All events take place at the Earth Trust, Little Wittenham, OX14 4QZ unless otherwise stated. As always, more information can be found on our website www.earthtrust.org.uk.

Discover and Play

Friday 1^st April, 10am-12pm

Forest School for the under-5s. Join the Earth Trust for a morning of play and discovery in the our woodlands. Forest School offers hands on learning experiences in a natural environment. £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. No need to book.

Nettles – Nasty or Nice?

Sunday 3^rd April, 10am-12pm

Stinging nettles may pack a bit of a punch, but did you know they’re used by both people and wildlife? Join us at the Earth Trust Centre and get inspired by our delicious nettle recipes, and discover which other species like eating them too. £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. Drop in.

Clumps Club

Monday 4^th & Tuesday 5^th April, 9am-5pm

Wild adventures for 8-12yr olds! Different outdoor activities each day, please check web for details. £30 per child per day; booking essential: 01865 407792.

Wildlife Wednesday at Wallingford Castle Meadows

Wednesday 6^th April, 2pm-4pm

Our roving Wildlife Wednesdays visit a different Earth Trust community nature reserve during each school holiday. This half term, come and join us at Wallingford Castle Meadows (OX10 8DL) to learn about local wildlife and have lots of outdoor fun! £2 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free; no need to book.

Family Bushcraft

Friday 8^th April, 10am-4pm

Bring the whole family and go wild in the great outdoors! Explore the woods, make shelters, learn how to make a fire and use a knife safely. We’ll cook on the fire but bring a packed lunch too. £20 adult, £15 child; booking essential: 01865 407792.

How to Grow Greens

Saturday 9^th April, 10am-3pm

Join The Little Salad Company to learn about growing your own salad leaves. The workshop will provide all you need to get started on growing in the upcoming season, from sowing seeds, dealing with pests and getting the most from your crops. For amateurs and more experienced growers. £20; booking essential: 01865 407792.

Wildlife Photography Walk

Sunday 10^th April, 8am-10am

Local photographer Andy Hough will provide top tips on capturing beautiful images of wildlife during this walk around the nature reserve. Bring your own camera. £20; booking essential: 01865 407792.

Lighting the Queen’s Birthday Beacon

Thursday 21^st April, 5.30pm-6.30pm

Join us on top of the Wittenham Clumps to light a celebratory beacon to mark the Queen’s 90^th Birthday. Exact time of lighting TBC, please check the Earth Trust website for details.

Newts, Frogs and Toads

Friday 22^nd April, 7.45pm-9.30pm

Come and find out all about the amphibians that live in the ponds in Little Wittenham Wood. Ben Carpenter will lead a guided walk filled with fascinating facts, then we’ll use nets and torches to get a closer look. £5 adult, £2 child, free for Earth Trust Friends; booking essential: 01865 407792.

Public Exhibition: Improving visitor facilities at the Earth Trust Centre

Thursday 28^th April – Sunday 1^st May, times vary

Would you like to find out about plans to improve visitor facilities at the Earth Trust Centre? Drop in to this informal exhibition; check website for opening times and further information.

Lucy Benyon

Communications Officer

Earth Trust, Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire, OX14 4QZ

Direct Line: 01865 409406

Office No.: 01865 407792

lucy.benyon@earthtrust.org.uk

The Easter school holidays will be in full swing at the beginning of April and Cornerstone has a wonderfully varied and fun selection of activities and workshops to keep children and families busy and engaged. On Friday 8 April, for example, there’s an exciting opportunity for 7 to 13 year olds to work hands-on with iPads, iMacs and Apps to create and animate wild and wonderful creatures in Animation: Amazon Adventure!  Please see our website (details below) for information about all the holiday activities available.

Jill Tomlinson’s best-selling children’s classic, The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, comes to Cornerstone on Sunday 17 April.  Perfect for children and families, and adapted for the stage by Blunderbus, the story of Plop the baby barn owl is brought to life with an irresistible blend of music, puppetry and storytelling.

Theatre strictly for the grown-ups in Harold Pinter’s first major work, The Birthday Party on Saturday 30 April.  Set in a shabby boarding house in an English seaside town an impromptu and seemingly innocent birthday party abruptly turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse, with horrifying repercussions.  Presented by London Classic Theatre and directed by Michael Cabot.

