Right, looks like Easter - and April - is going to be a challenge with Scott of the Antarctic type conditions and the penguins running line dancing courses. Pasted in below is a straight lift from the CBC what's on section and there are some interesting prospects, with or without children. The Marston Forest Centre's "Nordic Walks" seem to be in the spirit of the current north easterly airflow.
I also had a chuckle at the Bedford Uni Spaghetti western film festival and conference which states: "An international conference running all day on Fri 12 will give delegates the opportunity to learn about & discuss transculturation and liminality within ‘Spaghetti Westerns’ "
It will, will it?
Enjoy everyone. And try to forget about Captain Oates. He's not worth it.
1 - Easter Egghead Hunt
Date: 23rd, 24th, 29th, 30th, 31st March and 1st April 2013
Time: 10:30am - 4:30pm Join us on our egg trail
Join us for an exciting egg hunt with our sponsors Cadburys. Complete our trail exploring the Downs and win a yummy Cadburys chocolate egg!
On Easter Monday, join in our free Egg and Spoon races every half hour from 11am till 3pm. There will be lots of family Easter fun happening too, all in the glorious surroundings of Dunstable Downs.
Booking advisable. Normal admission charges apply.
Download a poster for more information (PDF 139KB)Venue: Dunstable Downs, Chilterns Gateway Centre, Whipsnade Road, Dunstable, Beds LU6 2GY
Tickets: All Tickets £2 (for trail and chocolate prize)
Contact: Chilterns Gateway Centre Shop
Telephone: 01582 500925
Email: dunstabledowns@nationaltrust.org.uk
Website: Chilterns Gateway
2 to 14 - Easter Fun
Date: Tuesday 2 April – Sunday 14 April 2013
Time: Various times throughout the week. Drop in. Come along to see what Stockwood Discovery Centre has in store for your family this Easter holiday:
• Facepainting
• Trail packs
• Bouncy Castle
• Rides
• Children’s craft activities
Venue: Stockwood Discovery Centre, London Road, Luton, LU1 4LX
Admission: Prices vary according to the activity
Enquires: 01582 548600
Website: Stockwood Discovery Centre
2,9,16,23,30 - Nordic Walking
Date: Tuesdays 2,9,16,23,30 April 2013
Time: 9:30am - 10:30am Nordic Walking burns more calories than normal walking and uses all the major muscle groups in the body. Once the technique is perfected it feels easier than conventional walking.
Participants join 6 x 1 hour sessions to learn the various techniques. A session or two can be missed and can be picked up quite easily.
Wear clothing and footwear suitable for the ground and weather conditions.
Cost: for 6 sessions £20 if paid in advance (£16 for friends of the Forest Centre) or £6 per session (£5 for friends) Advance booking essential - contact Dennis Simpson on 07508827279 or
email fortytwa@virginmedia.com
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
Phone: 01234 767037
Fax: 01234 76260
Email: info@marstonvale.org
Website: The Forest of Marston Vale
3,10,17,24 - Health Walks
Date:Wednesday's in April 2013
Time: 10:30am Free, no need to book. Most walks start at Reception but some elsewhere – see notice board or ring 01234 767037 to confirm.
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
Phone: 01234 767037
Fax: 01234 76260
4 - Blows Downs Nature Reserve open event
Date: Thursday 4 April 2013
Time: 10:00am - 3:00pm Come and celebrate with us at the re-opening of the paddocks at Blows Downs. Everyone Welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult
Event: Community and Family Event
Booking: Not required
Location: The Paddocks Blows Downs Nature Reserve, LU5 4AE
Price: Free. Donations gratefully accepted
Wheelchair Access: No
Mobility: Uneven steep slopes in areas
Contact: Ruth Sneath 01525 874317 ruth.sneath@wildlifebcn.org
Website: The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire
4 - Fun, Facts and Craft
Hop to it - Find out about Frogs
Date: Thursday 4 April 2013
Time: 4 sessions for 25 children each: 10:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm. Get busy finding out about frogs with some frog-themed fun and games.
Cost: £2.50 per child. All children must be accompanied by an adult
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
To book ring: 01234 767037
Fax: 01234 76260
4 - Learning Lunchtime
Researching Army Ancestry with Nigel Lutt
Date: Thursday 4 April 2013
Time: 11:00am Come and listen to a different angle on researching family history.
