AUGUST 9-12: Mid-Hants Railway Watercress Line: Day out with Thomas and Friends. Visit
watercressline.co.uk.
AUGUST 9-
SEPTEMBER 1: In My View exhibition of work by Herald photographer Katie Hill at the Allen Gallery, Church Street, Alton. Landscapes and cityscapes compiled over the last three-and-a-half years visiting the United States and Canada. Open 10.30am-4.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Free entry.
AUGUST 9-23: Nature day camp for children between eight and 12 with a passion for wildlife and the outdoors, at Gilbert White’s House, Selborne. Using all the three-acre site and neighbouring woodland. Activities include pond dipping, habitat building, butterfly hunts, animal tracking, bat box building, den building, wild art and bushcraft. Cost £25 a day or £80 for four days. Visit gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk.
AUGUST 10: Alton U3A coffee morning at the Allen Gallery, Church Street, Alton, 10.30am. All welcome.
AUGUST 10: Alton U3A registration day at Alton Community Centre - 40 courses, something for everyone, 2pm-4pm.
AUGUST 10: Fun Friday teddy bears’ picnic with Movin Monkeez, dance and fitness for children in Alton Public Gardens, 2pm-3pm. Free entertainment for children organised by Alton Town Council. Bring rugs and deckchairs. (If wet, at Alton Assembly Rooms).
AUGUST 11: Hampshire farmers’ market in Alton High Street, 9.30am-2pm. Locally grown and reared produce.
AUGUST 11: Alton Lions craft market in Cross and Pillory Lane and Alton’s Market Square, 10am-3pm. A wide range of locally crafted ware ranging from patchwork quilts to hand crafted cards and from jewellery to chocolate, cards, paintings and wood turning.
AUGUST 11: Anglo-Saxon day at the Curtis Museum, Crown Hill, Alton, 10.30am-4.30pm. Saxon re-enactors Weorod pay their annual visit to Crown Close, with stalls, demonstrations and explanations of all things Anglo-Saxon.
AUGUST 11: GoGeek (Alton Comic Con) at Alton Assembly Rooms, 11am-5pm. Awesome sci-fi family fun day including GoGeek Icons, Cosplay, TV and movie props, photo opportunities, craft and toy stalls, collectables, art stalls.
AUGUST 12: Alton Ramblers meet 8.55am at Alton Health Centre for 10-mile walk led by Lynn, starting 9.30am from Iron Hill car park south of Liphook (SU 848301). Limited parking, please car share. Interesting circular walk via Foley Manor, Griggs Green, Weavers Down, Folly Pond and returning along the Sussex border path. Call 01420 23323 or visit altonramblers.org.uk.
AUGUST 14: Life Lab at Gilbert White’s House, Selborne, 10.30am-2pm. Try your hand at being a naturalist by examining some of the specimens from Gilbert White’s House learning collection.
AUGUST 14: Alton Ramblers meet 9.30am in Alton Sports Centre car park for five-mile walk led by Chester & Mui, starting 10am from car park area on north-eastern side of Medstead village green (SU658368). Paths and vineyards of Medstead with stunning views. Call 01420 23323 or visit altonramblers.org.uk.
AUGUST 15: Butterfly Day at Gilbert White’s House, Selborne. Discover all the amazing butterfly species to be found in Gilbert’s garden and build a butterfly feeder to take home. Pre-booking required. Visit
gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk.
AUGUST 16: Alton Ramblers meet 9.30am at Alton Sports Centre car park for nine-mile walk led by AJ, starting 10am from Ovington - limited car park spaces at left side of East Lane, just before The Bush pub and bridge at northern edge of Ovington village (SU561317). Circluar walk taking in Itchen Abbas, Avington Park and Itchen Stoke. Lovely views, streams and pretty villages. Bring lunch and drinks. Possible pub stop at end. Call 01420 23323 or visit altonramblers.org.uk.