On a lighter note, how about some comedy to get you giggling?  Rory McGrath‘s Bridge Over Troubled Lager went down a storm at Cornerstone in September 2014.  He returns, and looks back at his career, on Friday 22 April – brace yourselves for adult themes!  Gyles Brandreth’s Word Power offers his finely tuned treatise on how to find the right words to get the right results on Saturday 2 April.  Award-winning writer and performer Rob Auton’s The Water Show is a comedy/theatre/talking show about water, suitable for anyone who’s seen, heard, touched, used or drunk water!  Don’t miss him on Friday 29 April. 

N.B. Our summer season brochure will be available from Tuesday 15 March, with members’ booking opening that day.  Full details of the summer programme will be available on the website on Tuesday 29 March, when tickets will also go on sale to the general public.    

Full details of our spring programme can be found on our website at http://www.cornerstone-arts.org,

where online booking is available.  Bookings can also be made through the Box Office by telephone on 01235 515144 or in person.  Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.  Cornerstone is closed on Monday.

All the listed events take place at the Earth Trust, Little Wittenham, OX14 4QZ unless otherwise stated, they include all March events and those family events in April that occur during the Easter holidays. As always, more information can be found on our website www.earthtrust.org.uk.

Mother’s Day Edible Bouquets – Sunday 6^th March, 10am-2pm

Drop in to the Earth Trust Centre on Mothering Sunday and plant your mum an edible bouquet! Decorate your pot and fill it with seeds that will grow into tasty leaves, herbs and flowers. £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. No need to book.

 

Lambing Weekends – Saturday 12^th & Sunday 13^th March, 11am-4pm
Saturday 19^th & Sunday 20^th March, 11am-4pm

Our annual Lambing Weekends are back, but this year there’s be even more to see and do on the Earth Trust farm! As well as the ewes and their lambs, there’ll be pigs, piglets, goats and more, plus bale climbing and craft activities. Refreshments available. £6 adult, £3 child, £15 family, free for Earth Trust Friends.

Easter Fun on the Farm – Sunday 27^th March, 11am-3pm

Get set for some egg-citing family fun this Easter Sunday! Eggs-plore the Earth Trust farm and meet some of the animals, plus bring your own egg (hard boiled!) to decorate and roll down the Clumps. Refreshments available. £5 adult, £2 child, £12 family.

Woodland Adventure – Wednesday 30^th March, 10am-12pm

An expedition for 5-8 year olds. Use your detective skills to discover the Earth Trust’s woodland, where we’ll explore, build and play. £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. No need to book.

Sling Walk  – Thursday 31^st March, 10am-11.30am

Bring your baby for a ramble around the Earth Trust nature reserve. A great opportunity for you both to get our in the fresh air and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside with other local parents. £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. No need to book.

Discover and Play – Friday 1^st April, 10am-12pm

Forest School for the under-5s. Join the Earth Trust for a morning of play and discovery in the our woodlands. Forest School offers hands on learning experiences in a natural environment. £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. No need to book.

Nettles – Nasty or Nice? – Sunday 3^rd April, 10am-12pm

Stinging nettles may pack a bit of a punch, but did you know they’re used by both people and wildlife? Join us at the Earth Trust Centre and get inspired by our delicious nettle recipes, and discover which other species like eating them too. With Love Food Hate Waste. £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. Drop in.

Clumps Club – Monday 4^th & Tuesday 5^th April, 9am-5pm

Wild adventures for 8-12yr olds! Different outdoor activities each day, please check web for details. £30 per child per day; booking essential: 01865 407792.

Wildlife Wednesday – Wednesday 6^th April, 2pm-4pm

Our roving Wildlife Wednesdays visit a different Earth Trust community nature reserve during each school holiday. This half term, come and join us at Wallingford Castle Meadows (OX10 8DL) to learn about local wildlife and have lots of outdoor fun! £2 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free; no need to book.

Family Bushcraft – Friday 8^th April, 10am-4pm

Bring the whole family and go wild in the great outdoors! Explore the woods, make shelters, learn how to make a fire and use a knife safely. We’ll cook on the fire but bring a packed lunch too. £20 adult, £15 child; booking essential: 01865 407792.

