St. George's Day in The Cotswolds

Cry God for Harry, England and St George! St. George's Day is upon us and Boris and I hope you'll be doing your bit to celebrate all things English, whether here in the UK or anywhere else. Of course, to truly celebrate in style you'll want to be in the Cotswolds. Specifically, you'll want to be in Ilmington, Warwickshire...


And why Ilmington? Of course, there are great festivities all over the country; but, there is a very traditional little festival happening in this northern corner of the Cotswolds that sounds like a perfect day out. For on April 22, there will be a Grand St George's Day Supper and Barn Dance with Traditional Songs and Readings. And there will be Morris Dancing, too.


There will be a Traditional Sausage and Mash Supper followed by Apple Pie, Port and Cheese, Coffee and Tea. There will be a bar.

Perfroming will be the Ilmington Morrismen. The traditional Ilmington Morris Men come from the village of Ilmington which is situated 8 miles south of Stratford-Upon-Avon, in the county of Warwickshire on the northern edge of the Cotswold Hills. Although mainly a continuous tradition of Morris Dancing has been recorded within the village for more than 350 years, there have been a number of significant periods of revival of their own unique dances, which number 24, including a broom dance (believed to have come from nearby Blackwell) originally danced by Sam Bennett (Fiddler) from the early 1900’s. Sam's original Hobby Horse (named affectionately Sam), now the oldest in the country, was made in 1899. It is still active with the side on many occasions.

The village of Ilmington is about 8 miles south of Stratford-on-Avon in the Cotswolds. Ilmington is the highest village in Warwickshire and is at the foot of the Ilmington Downs, which are the highest place in Warwickshire.  So, there is some beautiful rambling to be done during the day before you decend into the village for the party!


Event Details:
Telephone number: 07711 121210


Email: theflyingmorrisman@hotmail.com


Times:
19.00 – Midnight


Ticket information:
Tickets £15 per person. Available from Paul Bryan.


Venue:
Ilmington Village Hall
Washbrook
Ilmington
Shipston on Stour
CV36 4LZ

Cheltenham Fireworks by Steam Train!

This Saturday night, if you're going to the Cheltenham Fireworks, enjoy a relaxing ride on the GWR Steam Train to and from the event... and skip all the traffic!

As firework displays go, it's pretty hard to beat the annual Round Table Fireworks Spectacular at Cheltenham Racecourse, which this year is on Saturday evening, 7^th November 2009. This is without a shadow of doubt one of the best displays in the South West and attracts some 15,000 people. And of course, all those people come by car which is fine as they don't arrive all at once - but once the display is over everyone rushes for their car and you can sit waiting to get out for half an hour or more.


Now here is a brilliant way to spend that half-hour and it's a sure way to beat the exit traffic jams.

The romance of a steam train journey through the night. That in itself is a rare treat and looking out of the window you can often see the glow of the locomotive's fire on the white steam coming from the chimney, as the fireman throws a few more well-placed shovelfuls of coal into the firebox. This is the stuff of imagination; of romantic old movies; of far-away destinations with a powerful locomotive forging through the Autumnal darkness, unending miles passing beneath the clickety-click of the wheels…

Well, ten miles at any rate. Park for free at Toddington station in time to catch the Fireworks Express which departs promptly at 18.00 for Cheltenham Racecourse. You can enjoy refreshments from the buffet on the way and the display is less than five minutes' walk from the Racecourse station. The train will return about 20 minutes after the show has ended.

No need to book - just turn up and buy your tickets at Toddington booking office. Normal fares apply and remember, if you've travelled on the GWR during the day, your tickets will still be valid during the evening!

At the Racecourse, there will be a musical roadshow leading up to the display by Star FM, a comprehensive fairground while the fireworks, which start at 7.00pm, will be co-ordinated to themed music and led by DJ Joe Lemer.

The entry price, which is in addition to the train fare, is £5 for adults and £3 for children (age 5-14 years).



Contact Details:
The Railway Station
Toddington
Cheltenham
Glos
GL54 5DTTel: +44 01242 621405