AUGUST 16: Alton Horticultural Society meets 7.30pm at Alton Community Centre for talk by Roger Hirons on ‘Cutting Down, to make life easier’. Visitors welcome. Visit altonhorticulturalsociety.org.uk.
AUGUST 17: Alton U3A new members coffee morning at the Allen Gallery, Church Street, Alton, 10.30am.
AUGUST 17: Fun Friday - pirates, princesses and fairies, with Movin Monkeez, dance and fitness for children in Alton Public Gardens, 2pm-3pm. Free entertainment for children organised by Alton Town Council. Bring rugs and deckchairs. (If wet, at Alton Assembly Rooms).
AUGUST 17: Free folk Fridays at the Lounge Bar, Alton, with RoughDitchFolk and some well-known local folk musicians, 7.30pm.
AUGUST 18: Archaeology day at the Allen Gallery, Church Street, Alton, 11am-3pm. Bring along artefacts found while digging or going for a walk to be assessed by visiting experts.
AUGUST 18: Alton town walk. Meet 11am at the Curtis Museum, Crown Hill, for guided walk around historic Alton.
AUGUST 18: Four Marks Horticultural Society summer show at Four Marks village hall, 2.30pm-4pm. Raffle, refreshments, produce stall. Presentation of prizes at 4pm.
AUGUST 18-19: The Wessex Historic Tractor and Implement Club’s Tracks Across the Field exhibition, field opposite The Trooper pub at Froxfield, near Petersfield, courtesy of the Ellis family. Exhibition of vintage tractors, stationary engines, horticultural display, heavy horses, vintage wood-sawing demonstration, demonstration of ploughing and harvesting using vintage threshing machine and binder. Trade stalls, horticultural stand, refreshments including beer tent, cash prize raffle.
AUGUST 20: Rain or Shine Theatre Company presents William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in association with Upton Grey Drama Group at Church Meadow, Church Street, Upton Grey, 4pm. Al fresco performance, bring low-backed seating or rugs and a picnic. To book, visit Ticketweb at rainorshine.co.uk or call 0330 660 0541.
AUGUST 21: Life Lab at Gilbert White’s House, Selborne, 10.30am-2pm. Try your hand at being a naturalist by examining some of the specimens from Gilbert White’s House learning collection. Visit gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk.
AUGUST 24: Fun Friday - Magic Wanda in Alton Public Gardens, 2pm-3pm. Free entertainment for children organised by Alton Town Council. Bring rugs and deckchairs. (If wet, at Alton Assembly Rooms).
AUGUST 24: Forget-me-not annual Alzheimer afternoon, starting 2.30pm with a service at All Saints Church, Butts Road, Alton, led by Anna chaplains Rachel Sturt and Debbie Thompson, supporting people with dementia and their families. Followed at 3.15pm by afternoon tea in the church hall, with grand raffle and memory lane singalong. All funds and donations to support the work of the local Alzheimer and dementia group. All welcome.
AUGUST 25: Summer kitchen garden course at Gilbert White’s House, Selborne, 10am-4pm. Kitchen gardener Keith Oakley showing the best techniques for getting your vegetable garden up to scratch. Visit gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk.
AUGUST 26: Little Women performed by the Chapterhouse Theatre Company in the garden at Gilbert White’s House, Selborne. Gardens open 6.15pm. Play based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott. Visit gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk.
AUGUST 26: Hart Wildlife Rescue fundraising day to celebrate 10th anniversary of the Hart Wildlife shop in Alton’s bank car park (near Alton Community Centre), 10am-5pm. Car boot sale, tombola, wildlife education, craft stalls. To book a pitch, visit the shop or call 01420 562335. All proceeds to the Hart Wildlife Hospital at Medstead.
* If you have anything you wish to be included in the What’s On column then please send details to the Alton Herald, 13 Market Square, Alton, Hampshire GU34 1HD or email [email protected].