Cost: The talk is free and you can just turn up to the Forest Centre for 11am
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
5 - Tea Dances at Kempston
Date: Fridays - 5th, 19th April / 3rd May
Time: 2:00pm - 4:15pm Tea Dances are held every two weeks and feature Ballroom, Latin, Sequence and Olde Tyme dancing.
Venue: Kempston Hammers Sports and Social Club, 134 High St, Kempston
Admission: £2.50 which includes tea, biscuits and a free raffle
Contact: Maurice on 01462 628656
7 - Sunday stroll - a gentle Sunday walk
Date: Sunday 7 April 2013
Time: 10:30am - Walks last approximately 2 hours. Come and join us in the Country Park for a gentle walk to hear how the Park was set up and a little about the surrounding area. The walk will keep to hard surfaced tracks in the Park which are mostly level but have short sections of gradient up to 1:9.
Cost: £1, payable on the day - no need to book.
Venue: Meet at the Forest Centre Reception, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.MK43 0PR
Why not finish the morning off with lunch in our Forest Centre Restaurant? Call 01234 767037 for details.
Further information and updates contact the Forest of Marston Vale
7,14,21,28 - Nordic Walking
Date: Sundays 7,14,21,28 April 2013
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm Nordic Walking burns more calories than normal walking and uses all the major muscle groups in the body. Once the technique is perfected it feels easier than conventional walking.
Participants join 6 x 1 hour sessions to learn the various techniques. A session or two can be missed and can be picked up quite easily.
Wear clothing and footwear suitable for the ground and weather conditions.
Cost: for 6 sessions £20 if paid in advance (£16 for friends of the Forest Centre) or £6 per session (£5 for friends) Advance booking essential - contact Dennis Simpson on 07508827279 or
email fortytwa@virginmedia.com
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
Phone: 01234 767037
Fax: 01234 76260
Email: info@marstonvale.org
Website: The Forest of Marston Vale
7 - HULA Animal Rescue, Easter Eggstravaganza
Date: Sunday 7 April 2013
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm - Easter Egg Hunt
- Easter Bonnet Competition (prize for 1st adult and 1st child)
- Meet the rescued pets and farm animals
- Charity Bazaar and Book Store
- Children's fun and games
- Meet rescued pets and farm animals
- Refreshments
Download an event poster (PDF 558KB)Entry: adults £2 accompanied children free
Venue: Glebe Farm, Salford Road, Aspley Guise MK17 8HZ Between M1 Junction 13 and Woburn Sands (Nr. Aspley Guise Rail Station)
Enquiries: (01908) 584000
Website: HULA Animal Rescue
Email: hularescue@tiscali.co.uk
Download the HULA Animal Rescue -
Calendar of events for 2013 (PDF 71KB)All Proceeds from this events goes to the Care and Welfare of HULA's Rescued Animals
Rgd. Charity 1094115
9 - Artist Salon: Touring your show DIY Style
Date: Tuesday 9th April, 2013
Time: 2:00pm 6:00pm Presented by The Hat Factory and Arts Council England
Here at the Artist Salon we provide some of the groovy industry tips that you may need to help you take that first step to making a creative piece of work in the performing arts sector as an emerging or mid career artist/company, producer or creative practitioner.
Ever fancy taking your theatre, circus, dance, spoken word production on the road? How do you go about doing this? What budget do you need to make this happen? How do you go about recruiting the right creative team? This event give you an A to Z guide on how to make it happen on a shoe string budget.
Run Time: 240 minutes Box office: 01582 878100
Venue: The Hat Factory, 65 - 67 Bute Street, Luton LU1 2EY
Tickets: £5 workshop, £10 workshop and My Robot Heart evening performance ticket
Telephone: 01582 878100
Website: The Hat Factory
9 - My Robot Heart
Date: Tuesday 9 April, 2013
Time: 7:30pm Molly Naylor & The Middle Ones present
My Robot Heart
Warm, poignant storytelling entwined with live folk music. Molly Naylor (BBC Radio 4) tells the story of a family in which three generations encounter love and fear. ‘Brave, funny, tough and beautiful writing’ - The Guardian.
Ages 14+ Run time 65 minutes
Venue: The Hat Factory, 65 - 67 Bute Street, Luton LU1 2EY
Tickets: £10 / £8 concessions / £5 NUS / £3 under 18s
Telephone: 01582 878100
Website: The Hat Factory
11 - Fun, Facts and Craft
Bluebell wood
Date: Thursday 11 April 2013
Time: 4 sessions for 25 children each: 10:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm. Design your own spring woodland and make a bluebell. Find out where you can enjoy bluebell woods in the Marston Vale.
