The daffodils are out and baby lambs are gambolling in the fields, but after that false start a week or so ago, the weather forecasters now keep sending us chilly weather.
Thankfully there’s plenty of indoor culture to be enjoyed in the Five Valleys this week, with the final week of Stroud Film Festival, a ceilidh at the Trinity Rooms, special sales at Woodchester School and Bisley WI Village Hall, and an art sale at the Long Table.
Find out more in our regular look at things coming up in Stroud and the wider district. To suggest an event for inclusion in 2025, use this form.
Regular and one off events
- Bid on big art at the Long Table – Thu 20 Mar, 7pm
In connection with Big Give week, Gloucester’s GAS Projects brings together this special auction of donated works at the Long Table. Expect works from generous local sculptors, printmakers and other artists to raise funds for their Gloucester art project.
- Watch short films at the Museum in the Park – Sat 22 Mar, 12 noon
Stroud Film Festival begins to draw to a close with a selection of short films at the Museum in the Park exploring relationships and human responses to the pressures of everyday life. The films are all made by filmmakers with connections to the south west, and we are told the works are connected by their efforts to intertwine landscape and humanity.
- Buy pre-loved clothes at Woodchester Endowed School – Sat 22 Mar, 1-3pm
Head down to Woodchester Endowed C of E Primary School for a special sale in aid of the Friends of Woodchester Endowed School. Expect toys, clothes and homewares at very reasonable prices, as well as tea and cake and crafts for the kids.
- Ceilidh at Stroud Trinity Rooms – Sat 22 Mar, 7:30pm
New Stroud Ceilidhs brings the George Inn Giant Ceilidh Band all the way from Southwark in south London to the Trinity Rooms for one of their energetic ceilidh dances. The marketing tells us that the band is so good that they represent English dancing at the Grand Bal de l’Europe in central France every year.
- Learn bird calls with Wild Stroud – Sun 23 Mar, 9:30am – 12:30pm
This practical workshop from the Wild Stroud team offers the chance to learn common local bird calls, with a particular focus on those you might hear on your next dawn chorus walk. If you don’t know your wren from your bluetit but want to, then this one’s for you.
- Attend Bisley Spring Market – Sun 23 Mar, 9:30am – 12:30pm
In a village with sadly-dwindling retail opportunities, this special fair at the Bisley WI Village Hall has plenty to offer. We are promised a selection of produce and gifts from local producers in aid of the British Heart Foundation plus breakfast rolls, refreshments, cakes and a raffle.
Continuing this week
- See Joe Magee’s Broadcast – Until 17 April
Award-winning illustrator, printmaker, sculptor and filmmaker Joe Magee brings a new solo show to Uley’s Prema arts centre, exploring the way we communicate and the driving forces of communication that echo in the natural world. The exhibition features all-new works – including prints, linocuts, and drawings – and spans Prema’s various creative spaces.
Further afield
- Take a walk in London’s Literary Footprints – Until 31 March
If you’re craving a day out in London and a little literary inspiration then help is at hand in the form of the Literary Footprints Festival, which continues until 31 March. Alight at Paddington and hop on the tube to explore the Southwark of Shakespeare, Chaucer and Pepys, or join a tour through Dickens’ night walks, Ackroyd’s East End or Monica Ali’s Brick Lane.
For a full month of art, music, theatre, literature, film and comedy events, pick up a copy of Stroud’s popular listings magazine, Good on Paper.
