Cheltenham Cycle Hire Scheme

A two-month pilot scheme to introduce bikes for rent launches in Cheltenham on July 1. Rental bicycles will be available at key locations around the town. Fourteen docking stations will be set up at seven locations with 26 bikes, plus additional 4 at Cheltenham Spa railway station with bikes funded by Great Western Trains.

The scheme allows people to use their mobile phones to set up an account and get a security code to take one of the bikes. Bikes can be dropped off at any docking station, not just the station they were hired from. The first half hour’s hire is completely free, with extra time charged for. Users need to pre-register to take part and a £10 deposit is required.

If successful the scheme would be expanded throughout the town with a minimum of 100 bikes. Other bodies would be invited to join, most notably Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust and Cheltenham General Hospital.

The pilot will be launched on the Promenade opposite the tourist information office, with a ride to the railway station on Tuesday 1 July 2008.

Location of stands:
Junction of Cambray and the High Street
Junction of Henrietta/St George’s Place and the High Street
Top of the Promenade junction with Clarence Street
Bath Road, outside the Exmouth Arms
Promenade near the war memorial and the Municipal Offices
Montpellier junction with Bayshill Road and Montpellier Street
Waitrose

Charges:
0 to 30 minutes Free
31 minutes to 60 minutes £2
61 minutes to 120 minutes £4
121 minutes to 180 minutes £6
over 181 minutes (whole day charge – 24 hours) £8
After that each day or part of a day will be charged at £8.

Cheltenham Restaurant Wins a Place at the Final of Festival of Curry

Spice Lodge in Cheltenham has been selected as one of the 10 finalists for the Tilda Tiffin Cup Festival of Curry at the House of Commons on Wednesday 9 July.

The Tilda Tiffin competition to find the best South Asian Restaurant in Britain began two years ago. Local MP’s are asked to vote for their favourite South Asian restaurant from within their constituency. These restaurants are then entered into a national competition and ten finalists are chosen to attend the national ‘cook off’ at the House of Commons.

The word Tiffin probably comes from Southern India and is the word that is mostly used to describe a light snack. In Mumbai, the tiffins are prepared for white collar Indian men by their wives after they have left for work, and forwarded to them by Dabbawalas (couriers) who use a suburban train network to get thousands of tiffin-boxes to their destinations. The snacks are packed in stainless steel or tin boxes with carry handles, also sometimes called tiffins or tiffin-boxes. A common approach is to put rice in one box, dal in another and further items in the third or fourth box.

Martin Horwood MP with the proprietor of Spice Lodge, Mohammed Rahman

Spice Lodge, which was nominated by Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood, will attempt to ‘curry favour’ with the judges, including celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott, Editor of Tandoori Magazine, Mr Humayun Hussain, Head Chef at Washington Mayfair Hotel in London, Mr Rajesh Rao, and owner of Madhu's, in Southall Mr Sanjay Anand.

This year the competition will raise funds for Friends in Village Development Bangladesh, whose aim it is to contribute towards educational and socio-economic empowerment of disadvantaged people in rural Bangladesh, and also the breast cancer charity ROKO Cancer.

2000 Trees Festival 2008

11 - 12 July 2008, Upcote Farm, Withington

The 2000 Trees Festival is one of the latest additions to Cheltenham summer season. Inspired by independent events like Truck Festival, the 2000 Trees Festival is about the love of live music, great performances and having a fantastic time in a field. In its second year, the 2000 Trees Festival offers two nights of music under the stars in a relaxing, picturesque Cotswolds location with three stages featuring over forty bands.

The Festival will actually start on Thursday when the Early Entry Permit holders will be able to enter an open mic competition to win themselves a slot on the festival bill the very next day. The Festival will be officially opened on Friday by Frank Turner who will perform an intimate midday acoustic set in the Leaf Lounge. Friday will also feature Fancy Dress Party, the theme for this years Fancy Dress Friday will be “Countries of the World”.

The 2008 line-up, which includes many well known local bands, is headlined by The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. The main stage will feature the following bands:

Friday
80’s MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER
THE DUKE SPIRIT
IN CASE OF FIRE
THE KING BLUES
SLAVES TO GRAVITY
GHOST OF A THOUSAND
GENTLEMANS PISTOLS
OLD SCHOOL TIE
JIM LOCKEY
SKANKT
TUBELORD
SOULJACKER
THE DIVINE SECRET

Saturday:
ART BRUT
THESE NEW PURITANS
FUTURE OF THE LEFT
FRANK TURNER
IMPERIAL LEISURE
THE ANOMALIES
FLIPRON
CAPTAIN BLACK
LAZY HABITS
HIJAK OSCAR
DIAGONAL
A SILENT FILM
THE DIVEBOMB REVOLUTION

Tickets information: Weekend Tickets cost £39 (Children 10-15 accompanied by an adult £20), Day Tickets are £25. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk/tickets (booking fee applies) or at the following shops:
Cheltenham: Badlands Records (01242 227 725)
Cheltenham: Vinyl Vault (01242 227 454)
Cheltenham: The Frog & Fiddle (01242 701 156)
Stroud: Kane’s Records (01453 766 886)
Tewkesbury: The Music Trade (01684 850 220)

Shuttle buses to the Festival venue from Cheltenham Railway Station are available, return ticket on the coach costs £15.



