Blaenavon events

Events - Spring Festival 2007

Blaenavon Spring Festival Saturday 5 May - Monday 7 May 2007 Come and join in with all the fun and festivities in the Town Centre. Concert with Harpist Catrin Finch and Blaenavon Male Voice Choir Literary Events Cordell Players Theatre Group Music & Dance Workshops download event programme here
Photographic Competition Exhibition Monday 30 April - Friday 4 May 10.00am-2.00pm daily 16 Broad Street Exhibition of Photographic Competition Entries. 16 Broad Street.10am-2pm Why not take the opportunity to register your vote for the winning entry in the under 16’s category. Capture the ‘Spirit of Blaenavon’ in your competition entries. All entries must be in the form of prints, electronic copies will not be accepted. Prizes for the top three as voted for by festival visitors. Special prize awarded by visiting photographer Terrick Meakin. For more details on the competition please call 01633 648812.	“Portraits of the Past”. Saturday 5 May - Monday 7 May 10am-5pm Upstairs Browning Books. Chris Barber presents “Portraits of the Past” by Michael Blackmore upstairs in Browning’s Books. Selected works will be available for sale.
Market Saturday 5 May 9.00am-4.00pm Market Street Car Park Market with various stalls. For more information or to book a stall please contact Amy Taylor 01633 648812. Various street entertainment acts will also be performing in the town centre.	Welsh Cake Competition. Saturday 5 May 9am-3pm Bethlehem Chapel Schoolroom Would you like to become a champion Welsh Cake maker? Children and adults are invited to make five Welsh cakes and bring them to Bethlehem Chapel Schoolroom for judging by Cookery Writer Annette Yates before noon. Free Admission.
The Blaenafon Cheddar Company & Mountain Tours Ltd Cycle Hire Launch. Saturday 5 May 10am-5pm 80 Broad Street. Cheese and wine tasters and launch of the Mountain Tours Cycle Hire. Adult and children’s bikes are available for hire. To celebrate the launch, members of the public are invited to take part in a sponsored bike ride from Blaenavon to Goytre Wharf. All proceeds go to charity. If you wish to hire a bike please call 01495 793123.	Exhibition of Crafts. Saturday 5 May 10am-5pm Inspirations Jewellery and Gifts. 74 Broad Street. Exhibition of crafts by local crafts people. Something for everyone!
IPoetry Workshop with Ann Drysdale. Saturday 5 May 10am-12noon Blaenavon Library Poet Ann Drysdale will be running a poetry workshop. A fantastic opportunity to come along and write poetry with an experienced poet.	Book Signing with Trevor Fishlock. Saturday 5 May 10am-12noon Broadleaf Books. Writer and Broadcaster Trevor Fishlock will be signing copies of his books and will be available to answer questions. Trevor has worked on assignments in more than sixty countries. He writes and presents the popular “Wild Tracks” series for ITV.
ICookery Demonstration with Annette Yates.Saturday 5 May 10am-2pm Morris Butchers, 24 Broad Street. Come along and see cookery demonstrations with cookery writer Annette Yates. Her book ‘Welsh Heritage Food and Cooking’ has captured the tastes and traditions of Welsh cooking with over 65 easy to follow traditional recipes featuring step by step instructions and stunning photographs.	Digital Photography Workshop with Betina Skovbro.Saturday 5 May 10am-2pm Meet at Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall. Take part in the workshop which will focus on street photography. Please bring along your own digital camera. Booking essential please contact Amy Taylor 01633 648812.
Chocolate Making Demonstration. Saturday 5 May 11am-2pm Red Rooster, 23 Broad Street. Learn the art of creating your own delicious handmade chocolates packaged up to take home, if you haven’t eaten them already!!	Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway. Saturday 5 May 11.30am-4.30pm Trains regularly operate a half-hourly service from 11.30am to 4.30pm. A single round trip takes approximately 20 minutes and during your journey you can enjoy views over wild and dramatic moor land. For more information please call 01495 792263.
