Cheltenham Cricket Festival 2008

30 July - 10 August 2008, Cheltenham College

Against the idyllic backdrop of Cheltenham College and the Cotswold hills, Cheltenham Cricket Festival gives you the chance to see top cricketers in action. The festival is one of the biggest events in the English cricketing calendar and is not to be missed.

After last year's cancelled event, Cheltenham Cricket Festival is back this August with a great match programme which will see Gloucestershire take on Leicestershire and Worcestershire in the County Championship, and Nottinghamshire Outlaws, Sussex Sharks and Hampshire Hawks in the Pro40 competition.

2008 Cheltenham Cricket Festival is dedicated to one of the county's contemporary greats - it's the Benefit year of Craig Spearman, the county record holder, who scored 341 against Middlesex in 2004, beating the record of WG Grace.


MATCHES:

Wednesday 30 July - Saturday 2 August
Liverpool Victoria County Championship
Gloucestershire v. Worcestershire
The Band of the Prince of Wales's Division will play durding the tea interval on Thursday 31 July and also Beat Retreat at close of play on the same day. Play commences 11am, lunch 1pm - 1.40pm, tea 3.40 - 4pm, close of day 6pm. Tickets: Adult £14, Seniors £10, under 16 £7.


Sunday 3 August
NatWest Pro40
Gloucestershire Gladiators v. Nottinghamshire Outlaws
1st innings 1.45pm - 4.25pm, interval 4.25pm - 4.45pm, 2nd innings 4.45pm - 7.25pm. Tickets: Adult £16 (in advance £13), under 16 £8 (in advance £6), family ticket £40 (in advance £33).

Tuesday 5 August
NatWest Pro40
Gloucestershire Gladiators v. Sussex Sharks
1st innings 1.45pm - 4.25pm, interval 4.25pm - 4.45pm, 2nd innings 4.45pm - 7.25pm. Tickets: Adult £16 (in advance £13), under 16 £8 (in advance £6), family ticket £40 (in advance £33).

Wednesday 6 August - Saturday 9 August
Liverpool Victoria County Championship
Gloucestershire v. Leicestershire Foxes
Play commences 11am, lunch 1pm - 1.40pm, tea 3.40 - 4pm, close of day 6pm. Tickets: Adult £14, Seniors £10, under 16 £7.

Sunday 10 August
NatWest Pro40
Gloucestershire Gladiators v. Hampshire Hawks
1st innings 1.45pm - 4.25pm, interval 4.25pm - 4.45pm, 2nd innings 4.45pm - 7.25pm. Tickets: Adult £16 (in advance £13), under 16 £8 (in advance £6), family ticket £40 (in advance £33).


Seating is provided in both the public and the member's enclosure, spectators may bring their own chairs. Match programmes and scorecards can be purchased at the entrance gates. Refreshments are available to purchase from outlets around the ground. Festival Game Zone is available for youngsters with organised coaching and other activities.


For information about this and other Cheltenham events please visit our Cheltenham events guide.

Bloom Festival at Seven Springs

8 - 10 August 2008, Seven Springs, Cheltenham

Bloom Festival is an independent family friendly boutique festival, boasting six musical arenas and an outstanding, diverse line up. Now in its third year, 2008 brought Bloom Festival to Seven Springs, just outside Cheltenham. Set in the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside at the exact location where the River Thames originates, the new site is ideally located overlooking Cheltenham with panoramic views of the Malvern Hills off in the distance.

2008 Bloom Festival will be bigger and better than ever. It offers luxury onsite accommodation, a Bloom Market brimming with arts and crafts, a dedicated Kids Zone, a Healing Area aptly named the “Vegetable Patch” and a refreshingly good selection of hand-picked vendors provides high quality food and drink which where possible are organic, ethical and local caterers. You will be able to become a superstar DJ in minutes with the Beat Jigsaw, play classic video games from the saddle of a bicycle with the PacBike as well as transform yourself with the Video Karaoke System. Live painters, graffiti writers and installation artists will be working on pieces over the weekend.

From 6pm, Thursday, 7 August you will be permitted into the campsite to pitch your tent, meet your neighbours and get ready for the festival action that commences the following day. Ticket price includes free camping for the whole weekend. The campsite is situated right next to the Festival site. Weekend tickets cost £85.00 + £2.50 Booking Fee, (£30.00 + £2.50 for children under 16, under 5s free), day tickets are £35.00 + £2.50 Booking Fee + £2.50 P&P. Tickets can be brought from http://bloomfestival.com/tickets/ or Cheltenham Tourist Information.


