Brochure now available . Click here to view.

Our second project was supporting the South Bucks Hospice Patient Positivity Art group.   The Hospice provides day care for anyone living with a life limiting condition.

The aim of the Art group is to enable it’s participants the freedom to express themselves through watercolours in whatever way they choose. Their is no instruction but the facilitator provides the materials, encouragement and ideas.The group also provides gentle and supportive conversation and sense of community.

It was privileged to meet with members of the group and it was very uplifting to hear how much the group meant to them and how grateful they were for our funding.

The project our society contributed to was entitled “The Coronation “ it enabled the facilitator to purchase materials and frames to exhibit the the finished paintings. These were on display at a tea party to celebrate the King’s Coronation, to which myself and chairman were able to attend. Please click here to view some of the other art works .As you will see there is real talent and for most they had not painted since school days !

 Our society endorses the Arts Society mission to promote the life-enhancing importance of the arts.  As part of this, Arts Volunteering is programme in which we work to support a range of projects that bring creative arts activities and awareness of arts heritage and its conservation to children, young people, and adults.

Princes Risborough Rotary Club Schools Art Competition

Unfortunately, during COVID Arts Volunteering activities necessarily had to be suspended but we are delighted to announce that we have now completed our first of our post-pandemic project.

We partnered with The Princes Risborough Rotary Club to support their Schools Art Competition in which children from local schools were invited to submit paintings and drawings on the theme of Our Green Planet. 

Despite the pressures on schools to catch up after the pandemic, eight primary schools were involved. Submissions were invited from both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, and in each school 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners were selected in both categories together with highly commended acknowledgements for two other entries.  In addition, and overall winner in each Key Stage was also chosen.

The Chair and Arts Volunteering Representative from our committee were delighted to be involved in the judging process, together with the Rotary Club judge.

The competition culminated in a Day Exhibition of the winning entries in St Mary’s Hall in the heart of Princes Risborough.  The Chair and the AV Representative attended and were happy to meet a number of the winners together with their families.  In total, almost 200 members of the public came through the doors to view the work of the children, providing a great opportunity to celebrate their creativity and to promote the work of our Society.

This first step in the revitalised programme has been a very satisfying experience for all involved and the results can be seen in the images, here.

The Christmas lecture will be "Frost Fairs on the River Thames" by Nicholas Reed on Wednesday 14 December 2022. Minced pies and Mulled wine will be served. Due to the current weather situation our lecturer will be unable to travel  so the lecture will be delivered via Zoom in he Village Hall. For technical reasons the lecture will not be available for viewing from home.

The FIFTY Treasures of the Chiltern Hills Area booklet has now been published.It is a quality, glossy product and would make a perfect Christmas stocking filler or present.

Copies will be on sale at our lectures, priced at £5 per item. This will commence at our next lecture on November 17th. Please bring cash to purchase.

Copies may be ordered by emailing gailwhite1604@gmail.com

The cost of these copies will be £7.50 to include postage and packing.

All profits from our sales, will be donated to our Arts Volunteering Fund, so please offer your support

Fuirther information will be provided in the near future

As part of our Young Arts initiative, we sponsored the making of a frog mosaic logo for the new Hughenden Hoppers pre-school at Hughenden Valley School.

The work was carried out by enthusiastic pupils within the Young Carers Club.

The school is delighted with the result.

Thanks to Val Bate for co-ordinating with the school on this project and to the volunteers from the society who assisted.

Our Special Interest Day this year was held on 29th May 2019.

Our inspirational lecturer was Mark Hill, whose specialism is glass. In the morning we enjoyed his lecture on Curves, Colours and Cool: ‘An Introduction to mid-century modern.’

This was followed by a delicious hand made sandwich buffet, with wine, followed by a selection of petit patisseries, fruit and coffee.

Lunch was followed by the presentation of cake and flowers to one of our members who had recently celebrated her 100th Birthday – can you believe that!

