Raveningham Gardens Norfolk Snowdrop Season

Raveningham Gardens South Norfolk opens for the snowdrop season from Sunday, February 10 to Friday, March 1. See drifts of snowdrops in the main garden, Monday to Friday 11am to 4pm and Sunday 2pm to 4pm (dusk if earlier) – closed Saturdays.

                                          Galanthus Jacquenetta

Admission is adults £4, concessions £3.50 and children under 16 free; proceeds go to Priscilla Bacon Lodge, a centre for specialist palliative care services in Norwich. Tea and home made cakes served on Sundays and sunny days.

Raveningham Hall is the home of Sir Nicholas and Lady Bacon. It was Sir Nicholas’ mother, Priscilla Bacon, who added snowdrops to the garden.

The 18th century Walled Kitchen Garden with its large glasshouses will be open and visitors will also be able to enjoy views across the new lake established at the turn of the Millennium and the contemporary sculpture in the gardens.

Raveningham Gardens (NR14 6NS) is 10 miles south east of Norwich, signposted off the A146 at Hales, then B1136, tel. 01508 548152, www.raveningham.com.

The gardens open for the mains season from Easter Sunday 31 March to the end of August as follows: all Bank Holiday Sundays and Mondays, 2pm to 5pm – and all Thursdays 11am to 4pm.

Special Openings

Wild Flowers Week Monday 13 May to Friday 17 May, daily 11am to 4pm (closed Saturday and Sunday)

Rose Weeks Monday 17 June to Friday 21 June, daily 11am to 4pm and Monday 24 June to Friday 28 June, daily 11am to 4pm (closed Saturdays and Sundays).

Agapanthus Weeks Monday 29 July to Friday 2 August, and Monday 5 August to Friday 9 August open Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm (closed Saturdays and Sundays).

Autumn Fruit and Vegetable Weeks Monday 23 September to Friday 27 September and Monday 30 September to Friday 4 October open Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm (closed Saturdays and Sundays)

The Taste of Autumn, Sunday 6 October, 11am to 4pm, entry £5 a car.
The Taste of Autumn is a celebration of the autumnal fruits of the garden, hedgerow and woodland, with Raveningham’s walled vegetable garden, glasshouses, orchard and herb garden at its heart.  Meet local producers and enjoy talks and tours on fungi, herbs, fruit and vegetables.

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden Star Party – Saturday, February 9

Party with the stars at Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, South Walsham, Norfolk, on Saturday, February 9, from 7pm until late.

Astronomers from Norwich Astronomical Society will be bringing their telescopes to set up on the field. There will be also talks from Norwich astronomers throughout the evening and meet Mark Thompson from BBC Stargazing Live, who will be signing copies of his new book, A Down to Earth Guide to the Cosmos.

Entry to the event, organised in partnership with Norwich Astronomical Society, is adult £3.50, child £2. Bring your own telescope if you have one; wrap up warm, sorry no torches. Soup, teas and coffees will be available in the tearoom from 7pm.

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden is at South Walsham, nine miles east of Norwich, signposted off A47 at B1140 junction, www.fairhavengarden.co.uk, t. 01603 270449.

The garden is open daily all year from 10am to 5pm (closed Christmas Day and closes 4pm in the winter).  Garden entry is adult £6, concessions £5.50 and child £3.50 (under 5 free); free entry to tearoom, gift shop and plant sales. There is wheelchair access throughout the garden, including a Sensory Garden. Visitors requiring special facilities are advised to telephone in advance, mobility scooters available. Dogs are welcome on leads; small charge to cover poop scoop.

Wymondham Music Festival - Annual Public Meeting - 4 February

Head to Fairland Church Centre, Wymondham, Norfolk, on Monday, February 4 at 7pm for Wymondham Music Festival's 11th Annual Public Meeting.  Hear about plans for Festival Fortnight 2013, plus a review of 2012. There will also be plenty of opportunities to ask questions and make suggestions in the meeting and chat informally over coffee and cakes.

The evening begins at 7pm with music from Ian Hireson and Mark Jolley, who normally perform as the Bays River Jazz Duo. “Ian and Mark play familiar jazz standards with a light touch, always providing a happy sound, “ said John Wood, Wymondham Music Festival Chairman; “a good introduction to an evening of looking forward to Wymondham's musical summer.” Refreshments are also served at 7pm.

The main meeting begins at 7.30pm with a review of 2012 including the annual accounts, and then looks forward to the summer introducing new Festival team members and plans for the programme launch in May. Barbara Randall, Festival Secretary, will reveal some of the key highlights of the 2013 programme, including Festival Fortnight, which runs from Saturday, June 22 to Sunday, July 7.

John Wood added: “We are looking forward to a busy evening on February 4, meeting new and old friends. The Festival is run by a volunteer committee and we always welcome new helpers who would like to get involved with our activities.”  

Keep in touch with Wymondham Music Festival at www.wymfestival.org.uk, office@wymfestival.org.uk, t. 01953 601939.

Fairhaven Garden Norfolk Broads in the snow

Here's a photograph of Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden at South Walsham in the Norfolk Broads taken yesterday. The garden is open very day from 10am to 4pm and there's a tearoom for warming soup and hot drinks, t 01603 270449 www.fairhavengarden.co.uk.

Norwich in the snow - photographs - 16 January

                                                  Norwich Cathedral 
                                                  from Fishergate

                                         River Wensum from Fye Bridge

                                          St Clement Colegate (top) 
                                          and Norwich Cathedral (bottom)


More photographs can be found on Flickr

Illuminée Nganemariya is new Patron of UK Rwandan Charity Engalynx

Illuminée Nganemariya, whose book Miracle in Kigali, the Rwandan Genocide a survivor's journey, was published by the Tagman Press in 2007, has become a Patron of Engalynx, a UK based charity that has been helping orphans in Rwanda since 1998.