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

Cheltenham Book Fair

19 July 2008 - St. Andrews Church, Montpellier

A new regular Book Fair is coming to Cheltenham in July. The first Book Fair will take place at St. Andrew's Church in Montpellier on Saturday the 19th of July (10:30 - 4:00).

A wide range of books covering a variety of different subjects will be offered - something for everyone - including some very inexpensive bargains, plenty of medium priced quality titles, as well a number of scarce and collectable works.

Entrance is free and refreshments will be served. Nearby parking is available, there is also disabled access.

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

Cheltenham MP to Support Bill Bryson's Litter Campaign

Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood this week hosted a reception in Parliament to launch Stop the Drop, the new campaign against countryside litter and fly-tipping by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. The campaign is being fronted by the charity’s President, the acclaimed novelist Bill Bryson, the author of Notes from a Small Island.

Stop the Drop highlights the growing problems of litter and fly-tipping in England’s countryside. According to the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, the headline statistic on local authority performance on litter fell from ‘satisfactory’ to ‘unsatisfactory’ between 2005/06 and 2006/07. Litter is five times worse than in the 1960s. The problem is particularly acute in rural areas, where litter is often left to lie for much longer than in towns and cities.

Martin Horwood was delighted to be able to support Bill Bryson and the Campaign to Protect Rural England in this important campaign. He said: "Litter and fly-tipping are an unsightly and unnecessary blight on too much of our countryside. I know that my constituents want to see more action from responsible bodies to clean up our towns and countryside. I have also tabled a House of Commons motion backing the campaign.”

Bill Bryson welcomed the support of Cheltenham MP. "We need the backing of as many MPs as possible to persuade people to stop dropping litter, and to prevail on those with the powers to do so to clean it up. Litter is becoming the default condition of the countryside, and it is time that we – all of us – did something about this. The landscape is too lovely to trash,” he commented.

CPRE is highlighting the need for stronger leadership from central Government to tackle litter and fly-tipping, and better enforcement of existing laws by local authorities and others. Keep Britain Tidy’s 2006/07 survey did not rate a single local council as ‘good’ on litter, even though, collectively, councils spend more than £600 million a year clearing litter up – a bill that is ultimately met by taxpayers. Local authorities can hand out fixed penalty notices to people dropping litter, but in 2006/07 just 25 of the 354 English local authorities gave out 62% of the fines, and 72 issued none at all.

There are similar enforcement problems with fly-tipping. Of the 2.6 million incidents dealt with by local authorities in 2006/07, just 1,796 were successfully prosecuted, working out at a roughly one in 1,450 chance of being brought to book.

Bill Bryson said: “Littering is not a crime that has anyone quaking for fear of the consequences because, by and large, there are no consequences. If we want the cleaner, tidier countryside that we all deserve, we need firm action and leadership at both national and local level, to show that dropping litter and fly-tipping will not continue to be consequence-free crimes.”

To find out more about CPRE’s campaign, visit http://www.cpre.org.uk/ . You can also find out what’s going on in your own area, and start picking up litter yourself, by visiting http://www.litteraction.org.uk/ .

St. Mark's Community Festival Weekend

20 - 22 June 2008, St. Mark's area

St Mark's is to hold a community festival weekend from June 20 to 22. The weekend which will be something of a cross between a street party and an open house will bring something for all ages.

Friday evening, June 20, will start with puppet workshops, bouncy castles, beat the goalie, skittles and more for young children from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at St Mark's Junior School, Robert Burns Avenue.

On Saturday from 11am to 5pm at St Mark's Church, hall and grounds, there will be an international cafe, face-painting, clay modelling, genealogy, making a wall hanging, bell-ringing workshop, pig roast, cream teas, music from Dixie Band and Pate's students and a bouncy castle,
On Sunday at 12.15pm there will be a family barbecue outside the church.

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

Cheltenham Music Festival 2008

4 – 19 July 2008, Cheltenham Town Hall and other venues

2008 Cheltenham Music Festival brings 70 events at various venues spread over 16 days. This year's themes include music by Gloucestershire born Ralph Vaughan Williams, Franz Schubert's song cycles, sonatas and more, folk music of many diverse countries, such as Hungary, Norway, Spain, Estonia and Venezuela. You can enjoy medieval music, 18th century operas, as well as premieres of music pieces by contemporary composers. Most of the concerts of this year's Cheltenham Music Festival take place in Cheltenham Town Hall, Pittville Pump Room, All Saints' Church, St. Andrew's Church in Montpellier, Tewkesbury Abbey and other Gloucestershire churches.

