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By Tom Jones

As we enter mid-October, it is now very obviously autumn up and down the Five Valleys, with pleasant tinges of orange, yellow and gold in the trees and a certain dampness under foot.

However, there is hope as the period around St Luke’s Feast Day, 18 October, is traditionally known as St Luke’s Little Summer, sometimes offering a spell of calm, dry weather before the autumn firmly kicks in.

Even if it looks like the folklore gods may be wrong this year, there are still a full week of seasonal things to see and do in the Stroud area, with a harvest festival at Brimscombe Mill, conkers at the Woolpack and Stroud’s own celebration of Black History Month at the Trinity Rooms. Plus, a little further afield you can enjoy a family-friendly celebration of Apple Day at the Folk of Gloucester, Luke Jerram’s Mars arrives at Gloucester Cathedral and a special outdoor sketching workshop in Uley.

Regular and one off events

Support Prema Arts Centre by joining artist Rosie-Marie MJ for an autumnal outdoor sketching session at a Uley’s beautiful historic mill house. Wear sturdy shoes, dress for the weather and choose from a range of scenes to sketch including the house’s water wheel and idyllic lake.

Help is at hand if you’ve always wanted to play the harp but you keep finding yourself at the pub instead. Each month Morwenna from Hands on Harps welcomes harpists and budding harpists with a range of abilities to a laid back, casual session in the main bar at the Prince Albert. Book in advance if you want to play, or just head to the Albert if you’d like to enjoy a pint with a musical backdrop.

Join Bath Spa University PhD researcher Sharon Gardham at the Museum in the Park for an exploration of the fascinating history of Rodborough Common. In this special afternoon talk, Sharon makes use of documentary evidence and landscape clues to lead you on a whistlestop tour through more than a millennium of Rodborough history, from the Iron Age, through the medieval period, to the present day.

Head down to Brimscombe Mill for a magical autumnal celebration featuring a special market for makers, growers and producers, live music, food and drink, crafts and apple pressing. Plus help make a scarecrow at Kids Stuff for the upcoming Rococo Garden Great Scarecrow Hunt.

The Stroud Against Racism team lead a special Stroud Black History Month festival at the Trinity Rooms, with music from Gloucester-based gospel choir Instruments of Praise, jazz singer Neil Patterson,  MC & rapper Griz-O and others, plus a poetry slam and a film festival on Sun 19 October.

String up a six-er and join the team at the Woolpack for what promises to be a friendly afternoon of conkers, mulled cider and toffee apples. Bring the best conkers you can find, pre-strung, and meet on the main deck for some good old fashioned family fun.

Continuing this week

BAFTA-award-winning Five Valleys resident Charlie Cooper continues his mythic quest through the world of British folklore in this entertaining three-part series. This week he heads to Wales in search of King Arthur’s Treasure.

Further afield

Bristol-based installation artist Luke Jerram takes a break from the Moon-gazing to bring his massive inflatable planet Mars to the 900-year-old central nave of Gloucester Cathedral. We learn that the sculpture is seven metres in diameter, and features detailed NASA imagery of the Martian surface. 

Sadly, Day’s Cottage in Brookthorpe have had to cancel their popular Apple Day celebrations due to a waterlogged orchard, but help is at hand with an alternative celebration at the Folk in Gloucester. The event promises morris dancing, kids’ activities, live music and the chance to see a horse-drawn cider press in action.

  • 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.

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