LINE-UP

Friday
Akil the MC (Jurassic 5)
Barry Adamson
Buoyancy
Detectives of Perspective
DrumAttic Twins
Finger Lickin’ 10 Year Anniversary
Florence and the Machine
Good Groove
Kissy Sell Out
London Breakbeat Orchestra
Neil Thornton & Johnny Hiller (Lasermagnetic)
Roisin Murphy
Shuffle
Slyde
Soul of Man
Super Nashwan
The Presets

Saturday
Autokratz
Deep Groove
Drum Club
Ewan Pearson
Flipron
Freeform Five
High Contrast
Kathy Diamond
Kid Fiesta
Lady Free
Luke Solomon
Maurice Fulton
Max Sedgley and The Shoots
Nick Luscombe
Nookie
Phonica Records
Rob Mello
Roni Size “Reprazent”
Shades of Rhythm
Soft Rocks
Stereo MCs
The Bays
The Mandibles
The Nextmen
XX Teens

Sunday
Ame (Innervisions)
Average White DJ
Beardyman
Benga
Brand New Heavies
Caspa
Chew the Fat!
Dubnium
Electric Chair
Elite Force
Hot 8 Brass Band
Kraak & Smaak
Kyte
Riton
Scratch Perverts
The Black Seeds
The Glimmers
Trojan Soundsystem
Tunng

For information about this and other Cheltenham events please visit our Cheltenham events guide.

Free Holiday Activities for Children in Cheltenham

21 July - 29 August 2008

For the whole of the summer holidays Cheltenham parks will be hosting a variety of fun and exciting activities for children and young people. The Play Rangers will be present to run activities ranging from arts & crafts and sport to parachute games. The activities will be free for children and young people of all ages and their families.

PROGRAMME:
Mondays 10.30am - 3.30pm
Pittville Park
Springfield Park
Beeches Park
Hillview Park (Behind the Library)

Tuesdays 10.30am - 3.30pm
Clyde Crescent Park
Hesters Way Park
Queen Elizabeth 2nd Park
Hatherley Park

Wednesdays 10.30am - 3.30pm
Pittville Park
Springfield Park
Naunton Park
Caernarvon Park

Thursdays 10.30am - 3.30pm
Clyde Crescent Park
Hesters Way Park
Burrows Park
Benhall Park

Fridays 10.30am - 3.30pm
Pittville Park
Springfield Park
Sandy Lane
Brizen Park

There will be no Play Ranger service on 6 August and 25 August.

Cheltenham Family Fun This Summer

WINSTON CHURCHILL CULTURAL FUN DAY
19 July 2008, 11am - 4pm, Winston Churchill Memorial Gardens

Winston Churchill Memorial Gardens will be the setting for the next family fun day in Cheltenham. This free event will include performances by Peter Gill & Friends and London Bulgarian Choir, Coady Crew dance display, Scottish dancing, African drumming parade, chip pan fire display. There will be stalls, inflatable castle, raffle, as well as samba, DJ and circus skills workshops. Furthermore from 10.30am - 2pm, Star radio will be holding auditions for the next Cheltenham star to sing live on the radio. The event starts at 11am.


NATIONAL PLAYDAY
6 August 2008, 11am - 4pm, Pittville Park

National Playday is the annual celebration of children's right to play. On 6 August 2008 thousands of children, young people and communities will get out and play at hundreds of locally organised events across the UK. Cheltenham will celebrate National Playday in Pittville Park. The event is free to all and open to anyone and will include bouncy castles and inflatables, martial arts workshops, circus skills workshops, arts and crafts, sporting games and activities, emergency services and other activities to be confirmed. The event starts at 11am.


For information about this and other Cheltenham events please visit our Cheltenham events guide.

Holiday Sport Activities for Children in Cheltenham

July - August 2008

Summer of Sport Roadshow, which will provide holiday activities, such as urban cricket, basketball, tennis and football, for children in Cheltenham, starts on 21 July 2008. The programme is divided into three main parts: Sportszone Roadshow, Sports Specific Camps and Sports in the Parks.

Multi sport activity sessions will be on offer as part of the Sportszone Roadshow, aimed at young people aged eight to fourteen years. Staffed by a team of qualified coaches, sessions will include rounders, athletics, golf, girls’ football and many other sports. Every morning throughout the six weeks, sessions will take place at Christ College, Arle Road, 9.30 - 12.30am, with afternoon sessions from 1.30pm to 4.30pm travelling to 3 other schools around Cheltenham. From 21 July to 3 August the afternoon sessions will be at Bournside School, from 4 August to 17 August at Lynworth Primary School and from 18 August to 29 August at Naunton Park Primary School. Sessions cost £4 each, or £16 for the week. These sessions have a maximum capacity of 40 children each day, parents are therefore advised to book in advance by contacting the Sports Development Team on 01242 264324. Any remaining spaces will be filled on the day, on a first come first served basis. All sports equipment provided.

For a more intensive coaching programme, there are the Sports Specific Camps. The camps are designed to develop skills in a particular sport, including tennis, badminton, cricket, basketball, girls football and street dance.