Many free family events taking place in Imperial Gardens behind the Town Hall will accompany the festival, such as on Saturday, 5 July, when Gloucestershire Youth Dance will show off various forms of folk dance - from the Cotswolds to the Caribbean, and from the past to the present. Cleeve Samba then will play traditional Brazilian carnival rhythms fused with some original ideas of their own. The event starts at 11am. On Sunday, 6 July Gloucestershire’s Youth Jazz Orchestra will be performing a mixture of jazz standards, big band and Dixieland jazz and Gamelan Community Players will be playing traditional music from Java. Gloucestershire Academy of Music will also be performing. All this will be taking place in Imperial Gardens from 11am. Saturday, 12 July at 2pm a community choir Vocal Antics will perform fantastic a cappella music from around the world. Later in the afternoon Tewkesbury Town Band will play music by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Another free event will take place on Saturday, 12 July at 3pm this time in the Pittville Bistro marquee - Mackwoods Fine Tea and Opera - an afternoon tea tasting and opera cabaret. Saturday, 19 July from 4pm there will be a performance of London Bulgarian Choir in Imperial Gardens.

PROGRAMME:

Fri 4 July

7.30pm BBC Philharmonic 1, Town Hall

Sat 5 July
11am SURROUND SOUND Gloucestershire Youth Dance, Imperial Gardens
12noon Trio Medieval, All Saints Church
12noon Cleeve Samba Band, Imperial Gardens
2pm SURROUND SOUND Gloucestershire Youth Dance, Imperial Gardens
3pm Rolf Lisevand Ensemble, Pittville Pump Room
5pm FILM The Full Monteverdi ,Pittville Campus, University of Gloucestershire
6.15pm EXPLORE Meurig Bowen & Christopher Cook, Town Hall Drawing Room
7pm BBC Philharmonic, Town Hall

Sun 6 July
9.30am Cereal Samba, Town Hall
11am The Dowland Project, Pittville Pump Room
11am SURROUND SOUND Glos Youth Jazz Orchestra, Imperial Gardens
12pm SURROUND SOUND Gamelan Community Players, Imperial Gardens
3pm SURROUND SOUND Gloucestershire Academy of Music, Imperial Gardens
3pm A Shropshire Lad & Songs of Travel, Pittville Pump Room
6pm EXPLORE Meurig Bowen on Grainger ,Town Hall Drawing Room
7pm Carmina Burana, Town Hall

Mon 7 July
11am Ingrid Fliter, Pittville Pump Room
3pm Estonian Television Girls Choir, Pittville Pump Room
6.00pm EXPLORE Gamelan Community Players, Tewkesbury Abbey
7.30pm From Spem to Et Exspecto, Tewkesbury Abbey

Tues 8 July
11am Gringolts & Madžar, Pittville Pump Room
4.30pm Wells A Cappella, All Saints Church
7.30pm On Wenlock Edge / Schubert Ensemble / Gilchrist, Pittville Pump Room

Wed 9 July
11.00am Elias String Quartet, Pittville Pump Room
3pm Barbirolli String Quartet, St Peter’s Church, Winchombe
6pm The Maxness of King George / Discovering Music, Pittville Pump Room
6.30pm Time to Sing, Town Hall
7pm Cabaret Dinner / Fascinating Aida, Pittville Bistro
9pm Fascinating Aida, Pittville Pump Room

Thurs 10 July
11am Marc-André Hamelin, Pittville Pump Room
3pm Thomas Carroll, St Swithin’s Church, Quenington
7pm Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tewkesbury Abbey
9.30pm SPNM’s Folk From Here / Tickell / Bhamra ,Pittville Pump Room

Fri 11 July
10.30am EXPLORE Veljo Tormis in conversation, Pittville Pump Room
11am Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Pittville Pump Room
3pm Lulu Yang, Pittville Pump Room
7.30pm Philharmonia Orchestra / Hickox, Tewkesbury Abbey
8pm Kathryn Tickell Band, Town Hall

Sat 12 July
10.30am EXPLORE Mark-Anthony Turnage in conversation, Pittville Pump Room
11am Craig Ogden, Pittville Pump Room
2pm FILM O Thou Transcendent, Pittville Campus, University of Glos
2pm SURROUND SOUND Festival Community Choir, Imperial Gardens
3pm SURROUND SOUND Tewkesbury Town Band, Imperial Gardens
3pm Mackwoods Fine Tea & Opera, Pittville Bistro
7.30pm Strings Fantasia / Manchester Camerata, Town Hall
6.30pm Trabuco dinner, Pittville Bistro
8pm Virtuoso Venezuela / Trabuco, Pittville Pump Room