Cost: £2.50 per child. All children must be accompanied by an adult
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
To book ring: 01234 767037
Fax: 01234 76260
11,12,13 - Spaghetti Cinema Film Festival and Conference
Date: Thursday 11 – Saturday 13 April, 2013
Time: various times The University of Bedfordshire film festival will screen an array of ‘Spaghetti Westerns’. An international conference running all day on Fri 12 will give delegates the opportunity to learn about & discuss transculturation and liminality within ‘Spaghetti Westerns’.
See Luton Culture for more information.
Conference delegate pass (every event): £15
Festival pass (every film plus 2 talks): £10
Individual film ticket: £4 / £2 concs
Frayling and van Husen sessions only: £4
Venue: Luton Library Theatre, Luton Central Library, St George’s Square, Luton LU1 2NG
Telephone: 01582 547474
Website: Luton Library Theatre
13 - Hugo (pg)
Date: Saturday 13 April 2013
Time: Doors open 2:30pm Ivel Flix presents HUGO
The astonishing adventure of an orphaned boy, sent to live with his drunken uncle, where he learns how to wind the station clocks. When he disappears, Hugo maintains the clocks on his own, becoming a squatter in the station. His aptitude for engineering leads him to steal pieces to rebuild a mechanical man, his father’s project. Avoiding the station's lone police officer and the orphanage, Hugo strikes up a friendship with Isabelle, who unknowingly possesses the last item Hugo needs to make his father’s mechanical man work again.
Download a poster for more information (PDF 254KB)Venue: Space For Sport and Arts, Holmemead School, Mead End, Biggleswade
Tickets: £3.50
Website: ivelflix.org.uk
14 - Conservation Task - Weaving the willow sculptures and work in the Sensory Garden
Date: Sunday 14 April 2013
Time: 10:00am Join our volunteer team to do something for the environment, get some exercise and have fun. We carry out a variety of practical projects throughout the Vale. Wear old clothes and bring lunch if you want to stay all day. We provide tea and biscuits.
Meet at the Forest Centre (Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford. MK43 0PR) - finishes about 4.15pm. Places on this task are limited so please let us know if you wish to attend.
For further details contact stephen.gascoyne@marstonvale.org or 01234 762614.
Further information and updates contact the Forest of Marston Vale
16,23,29 - Creation Station
Date: Every Tuesday during Term Time
Time: 10:45am - 11:30am A series of weekly events for pre-school children, giving them the chance to experiment with a range of materials, tools and ideas. Sessions, suitable for ages 15 months to 5 years, are designed to develop a child’s thinking and creativity. In each 50 minute class children will be encouraged to explore new ideas and learn about texture, shape and colour in a structured session incorporating music and a “Show and Tell” at the end. Great fun for the kids and no clearing up for the adults!
Cost: £5 per child (reduction for siblings).
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
To book: email louiseplatt@thecreationstation.co.uk or call 0844 854 9178.
Full details of the events can be found on the Creation Station.
Look out for a full programme of Creation Station events starting at the Forest Centre in January.
16 - The Playground:(scratch n pitch)
Date: Tuesday 16 April, Tuesday 7 May, Tuesday 4 June 2013
Time: 7:30pm The Playground is a night where creative artists from the world of theatre, dance, music, digital installation, live art and spoken word performances test out their creative ideas in front of an audience. If you are interested in giving your creative ideas a try then send us an email: oluwatoyin.odunsi@lutonculture.com
Ages 14+ Run time 90 minutes
Venue: The Hat Factory, 65 - 67 Bute Street, Luton LU1 2EY
Tickets: £3 per person
Telephone: 01582 878100
Website: The Hat Factory
18 - Hedgerow craft - its unique role in our landscape
Date: Thursday 18th April 2013
Time: 8:00pm How and why did hedgerows come about?
What is their role in the landscape?
Are there regional variations in hedgerows?
And how are things changing over time? To find out, please come along to a special illustrated talk, Hedgerows and their management, to be given by expert Paul Blissett.
Some fascinating and distinctive items, including traditional hedgelaying tools and associated protective clothing, will be on display, and members of the audience can also ask questions.
