap with someone elsewhere in the UK for a short break?

Would you like the chance to have a new experience and discover local cuisine, sight-seeing that goes beyond the guide book, and an authentic place to stay?

With Home Away from Home you could be enjoying a unique holiday experience in a stunning part of the UK...

Here is the shows BBC website page www.bbc.co.uk and a link to the 'Be on a Show' website www.bbc.co.uk/beonashow

For an application form or an initial chat, please get in touch right away!
Email: homeawayfromhome@bbc.co.uk Phone: 0208 008 1468

Tags: TV, BBC One's, Home Away From home

Internationally renowned artists’ works of Kate Moss, Marilyn Monroe and Dita Von Teese to be auctioned

Today, 14 May 2015, an online auction launches which aims to raise £350,000 to support the charitable efforts of ‘Elephant Haven’ in establishing Europe’s first elephant sanctuary.

It is estimated that over 600 elephants in Europe are in need of a safe haven. An increasing number of European countries have banned the use of elephants in circuses, but such elephants have nowhere to go. Elephant Haven are seeking to offer these elephants a place in which to retire in peace. A suitable site for the sanctuary has been identified and secured in South of France but the charity is in need of an additional £350,000 in funding in order to make the project a reality.

Pieces for the auction, which will be managed by Rosebery’s, reflect the worlds of art, fashion, music and design and have been kindly donated by Elephant Family (a charity that protects endangered elephants in Asia) the artists themselves and also by a number of galleries. Pieces include artworks from illustrator Quentin Blake, sculptor Angela Connor, urban artist Dom Pattinson (whose pieces grace the walls of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, piece donated by Zebra One gallery) and photographer Gitte Meldgaarde - who has donated a sensual photographic print of Dita von Teese. Also on the lot are works from fashion icons such as Dame Vivienne Westwood, Stephen Jones and Dinny Hall, in addition to items from Sir Peter Blake, Polly Morgan, Billy Childish, Patti Smith and Corrine Day.

The online auction is uniquely accessible, with some reserve prices starting at just £100 sitting alongside big ticket items including two original 1990 photograph prints of Kate Moss by Kate Garner, a Russell Young screen print of Marilyn Monroe adorned with diamond dust (kindly donated by Bankrobber Gallery) an Anita Klein original, an ink on paper work from Yoko Ono, and a print from Julian Lennon.

The celebrities, artists and influential figures involved in the exhibition have all contributed their thoughts on the important issue of elephant welfare. Julian Lennon commented, “I’m interested to see how human consciousness will evolve when freedom and respect for other animals is achieved. Sanctuaries for refugee elephants such as Elephant Haven are the brick and mortar for what is a fundamental rights issue.”

The online auction launches today, and will remain live until a live auction takes place at Library, Covent Garden, on 9 June. For tickets to the evening Auction on 9 June, search for ‘Elephant Haven’ on www.eventbrite.co.uk.

To view the collection and to bid online, visit auctions.roseberys.co.uk. For more information, please visit www.elephanthaven.org.

The event has been organised by Meesh Bryant and Kate Garner from Bolt Agency, for Elephant Haven. Additional thanks are also due to: John Marchant Gallery, Bankrobber Gallery, Paul Stolper, Gimpel Fils and Scream.

Tags: Auctions, Kate Moss, Marilyn Monroe, Dita Von Teese, Scream, Gimpel Fils, Paul Stolper, Bolt Agency, Bankrobber Gallery, John Marchant Gallery, Meesh Bryant, Kate Garner , Elephant Haven

Grayshott Spa were proud to celebrate five members of staff who have been at Grayshott for 25 years. Quite an achievement!

A reception for the ‘Fab Five’ was held in Bubbles bar, with drinks, speeches and the giving of gifts, and a celebratory photograph taken to feature on the new website.

The staff in question are:
Elaine Williams – Director of Natural Therapeutics
Karen Mitchell – Head of Natural Therapies
Babs Butterfield – Deputy Housekeeper
Michael Burford – Reservationist
David Johnson – Night Porter

Visit the Spa website here www.grayshottspa.com

Tags: Grayshott Spa

South west London and Surrey dog crèche business, Bruce's Doggy Day Care, has scooped its third business award in less than a year.

Last night (Thursday 23 April), founder Bruce Casalis and colleagues Joanne Van Rensburg and Hannah Searle (see attached photo) collected their winning trophy in the Turnover up to £1 Million category at the Toast of Surrey Business Awards 2015.

Bruce said: "It's fantastic news for me, the team and all our four-legged friends. We're absolutely delighted and cannot believe this is our third award. The past year has been incredible and we have lots planned for the future including expansion - watch this space!"

In 2014, Bruce's Doggy Day Care also won Best Small Business at the London Business Awards and Entrepreneur of the Year at the Wandsworth Business Awards.