Sun 13 July
10am Maxwell Davies & Hellawell in conversation, Pittville Bistro
11am Primrose Piano Quartet, Pittville Pump Room
2pm FILM Akenfield, Pittville Campus, University of Glos
4.30pm Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra, Pittville Pump Room
7.30pm Sarah Connolly / La Serenissima, Town Hall

Mon 14 July
11am Ishizaka & Wosner, Pittville Pump Room
4.30pm Calefax, Pittville Pump Room
6.30pm EXPLORE Michael Tavinor on RVW, Town Hall Drawing Room
7.30pm Cheltenham Bach Choir, Town Hall

Tues 15 July
11am Samhadi Ensemble, Pittville Pump Room
2.30pm Schools Concert: Young & Live, Pittville Pump Room
3pm FILMS The Noble Savage & Bert, A Personal Memoir, Pittville Campus, University of Glos
4pm Schools Concert: Young & Live, Pittville Pump Room
6.30pm Tango Dinner Cabaret, Pittville Bistro / Pump Room
7.30pm The Band of HM Royal Marines, Town Hall

Wed 16 July
11am Pavel Haas Quartet / Ishizaka, Pittville Pump Room
3pm Alasdair Macaskill, St Andrew’s Church, Montpellier
7.30pm Dante Quartet, Pittville Pump Room

Thurs 17 July
11am Festival Academy, Pittville Pump Room
3pm Rosy Hall, St Andrew’s Church, Chedworth
7.30pm Die Schöne Müllerin / Clayton / Lewis, Pittville Pump Room

Fri 18 July
11am Festival Academy, Pittville Pump Room
3pm Amy Dickson, St Mary’s Church, Painswick
6.00pm SURROUND SOUND Bells in Motion, Town Hall, Pillar Room
7.30pm Schwanengesang / Boesch / Vignoles, Pittville Pump Room
10pm Festival Academy, Quartet for the End of Time, Pittville Pump Room

Sat 19 July
10am Schubert’s Painters, Pittville Bistro
11am Winterreise / Padmore / Lewis ,Pittville Pump Room
1pm WORKSHOP London Bulgarian, Choir Town Hall
2pm FILMS Cymbalom Legacy & The Miraculous Circumstance, Pittville Campus, University of Glos
4.30pm SURROUND SOUND London Bulgarian Choir, Imperial Gardens
6.15pm Peter Dickinson on Lord Berners, Pittville Pump Room
6.30pm Hungarian Dances - Jessica Duchen in conversation, Town Hall, Drawing Room
7.30pm Festival Academy, Pittville Pump Room
8.00pm Taraf de Haidouks, Town Hall

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

Cheltenham taxi fares to increase

If you are planning a night out in Cheltenham and wish to leave your car at home, you will need to add extra cost to your evening as Cheltenham taxi prices will increase from 1 July. Late-night rates will be charged from 8pm instead of 11pm, which means that passengers travelling in the evening will pay £4.50 per mile, up from £3.40.

From July 1 2008 the cost of travelling in a taxi in Cheltenham the distance of one mile will rise from £3.40 to £3.60, two miles will increase from £5 to £5.40, and three miles from £6.60 to £7.20. After 8pm, one mile will cost £4.50, two miles £6.75 and three miles £9. Waiting time charges will also increase by 10p.

This is the first price increase in Cheltenham taxi fares since 2006.

June Gigs in Cheltenham

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


Sun, 1 June 2008
Black Sabbath Tribute, The Venue at The Wheatsheaf Inn, Old Bath Road, GL53 9AJ, 8pm - Midnight, Rock

Mon, 2 June 2008
JB3, The Daffodil, Jazz

Tue, 3 June 2008
JB Jazz and Blues Band, The Venue Jazz Club, Wheatsheaf Inn, Old Bath Road, GL53 9AJ, Doors open 8pm / Music Starts 9pm, Jazz

Fri, 6 June 2008
Peter Gill & State 51, Let the Good Times Roll, The Evesham Arts Centre, Evesham. Tickets £13/£11, Rock n Roll
Slowburner & The Ben Fletcher Band, Tubby Blues Club, Newlands Club, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham 01242 691998 or 07796 034206 7pm for Diners / 8:25pm Show, Tickets £10, Rock n Roll

Sat, 7 June 2008
Tom Jurgens, The Crown & Trumpet, Broadway, 9pm, Acoustic Pop & Folk
JB2 with Bridget, Lydney Festival, Jazz

Sun, 8 June 2008
JB Jazz and Blues Band, Cheltenham Civil Services Club, Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham, Jazz
Alex Chapman, The Wellington, Gloucester Road, Bristol, 9pm, Pop
Otis Mack Solo, Nottingham Arms, 129 High Street, Tewkesbury, GL20 5JU, 8:30pm onwards / Free admission, Jazz
JB2, The Kilkenny, Andoversford, Lunchtime, Jazz

