Britain's Rural Capital of Culture

Britain's Rural Capital of Culture? Surely! Inspired by the range of events and cultural happenings in the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean, we're making the claim.

Here's the video to introduce just a few of our local cultural heroes.

To find out what's happening when you're visiting run a 'search by date' using the search option on the right in the usual way. In addition, we've started a Capital of Culture diary to comment on whatever catches our eye. And hopefully give you advance notice to help you stay one step ahead of the culture vultures.

So here are some snippets of our Culture Diary:

The Cotswold Sketchbook

The Cotswold Sketchbook is a daily painting exercise that has been running since May 2009. Cotswold artist Nigel Fletcher paints a small oil painting about 7.5"" x 5.5"" every working day and uploads the picture to the Cotswold Sketchbook website. Once the new painting has been uploaded it is available for sale for only £99 and the first person to send a request to buy it gets it! Each painting will usually be made outside in the Cotswold Landscape where Nigel lives and will be photographed and uploaded immediately it is finished. Nigel intends to keep doing this until at least May 2010 to see how the seasons in the Cotswolds have been recorded throughout the year.

To receive updates on these mini oil paintings as they are made, subscribe to the mailing list at www.cotswoldsketchbook.co.uk

Textile Holiday Tours

Textile Holiday Tours is a new venture offering specialist, small-group textile tours within the UK.

It offers the chance to enjoy and be inspired by the rich variety of textiles, both historic and contemporary, in stately homes, churches, cathedrals, castles, cottages and studios across the UK.

Stroud has close associations with Textile Holiday Tours (which works across Britain) through its incredible textile heritage and contemporary scene.

Lorraine Traer-Clark (above) started the business to reflect her own passion for the subject and to remedy the lack of ways to discover all things textile.

Tewkesbury's 'Awaken Your Senses' Festival

Head for this pretty town on the edge of the Cotswolds between 11-13th of September for some great events.

As part of the Festival, the artdepot will be holding an exhibition in the Town Hall featuring 19 talented local artists, with a variety of paintings, sculpture, photography, prints and textiles, on hand throughout the exhibition.

Textiles led Dance Performances by Studio Seven

The Studio-Seven textile design group, known for its combined arts events, will be presenting a performance of CUT 2 ON FOLD at Woodchester Mansion on the 5th September at 7pm. In collaboration with Louise Flexen, Steve Skinley and Rick Morton, this innovative cross arts project was launched at this year's Stroud International Textile Festival in May. This is the last opportunity for the public to view this visual art /dance piece.
Studio Seven will continue to show their versatility when CUT 2 ON FOLD animates the amazing unfinished Victorian Gothic interior of Woodchester Mansion. Tickets are £15 from Stroud Tourist Information Office - 01453 760960. Go to www.studio-seven.net for more information.

Stroud Food & Drink Festival puts on weight...

almost doubling in size in one year!

The launch of Stroud's very own VegeBurger, the first Stroud Sausage Festival, a beer trail with a difference, and the much-requested return of one restaurant's Pudding Evening.

These are just some of the highlights unveiled by organisers of Stroud's second Food and Drink Festival. With 40 events and promotions spread across two weeks in September, the Festival aims to promote the diverse array of food and drink, grown, served and sold in the town.

Visitors will be spoilt for choice, as the Stroud Walking Festival, the annual Stroud Fringe Festival and the Open Eco Homes event will also be held at the same time. Dubbed Stroud Festival Fortnight, more than a hundred events will be spread across 17 days between 4th and 20th September.

The Food and Drink Festival was only intended as a one-off event last year. However traders overwhelmingly voted it a success, with two restaurants enjoying their busiest-ever evenings. Thanks to funding from Stroud Town and Stroud District Councils, organisers were persuaded to do it all again.

Most of the events have limited places and so early booking is advised. A 36-page Festival brochure is available from tourist offices and all participants and full details are available online at www.stroudfestivalfortnight.com

Guild of Craftsmen Summer Show

The Painswick Summer Show is a selling exhibition across a range of media such as jewellery and furniture. It runs 1-31 August with demos at weekends.