In the afternoon Mark’s lecture was on ‘The Legends of Czech Glass’.

This was followed by an interesting valuation session. Unfortunately, no priceless items were discovered – except that we all had a very enjoyable day.

The Arts Society West Wycombe sponsored this years Rotary Youth Art Competition which culminated in an exhibition arranged by the Rotary Club of Princes Risborough which took place on Saturday 27th April at St Teresa's School in Princes  Risborough from 10am to 4pm.The exhibition was attended by well  over 100 people.

Over 90 paintings from 9 Local Primary schools were exhibited and the standard achieved was very high.There were prizes for the best pictures in each school and also a prizes for the best pictures in the exhibition

Keith Rosling represented the society and presented  Zayden Hussain from Hughenden Valley  Primary School  with the The Arts Society of West Wycombe prize for the overall best painting in the competition, 

The schools were very enthusiastic about the competition and are eager to participate next year.

The Arts Society West Wycombe  gathered for their Autumn Lunch on October 3rd and to enjoy a lecture entitled As Good as Gold by Alexandra Epps in celebration of the Arts Society Golden Anniversary. On the way to the venue I went through woodland lanes with beautiful golden autumn colours - a perfect start to the lecture we were to have.
Alexandra gave us a fascinating story with slides showing some stunning and exquisite detailing of the Wilton Diptych and Giotto's Annunciation . Moving on through to Elizabeth the First in her golden finery. Also among others a slide of the glistening coronation robe of Queen Victoria.The work of Rex Whistler and Klimt's The Kiss also featured. 
We then tucked into a lovely lunch to finish off an enjoyable time with our Arts Society friends.

A group of young carers from Buckinghamshire, who are used to playing a supporting role in their families, were given the chance to take centre stage, thanks to two local branches of The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS).   West Wycombe and the Vale of Aylesbury Societies, together with a grant from the national organisation, funded a series of drama workshops held at Stoke Mandeville Community Centre during the summer holidays.
 
Georgia Bowers, who runs youth training programmes in London theatres, led the workshops and provided imaginative and creative tasks for the participants to help build, confidence, communication and acting skills. The children were encouraged to write stories and dramatise them, using props that they ingeniously constructed out of recycled materials.
 
 Laura Troll from Young Carers Bucks was delighted to see how the children gained focus and increased in confidence throughout the sessions. She also thought that the project provided them with a much needed break from their caring roles. The young carers themselves said that they enjoyed writing, acting and making new friends.
 
The Arts Society is an educational charity that provides a regular programme of lectures on all aspects of art for its members but also endeavours to help children in the community experience creative activities that inspire them to take an interest in art and drama at an early age. 

 For more pictures click here

The Arts Society West Wycombe has just completed another exciting Young Arts project, this time working with Hughenden Primary School to create a mosaic that will be displayed in its newly added reception area. The school’s good fortune is to have an expert mosaic artist on its staff, so Heather Kittler was the obvious person to lead the project, producing the original design and overseeing the construction of the mosaic.. The design was based on the school’s colourful logo and all  the pupils in the school made a contribution to this artwork. In addition, each child was encouraged create a design on a printed paper matrix, then construct it with tesserae on their own small wooden tile. Some of the designs were themed to a school project on Coasts and others were geometric or based on pure imagination, often resulting in a riot of colour.   The finished tiles will decorate the corridors in the school.

Our society funded the materials used on the mosaics and provided a cohort of volunteers to assist in workshops that ran every afternoon for a week at the beginning of June.  The children really enjoyed themselves and each of our volunteers received a special letter, written by pupils at the school, to thank them for their help. 

For more pictures click here

Peter Medhurst, musicologist and bass-baritone, is well know to The Arts Society as a singer, pianist, scholar and lecturer.  To some fortunate members he may also be known as an accomplished tour guide exploring music and the arts.  On his recent visit to our Society he devised a Special Interest Day centred on the theme of Paintings inspired by Music and Music inspired by Paintings.  He began by mentioning Beethoven’s ‘Claire de Lune’ to get our imaginations working on programme music, and then played the well known ‘Promenade’ which links passages from ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’.  Mussorgsky’s suite for solo piano was inspired by pictures at a memorial exhibition for the Russian artist Victor Hartmann, ranging musically from pecking hens to a crescendo of clanging church bells at the Great Gate of Kiev.
 
