Dear Editor,
We are delighted to announce the programme for the 2023 Whiteshill & Ruscombe Two Villages Winter Festival.
The festival was started in 2020. It brings together the communities of the two villages and raises funds to support the wonderful venues where many of the local groups get together to make life a bit more fun.
This year there is an exciting programme of events, including some free ones.
Starting things off there is a Village Quiz on Saturday 18th November at Whiteshill & Ruscombe Village Hall from 7pm.
Tickets are £5 per person with teams of up to six. Come along to test your general and local knowledge, and bring your own food and drink to share with your team. Places can be booked on EventBrite or from the Village Shop.
Mince Pies and Mulled Wine are on offer in the Scout Hut on the Playing Field from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday 19th. You pay for your Mince Pie and enjoy a free glass of Mulled Wine (with or without alcohol) or a soft drink on us.
On Monday 20th from 3pm to 5pm there is an opportunity to make your own Christmas Cards in the Scout Hut. There is no charge to attend, but donations will be welcomed. Materials and equipment will be provided, together with ideas and inspiration for individual designs.
Tuesday 21st has a special Soup Lunch at the Village Shop from noon until 2pm – no charge to attend, just pay as you can for your lunch, but donations will be welcome.
Do you have clothes that you no longer wear or don’t fit? If so, why not come to our Clothes Swap and update your wardrobe – Wednesday 22nd at Ruscombe School Room from 19:00. Tickets are £5 each – Bring along five items in good clean condition and swap them for up to five others.
It’s a busy day at Ruscombe School Room on Thursday 23rd – at 10am there is a Coffee Morning until noon. You can try your hand at Gelli Printing until 2pm– if you don’t know what it is why not come and try it – there is no charge to attend, but, as usual, donations will be welcomed. Then in the evening you can learn from Sue Williams how to make your Christmas Cakes look stunning at our demonstration. Tickets are £5 and include a hot drink and a decorated Cup Cake. There will also be a ‘Prize every time’ tombola.
In the Village Shop on Friday 24th from 3pm to 4.45pm there will be a Cowboy Bean Feast for the youngsters, and the young at heart. Later in the day the Village Hall will be the venue for an Art Journalling Workshop 8pm to 10pm. Learn how to make and use an Art Journal with Dorota Godby of Gentle Power. Materials and equipment will be provided. There is no charge to attend, but donations will be welcomed.
Saturday 25th finds venues across both villages open from 10am until 4pm, with stalls full of lovely handmade items and some will activities to try. The venues include:Whiteshill & Ruscombe Village Hall (stalls & refreshments); St Paul’s Church (Children’s Art Exhibition, Arts & Crafts exhibition, demonstrations & refreshments); Whiteshill School (Stalls, activities & refreshments); Village Shop (Special Hot Chocolate); Scout Hut (Stalls & activities); Ruscombe Chapel (Refreshments) and Ruscombe School Room (Stalls).
A stunningly decorated Christmas Cake will be one of the star prizes at the festival raffle – Raffle tickets will be on sale at each of the venues on Saturday 25th and the draw will be made at 3,30pm in the Village Shop.
The culmination on Saturday 25th is an Open Mic session at St Paul’s Church at 19:00. Everyone is invited to come along to either take part or be part of the audience. Bring along your voice, your instrument(s) and your own refreshments to make the evening go with a swing – No cost to attend.
For information email: 2VWintFest@gmail.com
Tickets available from Whiteshill & Ruscombe Village Shop or from EventBrite.
Jenni Gardner
Secretary
Whiteshill & Ruscombe Two Villages Winter Festival
