A Bumper Summer

Royal & Derngate Gala Dinner, September 24

Join friends and colleagues in the Derngate auditorium for an exclusive evening to enjoy a three course meal, wine, entertainment and good company, on Sunday 24 September. 

This celebratory event to mark 40 years of the Derngate will raise funds to repair the seating in the Derngate and to fund the team’s wonderful outreach work with local children and young people. 

Individual ticket £120, Full table £1,000. Get your tickets!

Celebrating the official opening of the extension at 78 Derngate 

In July, the 78 Derngate Trust were joined by visitors, friends and colleagues, to celebrate the official opening of the expanded 78 Derngate which now offers a larger visitor centre, rejuvenated secluded garden, and totally revamped shop following the completion of the extensive £950,000 refurbishment in June this year. The site now boasts an extension to the main buildings and enhanced gardens, allowing larger groups to visit and enjoy the museum, as well as benefit from an enriched visitor experience. Darren Henley CBE, CEO of Arts Council England, officially opened the new facility.  

Active in Motion (A.I.M)  at Adrenaline Alley

19 August will see the official opening of ‘ACTIVE IN MOTION’ (A.I.M), Adrenaline Allley’s new health and wellbeing centre. A.I.M offers state-of-the-art power-assisted exercise machines and is also equipped with weights, suspension trainers, changing rooms, and a shower. The welcoming new space will enable major improvements in the physical and mental health of individuals of all ages and abilities; enhanced fitness levels, effective weight loss, injury rehabilitation, and improved mobility.

A.I.M is for everyone and especially beneficial for older exercisers or those with long-term conditions, injuries, or disabilities.

Email [email protected] to book an induction or for more information visit: www.adrenalinealley.co.uk/active-in-motion

Lamport Hall celebrates 50 years

Next year marks 50 years since the private Preservation Trust was established at Lamport Hall by Sir Gyles Isham to secure the future of the Hall, gardens and estate. To mark the occasion there will be events including a brand new exhibition celebrating the work of the trust. As part of the exhibition we are collating memories, photographs and oral histories from the past 50 years. If you have any memories of Lamport that you would like to share, please get in touch on [email protected]

We are looking for photographs and small paragraphs about your memories of the Hall - perhaps you attended an event, knew Sir Gyles, got married here or previously worked for the Trust? Any contribution big or small would be welcomed to form part of our larger memory installation.

Weetabix Northamtonshire Food & Drink Awards 2023 

This coming Friday August 4 will see the first Awards announcements of 2023; the Artisan Producer Awards - Artisan Local Drink, Artisan Local Product, Artisan Local Vegetarian / Vegan Product. Follow the announcements here:

https://www.facebook.com/foodawards  

https://twitter.com/foodawardsHQ 

https://www.instagram.com/foodawardshq/?hl=en

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE EVENTS NEWS

Heritage Open Days in September

Historic buildings, churches and venues in West Northamptonshire will be open to the public free of charge from 8 to 17 September, as part of the national Heritage Open Days initiative. A link to participating venues is here: https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/culture-and-tourism/heritage-open-days

Adrenaline Alley Summer Promos

Adrenaline Alley are offering 10% off all Friday online session bookings during the summer holidays with code SUMMER10 and for gold members online booking for ALL DAY sessions is reduced to £20 Monday to Thursday. That’s over 33% OFF in comparison to the standard booking fee. Upgrade your account to Gold at www.adrenalinealley.co.uk

Delapre Abbey

Mind, Body, Soul Festival. 1-3 September.
Various times, programme to be released soon.
Experience the captivating Mind, Body and Soul Festival, a transformative wellness event in partnership with Lucienne Coaching. 

These extraordinary gatherings nurture the mind, revitalise the body, and uplift the spirit. With empowering workshops, immersive sessions, and enlightening talks featuring speakers like Laura Hof, our meticulously designed programme reflects our core values of community, wellbeing, and Northamptonshire heritage.

1st September (4pm-8pm): SEN & Family Day.

2nd September (8:30am-6:30pm): Empowerment (Keynote speakers including Lucienne Shakir and Laura Hof)

3rd September (8:30am-6:30pm): Holistic Wellbeing

Classics on the Lawn. 10 September. 

Enjoy a day out for all the family with vintage, classic and specialist cars in the grounds of the historic Abbey. The house will also be open.

Fermynwoods

WAYS OF KNOWING at Brixworth Country Park. 19 August – 31st October. 

Entry is free to this international contemporary art exhibition exploring how and where we as individuals fit in the natural world, making connections between the environment and our physical bodies. Set throughout Brixworth Country Park. Featuring work by Yukio Fujimoto (Japan), Heywood & Condie (UK), Krzysztof Maniak (Poland), Poppy Nash (UK), Alyson Shotz (USA), and Sarah Taylor Silverwood (UK). And Counterpoint, a playlist of sound work by Professor Chill (UK), Atilio Doreste (Canary Islands), Daniel Garcia (UK), Yagi Lyota (Japan), Matti Palonen (Canada), Russick Smith (USA), Tosca Teran (Canada), and Zimoun (Switzerland). Guest curated by Yasmin Canvin.

https://fermynwoods.org/ways-of-knowing/

WALKING TOUR at Brixworth Country Park. 2 September.