Lucy Benyon

Communications Officer

Comedy Club on Thursday 3 March brings three of the best on the comedy circuit.  You’ll have seen headliner Joe Lycett on Live at the Apollo and Sunday Night at the London Palladium as well as Celebrity Juice to name but a few!  Foster Panel Prize Winner 2014 Will Duggan will share his cheerfully cynical view of the world along with comedian, actress, songwriter and improviser Pippa Evans.  MC Ben Van Der Velde has worked for Komedia, The Comedy Cafe and Bestival so you’re sure to be in safe hands.

Exhibition Neil Marchant: Nebula XXI has been formed from a fascination with 1950s popular culture: the science fiction stories, magazine illustration and toys and games.  Running from Saturday 27 February until Sunday 3 April this exhibition explores the idea of space and space travel through childhood memories in a mixed media of throw-away packaging materials such as packing paper, building materials and string.  Free to view, with artworks for sale.  Children and adults will have an opportunity to meet the artist and get closer to the exhibition through talks and interactive activies on Saturday 12 March. There are also children’s Easter holiday activities available.  Please see website for more information.

The Curious Adventures of Pinocchio, brought to Cornerstone by Lygo Theatre on Thursday 31 March, follows Pinocchio on his quest to find his father and to become a human boy.  Performed by writer-director Patrick Lynch, this show has a beautiful set, with lovely puppet characters and delightful, specially created, music.

Political history is brought to life in a new play, Lady Connie and the Suffragettes, on Saturday 5 March.  Exploring the role of this lady of the realm in the new suffragette movement alongside the flutuations of her aching love affair this production offers real insight into a moment in history. Suitable for older teens to enjoy alongside adults.

An explosion of brass and beats augmented by drum and percussion from Hackney Colliery Band on Friday 18 March offers an evening of superb, uplifting music from this supremely talented nine-piece. Hailing from East London with influences from Balkan beats, contemporary jazz, soul, rock, afrobeat and hip hop this is music you won’t be able to keep still to.  These guys are cool, confident and hilarious while delivering a packed set.  They’ve collaborated with international orchestras, the late Amy Winehouse and Eliza Doolittle and were the only act to play fully live at the closing cermony of the London 2012 Olympic games.

On offer through the Easter school holidays is a wide variety of family and children’s workshops to keep all ages engaged and inspired, including: Science Day: Great and Small; Clay Sculpture: Forest Floor; Worlds of Art; Animation: Amazon Adventure; Musical in a Day: Exploring Oliver; Drop-in and Doodle: The Big and the Small; Youth Dance and more.   If you enjoy fun and creative adult workshops why not give Felt Jewellery, Drawing from Scratch and Clay Sculpture a try?

Full details of our spring season programme and online booking are available at our website http://www.cornerstone-arts.org.  Tickets can also be purchased in person or by telephone from the Box Office on 01235 515144.  Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-4pm.  Closed Monday.

Bridget Haffenden

Marketing team

Please find below some information about our February 2016 events. As always, more information can be found on our website www.earthtrust.org.uk.  All events take place at the Earth Trust, Little Wittenham, OX14 4QZ unless otherwise stated.  All events other than Bird Bonanza take place during half term.

Bird Bonanza!

Sunday 7^th February, 10am-2pm

Drop in and get to know our feathered friends! Make a bird feeder, try some ‘twitching’ and even build your own nest! £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. No need to book.

Mud Pie Monday!

Monday 15^th February, 10am-11.30am

Join us for our first Mud Pie Monday – buckets of mud and buckets of fun! Wellies and waterproofs advisable. Free taster session; no need to book.

Build a Bird Box

Monday 15^th February, 2pm-4pm

Take home your own handmade bird box and help encourage more wildlife into your garden. Tools and materials provided. £10 per box; booking essential (1hr slots): 01865 407792 or admin@earthtrust.org.uk.

