Opera Holloway's production of Donizetti's 'Don Pasquale' will be performed at the Riverside Arts Centre on Wednesday the 25th May.

The story of Don Pasquale revolves around a classic comedic premise: a young couple in love schemes to thwart the inappropriate plans of a pompous old man, who wants to marry the girl himself. What makes the opera notable within this familiar genre is its emphasis on genuine human emotion. Donizetti’s score is graceful and effervescent, as one would expect from this master of melody, but adds an additional level of sophistication to match the comic (yet insightful) proceedings.

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Quartet Pro Musica, one of the country’s longest established string quartets, returns to the Riverside Arts Centre, Thames Street, on Saturday May 28th at 7.30pm for a concert that will showcase three chamber music masterpieces from the 18th, 19th and 20th century.

The concert opens with Haydn’s String Quartet, Op. 64 No. 5 in D major “Lark’, first performed in England and arguably the most popular of Haydn’s eighty-three string quartets, a perfect representative of the entire genre, and aptly described by Paul Epstein as “a story, a song, a dance and a party”.

This is followed by the exotic, Iberian themed Turina String Quartet Op. 34, La Oración del Torero, a beautiful work full of shimmering atmosphere, bravado and passion.

After the interval, the concert closes with Schubert’s magnificent String Quartet No. 14 in D minor of 1824, posthumously titled ‘Death and the Maiden’ after the lied of the same name which influences the second movement. The D minor quartet stands as Schubert’s greatest quartet, an emotional tour de force, and among the finest in the entire quartet literature.

Quartet Pro Musica was formed in 1955 by its original and current leader, Patrick Halling. Over the years the quartet has been involved in highly acclaimed recordings for the BBC, and has played in all the leading venues in the country. The current members, Patrick Halling (violin), Keith Lewis (violin), Ariane Alexander (viola) and Myrtle Bruce-Mitford (cello), only the fourth line-up since 1955, continue this fine tradition of excellence in chamber music, as they perform and record a wide repertoire from the classical, romantic and modern eras.

Tickets for reserved seats for the concert can be bought on line at: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/quartetpromusica

Unreserved seat tickets can be bought at the door.

£12.50 single ticket; £5 student; £40 group of 4 ticket.

For further information, please contact the Secretary, Quartet Pro Musica, via:

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Phone 07879 474 870

A day to relax and practice techniques and methods you may not have tried before in this one day experimental drawing class with artist, Stuart Simler.

The day will consist of drawing outside capturing the landscape, if the weather permits; and in the gallery tackling portraits and being sensory using a variety of wet and dry and water based materials.

Saturday 28th May, 10am - 3pm; £45.00 inc materials. To book, call: 01932 788101 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The next Music Night at Sunbury Cricket Club falls on Friday 13th May, when the Club welcomes back one of Sunbury's most popular bands, THE 60s ALL STARS, who played at our very first Music Night five years ago in 2011, and have been back every year since then.

The band will need very little introduction to many of us, featuring Mick Avory, the original drummer from the Kinks, guitarist Alan Lovell, who is still playing with the Swinging Blue Jeans, bass guitarist John Dee from The Foundations, and guitarist Del Mandel, who was with Crispian St. Peters and also played with George Harrison’s band. 

They are one of the very best of the ‘60s revival bands on the circuit, and guarantee a hugely entertaining evening of wall-to-wall beat era classics as they draw on their amazing repertoire. Food will be available as usual from about 7pm.

The public information day at Kempton Park went ahead as planned and it's clear that Redrow, the prospective developers, are in for the long haul. We can expect the Company to use its considerable resources to influence the local plan, currently undergoing revision, to include Kempton Park green belt for residential development.

David Cameron and George Osborne wrote in The Times last July: "We will always protect the green belt and make sure planning decisions are made by local people." This statement followed the Conservative manifesto which promised four times to protect the green belt. In addition, the Leader of our Council, Cllr. Ian Harvey has made his views very plain (see article of 25th April below) so you would be justified in thinking that the Kempton Park project appears to be a non-starter.

However, LOSRA is not given to speculative leaps as, despite these promises, there is ample precedent for developments on green belt land throughout the UK. The law is opaque at best (perhaps deliberately so) and only last month, Greg Clark, the Communities Secretary, approved 1,500 new homes between Gloucester and Cheltenham, with the reason that the need for housing outweighed the need to protect the green belt.

