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Vikings attacked Holy Island in around 793 AD, now English Heritage has invited them back once more for a special event, but this time, we are celebrating their return.
On May Bank holiday (from Saturday May 24 to Monday May 26), Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island will provide a superb backdrop for both the extensive living history encampment featuring a variety of craftsmen and re-enactments of Viking raids.
Visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/lindisfarne or call 0870 333 1181 for more details on this event, plus opening times and prices.
Culture Club members can benefit from a special discount of 10% off admission to the Vikings at Lindisfarne event (24 – 26 May).
EAT!’ NewcastleGateshead food festival’s closing event and gala dinner promises to be a spectacular occasion held in association with North East Culinary and Trade Association (NECTA) and Slow Food UK.
The extra special menu features at least ten ingredients from the Slow Food’s Ark of Taste list which protects endangered treasures of the food world. These local, artisan foods are now made by just a handful of producers and include such delicacies as Herdwick mutton, wild Ethiopian coffee, Irish raw milk cheese and Hungarian magalica sausage from the famous woolly pigs.
The evening is designed to be highly enjoyable but also to highlight serious messages about those traditional foods which are in grave danger of extinction. The evening will also include entertainment from magicians and musicians, a festival award-giving ceremony and foodie goodie bags to take home.
The gala dinner takes place on Thursday May 22 at Marriott Hotel,Gosforth Park. Tickets normally cost £85 but Culture Club members can get tickets at the reduced price of £75.
It’s almost guaranteed that as someone enters the Lit & Phil for the first time they will need to stand back and take it all in. It’s quite an amazing place. The Lit & Phil opened in 1825 and unlike many buildings of that era it has not become a bank or solicitors’ office but has remained a library. The magnificent reading rooms retain their charm and the extensive collection of books grows by over 1000 each year.
Attached to the Lit & Phil by a small internal bridge is the Mining Institute, housed within the elegant Gothic building of Neville Hall. As you open the door from the Lit & Phil you will enter the Nicholas Wood Memorial Library, the beautiful interior illuminated by a high arched skylit ceiling and stained glass windows. Step into the fantastic lecture theatre that offers perfect acoustics and an intimate atmosphere, clearly arranged to house scientific discourse.
We have organised a Culture Club guided tour of these two buildings on Thursday June 12 at 6pm.
Phoenix Dance Theatre present Cattle Call on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 May at 7.30pm
A gaggle of dance graduates clamber over each other for a microphone; the Chippendale wannabe flexes his tan-streaked buttocks; two sopranos compete with their lungs then their fists. Welcome to the world of open auditions, known in the industry as Cattle Calls. Javier De Frutos' visceral choreography meets (composer of Jerry Springer - The Opera) Richard Thomas' outrageous songs producing the most hilarious brawl in leg-warmers we've ever seen. Imagine an obscene Any Dream Will Do meets a fisty-cuffs version of A Chorus Line and you're not even close.
"A lot of fun - satirical, sarcastic and rude." THE GUARDIAN
"Hilariously ruthless new musical about showbiz ... will be a classic." DAILY TELEGRAPH
Culture Club members can get tickets for only £5. That's a HUGE saving of £13 a ticket.
Please note this show contains strong language and scenes of a sexual and violent nature. Recommended 14+
Newcastle’s elegant Mansion House is the perfect backdrop for an evening of musical entertainment, which is why it has launched its own classic concert series.
Performed by the Aurora Strings, the Mansion House will play host to four events right through until Christmas with music to suit every taste.
On May 3 Baroque Gems will include the work of Bach and Handel while on July 4 guests can enjoy an evening of jazz by Gershwin at the aptly named Summertime.
September 6 sees a programme of music by the great composers such as Hadyn and Mozart with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons By Candlelight on December 5.
Tickets for each event are £25.50 each and include a welcome drink and supper but Culture Club members can enjoy these fabulous concerts at a very special price.
Book for two concerts and quote your Culture Club membership and you will receive a discount of £10 per person – a great way to enjoy these wonderful musical evenings at a great price.
Something special that changed the world happened in Shildon, Co. Durham, in September 1825 - the first passenger train on the world’s first public railway departed on its historic journey.
Now Locomotion – the National Railway Museum at Shildon – celebrates the town’s history as one of the first and greatest railway towns.
Locomotion is always a great day out. There are more than 70 vehicles from the National Collection on display, including the original Sans Pareil, Timothy Hackworth’s pioneering locomotive from the historic 1829 Rainhill Trials. Plus a range of interactives help visitors to explore our railway heritage.
And on Tuesday June 3, Culture Club members are invited to the museum for a guided tour, free of charge. One of Locomotion’s knowledgeable guides will offer a fascinating insight into the history of both the town and the Collection during this half day tour. The event includes a video presentation and complimentary tea or coffee.
Locomotion is fully accessible to disabled visitors, and an eco-friendly bus is available to transport visitors around the 1km-long site. There’s a children’s play area, a picnic area, and the Platform Seven Café serves snacks and light refreshments.
What’s more, the museum has an exciting programme of events throughout the year. For more information on the programme of about the facilities, contact the museum on 01388 777999, email info@locomotion.uk.com or visit www.locomotion.uk.com
THIS EVENT HAS NOW BEEN FULLY ALLOCATED. PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PLACED ON A RESERVE LIST.
It might not seem like it yet but summer is approaching and for June we will be running a holiday book swap and discussion so that people can prepare what to take on the beach with them or to put their feet up with in the garden.
HOLIDAY BOOK SWAP
The idea is to bring a book that you are willing to exchange or loan that you would recommend reading this summer. Each participant will be asked to introduce their book and say where they read it and why they recommend it. You can bring more than one option if you want!
We will discuss what we like to read in different places and at different times; e.g. do you like to read crime novels on the train or classics in the winter?
We will also be looking at what new publications and reading lists are coming out this summer and exchanges ideas about them.
If you don’t have a book to bring, still come along and get some ideas from other people.
As it is the National Year of Reading we will be asking each person to take a reading challenge, which they will select for themselves.
PLACES FOR IDEAS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY READS
www.bookgroup.info/151005/index.php Find other book groups, special offers, helpful information
www.lovereading.co.uk Good online book store with extra features
www.metacritic.com Lots of reviews from national press & media on books (and other topics)
www.bookcrossing.com A great site for sharing info & books across the globe
www.richardandjudybookclub.co.uk The hugely popular, pleasing and easy to use online and TV book group
The Culture Club book club will next meet at The Biscuit Factory, Stoddart Street, Newcastle from 6pm to 7.30pm on Wednesday June 4, 2008.
 
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