Tue, 10 June 2008
Paul Newman's Jam Night, The Royal Oak, Hucclecote, from 9pm, Eclectic

Fri, 13 June 2008
Alex Chapman, The Strand, High Street, Cheltenham, Pop
Tom Jurgens Trio, The Royal George, Birdlip, Acoustic Pop & Folk

Sun, 15 June 2008
JB Jazz and Blues Band, The Stafford Jazz Club, Lunchtime, Jazz

Tue, 17 June 2008
Paul Newman's Jam Night, The Bayshill Inn, Royal Well, Cheltenham, from 9pm, Eclectic
Joined at the Hip, The Venue Jazz Club, Wheatshead Inn, Old Bath Road, GL53 9AJ, Doors open 8pm / Music starts 9pm, Jazz & Blues

Fri, 20 June 2008
Alex Chapman, John Gordon's, Montpellier, Cheltenham, 8:30pm, Pop
Tom Jurgens, House in the Tree, Boddington, Acoustic Pop & Folk

Sat, 21 June 2008
Tom Jurgens Trio, Lakeside School Fayre, 12:30pm, Acoustic Pop & Folk

Sun, 22 June 2008
Tom Jurgens, Charlton Kings Working Mens Club, BBQ, 2:30pm, Acoustic Pop & Folk
Otis Mack 6 Piece Band, Riverside Park, Chepstow 'Music in the Park', 2:30pm - 5:00pm, Bring your own picnic, Free admission, Jazz

Tue, 24 June 2008
Paul Newman's Jam Night, The Venue, Wheatsheaf Inn, Old Bath Road, GL53 9AJ, 9pm, Eclectic

Thu, 26 June 2008
Alex Chapman, The Cross Keys, Cross Keys Lane, Gloucester, 9pm, Pop

Fri, 27 June 2008
Alex Chapman, The Hogs Head, High Street, Cheltenham, Pop
JB Jazz and Blues Band, The Muggery, Upton upon Severn Jazz Festival. Jazz

Sat, 28 June 2008
Tom Jurgens Trio, The Pilot Inn at Hardwicke, Acoustic Pop & Folk
JB Jazz and Blues Band, The Muggery, Upton upon Severn Jazz Festival, Jazz

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

Family Fun in Montpellier Gardens

28 June 2008, Montpellier Gardens

Following the successful event in Montpellier Gardens in 2007 to celebrate the refurbishment of the gardens and the opening of the Gardens Gallery, a similar afternoon of fun and frolics is going to take place this year, on Saturday, 28th June 2008. This year's event is called Midsummer in Montpellier.

Programme:
Family Fun 2pm - 5pm
Cheltenham Silver Band, Children's Play Area and entertainment, Face Painting, Cheltenham Lions' Club Games, Classic Car Display, RSPB Children Activities and Nature Trail
Summer Evening 6pm - 9pm
Bring a picnic and enjoy the musical entertainment in the Bandstand which will be provided by The Jazz Badgers. Wine Bar and refreshments available at the kiosk.

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

Meet Your MP Martin Horwood

Martin Horwood is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Cheltenham. If you need to discuss any matters with your local MP, you can drop in at his advice surgeries on Friday lunchtimes or evenings. You can also meet Martin at various events taking place in and around Cheltenham.

MONDAY 02 JUNE 2008
10:00am
Martin will be visiting a community allotment run by a group of Bangladeshi and Polish residents, supported by a Community Agent, in the Hayden Road allotments in Cheltenham. The aim of the group is to grow vegetables that are not always easy to find locally. The aim of the Community Agents is to support healthy activity and reduce social isolation. This is a self supporting group, with no funding from the council, and this is an opening ceremony to publicise the venture.
Please see http://www.citylocal.co.uk/cities/Gloucester/news/article/19250/ for more details of this project.

11:30am
Martin will be going along to help out at King’s Table at Trinity Church Centre, Trinity Lane, in Cheltenham.
King’s Table supports vulnerable people and provides a hot meal and a chance to relax.
Please see http://trinitycheltenham.com/home/activities/community-transformation/kings-table/ for further details.


THURSDAY 05 JUNE 2008
6:00pm
Martin will be dropping in on a special evening at the Natural Grocery Store, Bath Road, Cheltenham, to celebrate their tenth anniversary, winning the National Green Hero 2008 Award, and World Environment Day. The evening runs from 6pm until 10pm. there will be tastings, special offers and competitions.
For more details about the Natural Grocery Store please see http://www.naturalgrocery.co.uk/index.aspx.


SATURDAY 07 JUNE 2008
Martin will spend some time at the ‘Make a Difference Day’ being held at Scott and Edward Wilson House, Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham.

