Winterbourne Medieval Barn - Orchard Harvest Day, Sunday 2 October

Orchard Harvest Day will be held on Sunday 2 October from 11am – 4pm.

The most popular annual event at the Barn!   Visit the wonderful medieval barn dating from 1340s. Celebrate and discover the bounty of local orchards, locally-produced food and drink together with displays of local crafts and rural skills. Adults £2, children under 16yrs FREE.  Come and see traditional cider making using a Victorian stone apple mill and taste the results! Of course they will be paying homage to the Great British Orchard with cider making demos, apple display and we may have expertise on hand to identify varieties of apple – so bring yours along!

Enjoy locally-produced hot food, cold ice-cream from the Icicle Tricycle, locally-brewed beer and cider, or tea and cakes.   Marvel at the work of the medieval craftsmen who built the magnificent Barn and experience the thrill of seeing a peregrine falcon, play skittles, find out all there is to know about weaving, basket making, bees and honey, or try your hand at archery.  Sing along with the Frampton Shantymen – audience participation is not optional - or cheer the Winterbourne Down Border Morris dancers as they step-hop to traditional hornpipes, jigs and polkas.  Children will love seeing the pigs, geese and llamas, and can enjoy a variety of games and activities including the very popular ferret-racing.

A parking charge of £2 per vehicle will be collected on behalf of Paul’s Place; a local charity for disabled people. Access dogs and well behaved dogs on a lead are welcome. The ground is uneven in places and extra care may be needed by those with limited mobility.




Winterbourne Medieval Barn has won the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and South Glos has just appointed a Project Manager and a Funding Consultant with HLF money, to steer a bid for £1M from the Heritage Lottery Fund to bring the Medieval Barn into full community use. As part of this bid for funding, the Barn itself has to raise £400,000 by December 2017.  It is a unique historical building and we hope that all South Glos residents will be able to appreciate its amazing architecture.

More information is available on their website www.winterbournebarn.org.uk

Winterbourne Medieval Barn - drama to commemorate the Battle of the Somme, Sunday 18 September

'A Day’s Work' - Sunday 18 September, 3pm

A Musical drama to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.  Using original songs, spoken verse, monologue and dialogue, ‘A Day’s Work’ tells the story of a group of farm labourers, members of a mummers’ team, who join up, or refuse to join up, and meet finally on the first day of The Somme.  The show examines war, love, courage and cowardice through this new script and songs with a cast of highly respected performers.

Refreshments will be available to purchase during the interval.  Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic to eat in the grounds from 12.30pm.  Tickets cost £15 adults, £5 for under 16s, and are available from Daisy's Cafe, Flaxpits Lane, Winterbourne, or on the gate subject to availability.

What was the Battle of the Somme?

In the summer of 1916, British and French armies launched a joint offensive against German forces in the Somme region.  General Sir Douglas Haig had hoped to break German lines and bring the deadlock of trench warfare to an end. So on 1 July 1916, British troops rose from their trenches and advanced across no man’s land. But this ‘Big Push’ was ineffective and advancing soldiers were met by a hail of German gunfire. On that day alone the British Army suffered 57,470 casualties with 19,240 deaths, making it the bloodiest day in British military history.

The Battle of the Somme continued for 141 days to 18th November 1916, by which time British casualties had risen to 419,654, and total casualties on all sides reached more than one million. It was a pivotal battle, with tanks being deployed by the British Army for the first time, and crucial military lessons were learned which contributed to the eventual allied victory in 1918. But the Battle will forever be remembered for its devastating death toll and appalling human cost.  For many families, it remains the most painful and devastating battle of the First World War.

Winterbourne Medieval Barn has won the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and South Glos has just appointed a Project Manager and a Funding Consultant with HLF money, to steer a bid for £1M from the Heritage Lottery Fund to bring the Medieval Barn into full community use. As part of this bid for funding, the Barn itself has to raise £400,000 by December 2017.  It is a unique historical building and we hope that all South Glos residents will be able to appreciate its amazing architecture.

More information is available on their website www.winterbournebarn.org.uk

Winterbourne Medieval Barn event - Heritage Open Days with Bell-ringing 10 and 11 September

Heritage Open Days with Bell-ringing from the Lichfield Diocesan Mobile Belfry
Saturday 10 September  11am - 5pm and Sunday 11 September 12.00 - 5pm

National Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to properties across the country that are usually closed or charge for admission.  Winterbourne Medieval Barn is an outstanding and unique building of national importance now owned by South Glos Council.  Built by Thomas de Bradeston in 1342, just a few years before the Black Death hit in England, only three barns of this scale are recorded as built by gentry’ families, and Winterbourne is the only survivor. It was built using the green-timber construction methods which were the cutting-edge technology of that period. It is a fine example of a raised-cruck construction, and one of the largest and earliest raised-cruck barns. 

The Lichfield Diocesan Mobile Belfry will be installed in the Barn throughout the weekend and bell-ringers will be on hand to demonstrate their skill and let you have a go at ringing. St Michaels Church next to the Barn will also be open over the weekend and offering tower tours. They will have CCTV coverage of the church bells so that you can see them in action.

Free entry.  Access dogs and well behaved dogs on a lead will be welcome. 

Winterbourne Medieval Barn has won the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and South Glos has just appointed a Project Manager and a Funding Consultant with HLF money, to steer a bid for £1M from the Heritage Lottery Fund to bring the Medieval Barn into full community use. As part of this bid for funding, the Barn itself has to raise £400,000 by December 2017.  It is a unique historical building and we hope that all South Glos residents will be able to appreciate its amazing architecture.

More information is available on their website www.winterbournebarn.org.uk

National Walking Festival: Frampton Cotterell Ram Hill and the Dramway Walk - Wed 7 September

Miners Village Hall, Badminton Road, Coalpit Heath, BS36 2QB
Wednesday 7 September, 10:30 to 11:30

Join South Gloucestershire Walking For Health and Stepping Forward to celebrate the rich network of recreational paths. Free, led by trained volunteers. This is one of a series of walks - you can find the leaflets which have been produced about each of the paths here.

Long and short walk available - interesting local history walk and talk. Will last approximately one hour.

No booking required.

Click here for a listing of all the Discover Festival events

Something for everyone at the South Glos Discover Festival 2016

South Gloucestershire Discover Festival is now underway with a wide range of LOCAL events covering crafts, nature, learning, heritage, food, arts, getting active, and wellbeing.

Check out the Discover Festival website to pick the events you would like to attend!

Discover nature and find out about the sun this week

The Discover Festival continues with lots of local events. This Friday 26 September at 2 pm there is a Wild Walk in Yate to discover autumn wildlife, fungi and wild edibles with local naturalist Ed Drewitt on ramble around Goose Green. No dogs allowed except guide dogs.

Meet at Goose Green on the Frome Valley Walkway, at the entrance on Oak Close, BS37 5TW. Booking required - press the Book Now button on http://www.southglos.gov.uk/events/wild-walk-discover-autumn-wildlife-fungi-and-wild-edibles-2/

And this Saturday 27 September you can "Discover the sun!" starting 11 am at St. Nicholas’ Family Centre, Chargrove, Yate, BS37 4LG.  Discover more about the sun at this astronomy talk with the Cotswold Astronomy Society plus outdoor observation session using solar telescopes (weather permitting).

No dogs allowed except guide dogs. Age: 12 plus. Booking required - press the Book Now button on http://www.southglos.gov.uk/events/discover-the-sun-astronomy-talk-and-use-of-solar-telescopes/

Many more Discover Festival events are listed here: http://www.southglos.gov.uk/discover-festival/#!/

Get some fresh air this weekend at Wapley Bushes

There are TWO events at Wapley this weekend:

Wapley Bushes Bat Walk Saturday 13 September

It's time to go detecting again! Join Avon Bat Group for a twilight stroll in search of bats. Bat detectors provided. Wear warm clothes and boots and bring a torch. Children must be accompanied, but they love this one, "going round the creepy woods in the dark"

Meet at 7.15 pm at the Shire Way entrance to Wapley Bushes (opposite Cherington, Yate, BS37 8YA)

Wapley Bushes Work Morning, Sunday 14 September

This workday will be the annual stream clearance when the Conservation Group hope to clear the central watercourse through the main woodland. The aim is to preserve the habitat of the rare local thin-spiked wood sedge. All welcome, though obviously children must be accompanied. Teenagers are very welcome - they're energetic! - and there will also be lighter tasks for people who prefer them. Please wear walking or wellington boots, and bring some gloves if you have them.

Meet at 10.00 am at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland (Opposite Cherington, BS37 8YA)

Explore historic collieries - just two of 200 activities for Discover Week!

This year's Discover Festival features more than 200 events, of which over 150 are free. Full information is available from the South Glos website, or the Festival leaflet is available from libraries or Chipping Sodbury Tourist Information Centre.

This year offers not one, but TWO collieries to explore and find out about out industrial heritage. It will be possible to visit both Ram Hill and Oldwood this weekend.

On Sunday 14 September you have a chance to go on a guided tour of the remains of Ram Hill Colliery near Coalpit Heath (10.00am - 4.30 pm) - you can find more details about Ram Hill here

Oldwood Pit between Yate and Rangeworth will be open Saturday 13 September 2.00pm - 5.00pm and Sunday 14 Sept 10.00 - 4.30 . More information, directions etc can be found on the South Glos Mines Research Group website.

Time to Discover

Would you like to discover...

...our great outdoors by going on fossil forays or star gazing?
...our fantastic local food?
...our rich heritage, from Rolls Royce to Ram Hill Colliery?
...your creativity, with Chinese origami or writing "flash fiction"
...what's going on in your local area for older people?
...events for all ages, including Discovering Dinosaurs workshops?

Discover is a new festival of over 200 events being held throughout South Gloucestershire between 6th September and 4th November. It brings together a number of different events including the Celebrating Age Festival, Active Mind Month, South Gloucestershire Taste Festival, the Out and About in Nature Programme and Heritage Open Doors. You can find out more online.

Most events are free and are able to be booked on line at http://www.discoversouthglos.eventbrite.co.uk/. Why not see what you can discover this autumn?