Less well know was Boecklin’s painting of ‘The Isle of the Dead’, a picture once owned by Hitler which gave a frisson of it’s own to the spooky atmosphere of the painting.  A ghostly standing white figure of a woman accompanying a coffin in a small bot as it approached the foreboding dark and cypress-clad island inspired Rachmaninov to compose an atmospheric and brooding symphonic poem.   By way of contrast Peter played a short section of Max Reger’s tone poem also inspired by this painting.  Peter showed us sections of the score on screen to demonstrate how Rachmaninov’s music conveyed the rhythm of the waves and atmosphere of gloom.
 
Using an interesting experiment with a few pictorial motifs randomly chosen, Peter showed us how he could compose a short piece to illustrate a given topic or enhance a mood,  film scores have contributed to heighten drama or suspense, or whatever is required to provide a background  to the action on screen.  He also demonstrated how a major or minor key alters the intensity of the colouring – as well as silence.
 
Peter illustrated music inspiring pictures by playing Respighi’s symphonic poem ‘The Pines of Rome’, with its relentless rhythm depicting Roman soldiers marching up the Via Appia in triumph.  The dynamic alters alters almost stealthily, growing louder and louder, an effect which has been a source of inspiration to Hollywood composers of Roman epics of the silver screen.
 
Peter’s final choice was ‘The Hebrides Overture, Fingal’s Cave, which famously inspired Mendelssohn, who was also a painter, on a visit to the Hebrides.  Again we saw images of the notation on the score rising and falling in imitation of waves.
 
The day was a masterly study in bringing together music and art, a very interesting exercise in how and where inspiration can be found and used to effect.   It also poses the thought that many other paintings could be paired up with music in a similar way, given the research and expert presentation of Peter Medhurst.

Please click here for more pictures of the day

Now that The Arts Society embraces much more than the decorative and fine arts of its origins, one of our Young Arts projects has ventured into something a little different this year.  We have been very happy to give our support to Young Carers Bucks by sponsoring a drama workshop for fifteen children aged 10 - 13 years. The project was led by Georgia Bowers who runs workshops for young people in London theatres and in the community. The aim was to provide an exciting way to capture the children’s imagination and encourage creativity whilst bonding in a group.

In six sessions spread over three weeks, the young carers involved developed skills in characterisation, learned dance routines and created a short drama that they performed for their parents. Their leaders were impressed by the way that the children’s communication skills developed and how they gained confidence during the sessions. They also believed that drama was a valuable way to explore emotions.   Feedback from the participants showed that all the young carers enjoyed the project immensely, made new friends and were inspired to take part in future acting classes and drama productions if the opportunity arose. 

For more pictures click here

In memory of Lorna Maskell who so superbly ran the Theatre Group for so many years, her friend  Keith Dyke has made a donation to the National Theatre who have laid a stone in her memory on the Weston Terrace as you will see from the attached photos. I hope you will manage to visit the Terrace on your next visit to the National Theatre and remember not only Lorna but also Keith who was so kind as to arrange for us to have a pre-theatre picnic in the Fellows Garden at Wadham College in Oxford – always a magical midsummer experience.