4:30pm
Martin and his children will be visiting the 100th Anniversary celebrations of Highbury Scout Group, which are being held at the County Scouting Centre at Cranham. There are activities going on all day (see http://beehive.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Uploads/11399/Invite.pdf), and Martin will be there at 4:30pm for the ‘Reunite and Remember’ section.

Martin will spend the evening at the LINC (Leukaemia and Intensive Chemotherapy; http://www.lincfund.co.uk/) Caribbean Ball, which is being held at Wormington Grange.


SUNDAY 08 JUNE 2008
4:00pm
Cheltenham Bowling Club are hosting a party to mark their 125th anniversary. Martin will be going along to help them celebrate.
Please see http://www.cheltenhambowlingclub.org.uk/ for more details about the club.


THURSDAY 12 JUNE 2008
6:00pm
Cheltenham Volunteer Centre is holding a barbecue at their offices in College Road to thank volunteers for their hard work over the past year. Martin will also be presenting certificates to the volunteers.
For more information about the Volunteer Centre please see: http://www.volunteeringcheltenham.org.uk/index.htm


FRIDAY 13 JUNE 2008
10:30am
Martin will be going along to a ‘Mock Trial’ competition for local schools (Year Six pupils). This is being held at Cheltenham Magistrates Court.

2:00pm
A Cheltenham resident, Howard Marshall, recently ran the Berlin Half Marathon Charity Run in aid of Rendezvous and Global Footsteps, a Cheltenham-based environmental and educational charity. Howard will be handing over a cheque for over £1000 at the charity in Portland Street.
Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rendezvous_Society for more information.


SATURDAY 14 JUNE 2008
12:00 midday
Martin will be opening the summer fete at Sacred Hearts Church in Moorend Road, Charlton Kings.


MONDAY 16 JUNE 2008
9:30am
This week is National Childminding Week. Martin will be visiting Rowanfield Children’s Centre in Alstone Lane to find out more about the important service they provide.


To keep up-to-date with Martin's Horwood's appearances in parliament please visit our website.

Cheltenham Rock School 2008

18 -22 August 2008, Dean Close School

Cheltenham Rock School is a week long summer school dedicated to inspiring and raising the aspirations of 11-19 year olds from all over the county, courtesy of Beyond Eternity Promotions and The Virtual Arts Centre at The Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum. The week will consist of workshops, seminars and lectures for all young, serious musicians interested in rock, pop, funk and jazz under the guidance of local musician Peter Gill.

Peter said: “I am delighted to once again be involved with the Cheltenham Rock School. This year we are offering young musicians so many more options, including the opportunity to use the week to attain the nationally accredited Bronze Arts Award. This is truly something that I wish had been available to me as a teenager.”

All aspects of musicianship will be covered including performance, forming and running a band, recording and production, and promotion. Tutors include many of the town’s well known musicians and local music industry insiders.

Clara Hambling, Virtual Arts Centre Officer, who is supporting the project said: “Since the closure of the Axiom Arts Centre, Cheltenham’s local music scene has been in some decline but projects like this which potentially develop the ability to participate in live music will stimulate the resurgence of a local music scene to be proud of, at grass roots level”.

Application forms for the Rock School are available by contacting Peter either by telephone: 01242 587776 or email: info@beyondeternitypromotions.com .The cost of the whole week is £100 per student although there are also a limited number of bursary places available due to the generous support of the Virtual Arts Centre, Beyond Eternity Promotions and other local businesses.

Already 50% of the places have been taken and anyone interested in applying for a place in the Rock School are urged to do so as soon as possible.

Cheltenham International Screenwriters’ Festival

1 July 2008 – 3 July 2008, The Manor by the Lake

For the third year, the world's first major festival exclusively devoted to the art, craft and business of international scriptwriting takes place in Cheltenham. Many famous names will appear at this year's Cheltenham Screenwriters' Festival.

Speakers at the three-day event, which takes place in The Manor by the Lake, Cheltenham Film Studios, will include fantasy writer and creator of the Discworld novels, Terry Pratchett, Guillermo Del Toro, director of Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy II, acclaimed screenwriters Julian Fellowes, author of the Oscar-winning film Gosford Park, Peter Kosminsky, who won a BAFTA on Sunday for his drama serial Britz, and Kay Mellor whose credits include Playing the Field and Fat Friends. Also speaking will be media psychologist Dr Raj Persaud who will discuss how scribes overcome challenges like writer's block.

The festival also offers a broad range of workshops covering themes such as making a living writing, comic book writers, so you think you're funny and a pitch in time.

A three-day ticket to the festival, which is held from July 1 to 3, costs £330. For more information about the Cheltenham International Screenwriters’ Festival visit http://www.screenwritersfestival.com/.