Paul has combined a 20-year career in IT with 25 years’ hedgelaying and 10 years’ yoga teaching. His guiding principle is "find something you enjoy and you'll never work another day in your life". Find out more at http://www.hedgelayer.freeserve.co.uk/
Venue: St Mary's Parish Church crypt, Park Street, Woburn MK17 9PG
Tickets: The talk is open to everyone, free to CPRE Bedfordshire members, and £2.50 for non-members.
This will be a popular event, so please book ahead if you can by email ann.cw@cprebeds.org.uk or telephone 01234 353331. You are also welcome to turn up on the day.
Website: CPRE Beds
18 - Learning Lunchtime
Archives for Local History: the Bedfordshire Sources with Nigel Lutt
Date: Thursday 18 April 2013
Time: 11:00am Learn something new about the area you live in.
Cost: The talk is free and you can just turn up to the Forest Centre for 11am
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
18,19,20 - You Obviously Know What I’m Talking About
Date: Tuesday 18,19,20 April, 2013
Time: 7:30pm A magical theatrical experience about those days when, if anything can go wrong, it will. ‘It’s bright and colourful and big of heart, a kind of live action cartoon’ - The Stage. ‘Mesmerising. One of this year’s most delightfully charming productions ?????‘ - New Current
Ages 5+ Run time 60 minutes
Venue: The Hat Factory, 65 - 67 Bute Street, Luton LU1 2EY
Tickets: £10 / £8 concessions / £5 NUS / £3 under 18s
Telephone: 01582 878100
Website: The Hat Factory
20 - NCT Nearly New Sale - Biggleswade
Date: Saturday 20th April 2013,
Time: 2:15pm - 3:30pm
(early entry at 2:00pm for NCT members, with a valid membership card) Biggleswade, Sandy & District Branch Spring Nearly New Sale.
Items for sale include: children's clothes from 0-8, toys, nursery equipment and buggies
Admission: £1 (in aid of NCT)
Venue: Stratton Upper School, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade
Email: nearlynewsale@biggleswade-nct.org.uk for more information see our Facebook Page (Biggleswade NCT)
21 - Wedding Fayre
Date: Sunday 21 April 2013
Time: 11:00am - 4:00pm Alongside the regular wedding staples - cars, cakes, wedding dresses and jewellery - this time there will be a new ‘All About the Bride’ section – dedicated to all things bridal! Hair, makeup, slimming advice – everything you need to make you feel like a million dollars on your big day.
Admission to the Forest Centre is free, however we recommended that you pre-register online, to skip queues on the day. Come and chat to experts and get inspiration; whether you are starting planning or looking for final touches, there is something for all brides-to-be! While you are here, look at our wedding packages to see how we can help you incorporate the Forest into your big day.
For more information contact lifestyles@woocandoo.com or call 01234 767037
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
Phone: 01234 767037
Fax: 01234 76260
25 - Learning Lunchtime
The History of Italian Cooking with Christine Fellini
Date: Thursday 25 April 2013
Time: 11:00am Christine runs an Italian cookery school and will talk you through the various twists and turns in its history with some great recipes.
Cost: The talk is free and you can just turn up to the Forest Centre for 11am
Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Vale Millennium Country Park, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford.
MK43 0PR
25 - Single Act / Yellow Card
Date: Thursday 25 April, 2013
Time: 7:30pm Khamlane Halsackda presents
Single Act / Yellow Card
In autobiographical solo Single Act, acclaimed contemporary dancer Halsackda revisits the first time he fell in love. Yellow Card is a duet looking at the contradiction that is the East Asian image. ‘a charming humour’ – Bournemouth Echo
Ages 14+
Run time 60 minutes
Venue: The Hat Factory, 65 - 67 Bute Street, Luton LU1 2EY
Tickets: £10 / £8 concessions / £5 NUS / £3 under 18s
Telephone: 01582 878100
Website: The Hat Factory
27 - Parkfield Middle School 50th birthday celebrations
Date: Sunday 27 April 2013
Time: 12:00noon - 4:30pm Open School 7:00pm - 11:30 pm Hog Roast and Memories Disco Please contact us if you have any memorabilia we can borrow or can offer us any help – Katie Perch 07817317241 katie.perch@sky.com
Download a poster of the day's events (PDF 24KB)Venue: Parkfield Middle School,
Tickets: On sale in February
Website: For regular updates and information – www.facebook.com/parkfieldsis50
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