50 Years Celebration Concert
Sunday 10th June 2018 at Lacey Green Village Hall

Our celebration concert is to be performed by local celebrities Tom Wakeley (Gavin Mole) and his son Tom Mole. Gavin is a renowned musical director, singing coach and top class musician. His son Tom Mole is just completing his second year of training as an opera singer, at The Guildhall of Music and Drama and is a rising star, with an amazing voice.
The cost will be £10 per head, to include a glass of Prosecco and canapés during the interval.  Any residual proceeds will go towards future Young Arts projects.
Doors will open at 3.00 p.m. with the concert commencing at 3.30 p.m. and finishing at approximately 5.00 p.m.
Entry will be by pre-purchased ticket and it is important that with 250 members you understand that tickets are strictly limited and can only be issued on a ‘first come first served’ basis.
Tickets will be on sale at the next lecture on Wednesday May16th to members and non-members who are friends of members. You may purchase tickets for members who are unable to attend. At the May lecture, as well as selling any remaining tickets to members, we will also be able to offer places to friends, to help showcase our Society.
If you have any queries, please contact Christine Bowyer at bowyer.nadfas@btinternet.com

To celebrate The Arts Society Golden Jubilee this year, Chiltern Hills & Wyvern Area launched its My Golden Moment  Competition,  inviting  schoolchildren throughout the area to interpret the title in any art form using any medium.  Two schools from the West Wycombe area participated and we are very pleased to announce that they were extremely successful in fielding several prizewinning entries.  

Annabel Reed, from Naphill and Walters Ash School, won first prize in the 5-10 year old category with her impressive Piano Performance painting. Another pupil from the school, Thomas Waterton, received a commendation for his entry, The Goal.  Princes Risbsorugh School students, also fared very well. Will Chapman’s exquisitely painted Golden Eagle won first prize and Joy Hatfield’s characterful Golden Girl won second prize in the 11-16 age group.  Heather Piare was also highly commended for her portrait of John Nash in the 17 - 25 age group.

An exhibition of all the entries in the My Golden Moment Competition is at the Bucks County Museum, Aylesbury  from 17th March to 14th April 2018. 

Please cick here for more pictures

The next Theatre Group visit will be to the National Theatre to see Macbeth in a production directed by Rufus Norris and starring Rory Kinnear and Anne-Marie Duff.  Tickets are available at £41 each for the matinees on Saturday 17th March and Saturday 24th March and are available from the Theatre Group Secretary , Sue Phillips.Applications should be sent to suemphillips@mail.com.

For more pictures please click here then click on Autumn lunch 2017

The Autumn Lunch is always a popular event on our calendar.  It is a day when we set aside leaf clearing to gather in Lacey Green Village Hall for an entertaining lecture, a convivial meal and a glass of wine with fellow members.

Our lecture this year was given by Leslie Primo, who narrated the rise in the influence of foreign painters in England during the period of 1520 to 1677.  The lecture explored how foreign artists gained prominence through a survey of their work, much of which is on display in the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, where Leslie presents regular lectures and guided talks.

We learned that many foreign artists came to England in the early 16th century, as a result of religious persecution or through recommendation from notable figures on the Continent to their English counterparts.  Perhaps, the most famous of these artists being Hans Holbein, whose outstanding ability to capture likeness gained him the position of King’s Painter in the court of Henry VIII. This royal patronage of foreign artists persisted through the Tudor and Stuart periods, culminating in the knighthood of Rubens and Van Dyck by Charles I.

Leslie showed us how, over one and a half centuries, portraiture gained dominance over other forms of painting in England. At the start of the lecture, we saw images of the exquisitely crafted Horenbout miniatures of Henry VIII and progressed to full-length portraits such as Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger’s ‘Ditchley’ Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. We were told how, during this period, it became fashionable to commission portraits amongst the nobility. Medieval tapestries were cast aside and  pictures of fine figures dressed in intricate fabrics, beautifully depicted, filled their halls instead. Artists from the Netherlands, and Germany executed the majority of these portraits. Few native artists were able to match their skills and, not surprisingly, most English painters were unhappy about the influx of foreign workers. Guilds fought hard to maintain rights for their members to practice in the City of London without foreign competition and demanded taxes and restrictions to be placed on artists from the Continent. Many foreign artists sought naturalization to avoid the payment of such taxes and continued to work in England. One might comment, ‘Plus ça change!’