2008 Programme:

TUESDAY 1 JULY
09:30 - 10:00 Opening Speech - Main Theatre Tent
10:00 - 11:00 How to Make a Living as a Writer - Main Theatre Tent
11:00 - 15:00 Scriptbites
11:30 - 12:30 The Writing Game - Lyderick Room
11:30 - 12:30 Comic Book Writers - Maximillion Room
14:00 - 15:00 Breaking Down your Walls with Dr. Raj Persaud - Main Theatre Tent
15:30 - 16:30 Anatomy of a Short - Main Theatre Tent
15:30 - 16:30 Code of Practice 2008 - Lyderick Room

WEDNESDAY 2 JULY
Laura Mackie, ITV
Christopher Hampton, writer
So you think you're Funny!
A Pitch in Time
Scriptbites

THURSDAY 3 JULY
Kay Mellor, writer
Jane Tranter, BBC
Terry Pratchett and Vadim Jean, author and writer/director
Lucy Prebble, writer
Peter Kosminsky, writer/director
Oil Change
Scriptbites
More sessions to follow
Why so Scared? (TBC)

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

Half-term Activities in Cheltenham

There are plenty of activities for children taking place in Cheltenham this half term.

The Play Rangers provide a free of charge activities for families and children of all ages. Children can play and experiment with a wide variety of play equipment, play physical games, try a bit of arts and craft and much more.

The Play Rangers sessions times:
27 May 2008, 10.30am -3.30pm: The Beeches Park
28 May 2008, 10.30am -3.30pm: The Caernarvon Park
29 May 2008, 10.30am -3.30pm: The Pittville Park
30 May 2008, 10.30am -3.30pm: The Clyde Crescent

In addition to the Play Rangers sessions there is also a programme which includes a four day multi sports camp at Christ College as well as informal sporting activities in Cheltenham playing fields. Sportszone multi sport sessions are running from Tuesday 27 May until Friday 30 May at Christ College, Arle Road from 9.30 - 12.30 each day. The price is £4 per day or £15 for the four days. The sport in the park sessions are free of charge.

Sport in the park sessions times:
27 May 2008, from 2pm-4pm: Agg Gardner
28 May 2008, from 2pm-4pm: Welch Road
29 May 2008, from 2pm-4pm: King George V, Rowanfield
30 May 2008, from 2pm-4pm: Clyde Crescent

Cheltenham July Events

As usual, Cheltenham4u is bringing you a round-up of Cheltenham events for the next few months.

As the summer is near and the festival season in Cheltenham has started, July brings even more music to Cheltenham. Cheltenham Music Festival offers the best in contemporary classical music whilst 2000 Trees Festival which takes place at Upcote Farm near Cheltenham provides two days filled with music of great rock, folk and pop bands of local and national fame.

If you love theatre then you won't miss The Open Air Theatre Festival which takes place in Bacon Theatre. This year's programme promises a bit of Shakespeare with The Winter's Tale, Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream performed at the Tuckwell Amphitheatre.

International Scriptwriter's Festival is for those who like to get behind the scenes of movie making to meet the people whose creative talents have helped to make some of the best films.

For sport enthusiasts, Race for Life is a fun way of raising vital funds for Cancer Research. This year's event will take place at Cheltenham Racecourse. And let's not forget Cheltenham Cricket Festival which starts at the end of July.

There certainly is much to look forward to this July. For more July events please visit our Cheltenham July Events guide.

Slot Car Racing Evenings at Dowty's Slot Car Racing Club

Dowty Slot Car Racing Club update: "Congratulations to all the club members at the National Finals this year. Dave finished in the top 10 in two classes, Rob had problems with cars and controllers, but still finished in the top 30 in Sports and Mike and Noddy both made the intermediate saloon final."

April results are now available on Dowty Slot Car Racing pages on Cheltenham4u.

Dowty Slot Car Racing Club are offering local clubs, companies or social groups the opportunity to experience an evening some great racing fun. Their track is available for corporate race evenings. For £60 plus £2 per driver your group can enjoy an evening full of great entertainment.

The cars you will race are 1/24th scale models of cars raced at Le Mans, such as Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche or Toyota. They have a pressed steel chassis with a relatively slow motor, although they are much faster than the cars you race a home.

The controller works like the accelerator on a car, the farther down it is pressed the faster the car goes. There is a dynamic braking facility to slow the cars down quicker which only operates when the controller is fully released. The lanes are colour coded and the cars will have corresponding colour stickers. Each driver has at least one three minute practice run to get an idea how the cars perform and to learn the track.

Each driver has one three minute race on each lane. The best three times are totalled at the end of the evening to find a winner. If there is enough time there may be finals at the end of the evening. The winning driver from the heats total or finals win the trophy. If there is time members of Dowty Slot Car Racing Club will demonstrate all types of cars they use for their racing.

During the evening drinks can be bought from the Sports & Social Club and taken to the slot car room.

For more information please ring Dave Coward on 01452 421311.