Visit Bruce's website here www.brucesdoggydaycare.co.uk

Tags: Awards, Bruce’s Doggy Day Care, Business Awrad

Join National Trust Ranger on a walk to discover more about the vibrant butterflies that live on Bookham Commons

Early summer heralds a glorious display of butterflies on Bookham Commons in Surrey; in fact, yearly sightings of these beautiful creatures mean that Bookham Commons are amongst the best woods in England to see one of the UK’s largest butterflies – the purple emperor. Join National Trust Ranger, Ian Swinney, on Sunday 5 July for a two hour guided walk of the commons looking at these fabulous insects.

Ian, who is one of the National Trust’s longest serving Rangers, has a real passion for Bookham Commons and the myriad colours of these bold and blowsy creatures. “Each afternoon male purple emperor butterflies gather at two special clumps of trees and put on amazing territorial displays” Ian says. He continues “the purple emperor season begins around 24th June, peaking in the second week of July. By August the butterflies are over”.

The white admiral is another butterfly commonly seen at Bookham Commons, so much so that in most years the rare black admiral colour form also occurs. These butterflies can be seen in shadier places, from mid-June until late July whereas silver-washed fritillaries are abundant during July and August in Bookham’s woods; look for them feeding on the nectar of brambles and thistles.

Emperors and Admirals is a two hour guided walk with Ranger Ian Swinney on Sunday 5 July from 10am until 12noon. Tickets, which need to be booked in advance, cost £10 per person and can be booked by calling 01372 220644.

Did you know – 5 facts about the butterflies of Bookham Commons
1. The purple emperor is Britain’s largest and most impressive butterfly. It inhabits three annually used territories on Bookham Commons. The female wing span is 70-92mm.
2. The favoured food of the purple emperor is goat willow and grey willow
3. The white admiral has a graceful flight and soars and glides close to the contours of oak trees. It’s smaller than the purple emperor and has more rounded wings.
4. White admiral females look for shaded honeysuckle leaves to lay their small, shiny grey/brown, sea-urchin-like (including the spines) eggs.
5. The silver-washed fritillary is a large orange-brown butterfly chequered with black spots. The male is brighter in colour but the female is slightly larger.

About Bookham Commons
In the summer the commons are buzzing with butterflies. Silver-washed fritillaries patrol along rides in June and July, and white admirals gracefully glide over bramble flowers. And, if you’re very lucky, a magnificent purple emperor might swoop down near you on a warm summer morning in July.

Tags: What's on, Bookham Commons , National Trust

Free drop in workshop activities suitable for all the family based on the idea Mad Hatters Tea Party.

On Saturday 6 June at New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, GU9 7PS, www.newashgate.org.uk 11am – 3.30pm
The New Ashgate Gallery invites you to celebrate the launch of their summer craft collection, to do this they are inviting members of the public to attend a free drop-in workshop day, inspired by the Alice in Wonderland iconic storyline: the Mad Hatters Tea Party, celebrating its 150th Anniversary. All of the activities are to inspire the public (in particular young people) to create their own crockery designs based on a Tea Party. Surrey Open Studios artist Clare Waterhouse will be demonstrating her pottery, offering additional inspiration to the theme of the day.

The 6th June is also the start of this year’s Surrey Artists Open Studios. During studio visits; members of the public can vote for your favourite artist who could become the Surrey Artist of the Year 2015 and win a solo show at New Ashgate Gallery. The New Ashgate Gallery supports and celebrates the quality and diversity of local and nationally produced craft. The gallery wishes to raise the awareness of their services and the craft makers they represent; highlighting the unique collections of ceramics ideal for a Tea Party, in particular a unique ceramic collection.

The New Ashgate Gallery Tea Party involves four free half day workshops in local schools including South Farnham, Abbey and St Andrews schools; in additional to the free drop in activities at the New Ashgate Gallery on Saturday 6 June.

More information: The New Ashgate Gallery is a destination to view and buy the best of affordable contemporary art and craft by established and emerging artists and makers. New Ashgate is dedicated to promote and champion the best contemporary art and craft in the market place and to provide an unparalleled resource in Farnham, Surrey and beyond. The Gallery curates an exciting programme of changing exhibitions and has an affordable gift shop. As a not-for-profit charity, it also fosters emerging artists and makers through mentoring and touring exhibitions, working in partnership with organisations such as the University for the Creative Arts and the Crafts Council.

Contact: Caroline Jackman Gallery Director
New Ashgate Gallery, Waggon Yard, Farnham, GU9 7PS,
Telephone: 01252 713208,
Email: caroline.jackman@newashgate.org.uk
Website: newashgate.org.uk
Gallery Open: Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 5pm

Tags: What's on, New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham