WEEKLY COLUMN of Tetbury news by Kevin Painter 

1. First ever pride in Tetbury 

A quiz last night, Friday, took place to support the pride in Tetbury day on the 6th of July 2024,

When the hard working pride in Tetbury team are rolling out the rainbow carpet and making history with our very first Pride in Tetbury!

Pride in Gloucestershire is over the moon to work alongside an extraordinary local team to bring you a debut festival that promises to be the talk of the town. Join them at the charming Goods Shed for a day that's set to shimmer with pride, packed with phenomenal entertainment and the best of local spirit.

Mark your calendars, set your reminders, and keep your eyes peeled for updates - because you'll want to be front and center when Tetbury shines in its full Pride glory for the very first time! Stay tuned for a lineup and surprises that will capture your heart and imagination in a way only Tetbury can.

2. Wait is over for famous event 

Well the wait is over as The world famous Tetbury Woolsack Races are back making a welcome return after its four year break and will take place on this Whitsun Bank Holiday Monday, 27th May.

As well as the actual race which Since 1972 the world famous Woolsack Races. Consists of a test of strength, where individuals and teams compete, to run up and down the 1 in 4 gradient of Gumstool Hill with heavy woolsacks on their back.

This year the children from St Mary’s Church of England Primary School are delighted to be once again taking part in the Tetbury Woolsack Races.

Steeped in tradition, the event dates back to the 17th century where drovers ran from pub to pub with a woolsack on their shoulders to impress local women.

The theme of the event is a “Celebration of the Cotswolds”, highlighting the history of the event, and showcasing local food, drink, businesses and entertainment.

The day will take place From 10.00am - 5.00pm. This year on the day there will be five main areas: The Race course: This will be up Gumstool Hill where competitors will run up and down the hill.

Fans will have vantage points along the race course to view the event a Market Quarter: Along Long Street, with market stalls selling crafts, produce and gifts from the region.A Food Quarter: Positioned in the Chipping Carpark, will be local food vans and providers, offering high quality food and drink options to purchase, A Heritage Quarter: Located underneath Market House in the centre of Tetbury, where they will share information about the history of the event, and the history of Tetbury as a wool trading market town Danny Toft Chair hard working committee would like to thank and invite everyone to make this day a real family fun day out as there really is something for everyone.

Danny who has been working hard coordinating the event and during the mammoth task of road closures and making sure that the Town Centre is safe and fully closed off for the event, and hopefully this will not inconvenience people trying to get round the town too much. Well done and huge thanks must go to this dedicated hard-working committee, the Area sponsors The Feoffees of Tetbury.

The Royal Oak Tetbury, Specsavers and of course to the main sponsor the new Tetbury business Flooring South West (FSW) James Padden added: 'I am proud to support the British wool trade from our own historic home town of Tetbury as we are also able to supply and fit carpets, so it's fitting and very proper for us to support this amazing unique family day out and it's an honour to be part of the return of this world famous event.James added if you use the word Woolsack on orders to the end of June you will get an extra 10% off' So there's really only one place to be this Whitsun Bank Holiday Monday, for sheer fun enjoyment and entertainment and of course it's free to watch.

3. Tetbury welcomes BBC radio programme to town 

Last Friday May 17 on a perfect evening Tetbury welcomed BBC Radio 4 Any Questions to Tetbury.

The ever enthusiastic Alex Forsyth presented the live political discussion from idyllic Tetbury Goods Shed Arts Centre with the Co-Executive Director of the Green New Deal Fatima Ibrahim, the Minister for Children David Johnston MP, the political commentator Tim Montgomerie and the Shadow Health Minister Karin Smyth MP Glyn Tansley BBC Content Editor and Team Leader gave a delightful warmup including the history of the program which was first broadcast on Friday 12th October 1948, it was a West of England Home Service programme, run from Bristol.

After a move to London in April 1950 but returned to Bristol in 2011.

One of the stringent and unchanging rules of Any Questions? is that the panel never sees the questions in advance; the panellists hear them for the first time at the same moment the audience.

The show was a reminder of how democracy used to be and indeed how it should be as the debate was lively, informed, polite and respectful as the full Goods shed with many locals raised their questions including our very own head of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School Mrs Jo Woolley who had the perfect opportunity to ask and speak with knowledge and conviction about government involvement with Schools, with the ideal person present of the Minister for Children David Johnston MP. You can listen to the broadcast to listen to how well she and others took part by visiting https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001z6tf

It was refreshing to meet Dr Rosalind Savage MBE our local Prospective Parliamentary Liberal Democrat Candidate who was one of the audience not campaigning just listening taking and an active interest she said “A good time was had by all at Any Questions in Tetbury. The Goods Shed was a perfect venue, the audience was well-informed and discerning in their applause, and the panelists put up a good show (despite lacking a Lib Dem representative).

Fatima Ibrahim from Green New Deal Rising was exceptionally passionate and articulate on our environmental challenges, putting the two main parties to shame.”

A big thank you must go to the production team, the audience and of course the hard-working professional Goods Shed team. It made me proud as always of my home town and its people and to quote another famous Forsyth “Didn't they do well !”

4. Tours of Church tower 

St Mary's Church will be offering on Monday May 27th Tours of the Church Tower, from 10:00am – 2:00pm (last tour commences at 1:20 pm)you will be able to, learn about bell ringing. Visit the belfry, and of course be able to see Tetbury and Highgrove from “above” with the most stunning and breathtaking view. The cost is a nominal, Adults : £5.00, and 16 and Under : £1.00 (All children must be accompanied by an adult) The History of Tetbury (HOTS) will be holding a local History exhibition in the Town Hall/ Market Hall from 10.00am till 4.00pm There will be lots of lovely old photos and information.

5. Next offering of regular piano club 

It gives great pleasure as always that Tetbury Good Shed Arts can present and invite you on Wed 29 May to the next offering of the regular Tetbury Good Shed Piano Club.

The popular monthly Piano Club has grown out of the Goods Shed hugely successful and popular Wednesday afternoon musical concerts with local amateur musicians playing for an appreciative and interested audience.

As well as incorporating the warm social atmosphere of such gatherings the Piano Club provides a wonderful opportunity for talented amateur musicians who work so very hard at their craft to be able to play to their peers and others.

All are welcome to come along and listen to a diverse and ever-changing programme.

If you would like to be one of the performers then we ask that you contact the Co Ordinator Maggie Dyson on 01666 837358 (email maggie.dyson@btinternet.com) before booking your ticket.

However if you just want a lovely afternoon and please visit to book your ticket New website, tickets online are only £3.50 and the afternoon starts at 2 o'clock The mouth watering Whistle Stop Café will also be open from lunchtime and during the afternoon, offering a range of refreshments.

Please note on the day on the door tickets will cost £4.00

6. Invited for a closer look 

On Wed 29 May 2024 7.00PM Tetbury Good Shed Talk. Invite you for a Closer Look… with Fiona James.

This the first of their Closer Looks Talks at art this year. aim of the series is to take a longer, slower look at artistic movements, paintings and artists. Each talk is followed by an opportunity for members of the audience to contribute their own observations or questions.

From the Renaissance to more modern eras, paintings of scientific and medical subjects have appealed to artists. Such subjects can offer us valuable insights into contemporary beliefs and practices but also reveal the wide range of intentions that motivated artists to include medicine, disease and sickness as a subject in their work.

While the talk does not offer a comprehensive survey, it will attempt to look at such diverse aspects as art as scientific investigation (anatomical study); the popularity of surgical scenes and the operating theatre as a live spectacle.

It will also consider art as satire and commentary on quack science and medicine (Dutch painting and Hogarth), as well as the more personal responses of artists such as Goya and Frida Kahlo to medical treatment and their own doctors.

7. Film screening at the Goods Shed 

On 30 May Tetbury Goods Shed Cinema are pleased to be screening the film Driving Madeleine (15) A taxi ride well worth taking. Driving Madeleine is a 2022 French-Belgian drama film directed by Christian Carion. Originally “Une Belle Course.”Madeleine, leaves her small suburban house for a nursing home on the other side of Paris. Charles, a taxi driver, comes to pick her up and Madeleine, in no hurry to get there, asks him to go via places in the capital with special connections to her life.

This seemingly simple taxi ride across Paris evolves into a profound meditation on the life of the driver, whose personal life is in shambles, and his fare, an elderly woman whose warmth belies her shocking past.

Charles is slowly lured in by Madeleine’s warm charm and directness; fascinated by the stories she wants to tell. Their short friendship is sure to have a lasting impact as Madeleine listens to Charles confess his own worries, all of which she absorbs with candour and clarifying humour. Dany Boon, an actor best known for his comedic work, creates a dramatic portrait of a frustrated man facing a personal crisis of epic proportions.

His darker, sharper edges allow Line Renaud (renowned for decades in France as a singer) to shine as the pure shimmering light that is Madeleine. She reminds us that inside every seemingly benign elderly woman we might pass on the street is a warrior, a nurturer, and a spirited adventurer. Doors and bar open at 7:00pm the film starts at 7:30pm-9:20pm tickets are £7.50 For more information or to book your tickets, please visit the new website:www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk

8. A pocket opera 

Thursday, 30 May 2024 Tetbury Good Shed and CarmenCo presents – A Pocket Opera on Saturday 1 Jun 2024 CarmenCo’s “A Pocket Opera” is a concert of Spanish and Spanish-inspired music presented as a play, with costumes, props and a storyline which roughly follows the story of Bizet’s opera Carmen, but told from her point of view.

Dare you consult the cards with her? What does she think of the men in her story? Did she foresee her gruesome ending? And does she like the opera Bizet wrote about her?