Woodland Adventure

Wednesday 17^th February, 10am-12pm

An expedition for 5-8 year olds. Use your detective skills to discover the Earth Trust’s woodland, where we’ll explore, build and play. £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. No need to book

Wildlife Wednesday

Wednesday 17^th February, 2pm-4pm

New for 2016: our roving Wildlife Wednesdays will visit a different Earth Trust community nature reserve during each school holiday. This half term, come and join us at Mowbray Fields in Didcot (OX11 8SS) to learn about local wildlife and have lots of outdoor fun! £2 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free; no need to book.

Discover and Play

Friday 19^th February, 10am-12pm

Forest School for the under-5s. Join the Earth Trust for a morning of play and discovery in our woodlands. Forest School offers hands on learning experiences in a natural environment. £4 suggested donation per child, accompanying adult(s) free. No need to book.

 

January is the perfect time for a fresh start and environmental learning charity Earth Trust is aiming to help you stick to your New Year’s resolution to get fit or get out more with the launch of its new volunteer group. Taking place every Thursday, the work party will carry out practical conservation tasks on the Trust’s community nature reserves in Abingdon.

Earth Trust has been managing Thrupp Lake since 2009 and was recently awarded a one year management contract to look after some of the land that is now grassland and developing woodland within the complex of former lakes at Radley. This addition, along with the management of nearby Abbey Fishponds, has led to the need for more volunteers to help improve the sites for wildlife and visitors.

“We’ve been running monthly work parties at our Abingdon reserves for years but taking on the extra land at Radley means there’s more work to do and we need more people power. Our volunteers are incredible and these greenspaces wouldn’t be as well looked after without people volunteering their skills and time. The work parties are really friendly and enthusiastic, and everyone enjoys getting out in the fresh air and getting stuck in. Volunteering can be a great way to meet like-minded people, pick up new skills and get some exercise,” said Lucy Tomkinson, Community Reserves Warden at the Earth Trust.

Winter work is already underway on the nature reserves and the existing volunteer group at Radley has made an excellent start by clearing willow to create open feeding areas for wading birds and orchid glades. But we need more help!

“It’s fantastic to have new projects to tackle at Radley and we have already been rewarded with some great wildlife sightings, including snipe, woodcock and a barn owl. There’s still a lot to do so we’re looking forward to welcoming some new members to the group to help out,” added Lucy.

For more information about volunteering with the Earth Trust see www.earthtrust.org.uk/volunteer

February kicks off with music from BBC award-winning Luke Daniels, who combines his outstanding talents as a guitarist, pianist and melodeon virtuoso with an original Polyphon machine.  It’s a 19th century mechanical music device about the size of a grandfather clock and Luke’s used it to develop a new method of transferring electronic music onto the steel polyphon discs.  Revolve and Rotate, on Friday 5 February, is a suite of six new one hundred second pieces composed by Luke.

Finding beauty within our disposable culture the Robert Strange Collecting Art exhibition runs until Sunday 21 February.  During childhood Robert Strange kept scrapbooks and diaries of thoughts, aspirations and images which led to a fascination with collecting objects from these experiences. This colourful and playful exhibition features detailed drawings alongside paintings, prints and photographs of everyday familiar items that we regularly use and throw-away.

Join the villanous Captain Cut-Throat and his fearsome crew as they set sail through monster-infested waters in search of a mysterisous island crammed with jewels and gem stones.  Here Be Monsters on Thursday 18 February is a thrilling new musical adventure, bringing this exciting children’s story book to life.  The perfect afternoon’s entertainment for half-term for ages from 3+.

The Missy Malone & Friends Burlesque Revue, on Saturday 13 February, offers tassels, tease and temptation!  This glorious theatre show, widely regarded as the best of its kind currently touring the UK, brings together the very best authentic burlesque performers in an evening of comedy, music and cabaret.

There’s comedy from Hal Cruttendon with Straight Outta Cruttendon on Saturday 27 February.  Hal, host of Live At The Apollo and star of Radio 4, is back and ranting about the real evils of the modern world: from over-sharing on social media to the 5:2 diet.  The more he complains the funnier he gets!

Full details of our spring programme can be found on our website at http://www.cornerstone-arts.org, where online booking is available.  Bookings can also be made through the Box Office by telephone on 01235 515144 or in person.  Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.  Cornerstone is closed on Monday.