What is certain, therefore, is that the Redrow project at Kempton Park is not going to crumble under the weight of local opposition; but, with the combined opposition of our local authority and its residents, we should have a fighting chance in protecting this valuable local asset and preventing the inevitable traffic congestion in a Borough already designated as an Air Quality Management Area.

If you were unable to attend the public information day on 23rd April you can to see the information banners provided by Redrow at the event by clicking here:

http://www.redrowkempton.co.uk/consultation.html

Hawkedale Infant School warmly invites you to come and join in the fun and support your local school.

There will be entertainment from Franco the Magician, toys and treats, craft activities, cakes, raffle, bouncy castle, local traders and tombolas along with fantastic food and a licensed bar.

There will also be games for the whole family to enjoy. Admission £1 for adults & 50p for over 3's.

The School looks forward to seeing you there.

We don't know whether the new Council Leader, Cllr. Ian Harvey, was able to make it to the Redrow event at Kempton Park on Saturday (see article of 12th April below) but he has made his views very plain in an open letter to the developers, Redrow, which has been forwarded to LOSRA for publication.

To view, click here

The re-structuring at senior management level has taken a step forward with the appointment of five Group Heads

The appointments are part of the "Towards a Sustainable Future" programme designed to make Spelthorne a leaner, self-funding Council, whilst protecting the services that people value and rely upon.

The changes mean that senior management will be better aligned with the political leadership and financial savings will also be realised from the streamlining.

The decision of the Appointments Panel, comprising of Councillors Harvey, Harman, Barnard, Doran, (also supported by Councillor Madams), was unanimous.

The five appointed are:

• Sandy Muirhead - Commissioning and Transformation
• Jackie Taylor - Neighbourhood Services
• Karen Sinclair and Deborah Ashman - Community Wellbeing
• Heather Morgan - Regeneration and Growth
• Linda Norman - Finance and Customer Relations

Roberto Tambini, Spelthorne's Chief Executive, said: "This was a most rigorous and fair selection process with councillors being impressed with the calibre of our internal applicants. We will all be working hard to ensure a smooth transition".

The Group Heads will take up their new roles this week.

The next Music Night at the Sunbury Cricket Club falls on Friday 22nd April, and it promises to be a very special evening, as the Club welcomes the multi-talented singer and songwriter Mike D'Abo.

Mike is best known, of course, as the singer with Manfred Mann in the 1960s, who took over from Paul Jones in the band when Paul went solo, and fronted a string of big hits, including 'Just Like A Woman', 'Semi Detached Suburban Mr. James' , 'Ha Ha! Said The Clown', 'My Name Is Jack', and 'Fox On The Run', almost all of them making the Top 10 as well as a No.1 with 'The Mighty Quinn'. Before that he had been in A Band Of Angels, who recorded for Decca, United Artists and Piccadilly between 1964 and 1966.

He is also a highly successful songwriter, writing “Handbags And Glad Rags”, which has been a hit over the years for Chris Farlowe, Rod Stewart and The Stereophonics, and co-writing The Foundations’ biggie “Build Me Up Buttercup”. He also wrote the music for the film “There’s a Girl In My Soup”, and turned his hand to writing jingles for TV commercials, including Cadbury’s “Finger of Fudge”!

Other credits include performing the show stopping “King Herod’s Song” on the original recording of “Jesus Christ Superstar”.

He will be appearing with his trio featuring Dik Cadbury and Steve Degutis on bass, guitar and harmonies, as he not only performs songs from across his career, but will give us some juicy and hilarious insights behind the scenes of the business as he recounts anecdotes from episodes and encounters during his half-century in the business.

It will be a fascinating, entertaining and usual evening. As usual, food will be be available before the show which opens at 8.30pm. Cost of admission £10 at the door.

The appeal of women's football increases exponentially year on year with national coverage to match. To parents and grandparents wishing to divert their daughters' attention away from tablets, phones and the distractions of social media, why not get them started early by introducing them to the Kempton Girls Football Club which caters all 5 - 9 year olds of all abilities. Attendance is free and great fun is guaranteed.