 Following, Leslie’s fascinating narrative of immigration and influence, delivered with humour and precision, members enjoyed a delicious lunch.  Thanks were extended to Barbara Bedford for orgainising the catering with the help of Colin Wood and the 

Click here for more photos

On the 24th April 38 travellers from West Wycombe DFAS embarked on a visit to Vienna. A packed itinerary saw us visit the Kunsthistorisches, Leopold and Abertina Museums, and the Upper Belvedere. A walking tour of Vienna took us to the The Spanish Riding School in the Imperial Palace. A visit to the Vienna State Opera House was followed in the evening by an optional visit to a performance of Un Ballo in Maschera which was hugely enjoyed by all who went. We also visited the Schonbrunn summer palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The last day saw us visit Melk Abbey and take a cruise back along the Danube to Krems, a stretch of river known as the Wachau, another UNESCO World Heritage site. In all this we were accompanied by our erudite and knowledgeable Austrian guide. 29th April saw us fly home, tired but impressed by the wonders of Vienna.

Every six months, the Chiltern Hills Area convenes a meeting for Chairmen and representatives from its fourteen constituent societies.  It provides an opportunity to communicate initiatives from NADFAS, to hear about what is happening in the various volunteering sectors in the Area and to exchange ideas between societies.  On March 8th, West Wycombe DFAS hosted this event under the direction of our Chairman, Eileen Gerrard, with catering organised by Barbara Bedford, supported by other members of our committee. The meeting was chaired by Dory Thompson, Area Chairman, who retires from her position in May, when she will be handing over to Caroline Symington. Dory was presented with a bouquet of flowers at the meeting to show the Area’s appreciation of the excellent work she has done over the last three years.
 
There were two presentations from visitors from NADFAS House. Susan Zuill, a Trustee, updated everyone on progress in rebranding to The Arts Society, to be officially announced at the AGM in Birmingham in May, and the plans for celebrating NADFAS’s 50th Anniversary in 2018. There was also an inspirational talk delivered by Wendy Keeble. Project Liaison for Trustees, reminding us that, although all of the societies in our area are thriving at the moment, we should not become complacent. She spoke about the need to plan for succession. making sure that we continue to attract new membership and encourage existing members to become involved in committees and volunteering activities, utilising the skills that so many of them possess.   Without continuously engendering this kind of support, she believed that a society could very easily fade away.
 
During the afternoon session, a presentation was given by the Textile Department at The New Buckinghamshire University, a recipient of an Area Award.  A student from the course showed some of her work in creating hi-tech but beautifully designed fabrics. The pieces were amazing and it was fascinating to hear how her artistic interpretation of temperament was the foundation for her designs, resulting in, for instance, ‘angry or ‘happy’ fabrics.
 
Clive Barham Carter, an accredited NADFAS lecturer, also gave delegates a very interesting talk about NADFAS from a lecturer’s perspective. He provided an account of the rigorous selection process that lecturers have to go through before being accepted by NADFAS; described the bustling activity of Directory Day, when Programme Secretaries select forthcoming lectures; and gave an insight into presenting to NADFAS societies with accompanying anecdotes.  He also mentioned that, in the same way that societies are requested to give feed-back to NADFAS on the quality of lecturers, lecturers also give feedback on us; a very good reason for us all to continue being an utterly charming and attentive audience every third Wednesday in the month!
 
In hosting this event, it was brought to our attention by members of other societies how fortunate we are to have Lacey Green Village Hall as a venue, with its excellent facilities, particularly a large car park, which many societies lack.  It was good to be reminded of this, as we can so easily get accustomed to our surroundings and not fully appreciate them.

For pictures of the event Click Here
 

Jonathan Hinden's operatic pedigree is well-known to NADFAS audiences who have attended his previous lectures on Carmen and Cosi fan Tutte.  He was Head of Music Staff and Principal Coach at Glyndebourne Opera House, keyboard player and conductor for Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Kent Opera, English Touring Opera and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as well as the Royal Academy of Music - a very impressive cv.