Welsh Cowkeepers in the East End of London 1860-1949. Saturday 5 May 12noon-5pm Band Hall, Broad Street. For nearly 100 years the Welsh dairy and corner shop was as familiar to Londoners as the Italian café was to people in the Valleys. By the 1920s the once necessary custom of keeping cows behind the shop had died out except in the East End. Nigel Winfield, co-author of an exhibition shown at the Welsh Folk Museum in 1988, has continued to research the subject. He will be showing work in progress and talking of the pleasures and pitfalls of researching ‘within living memory’.	Development of Blaenavon World Heritage Centre. Saturday 5 May 1pm-2pm Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall (cinema). Emyr Morgan, Manager of the soon to open Blaenavon World Heritage Centre will give an interesting insight into what the new World Heritage Centre will offer residents and visitors.
Book Signing with Annette Yates.Saturday 5 May 2pm-4pm Browning Books. Cookery writer Annette Yates will be signing copies of her book ‘Welsh Heritage Food and Cooking’ and will be available to answer all your culinary questions!	Poetry Tutorial One-to-One Session with Ann Drysdale. Saturday 5 May 2pm-4pm Blaenavon Library. Take the opportunity to have a one-to-one session and discuss poetry with poet Ann Drysdale.
African Drum Workshop.Saturday 5 May 2pm-3.30pm The Doorway, 69/70 Broad Street. Have you always fancied having a go at the drums? Well here’s your chance! A drum circle is a fantastic way of experiencing the pleasure of making music and generally having fun. Time will fly as you enjoy the power of African Drumming, led by local percussionist and educator David Powell. No experience necessary, just bring an open mind and a sense of humour.	Opening Concert with Catrin Finch and Blaenavon Male Voice Choir. Saturday 5 May 7.30pm-11pm Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall. Spectacular opening concert featuring Welsh Harpist Catrin Finch and the Blaenavon Male Voice Choir. Catrin is regarded as one of the worlds leading players of this most Welsh of instruments and was the Prince of Wales’ Royal Harpist from 2000 to 2004. Organised by the Blaenavon Traders and Tourism Association. Tickets are priced £10.00. Payment can be made by cheque payable to ‘Blaenavon Traders and Tourism Association’ For tickets please call 01633 648812 or 01495 790719. During the evening the winners of the photography competition will be announced.
World Heritage Site Minibus Safari. Sunday 6 May 10.45am-3.30pm Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall. From heather moorland to peat bog, ancient woodland to limestone grassland, Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World Heritage Site is a wildlife enthusiast’s dream. Join Gwent Wildlife Trust Chief Executive Julian Branscombe and World Heritage Site Warden Alvin Nicholas for a short illustrated talk followed by a minibus tour of the areas wildlife habitats. Starts 10.45am-3.30pm. Meet at the Workman’s Hall, Blaenavon. Booking is essential for the minibus tour as places are limited. Please call 01633 648812 to book your place. 10.45am Tea & Coffee 11am-12.15pm Indoor Talk & Questions 12.15pm-1pm Lunch Break (either bring a packed lunch or eat out) 1pm-3.30pm Minibus Tour	Photography Presentation. Sunday 6 May 11am-1pm Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall (cinema). Photographer Terrick Meakin ARPS, APAGB will be presenting and displaying examples of his own photography.
Teddy Bears Picnic. Sunday 6 May 11.30am-4.30pm Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway. Enjoy a picnic with your teddy! Each child accompanied by a bear is given a picnic bag. Trains regularly operate a half-hourly service between 11.30am to 4.30pm. A single round trip takes approximately 20 minutes and during your journey you can enjoy views over wild and dramatic moor land. For more information please call 01495 792263.	Samba Percussion and Dance Workshop. Sunday 6 May 2pm-4pm. Busy Bees, Park Street. Come along and enjoy making your own Samba percussion music with percussionist Adrian Wiggins.
Arabic Belly Dance Workshop. Sunday 6 May 2pm-3.30pm Band Hall, Broad Street. Come and try Middle Eastern Dance! Be inspired by this ancient and elegant art form. Whatever your age, size or level of fitness, Middle Eastern “belly” dancing provides an empowering form of exercise and self expression. The workshop will show you techniques and simple choreography to get you dancing! The tutor will also give a short performance. Wear comfortable clothes - a loose full skirt or baggy trousers and top, a scarf to tie around the hips and if you have one bring a sarong or 1.5m length of material to be a veil. Wear flat shoes or dance barefoot!	Youth Music Showcase. Sunday 6 May 2pm-5pm Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall. A rock fest of up and coming fresh talent from Torfaen. Torfaen County Borough Council, Gwent Music Support, Dragon Bands and Musical Youth present a unique showcase of exciting music featuring a young original group from Pontypool - “4gotten” led by the Musical Youth Project and continuing with music from up and coming artists provided by Dragon Bands. Free admission.
