“My mother caught the antiques bug early. When she was about six, an antiques dealer saw she was enthusiastic and said if she could guess what factory a cup was she could keep it; she cleverly spotted it as Caughley.” In this vignette, Charlotte Howard captures perfectly the precocious talent of her mother Judith, a well-liked and hugely respected scholar, dealer and collector, who sadly died after a long illness in January 2019, aged 73.
Preparations are in full swing for our delectable Christmas Nights at the Opera, on Thursday & Friday 12th and 13th December at 7.30pm. There are just a few tickets left. The Medieval Hall is festooned with festive greenery and fairy lights, the choir is rehearsing, the soloists are packing their sparkliest Christmas jumpers and are on their way to Salisbury!
The committee of ‘A Celebration of Christmas’ are delighted to announce the celebrity readers taking part Marlborough’s inaugural carol service in aid of the Stroke Association, on 19th December in Marlborough College Chapel.
The winner and runners-up of this year’s VisitWiltshire photography competition in partnership with Newsquest and sponsored by Castle Cameras, have been revealed. The winner was presented with a £200 gift voucher on Saturday, 16 November, with runners-up receiving a £50 voucher each.
VisitWiltshire’s website www.visitwiltshire.co.uk has been named the Best UK Tourist Board Website in the TravelMole UK Awards, which also recognises its channel website, Visit Salisbury.
Wiltshire residents will have the chance to plant trees every time they have their eyes or ears tested at Leighton’s 33 Wood St, Swindon. Leighton’s Opticians and Hearing Care are dreaming of a green Christmas. The family run group has teamed up with The Woodland Trust in a bid to help them plant a million trees by the end of 2019 as part of The Big Climate Fightback.
Charlie Walker will present an illustrated talk at Broad Chalke Village Hall on Saturday, 23rd November at 7.30pm titled, A Long Walk Home. In 2010, Charlie set off from the Chalke Valley by bicycle and returned 4.5 years later with 43,000 miles behind him.
BBC Wiltshire staff will be attempting to pull a giant Great Bustard bird around five Wiltshire towns and cities - Trowbridge, Swindon, Chippenham, Malmesbury and Salisbury – in the run up to the 2019 appeal.
Horatio’s Garden Salisbury has been voted by members of the British public as the National Garden Scheme’s ‘Nation’s Favourite Garden’ in the competition’s South West category. The award was collected by both Head Gardener Stephen Hackett and Horatio’s Garden founder and Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, who on Monday, 4th November attended the awards ceremony at the Garden Museum in London. The event was hosted by the National Garden Scheme and The English Garden magazine who teamed up for the competition.
In the December issue we visit the picturesque north of the county, to get a flavour of life in the village.