Ventnor Blog

Carnival Week is almost upon us, and this year it kicks off with a grand Barn Dance.

Taking place at the Ventnor Winter Gardens on Sunday 10th August, Bryan Reeves and The Caulkheads will be urging you to do-se-do your partners as the main hall transforms into something more akin to a hay barn.

The Barn Dance kicks off at 7pm and for those who prefer something a little more up to date to shake their booty to, step forward the D.I.S.C.O. from 10.30pm.

We hear that there will also be hot food available and a fancy dress competition and raffle.

Tickets will only cost you £5 (concessions £4) - a bargain for effectively two nights out in one!

Doors open at 6.30pm and book your wagons for 1am

Image: PingNews

Illyria bring open air theatre to Northwood House this coming Friday with their production of Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare.

Multiple international award-winning Illyria has a deservedly unparalleled reputation for the clarity and authenticity of its Elizabethan comic style.

Falstaff is skint – so to access some of their money he sends identical love-letters to Mrs Page and Mrs Ford.

The women recognise that his intentions are not entirely honourable, so they set about to humiliate him in the most extravagant ways they can devise! Bring a chair or rug and a picnic and enjoy an evening of rumbustious fun.

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Making Waves returns to Ryde Theatre this week with the best of Island Hip Hop.

Born in a Barn have been going from strength to strength this year and will be joined on stage by Ambush Tactics.

Julio Peculio will also be treading the boards on Thursday and welcoming Cooly Haste on stage.

As usual all bands will be interviewed and live sessions recorded for the IW Radio Live & Local slot on Sunday nights between 7-10pm on 102/7fm.

It’ll only cost you £3 to get in and action kicks off at 7pm. Be there to help support your local venue before it gets taken away.

If you’ve heard the buzz, but not yet seen them in action, Island band, The Kurves will be playing not once, but twice in one week at this year’s Skandia Cowes Week.

Headlining on 2nd August at Shepards Wharf and then playing again on the 5th, The Kurves hit the headlines earlier in the year when they played a charity gig at Camp Hill Prison and managed to raise cash for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice whilst entertaining the inmates.

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A coffee morning in Shanklin on Saturday 9th August aims to raise much needed cash for the 1st Wootton Beaver Scouts.

It all takes place at 4 Firtree Close in Shanklin, which you can find by turning off Green Lane opposite Shanklin Football Club.

There will be many stalls where you can pick up all sorts of items and tea and coffee will also be served.

All proceeds towards craft and games equipment for the Beaver Scouts.

If you’re a fan of jigsaws, then make a note in your diary for this forthcoming event.

The Isle of Wight Jigsaw Puzzle Festival kicks off in two weeks time and we hear that there are going to be over 300 jigsaw puzzles on display.

Pop along to view the puzzles or even buy some if any take your fancy. The displays will be changing regularly as puzzles are sold.

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Bembridge Beaux Arts will also be taking part in the Open Studios event this year with their exhibition extended through til Tuesday next week.

I, Holly, set up the Bembridge Beaux Arts five years ago, initially as a one day event, but after its success in year one, it became a three day exhibition with a private view on the Saturday night prior to opening.

Beaux Arts deals in contemporary work and is as much about creating an event, an ambience, an energy, as it is about the art work itself.

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We hear from our friend at the nick that the lovely ladies of the force will be swapping their work clothes for pink this Sunday, as they take part in the Race for Life 2008.

14 ladies of the force will dress in pink as they join nearly 1,200 other women who are all raising money for Cancer Research.

Leading the team will be Newport Sergeant Penny Deacon. The cause is dear to her, as she is currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

She said:

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Next week Age Concern are back at Ventnor Library, holding their information and advice drop-in session.

If you have something worrying you and are looking for some advice, the Age Concern team will be there to help.

Just turn up between 9.30am and noon and let you friends know too.

Old time jazz musicians, Revival are back at the bandstand this coming Sunday.

If you missed them last month, here’s your opportunity to catch them, the weather forecast is brilliant, so take a blanket, a bottle and lots of sun cream.

Described by one band member as a bunch of geriatrics (clearly he had his tongue firmly in his cheek at the time), the band is made of a group of established old time musicians.

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The Ventnor Botanic Garden Friends Society have arranged for this popular annual event to take place during the summer holidays.

The meeting will start outside the Visitor Centre at the garden on Tuesday during Carnival week.

Graham Street from the Isle of Wight Bat Hospital is extremely knowledgeable about, and dedicated to, the welfare of these delightful little mammals.

He begins the evening with a fascinating talk about their habits and habitat, explaining their importance to us and the dangers to them.

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This weekend sees the second half of Open Studios take place. This time north and east wight.

If you’re planning to visit artist studios over the next four days, why not check out Hilary Thorpe’s?

She has a private view tonight between 7-9pm and the exhibition opens between 10am and 7pm between Friday and Monday

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Can a bunch of fancy dressed pub runners beat a proper running club? Can a netball team beat a rugby, football, cricket or boxing club?