Jonathan entertained us with an intimate commentary on the genius and musicality of Verdi, the social mores of the period, the characters and their interaction as the story of La Traviata unfolded in its moments of high operatic drama and passion.  His flowing narrative, accompanied by piano and renditions ranging from soprano to baritone, illustrated important moments in the opera, although Jonathan does not describe himself as a singer!  He drew us into the story based on a true story by Alexandre Dumas which had been the subject of gossip and intrigue only five years before the opera's debut at the Carnival in Venice in 1853. 

Jonathan told us that the opera was initially a flop, despite being staged in the 1700s to give it a more opulent appeal on stage, and to make a risqué story more palatable to the audience.  It seems that the soprano was too fat to portray a consumptive heroine, the tenor was in poor voice and the baritone was dissatisfied with a secondary role!

After a Study Day spent with Jonathan the next best thing is a ticket for the opera itself - to hear La Traviata in all its splendour, revealed in much greater depth than ever before.

An interesting and ongoing project undertaken by a talented team of 5 Heritage members handy with a needle has been the creation of bespoke calico map bags to house Aylesbury County Hall's large archive map collection.  The importance of the map bags cannot be over-emphasised from a conservation point of view.  The photograph shows the splendid map bags in County Hall's strongroom.  This is a huge contribution to preservation that the WWDFAS Heritage Team can be justifiably proud of.

Any members interested in assisting with this task should contact Jo Clee, Heritage Coordinator

On Sunday 20th September members of WWDFAS gathered at the Horses Trust in Speen to celebrate the Society's 40th Anniversary. Click here to view photos

Forty four people arrived in the field car park to visit Nether Winchendon.  The house is Grade 1 listed, and has been inhabited by the same family for 450 years, and three generations were present on the day of our visit.  It was very nice that Robert Spencer Bernard gave the house tour to our groups, filling in all the historical background and details of alterations in the house.  His commentary was amusing as well as instructive, and we enjoyed seeing the huge Rosewood dining table which is regularly used by the family, the tapestry hanging, still in superb condition, but perhaps we were puzzled by Georgianna's artistic contribution - two large feet with bright red toenails - in the hall which was otherwise furnished with Jacobean portraits of early family members.  The church was light and bright, complete with box pews and a write-up by Simon Jenkins in his book on churches.

The walled garden was pleasant, not in the least manicured, and mostly left as unmown 'wild flower meadows' - complete with dandelions for a splash of colour!  There were some lovely mature trees in the grounds, and the trees lining the drive deserve a special mention.

Some of us were able to end the visit sitting outside the entrance hall at the stable yard, in the sunshine enjoying tea and cake with Robert, Georgianna and their grandson Charlie.  Several people said they had been past the house previously, and it was worth visiting for its history and the tour given by the owner himself.

Click here for photographs of the trip

Everyone enjoyed the places we visited, the hotel, and as always, the good company. In the end 33 people were on the visit. We had a guided tour around the medieval centre of Cambridge, King's College Chapel and its stained glass windows, and the highlights of the Fitzwilliam Museum. 
One of our guides had just written a book about Cambridge and proved to be an excellent source of information.

The hotel staff in Newmarket were very efficient on our arrival, and the restaurant service was good.  The hotel is on the edge of the heath, and we were delighted to see strings of racehorses returning from the gallops at breakfast time.  The Museum of Horse Racing was great, lots of fun thanks to the parties of schoolchildren. Anglesey Abbey had connections with horse racing, roses and royalty. It was the home of Lord Fairhaven who entertained lavishly in the Thirties, frequently hosting parties that included royalty.  The house was furnished with a 
collection of rare clocks including the recently restored Pagoda Clock, paintings, silver, books and objets d'art.  We enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the extensive grounds to the house and to the restored Lode Mill, an interesting but not too demanding visit for the second day of our trip.