PROGRAMME:
Badminton: Thursday 28th & Friday 29th August, 1pm-4pm, ages 8 – 14, cost £10 for the two days, Christ College Sports Centre
Basketball: Tuesday 26th & Wednesday 27th August, 1pm-4pm, ages 8 - 14, cost £10 for the two days, Christ College Sports Centre
Cricket: Thursday 24th & Friday 25th July, 1pm-4pm, ages 8 - 14, cost £10 for the two days, Christ College Sports Centre
Girls Football: Thursday 7th & Friday 8th August, 1pm-4pm, ages 10 - 16, cost £10 for the two days, Christ College ATP
Tennis: Monday 28th July to Friday 1st August, 10am-12pm for ages 8 -11, 1pm-3pm for ages 11 - 14, cost £5 per day or £20 whole week Montpellier Park Courts
Street Dance: Monday 11th & Monday 18th August, 1pm-4pm, ages 10 - 16, cost £10 for the two days, Christ College Sports Centre
Athletics: August 12th, 13th & 15th, ages 8 - 12, Cheltenham Harriers Athletics Club, contact Elliott Prince on 07786 647067
Football: organized by Cheltenham Town FC Community Programme, for ages 6 -13 at various venues, contact Mike Cook on 01242 518630

Again, parents are advised to book places for their children in advance by contacting the Sports Development Team on 01242 264324.

In various parks and playing fields in Cheltenham games will be organised, with no charge or booking required. Young people aged between eleven and eighteen can just turn up and join in.

PROGRAMME:
Mondays:
2pm-4pm: KGV Playing Field, Rowanfield; 6pm-8pm: Queen Elizabeth Fields, Battledown
Tuesdays:
2pm-4pm: Agg-Gardner Playing Field, St. Paul's; 6pm-8pm: Clyde Crescent Recreation Ground, Lynworth
Wednesdays:
2pm-4pm: Christ College, Arle Road; 6pm-8pm: Brizen Recreation Ground, Up Hatherley
Thursdays:
2pm-4pm: Beeches Playing Field, Rowanfield; 6pm-8pm: Agg-Gardner Playing Field, St. Paul's
Fridays:
2pm-4pm: Springfield Park, Welch Road

More music for Cheltenham in July

CIDER FESTIVAL
11 July - 13 July 2008, The Jolly Brewmaster

The Jolly Brewmaster, Painswick Road, is holding a cider Festival from Friday, 11th July to Sunday, 13th July. Friday: BBQ, Saturday: Irish music and pig roast, Sunday: live music and Indian BBQ.


THE DISPLACEMENTS
26 July 2008, Frog & Fiddle

The Displacements come to Cheltenham for a live date on their Down and Out single tour. The Displacements have had many a Radio One air play, never out of the NME and look like they are very much on the up in the music industry. A night not to be missed!. Tickets £6 on the door or can be bought from, www.gigantic.com For more info, www.myspace.com/okletsgopromotes www.myspace.com/thedisplacements

Family Sports Day in Christ College Sports Centre

12 July 2008, 10am – 4pm, Christ College Sports Centre

This Saturday, fencing, badminton, five-a-side football and dance workshops will be some of the activities which can be enjoyed at a free family sports day in Christ College Sports Centre, Arle Road. Indoor and outdoor activities will be running throughout the day and will include hockey, majorettes, curling, tennis and paralympic sports. Other family fun will include a bouncy castle, arts and crafts, a prize draw and face painting.

All activities are free on the day and refreshments will be available to purchase. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

For information about this and other Cheltenham events please visit our Cheltenham events guide.

Bishop's Cleeve Seniors' Club Summer Fayre

20 July 2008, Denley Hall, Churchfields, Bishop's Cleeve

Bishop's Cleeve Seniors Club is holding a Summer Fayre at Denley Hall, Churchfields, Bishop's Cleeve. The afternoon will include games and refreshments, stalls selling plants, books, bric-a-brac, cakes and jumble. Open: 2pm-4pm, Admission: 30p.

For information about this and other Cheltenham events please visit our Cheltenham events guide.

Cheltenham Open Air Theatre Festival 2008

15 July - 1 August 2008, Bacon Theatre

Now in its fifth year, Cheltenham Open Air Theatre Festival is bringing some great theatre performances this summer. The Tuckwell Amphitheatre in Dean Close School's Bacon Theatre provides the backdrop to two weeks of entertainment - there will be performances from local theatre companies, cinema under the stars, children's fun days, live music performances of local musicians and more.

This year Peter Gill and Friends will treat audiences to two helpings of blues and boogie - he will be opening the festival with an evening of cool jazz and then returning on the closing night, which will include the magnificent firework finale, for more great music.