Saturday 1 August
Toff Milway - salt glaze potter
Paul Spriggs - furniture maker
Saturday 8 August
Anne Rogers - feltmaker
Sarah Pearson Cooke - Shibori textiles

Saturday 15 August
Richard Bossons and Rita Dawe - stonecarvers

Saturday 29 August
Susan Early - basketmaker - "Willow World"
Val Michael - leatherworker

Locals in the know head for the Summer Show sharpish as the best work sells first. For more details click here. Painswick is a beautiful Cotswold village near Stroud, with several good pubs and places for lunch. The Rococo Gardens are just up the road.

Discovering the Forest of Dean

Discover the story of the Forest, in the heart of the Forest, at Dean Heritage Centre.

Step out into the woodland to experience the lives of charcoal burners, traditional cottage-dwellers, and free miners.

Explore a Victorian Foresters' cottage, free mine entrance, and charcoal burners camp. An impressive waterwheel and beam engine are also on show. Indoors the museum tells the history of a beautiful Forest formed by an industrial past.

For families, dressing up clothes, craft activities, and trails around the museum provide plenty to occupy everyone - not to mention our brilliant adventure playground. Picnic areas and specially built barbeques can be found around the site.

An exciting programme of events runs throughout the year; including archaeology, geology, mosiacs and a rural skills day. Visit www.deanheritagemuseum.com for full details.

Taming of the Shrew. With added shrews

Summer evening Shakespeare with wildlife all around you? Head for Slimbridge and performances by the Gloucester-based Rain or Shine Theatre Company. The Taming of the Shrew is at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre on Sunday 16 August at 7.30pm.

Audiences are invited to bring their own low-backed seating or rugs, and a picnic to maximise their enjoyment of the al fresco performances. True to its name, the company is hoping for a long, hot summer, but will perform whatever the weather, so come prepared - just in case!

The Sounds of the Cotswolds

There's some amazing music to be heard this summer in the Cotswolds, so we put together this very small selection for you, for more information on the music events, just click on the Live Music link below. The main events include WOMAD, Cornbury , Wychwood and Cheltenham Jazz Festival is coming up soon, covering a brilliant range of artists.

Hairy Bikers Ride into Gloucester

Television chefs the Hairy Bikers will be parking up at Gloucester Docks on Saturday 18th April. Si King and Dave Myers will be filming their fourth BBC series from their outdoor kitchen. The city will be one of thirty places visited across Britain for the new series, and the duo will be using local produce to cook up a culinary delight.

The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen

For those seeking high quality Brtish contemporary designer crafts, look no further than the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen Gallery in Painswick, and look out for the annual summer exhibition, held there each year through August.

Beatbox!

Beardyman has taken a niche aspect of hip hop culture, human beatboxing, and turned it into a whole new artform. He'll be combining his amazing vocal abilities with improvisational flair, a deep knowledge of music and a wicked sense of humour in a set especially created for the Jazz Festival.

MacGregor and Michael - Fine Leather Craftmanship

Neil MacGregor and Valerie Michael are designers and makers of high quality leather goods - they were featured in the November 2008 issue of "Cotswold Life". They are based in Tetbury, which has become one of the most interesting towns to visit in the Cotswolds in recent years.

Cheltenham Restaurant in Food Awards 2009

Scrumptious and inventive food' was the verdict as Cheltenham restaurant, Le Champignon Sauvage was voted as a runner up in the peoples choice of the countries best restaurants in the Guardian newspaper Food Awards.

EMF Return to Cinderford!

Nineties chart-toppers EMF have returned home to Cinderford to work on their first new album in 13 years.

Keyboard player Derry Brownson said: "We've used the facilities up at Soundspace a couple of times and it's been great.

"We've been working through lots of ideas and hope to put an album out later this year. So far we've recorded about seven songs and have probably scrapped twice as many."

The band have had to start rehearsals without original guitarist Ian Dench, who is currently in New York writing for pop diva Beyoncé. In January, Ian and songwriting partner Amanda Ghost received a Grammy nomination for Beyoncé song Once In A Lifetime and also won an Ivor Novello award for another Beyoncé song Beautiful Liar last year.

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All information published in good faith - please check carefully before making travel arrangements.