Poetry Reading. Sunday 6 May 7pm-9pm The Queen Victoria Inn Variety will be the watch word for the Spring Festival poetry reading at the Queen Victoria Inn. Ann Drysdale, Jeff Rees and Chris Hall are performance poets with very diverse styles so you can expect to hear thought provoking humorous and serious material. They will also present a selection of poems from the 14th to the 21st Centuries. Stephano Giaccone will provide a breath of Northern Italy with songs and guitar.	Iron in the Soul, Illustrated Talk and Slide Show. Sunday 6 May 2pm-5pm Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall (cinema). Local historian John Evans will give an interesting insight into the history of Blaenavon from earliest times to before the First World War.
Children’s Storytelling. Monday 7 May 10am-11am Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall. Daniel Morden returns to read traditional children’s stories from his books ‘Weird Tales from the Storyteller’ and ‘So Hungry’.	Blaenafon Community Heritage and Cordell Museum. Monday 7 May 10am-4pm Lion Street. Visit the Museum and discover more about the history of Blaenavon and Alexander Cordell, one of Wales’ most prolific writers.
Mr. Bean’s Holiday. Monday 7 May 11am-12.30pm Cinema, Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall.. Mr Bean is heading to the South of France for a simple holiday in the sun. His voyage from London to the Riviera soon transcends into one of mischief and mayhem as he inadvertently creates havoc wherever he goes culminating in an unscheduled and riotous screening of his own video diary at the Cannes Film Festival. Free Admission.	Cordell Connections. Monday 7 May 10am-11am Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall. Come and meet some of the colourful characters brought to life in the books of Alexander Cordell. Hear their stories, find out more about what it was like to live and work in nineteenth century South Wales. Try your hand at spinning with Mama, learn how to make nosebags with Edwina or help Morfydd with the family washing. You can try your hand at helping Bryn Evans get naughty Jed donkey ready to pull a barge or just sit and enjoy a chat with Dada.
Teddy Bears Picnic. Monday 7 May 11.30am-4.30pm Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway. . Enjoy a picnic with your teddy! Each child accompanied by a bear is given a picnic bag. Trains regularly operate a half-hourly service between 11.30am to 4.30pm. A single round trip takes approximately 20 minutes and during your journey you can enjoy views over wild and dramatic moor land. For more information please call 01495 792263.	Official Opening of the Future Blaenafon Community Garden. Monday 7 May 1pm-1.30pm Prince Street. Future Blaenafon will celebrate the launch of the Community Garden. The garden which has seen the group receive help from BTCV, the Greenspace project and notably pupils from Hillside and St Peter’s School, is seen as a welcome addition to the town. So join Future Blaenafon for the launch and come and have a chat about your ideas for the future of the town.
Children’s Storytelling. Monday 7 May 2pm-3pm Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall. Daniel Morden returns to read traditional children’s stories from his books ‘Weird Tales from the Storyteller’ and ‘So Hungry’.	Youth Quiz. Monday 7 May 2pm-3pm The Arundel Club, Ton Mawr Street. Mervin and Dawn Redman extend a warm welcome to the newly reopened Arundel Club. The quiz will start at 2.00pm. Please arrive early to register your team (maximum of six per team). The quiz is open to children between 11 and 14 years old. Prizes will be given to the winning team!
A Taste of Cordell.Monday 7 May 2pm-4pm Blaenavon Workmen’s Hall. The Cordell Players will perform extracts from some of Alexander Cordell’s best loved books: Song of the Earth, The Fire People and Rape of the Fair Country. Come and share in the lives and loves of some of the wonderful characters made famous through Cordell’s novels. A passionate mix of comedy and tragedy interwoven through drama and song. A theatre performance suitable for the whole family, although some scenes may be distressing for younger children. Free Entry.	Quiz Night. Monday 7 May 8pm-11pm Blaenavon RFC, Middle Coed Cae. The quiz will start at 8pm. Please arrive early to register your team (maximum of six per team). Booking prior to the event is suggested. Please call 01633 648812 to register.