Theatre performances will feature A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by Heartbreak Productions, Miracle Theatre will bring their highly physical adaptation of the classic Greek legend, Jason and Chapterhouse Theatre will present Sleeping Beauty, a colourful show for young audiences, including a costume parade for budding princes and princesses. Open-air film nights at the festival will give us the opportunity to see the iconic Summer Holiday and Brick Lane.

2008 PROGRAMME
15th July Peter Gill and Friends
17th July Miracle Theatre - Jason
20th July The Winter’s Tale
22nd July Cinema Under the Stars - Summer Holiday
23rd July Much Ado About Nothing
26th July A Servant of Two Masters
27th July Sleeping Beauty
29th July Cinema Under the Stars - Brick Lane
31st July A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1st August Peter Gill and Friends - More Jazz on a Summer’s Evening

Grounds open 1 ½ hours before each event for picnics. Please bring your own seating.

For information about this and other Cheltenham events please visit our Cheltenham events guide.

Photos from Fun Day in Montpellier Gardens

This year's Midsommer in Montpellier, which took place on Saturday 28 June 2008, brought hundreds of people to Montpellier Gardens in Cheltenham. Entertainment included rides, slides, classic car display, music from Cheltenham Silver Band and Mr Jinks Punch and Judy show.

PHOTOS FROM MONTPELLIER GARDENS FUN DAY

VIDEO FROM MONTPELLIER GARDENS FUN DAY

July Gigs in Cheltenham

In June Beyond Eternity Promotions have prepared some exciting gigs for Cheltenham and surrounding areas.

Tues, 1 July 2008
The Neil Humphris Trio, The Venue Jazz Club, Wheatsheaf Inn, Old Bath Road, GL53 9AJ, Doors open 8 p.m. music starts 9 p.m., Jazz

Fri, 4 July 2008
Mick Rutherford Band, Sam Payne, Tubby Blues Club, Newlands Club, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, 01242 691998 or 07796 034206, 7pm for diners, 8.25pm Show

Sun, 6 July 2008
JB Jazz and Blues Band, The Harp, Albrighton, 12pm, Jazz & Blues

Tues, 8 July 2008
Paul Newman's Jam Night, The Royal Oak, Hucclecote from 9 p.m. Eclectic

Thurs, 10 July 2008
Gordon Wood and Phil Bird, Cross Keys, Gloucester 9pm, 'Rock & Roll, Blues and Country at It's Best!' R&R, Country, Blues

Thurs, 10 July 2008
Rockology ,The Ridge & Furrow, Abbeydale, Gloucester 60's / 70's pop

Sat, 12 July 2008
Touch of Blue, Paul Newman & Phil Hambling, The Bell, Shurdington, 9.00pm.
JB Jazz and Blues Band, Malvern Jazz Club, 8pm, Jazz & Blues

Sun, 13 July 2008
The Steve Franks Trio & The Kim Cypher Band, The Venue Jazz Club, Wheatsheaf Inn, Old Bath Road, GL53 9AJ, Doors & BBQ 5pm, Music 6pm. Admission £5.
JB Jazz and Blues Band, Cheltenham Civil Services Club, Tewkesbury Road, 8pm, Jazz & Blues
Otis Mack Solo, THE WHITE BEAR FREE HOUSE, BREDON ROAD, TEWKESBURY. GL20 5BU, 4:00pm onwards. Free Admission. Jazz & Blues
JB2, The Kilkeney, Andoversford, 12 o/c Jazz & Blues
Frank Turner, Rise Store Cheltenham, Beechwood Arcade, 4pm

Tues, 15 July 2008
Paul Newman's Jam Night, The Bayshill Inn, Royal Well, Cheltenham from 9 p.m. Eclectic

Sat, 19 July 2008
Hambling & Lloyd, The Suffolk, 9.00pm
JB Jazz and Blues Band, Gambier Parry Hall, Highnam, 8pm Jazz & Blues

Sun, 20 July 2008
JB Jazz and Blues Band, The Plough, Upton upon Severn Blues Festival, 2 o/c Jazz & Blues

Tues 22 July 2008
Paul Newman's Jam Night, The Venue, Wheatsheaf Inn, Old Bath Road, GL53 9AJ. 9 p.m. Eclectic

Thurs, 24 July 2008
JB Jazz and Blues Band, Three Choirs Vinyard, Newent 8pm Jazz & Blues

Sat, 26 July 2008
Gordon Wood and Phil Bird, Prince Albert, Stroud 9pm 'Rock & Roll, Blues and Country at It's Best!' R&R, Country, Blues

Thurs, 31 July 2008
Gordon Wood and Phil Bird, Porter Cellar Bar, Bath, 9pm 'Rock & Roll, Blues and Country at It's Best!' R&R, Country, Blues


For a full calendar of 2008 Cheltenham gigs please visit our MySpace page. For other Cheltenham events visit our Cheltenham events guide.