WEEKLY column of Tetbury news by Kevin Painter. 

1.  Tetbury joins in with biggest ever Great Big Green Week 

Tetbury joined in with hundreds of thousands taking part in the biggest ever Great Big Green Week recently during the week June 8-16. Tetbury always proud of its green roots! Started the week with the St Marys Church Count on nature when, Peter Martin presented ‘Live Moth Reveal’ outside in St Mary’s churchyard.

Followed by a fascinating talk/ Slideshow complemented by the The Count’ of birds, bees, flowers, mosses, lichens, butterflies, moths and minibeasts etc. in the churchyard. then on the 15 June Greening Tetbury presented and gave many in the Market House/Town Hall to meet Greening Tetbury, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Tetbury knitting group, Help a hedgehog hospital and Tetbury Men In Sheds to learn about sustainable initiatives in and around Tetbury. Helen Meech, Executive Director of The Climate Coalition, was delighted at the amount of work going on in Tetbury who visited said : “ The Great Big Green Week is an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people to show how important nature and the climate is to them, and to swap ideas on what we can all do to lead greener lives. It is also a reminder to politicians campaigning in the lead up to the General Election that public support for action is both massive and mainstream, and that the next Government will be held to account to do more for climate and generations to come.”

Huge thank you must go to the St Mary's Church team of volunteers and of course the greening team of volunteers for help in keeping this crucial matter at our forefront

2. Rolling out the carpet for Pride 

Tetbury today, Saturday July 6, will be rolling out the rainbow carpet and making history with the 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. At the perfect setting of the Tetbury Goods Shed for a day that's set to shimmer with pride, packed with phenomenal entertainment and the best of local spirit. featuring live music, speeches, stalls, youth zone, food & drink and more. Do come along on on July 6 from 12.00pm until 6.00pm and Join in for a day filled with love, acceptance, and celebration of diversity. Giving all the chance to stand together and show support for the LGBTQ+ community in Tetbury.

And It is free to attend! Making the celebration accessible to everyone

3. Next heart and soul service 

Heart and Soul The next new 'Heart & Soul! Service will be on Sunday July 7 starting at 5.15pm Free Tea/Coffee/Cake. Then at 6.00pm the Service begins.

Heart & Soul is a new modern worship service at St Marys’ Tetbury which seeks to go on a journey of discovery exploring different ways of worshipping God.

Each service may be different but we hope that they will offer something for all as we focus on what it means to worship God throughout each day of our lives.

All are welcome to share this journey. And will be at St Mary's Church Tetbury. All Welcome. For more information email office@tetburychurch.co.uk or ring 01666500088.

4. Beautiful way to continue Lent journey 

Taizé in Tetbury will be at St Marys' Church, Tetbury on Thursday 11th July at 7.00pm. This a beautiful, contemplative way to continue your Lent journey with prayer and chants from the Taizé community in France.

From 6.30 for a very short music practise for those who wish. All are welcome to this ecumenical service. No need to bring anything except an open heart. .

5. Screening of Wicked Little Letters at the Goods Shed Cinema 

Tetbury Goods Shed Cinema are pleased to be screening the film on July 11, Wicked Little Letters (15) A 1920s English seaside town bears witness to a dark, absurd scandal in this riotous mystery comedy.

Based on a stranger-than-fiction true story, “Wicked Little Letters” follows two neighbours: deeply-conservative local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and rowdy Irish migrant Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley).

When Edith and fellow residents start to receive wicked letters full of unintentionally hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The anonymous letters prompt a national uproar, and a trial ensues.

However, as the town’s women, led by police officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan), begin to investigate the crime themselves, they suspect that something is amiss and Rose might not be the culprit after all Please be aware that the film contains a generous amount of swearing.

Stars: Olivia Coleman, Jessie Buckley, Timothy Spall and Aniana Vasan.

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

6. Illustrated history of Painswick Rococo Garden 

On Saturday 13th July 2024 at 7:30PM Tetbury Goods Shed are delighted to present Everything in the Garden - Talk and Concert .

An illustrated journey through the history of Painswick Rococo Garden accompanied by a musical programme evoking Everything in the Garden. In his talk, Garden Director Dominic Hamilton will take you on an illustrated journey through the fascinating history and restoration of the garden since the 1740s.

The Every Other Monday Singers are a Stroud-based group of friends who meet for the joy of making music together (every other Monday!). It comprises professional musicians as well as talented amateurs with wide choral experience.

The Concert will feature floral-based choral music mainly from the English pastoral tradition, from madrigals to a work that is being composed especially for the concert by the group’s bass, Jonathan Trim, who conducts several local orchestras as well as singing and composing.

Ticket holders for this evening will be entitled to 10% discount on entry to the Rococo Garden. Painswick Rococo Garden (www.rococogarden.org.uk) is a gorgeous Georgian garden squeezed into a hidden valley. Fantastic vistas, serpentine paths and rolling Cotswold countryside surprise and delight the visitor as much as its charming follies.Advance Tickets £10.00. For more information or to book your ticket, please visit the new website :www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk Please note: on the door on the night tickets will cost £13

7. Gloucestershire Youth String Orchestra 

Tetbury Good Shed are thrilled to present on Sunday July 14 the Gloucestershire Youth String OrchestraConductor: Nick Steel This is an absolute must-see concert for any aspiring young musicians.

The Gloucestershire Youth String Orchestra (GYSO) is made up of a very talented group of youngsters drawn from across the Gloucestershire schools.

It relaunched in 2018 as a creative outlet for the string section of Glos.

Youth Orchestra (GYO) and then, Gloucestershire Intermediate String Ensemble to tackle larger string repertoire and was chosen to perform at Birmingham Town Hall as part of Music for Youth’s National Festival. Notable performances have been Vivaldi Winter at the Pittville Pump Rooms in 2022, Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings at Cheltenham Town Hall in 2020 and Herrmann’s Suite from Pyscho at Iglesia de la Asuncion de Nuestra Senora, Melgar, Spain in 2022.

Tetbury Goods Shed is delighted to be hosting more and more young people’s performances and participatory programmes and this should be a truly inspiring event for children and adults alike. Adult tickets are just £5. 18 years and under tickets are free. For more information or to book your tickets, please visit the new website:www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk

8. Everything in the Garden arts festival continues 

To compliment the first inaugural Everything in the Garden arts festival centring on Tetbury and nearby arts venues, continues at Tetbury Goods Shed Art Centre with the Exhibition: Nature’s Garden. Paintings by Angie Spencer, Plein air landscapes Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-4pm, from 26th June until 11th August.‘Nature never did betray the heart that loved her’ – William WordsworthAngie returns to Tetbury Goods Shed with a selection of her recent plein air paintings of Gloucestershire’s rivers, woods and fields

Originally from the beautiful North East coast of Yorkshire, Angie Spencer has never lost her connection to the pulse of Nature’s wild heart beat and she is never happier than when she is immersed in painting it ‘en plein air’.

She draws inspiration in part from the Romantic painters and their approach to the landscape, and she particularly loves painting water – especially the River Frome in Stroud where she swims regularly throughout the year. Angie is currently Artist in Residence at the Painswick Rococo Garden and is a regular exhibitor at Spencer House Gallery in Tetbury.

She is also a classical violinist and currently leads the Stroud Symphony Orchestra. Also showing will be the Highly Commended entries from the Painswick Rococo Gardens Plein Air Competition. The exhibition runs from Wednesday 26th June through to and including Sunday 11 August 2024. Opening times are 10-4pm Wednesdays through Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays and occasionally for other events in the main hall: we recommend you call first if travelling a distance to avoid disappointment.