Join us for an informal walking tour of Ways of Knowing at Brixworth Country Park. Led by exhibition guest curator Yasmin Canvin in conversation with Fermynwoods Director James Steventon, discover insights about the exhibition works and featured artists.  The walk will cover approximately two miles in distance within Brixworth Country Park. 

Free to attend but please register your place here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walking-tour-ways-of-knowing-tickets-684244121587

HYBRID WORKSHOPS

Our new series of artist led activities that utilise the best of the online and offline world, connecting people with one another and the natural world.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/xylophobia-hybrid-workshops-348499

What We Weave with Boon & Baum

A two-day workshop in which participants are invited to spend the day in Fermynwoods to weave digitised fabric ‘screens’ amongst the trees, featuring invited

speakers giving talks on the mycorrhizal network.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-we-weave-with-boon-baum-tickets-682174180337?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Pay what you can afford (recommended donation £25).

Kettering Park Hotel

Partnering with with local suppliers, Kettering Park Hotel have organised a wedding Fayre on 17 September 11-2, and a Spa Open Day on 10 September showcasing Spa memberships, days and treatments.

Kelmarsh Hall

Posy Pop Up Days. 1 August and 21 September, 12pm- 2pm.

Enjoy a relaxing afternoon at Kelmarsh making beautiful posies with fresh flowers and greenery cut from the Kelmarsh gardens. All materials for posy pop ups included, entrance to gardens, and tea, coffee and biscuits.

Big Doggy Day Out. 10 August, 10am – 3pm.

Come along to the Big Doggy Day Out in the beautiful grounds of Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens. Enjoy agility demonstrations, have a go opportunities, and Hare and Hound training tips, as well as Well Kept Dogs Grooming Studio who will be teaching grooming techniques to keep your pooches looking beautiful. There will also be the chance to meet award-winning Sparkaway Australian Shepards, and chat to the team from Rutland Veterinary Clinic. 

Hidden Treasures of the Kelmarsh Archives. Heritage Open Day.

14 September, 10am – 3pm.

Kelmarsh are joining in with the Heritage Open Days Festival this September with a free special event. Visitors can experience hidden treasures from the Kelmarsh archives for this special one-day exhibition. A team of Research and Archive volunteers have been pulling out items of interest throughout the year, including a leg bone discovered in the old safe, and an autographed book and personal letters from Denys Watkins-Pitchford to Colonel Lancaster. The Hidden Treasures exhibition will be free for visitors to attend and requires no pre-booking. 

National Garden Scheme Open Day

17 September, 10am – 4pm.

Kelmarsh are delighted to open their gardens for the National Garden Scheme. The historic gardens, woodland and lakeside areas will be open for visitors to enjoy, with 50% of ticket sales going to the National Garden Scheme who distribute the proceeds among their chosen charities. 

Dahlia Days at Kelmarsh

Kelmarsh Hall are renowned for their special Dahlia collection, which blooms in the gardens from mid/end of August, and throughout September. Take a stroll and enjoy the unique colours, sizes and shapes of these fabulous flowers. The Dahlias were first introduced to the historic gardens by Nancy Lancaster, and garden designer Norah Lindsey. Explore the range of Dahlias during open days in September on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, 10am – 4pm.

Evenley Wood Garden

Welcome to Wonderland and the Wonderland Trail are running throughout summer. Red and White Dress up encouraged! 

Not to be missed also is the Immersion Theatre’s brand new production of The Wizzard of Oz on 21 August.

https://www.evenleywoodgarden.co.uk/welcome_to_wonderland/ 

https://www.evenleywoodgarden.co.uk/the-wizard-of-oz/

Boughton House & Gardens

Open Friday to Tuesday in August, 1pm-5pm.

Enjoy tours of the magnificent House and Collection, a pop up exhibition by four local artists as part of the Northants Open Studio, and Garden Tours on Saturdays in August.

Find out more: www.boughtonhouse.co.uk

Hilton Northampton

Fawlty Towers Dinner, 11 August.

Bring friends and family together for fine food and classic comedy action as Basil, Sybil and Manuel do their very best to look after you, the way only they know how.  Chaos and mayhem are served in large portions. Book tivkets here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northampton/hilton-northampton/fawlty-towers-dinner-show/e-pxjqao 

Northants Open Studios in September

A celebration of over 200 local artists kicks off this September with the launch of the Northants Open Studios central exhibition at Lamport Hall, and an opening event on 2 September to officially cut the ribbon on the show. The initiative encourages potters, painters, sculptors, textile artists, printmakers, jewellery makers and every kind of creative in between to open their studios to the public so they can see first hand where the magic happens. The Central Exhibition at Lamport Hall brings together work from every artist taking part, showcasing the breadth of talent available in Northamptonshire. Last year over 800 people attended the launch of the Central Exhibition, which saw over £5,000 in sales in the first day alone. The launch starts at 4pm on Saturday 2 September and the exhibition will be open Wednesday-Sunday 10am-4pm throughout September. For more information contact [email protected].