CarmenCo trio, comprising Emily Andrews on flute/mezzo, and David Massey and Francisco Correa on guitars, are all prizewinning Royal Academy of Music graduates and in-demand soloists in their own right.

In “A Pocket Opera” all three musicians perform entirely from memory, enabling them to act, move amongst the audience and even dance while playing. It’s a brilliantly accessible and fun way to present classical music.

About: CarmenCo trio was formed when international solo guitarist Francisco Correa (www.franciscocorreaguitar.com) joined the Andrews Massey Duo, (formed by Emily & David in 2009). This duo has a fine pedigree. They won the Tunnell Trust Award 2012-2013; were Royal Overseas League Competition semi-finalists three times and have appeared at Wigmore Hall, St Martin in the Fields and Kings Place and abroad in Germany, Italy and Sweden. Performance begins at 7:30 pm and tickets cost £15 or under 16 £9 For more information or to book your tickets, please visit the new website:www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk Please note: on the door on the night tickets will cost £18.00 and £12.00 respectively.

9. Afternoon music at the Good Shed 

Tetbury Good Shed present, Afternoon Music with Lyn Briggs and Rod Howell on Wed 5 Jun 2024 at 2.00pm Originally from the north east of England, Lyn Briggs is a singer songwriter who now lives in Stroud. Her music has been played on many radio stations including Oscar Brand’s folk show for WNYC in New York and BBC Radio West Midlands.

She has performed in the USA, Australia and UK.

She writes about social history and the emotion of the human experience. Her words are all about music, her poetry has rhythm, tone, pitch and pace. Sometimes these poems transform into songs and even short stories.

She is currently recording an album of original material. Lyn will be joined this week by Rod Howell, who plays the Box of Bells. This is a true English folk instrument, a unique multi-stringed type of zither designed and built by Eli Colman, a village carpenter in Somerset in the 19th century.

The two instruments, made in 1887 and 1895, are almost certainly the only ones being played now and may well be the only ones surviving. You can enjoy some super music, meet your friends as well as maybe making new ones. Advance tickets are just £3.50 (plus booking fee) Tickets on the door cost £4.00. The Whistle Stop Café will be open if you fancy a nice cup of tea (or coffee) and perhaps one of Sasha’s delicious cakes. For more information or to book you ticket, please visit the new website :www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk There will be a selection of tables and chairs set out in the hall for you to choose from on arrival.

10. Nationwide events to mark D-Day 

Tetbury will be joining in the nationwide events to mark the 80th Anniversary of D-Day 6 June 2024 and the program of events are 9am - The raising of the Peace flag at Tetbury Town Council offices. 10am - Proclamation announced by the Town Crier on the steps of the Market House.

The History of Tetbury (HOTS) will be holding a local History exhibition in the Town Hall/Market Hall from 10.00am till 4.00pm this is very relevant as Tetbury had a lot to do with the planning. 11am - A Poem read out in schools. 2.30pm -

An engaging display at the Market House showing Tetbury's connection to D-Day an its rich heritage.

A display by Tetbury WI on rationing during the war 6.30pm - Bell ringing at St Mary's Church to join in'Our world is ringing out for peace’ 8.30pm - Music at St Mary's with the Nailsworth Brass Band. 9.00pm - A piper will play. 9.10pm - The tribute poem 9.15pm - The lighting of Beacon on St Mary's Church tower Tetbury Good Shed will be Marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day on Friday 7 June 2024 7:30pm

After the success of their performance at the Shed earlier this year, we welcome The Big Brunch Band back to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy in June 1944 For more information or to book your tickets, please visit the new website:www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk Advance Tickets £12.

Under-25s £10(Booking fee applies) Tickets on the night will cost £15 and £13 respectively On Saturday June 8th 10.30am – 3.00pm at St Marys’ Churchyard. You're all invited to come and join in activities to discover, count and celebrate our plants and animals. Please come and join in activities to discover, count and celebrate our plants and animals.

11. Live moth reveal 

Peter Martin presents 10.30am ‘Live Moth Reveal’ outside in our churchyard. Peter Martin carries on at 11.00am Slideshow on Moths in church and questions.11.30 onwards you can join in with the ‘The Count’ - birds, bees, flowers, mosses, lichens, butterflies, moths and minibeasts etc. You will be also able to meet the lovely Hedgehog expert. Enjoy the stalls. Buy some plants. There will be Refreshments.

Special also have the opportunity to take part in Tower tours you can ring a bell, see the wonderful views.from 12.00 – 3.00pm there is a nominal charge for the tour £5 adult £1 accompanied children Outdoor closing service at 3.00pm. What finer way could there be to enjoy our beautiful countryside right on our doorstep in a completely safe environment. This really is a lovely enjoyable fun for all the family event.

The day will conclude with a beautiful Outdoor closing service at 3.00pm. This is part of Churches Count on Nature