If you are a member of Cheltenham club or society and would like to get your club's profile featured to promote its activities please get in touch. To find out how please visit our website www.cheltenham4u.co.uk/community.

The Simpsons Weekend at Cheltenham Racecourse

Sunday 25 May – Monday 26 May 2008, Cheltenham Racecourse

Cheltenham Racecourse is the host to a magical Simpsons weekend this Bank holiday. Characters from the popular TV series The Simpsons will appear throughout the day at various intervals offering you the opportunity to meet Bart and Homer personally for the first time. Other entertainment will include a fantastic funfair, hot air balloon displays, Uncle Brian’s Funtime Clown Entertainment and much more. Balloon glow display will take place on Sunday 9.30pm when choreographed to music hot air balloons of various shapes will be lit up.

Admission:

£2, under 1m go free
Times:
Sunday 1pm – 10pm
Monday 12noon – 6pm

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

St. John’s Players

St. John's Players is an amateur dramatics group based in Churchdown. It aims to produce high quality and entertaining productions - usually three times a year. The group meets at the St. John's Church Hall in Churchdown. The group has an excellent social structure providing a friendly atmosphere for all members.

Their next production is "A Lady of Letters" & "A Light Lunch", two single acts with a supper provided at the interval between the plays. “A Lady of Letters”, was written by Alan Benett and its protagonist is Irene who by writing letters likes to assert her civil liberties. She writes mostly letters of complaint to the authorities in Yorkshire where she has little to do but watch her neighbours and lament the disintegration of community. Directed by John Knowles. “A Light Lunch” was written by Bridget Derrett. Laura & Richard Cartwright meet for lunch to celebrate their divorce. Comedy and pathos run in equal measure throughout the play. Directed by Gill Pegg.

Performance information:

Tuesday 10 June – Saturday 14 June 2008
at 7.45, St. John’s Hall, Churchdown
Tickets £7, concessions £6.50
First drink and programme is free.
Box office 01452 857371

To find out more about St. John’s Players please visit their profile on our website.

If you are a member of Cheltenham club or society and would like to get your club's profile featured to promote its activities please get in touch. To find out how please visit our website www.cheltenham4u.co.uk/community.

Queen's Hotel Wedding Fair

1 June 2008, Queens Hotel

If you are getting married in Cheltenham and surrounding areas in 2008 or even planning to do so in 2009, you can find inspiration for your wedding day at Queen's Hotel Wedding Fayre. There will be fashion shows at 12.45pm and 2.30pm for you to see the latest fashion in wedding and bridemaids dresses.

If you are planning a wedding, don't forget to check our Cheltenham Wedding Guide with useful information about who does what at the wedding, list of things to do before the wedding in order to have a relaxed and stylish wedding day, information about Cheltenham churches and civil ceremony venues, as well as wedding photography tips.

All photos courtesy of wedding photographers at 07743 738009.

Bishop’s Cleeve Street Fair

8 June 2008 – Bishop’s Cleeve

Bishops Cleeve 1940's Street Fair by John Bourton

This year Bishop’s Cleeve will hold its fourth Street Fair held in the heart of the village (or are we a town?). Whether you are a newcomer to the area or have lived here for some time we hope you will enjoy the many attractions we have arranged this year.

Once again the length of Church Road will be packed with stalls, entertainment and refreshments, as well as the traditional fair ground rides, plus the popular climbing wall and a simulator. At the Church there will be refreshments available and an exhibition of 1940's photographs. At the Tithe Barn car park there will be a return visit of the "Fun Dog Show", so if you own a dog bring them along and enter in one or more of the many classes. There will also be mouth-watering refreshments in the Tithe Barn provided by Home Flair Catering.

Across the road in the grounds of Cleeve Hall, there will be a collection of classic, vintage cars and tractors. This year to match our theme, there will be a number of 1940's military vehicles stationed around the village. If you have a vehicle you would like to display contact Ken on 01242 673914 or email: kenwedley@aol.com.

Have a go in the raffle, with a star prize is £100 cash (donated by Badham Pharmacy). There are also several other excellent prizes to be won donated by local businesses. It promises to be an exciting day with plenty to do and see. So why not enter into our 1940's theme, and come along in costume and join in with the community spirit and support the village and the local charities which will benefit. With your help, we hope to provide donations to the following causes or organisations: The British Legion; Tithe Barn, Gloucestershire Flood Relief, Denley Hall, Orchard House, Shipway Court, Air Ambulance and the Christmas Lights. So the more you spend the more we can donate.

If you want to find out more ring Christine Stratton on 01452 700507 or look at http://www.bishopscleevechamber.co.uk/freepage.asp?ID=6

The programme featuring the information on events and the performers will be on sale in the shops at the price of 50p, with a free raffle ticket inside. For more information about this and other Cheltenham events please visit our Cheltenham events guide.