This is the Isle of Wight’s chance to find out!

As part of this year’s Ventnor carnival week, a brand new event is being held that we hope will encourage many people to take part, capture public imagination and captivate a large spectator audience.

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Local author, Wendy Harris is just about to release her third novel in the Undercliff Series which will be launched at a book signing at Waterstones next Tuesday evening in Newport.

The novel, ‘Rocken Edge’, is the third in the Undercliff series and, as the title implies, all are set along The Undercliff and feature Ventnor.

Wendy tells us that the books have been translated into several different languages and sell extremely well abroad - hopefully adding to Isle of Wight tourism.

This third book is being printed and published on the Island by Coach House Publications as Wendy is keen to support the Eco Island initiative.

There will also be a book signing on Saturday 2nd August, late morning, at the same venue.

Don’t forget the Saving Our Heritage seminar takes place tonight at Quay Arts.

Only a few weeks after the Planning Committee condemned the last Georgian Worker’s cottages to demolition, we reckon this’ll be an interesting event and wonder if members of the Planning Committee will be attending.

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Many thanks to Malcolm Groves from the Ventnor Botanic Garden Friends’ Society for sharing news of another open garden. Ed

The Ventnor Botanic Garden Friends’ Society have been invited by Mr and Mrs Nigh to visit Saxons, Kemming Road, Whitwell next month.

Created over the last 14 years from a ¼ acre of sloping garden with several large trees, the garden is now planted with a fine collection of eucalyptus and cordyline australis interspersed with colourful shrubs and flowers. There are a number of unusual specimens including grevillia (pictured).

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You might remember a couple of weeks ago that we reported a positive response by the Council to complaints of the stink from seaweed trapped in Ventnor Haven.

Damieon Phillips, Operations Harbour Master has been in touch today to give us some more detail on the plans for the removal of excess seaweed from the Haven, which takes place this coming Sunday.

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Ever more popular, the 15th August sees Quay Arts play host to the Open Mic Comedy night from 7.30pm.

With acts coming from the Island and as far away as Southsea - it promises to be a laugh until you burst experience!

Old hands Richard Quigley (compere), Hannah George (top female comic and lazy student) and Scott Anderson (hairy funny man) will be performing along with new acts who guarantee to impress.

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In her work, Hyde attempts to capture fragments of experiences within multiple layers of past and present.

In some paintings, layers are built up using childhood drawings, photographs, letters, words, and maps.

These images are painted over and then scratched into, often destroying the surface.

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Being friends of the Brading Roman Villa, we’re always happy to help promote events for the Villa.

Next week Pyjama Pictures of Bath will be back at Brading Roman Villa setting up for another evening of open air cinema.

In a nod to the late Anthony Minghella, this year they will be showing his award winning thriller ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law.

Organisers recommend bringing along a picnic and a blanket

Book your tickets (£10 each) by calling the Brading Roman Villa on 406223.

Image: Salon

Talk about diversity. One week it’s Jimmy Pursey at the Winter Gardens, the next there’res a a mass of barbershop choirs.

David Edwards, the bookings manager at the Ventnor Winter Gardens tells us that way back in 1978, there was a Barbershop Chorus Festival here.

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There’ll be a giant two day Book Sale at Ventnor Library next week.

Ventnor Library is holding a two day sale of books from all the Island libraries Friday 25th and Saturday 26th July during normal opening hours.

Why not stock up on cheap reads for your summer holidays?

Opening Times
Friday 9.30am - 12.30pm 1.30pm - 5.00pm
Saturday 9.30am - 12.30pm 1.30pm - 4.30pm

Image: Asheboro Public Library

If you’re not heading off the Wight this weekend for Camp Bestival, but are hankering for a festival atmosphere, why not head down South to Niton where you’ll find the FONStival.

FONS-ti-what? You might be asking. Well FONS stands for ‘Friends Of Niton School’ and in a continuation of their fund raising efforts, this weekend Niton Primary School will be hosting their very own music festival.

As well as some of our most talented musicians performing, there’ll also be tons of stuff to keep the nippers happy.

They can take part in a carnival workshop making headdresses and masks, test out their monkey bar skills on the adventure trial, bounce for free on the blow up castle and much more.

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As readers will know, Open Studios kicks off this weekend.

There are loads of artists to visit in the South and West Wight area over the weekend, and if you’re keen on ceramics you might want to head over to Andrew Dowden’s studio.

His studio will be open between 10am-1pm, 2-5pm, 6-8pm on Friday (18th) and Monday (21st).

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By the end of next week, the School holidays will be upon us and that means Carnival season on the Isle of Wight will be in full swing.

Festivities for Ventnor Carnival stretch across seven days in August, with activities taking place on most days which residents and holidaymakers can enjoy.

It kicks off with a barn dance at the Winter Gardens on Sunday 10th August. There’ll be the usual dog show on the Tuesday, obviously main carnival and children’s carnival takes place on the Wednesday.

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