Engalynx founder Maralyn Bambridge has embarked on an exciting project to raise money to build a new health centre at Ntunga in the Mwulire Sector, Rwamagana District (Eastern Province) Rwanda. Mwulire Sector residents currently have to walk 22 miles to another sector for medical care.

The estimated cost for the whole project is £365,000. The Health Centre will be built section by section; so far enough funds have been raised to create a much-needed Maternity Unit.

Illuminée Nganemariya said: “Maralyn Bambridge has embarked on a wonderful project, which I am pleased to support. My father’s brothers used to live near Ntunga and I still have family in the area. I will be working with Maralyn on fundraising events and The Tagman Press will be giving a donation from sales of my book.”

Maralyn Bambridge said: “I am both honoured and delighted that Illuminée has agreed to become a Patron of Engalynx. Her book, Miracle in Kigali, is her personal story of her life in Rwanda prior to, during and following the 1994 Genocide.  How she survived and, indeed, gave birth to her son in desperate circumstances, is the miracle of the book.  Whilst not whitewashing what happened, it is not a horrific book, but is full of hope and, at times, amazing kindness.” 

“I am sure that Illuminee will be a great asset to Engalynx and I am really looking forward to working with this great lady, raising funds for Rwanda and introducing her to as many of our friends as I can.”

The Tagman Press will donate £2 from purchases of Miracle in Kigali made at www.tagmanpress.com. 

For more information about Engalynx see www.ukvbuilder.co.uk/sites/engalynx, or follow Engalynx on Facebook. 

Fairhaven Garden – Light Fantastic Photography Competition – The Winners

The winners of the Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden Light Fantastic photography competition 2012, sponsored by Wex Photographic, are Sue Halford from Norwich (adult category) and Callum Lewis (age 9), also from Norwich, under 12 category (winning photographs attached).

Louise Rout, Fairhaven Garden Manager said:  “Congratulations to Sue and Callum on their wonderful photography. I hope they enjoy their prizes, including the Fairhaven memberships, and continue to visit the garden to take photographs. I’d like to thank everyone who entered the competition, along with our sponsor Wex Photographic for their support and wildlife photographer Peter Mallett for chairing the judging panel. We will launch our 2013 competition later in the year.”    

Sue Halford said: “I took out Fairhaven annual membership last February and have been visiting the garden monthly to take photographs. This is the first photography competition that I have entered. I was attracted by the title, ‘Light Fantastic’. Light creates a photograph. My photography has been inspired by impressionist artists, particularly Monet, whose work represents the effect of the light on the landscape.”

“I was really pleased that three of my photographs made the Light Fantastic shortlist and it is wonderful to be the winner. I took my winning photograph on an afternoon in November, when the sun was low. The sun’s rays were catching the water and leaves bathing them in an orange light.”

                                           Sue Halford's winning photograph

Polly Glanville, who is Callum Lewis’ Grandmother, explained how he took his winning entry: “We had a lovely time at the garden taking photographs on my mobile phone’s camera, then went on the Fairhaven boat trip. Callum said to me, ‘I can see it’. I asked him what he could see and he replied, ‘light fantastic, it’s the water.’ So he took the photograph. I told him that I didn’t think it would win, but he insisted that I print it out and send it in. It’s a good job that I listened to him!”

“Callum is very excited to have won the camera and is looking forward to taking lots of photographs. I hope it will become a lifelong hobby.”

                                          Callum Lewis' winning photograph
 
The winners’ prizes are:

Sue Halford (adult) – Kata press reporter bag from Wex Photographic, a print of her winning photograph framed by Peter Mallett, plus a year’s Fairhaven Garden family membership. The photograph will also feature on the cover of the local Village Book.

Callum Lewis (under 12) – Olympus VG-130 compact Camera from Wex Photographic, a print of his winning photograph framed by Peter Mallett, plus a year’s Fairhaven Garden family membership.

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden is at South Walsham, nine miles east of Norwich, signposted off A47 at B1140 junction, www.fairhavengarden.co.uk, t. 01603 270449.

The garden is open daily all year from 10am (closed Christmas Day), admission is adult £6, concessions £5.50 and child £3.50 (under 5 free); free entry to tearoom, gift shop and plant sales. There is wheelchair access throughout the garden, including a Sensory Garden. Visitors requiring special facilities are advised to telephone in advance, mobility scooters available. Dogs are welcome on leads; small charge to cover poop scoop.

Fairhaven Garden – January Talks

Head to Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, South Walsham Norfolk, for Friday morning garden-themed talks in January. Talks start at 11am, cost £3 and include tea/coffee and biscuits on arrival – no need to book.

Friday 11 January, Images of a Wildlife Pond – how a pond can attract an amazing variety of wildlife to a garden; Talk by David Boulton,

Friday 18 January, ‘Dad's Army’ at Fairhaven – how Fairhaven helped with the war effort, training and rehabilitation of soldiers. Talk by Don Edwards

Friday 25 January ‘Lord Fairhaven's Pleasure Garden' – how the 2nd Lord Fairhaven created his 'Pleasure Garden'; Talk by George Debbage, his former Head Gardener.

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden is at South Walsham, nine miles east of Norwich, signposted off A47 at B1140 junction, tel. 01603 270449, www.fairhavengarden.co.uk.

The garden is open daily all year, 10am to 5pm (closed Christmas Day), tearoom, gift shop and plant sales. There is wheelchair access to the garden, including a Sensory Garden. Visitors requiring special facilities are advised to telephone in advance, mobility scooters available. Dogs are welcome on leads; small charge to cover poop scoop.