Click here for photographs of the trip

As a precursor to the biennial Speen Festival held in September, Speen, St John’s and Hannah Ball Schools got together for a week in June for their own SpeenSchoolFest. This year the children celebrated the culture and arts of India and also participated in the BBC Ten Pieces project, a national programme to introduce classical music to schools. During the week, classes were held to stimulate creative imaginations through art, music dance and writing.

West Wycombe DFAS was proud to sponsor an art workshop held on June 25th , the final day of the SchoolFest.  Led by the sculptor, Jeni Fairey, 101 children worked in groups to produce four large pieces of vibrant art – a peacock, an Indian Mandala (a graphic circular symbol constructed in coloured sand), a splat painting inspired by the Indian Festival of Holi and a bejewelled elephant’s head. They also sculpted individual Indian animals out of clay and made paper flowers for the evening ball. While they worked, pupils were encouraged to recall the things that they had learned during the week about the language, geography and customs of India. The day culminated in a concert where children read out stories that showed how listening to Stravinsky’s The Firebird had inspired their creative writing, and then danced to this piece of music incorporating the graceful moves learned in the Indian dance classes. This cultural fusion of Western classical music and Indian art provided an exciting, colourful and enlightening experience for everyone involved.  

To view more pictures click here

On 20th April 2015 a group from West Wycombe DFAS went on a five day visit to Barcelona and Catalonia. 

Staying at the centrally located Hotel Abba Balmoral in Barcelona, a packed itinerary saw us visit on the first day The Parc Guell, the mountain of Montjuic, the museum of Joan Miro and the impressive and recently dedicated Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s masterpiece.

A coach tour took us through the fertile plains of the Empordà: one of the richest agricultural regions in Catalonia, to Girona, the capital of the province. A beautiful city which we toured on foot, seeing the impressive cathedral and the Jewish quarter, one of the best preserved in Spain. 

At Figueres, where Dalí was born and spent his childhood, we visited the museum, which was a burnt-down theatre refurbished by Dalí himself, an amazing experience. Apart from three floors full of the artist’s extravagant creations, the building itself was well worth the visit.

An excursion into to the symbolic heart of Catalonia took us to the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat. Situated in a stunning mountain range with amazing rock formations,we listened to music from the “ L’Escolanía” choir which is Catalonia’s equivalent to The Vienna Boys Choir.

Back in Barcelona we visited the Museum of National Art of Catalonia which houses a very comprehensive collection of Catalan art throughout history, ranging from Romanesque period up to very recent times.A walking tour of the old town took us along Las Ramblas and through the Gothic quarter to the Palau de la Musica Catalana. We also visited the Picasso Museum.

A morning free on the last day saw many visit the harbor in Barcelona, take a boat trip, or visit one of Gaudi’s other buildings.
An optional extra was an evening performance of Carmen at the Lyceu Opera House situated in las Ramblas which was enjoyed by all who went.

The wonderful organization of the tour companies and our exceptional guide made this a memorable visit.

Click here for photographs of the trip

Children from Year 4 at Naphill & Walters Ash School braved the cold snap at the beginning of May to work outside creating a tree sculpture in the school grounds.  

Over a two-day period, sixty boys and girls enthusiastically worked in groups under the supervision of local artist, Emily Cooling. The first group masterfully constructed the willow framework for the sculpture. The other children then made their own imaginative contributions by weaving-in supple willow to form a trunk and branches. Finally, woven leaves were created to hang on the tree.  The pupils were excited to see the tree evolve under the influence of each group and took great pride in their combined artistic achievement. 

 Jo Lavender, Deputy Head of the school said that the tree will have seasonal decorations added to it throughout the year and it will also become a focal point for outdoor learning activities. 

Click here to see pictures of the project

Silver and Social Customs from Norman Times 
and Discussion of Silver Items brought in by Members - 
Ian Pickford

Ian Pickford's reputation as an expert on silver is on an international level,
though he is best known for his appearance on the Antiques Roadshow. so 
it was a privilege to have him to conduct our Special Interest Day.
 
Before lunch, Ian gave us a masterly review of the role of silver articles through 
the ages, whether utilitarian or decorative. On a lighter note, we now know that 
spoons and forks are not cutlery, but flatware, and where to put the salt if you 
have important guests.
 
After lunch Ian really got into his stride, doing what he loves best - handling and 
talking about silver. There was an impressive display of members' pieces, and he
dealt with each, often in depth. He made it clear that making a silver spoon is a 
craft combining skill and artistry. If some pieces did not prove to be the treasure
its owner hoped for, others met with Ian's approval, ending with a superb Scottish 
teapot. Altogether a very memorable and interesting day."
Click here to view pictures of the day

We shall be visiting the Fitzwilliam Museum with two Blue Badge guides 
to take our group round the highlights of the collection, King's College 
Chapel, and the historic city centre.  This tour will take approx. 3 
hours.

We stay overnight at the Heathcourt Best Western Hotel in Newmarket, 
where we shall visit the Museum of Horse Racing the following morning.  
The Museum was recently featured in the NADFAS Review, showing NADFAS members working on a restoration project there.

We then go to Anglesey Abbey, owned by the National Trust. Lord 
Fairhaven renovated the Abbey into a sumptuous country home in the 
golden age of country house living,  where he entertained royalty and 
pursued his love of horse racing at Newmarket. The celebrated gardens 
with sweeping avenues, classical statuary and views should be at its 
best when we visit.  There is also an historic working watermill and 
Winter Garden to see.  There is also a copy of the 1215 Magna Carta in 
the Library, which we have requested to be made available on our visit.

The price of the two day trip will be £145 for National Trust members, 
and £155.40 for non NT members. Our evening meal in Newmarket is 
included in the price. So do come and sign up for what promises to be a 
really interesting trip to Cambridge, Newmarket and Angelsey Abbey at 
the next NADFAS meeting on Wednesday, 18th February.
 

Saturday 21st March 2.30pm  Oxford Playhouse  

ALL MY SONS by Arthur  Millar £17.00                                      

TALAWA Theatre Company

ALL MY SONS is a powerful reminder of the need for social responsibility.   TALAWA is the UK’s primary Black - led touring theatre company.  Last year this company visited Oxford with a successful production of ‘Moon on a Rainbow Shawl’ starring Lenny Henry. 

This epic moving play was Arthur Miller’s first success, establishing him as a leading voice in American Theatre.   A searing investigation of honesty, guilt and the corrupting power of greed. 

Before this show we could meet for lunch in the restaurant at the Ashmolean  Museum.  Please indicate on the Booking Form if you wish to join a group lunch.  I will book a table. 

Saturday 11th April 2.30pm Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre.

 BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS by David Hare      £25.20 

From Katherine Boo’s book.  Winner of the National Book Award for non-fiction 2012.David Hare has fashioned a tumultuous play on an epic scale. 

‘India is surging with global ambition.  Beyond the luxury hotels that surround Mumbai Airport there lies a makeshift slum full of people with plans of their own. 

Lunch is booked at the National Theatre for members who would like to lunch with the group. 

Please book on the Booking Form and enclose your cheque for tickets.  Lunch will be paid for on the day. Click here to access the booking form

Thirty five members of the society travelled to Durham for a six day stay exploring Northumbria,stopping en route at Hardwick Hall where we had a rare insight into the formality of Elizabethan England. In the company of an excellent Blue Badge Guide we explored Durham spending time in the Cathedral and its precincts.We visited Beamish Museum learning about life in northern England in the 1800s and early 1900s.Included in our tour was the magnificent Alnwick Castle,the markedly different Cragside House and a visit to Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island transformed by Lutyens into a holiday home.We walked on Hadrians Wall and visited Hexham and its Abbey before returning home stopping at The Hepworth Wakefield on the way home.

For pictures of the trip click here and then scroll down to "WWDFAS Visit to Nortumberland" and click on it.