Thursday 2 May

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week

It’s May Bank Holiday weekend so there’s no shortage of fun stuff to have a run at over the next few days. This week in East Hampshire you can enjoy a music festival, a spring festival or an ancient pagan festival. Check that out for diversity! Although I’m pretty sure you can get a beer and a burger at all three.

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org

This week’s top events 

1) Dumbfest: Saturday, Bordon. Sounds dumb – is brilliant. Enjoy 40 acts across four stages capped off by 90s pop legends Dodgy, all at the Phoenix Theatre
2) Beltain: Saturday, Chalton. If chart-topping acts aren’t hot enough for you how about a 30 foot effigy wreathed in flame? Appease those capricious pagan gods at the Wicker Man festival at Butser Ancient Farm.
3) Petersfield Spring Festival: Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Celebrate British culture in Petersfield town centre this weekend, with music, food, markets and more. A classic British festival!
4) Radio Soop: Saturday, Bordon. Go back to the golden age of radio with this hilarious comedy that brings the magic, chaos and humour of live radio to the Phoenix Theatre
5) White Horse Walk: Saturday, Priors Dean. Don your wet weather gear and step out into the elements for the White Horse Walk, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Three strolls of varying lengths will begin at the Pub With No Name, also called - perhaps more correctly - the White Horse.
6) Blackmoor Concert: Saturday, Blackmoor. A candlelit concert given by the Winchester College Quiristers, which are like choristers but quirkier.

This week’s top news 

1) A community is in shock after a car crash left one man dead and another fighting for his life
2) Grayshott motorists are being reminded to slow down as they drive through the village with free car stickers to local parents
3) A new parking scheme in East Hampshire is proving good for businesses
4) An elderly man has died after he fell by the side of the road, in Grayshott
5) Learn something new at an adult learning taster sessions run by the Community First East Hampshire

Review of the Week

Tophat visited the Grayshott to enjoy the Grayshott Stagers’ murder mystery musical Something’s Afoot, which left the audience helpless with the giggles and the body-count rose

Thursday 29 March

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week

This week in East Hampshire there’s jazz music, cricketing comedy, photographic excellence and some fun Easter treats for the kids.

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org

This week’s top events 

1) Friday, Sheet: Jump and jive to the infectious beats of jazz ace Harry Strutters at the first of a new series of gigs at the Half Moon
2) Friday, Horndean: Horndean Amateur Theatrical Society’s cricket-based comedy will have you in creases. Let’s hope these players are a safer pair of hands than their counterparts in Sri Lanka.
3) Saturday, Petersfield: A once-in-two-years (or should that be once in six months?) chance to see some superb shots of the local area and beyond at Petersfield Photographic Society’s Bi-Annual Exhibition.
4) Saturday, Alton: The Energy Advice Centre will be offering valuable tips and advice on how to avoid fuel poverty this week. That’s fuel for the home, mind, not panic-stricken motorists
5) The ‘What am I going to do with my kids this Easter?’ Dept

i) Wednesday, Birdworld: Crack the clues and find an egg at Birdworld. A chocolate egg, that is. No raiding the ostrich nests please.
ii) Wednesday, Alton: Crafty sessions for creative children up to 12 in Alton. Materials, drink and a biccy all in for £3
iii) Thursday, Petersfield: If the thought of filling up on candy floss and then jumping on a waltzer doesn’t make you physically ill then you are ready for Petersfield’s Easter Fun Fair!

This week’s top news

1) A woman who spotted and apprehended a sex offender in an Alton supermarket has been honoured by police
2) Police appeals for drivers not to panic buy petrol have not been heeded
3) Liphook pupils met some genuine heroes when police officers, soldiers and first-aiders came to visit, while a Steep school raised £5,000 for Hounds for Heroes with an art exhibition
4) A new parking team will be getting to grips with wayward vehicles when new powers are implemented in April
5) The Localism Act is not a tool to defeat development but can be used to define it – so says an EHDC planner who will be talking about the subject at April’s Community Forums

Review of the Week

It’s heavy metal heaven this week as the long-running Battle of the Bands at the Lounge Bar in Alton reached its thunderous climax. Finger Point were annointed winners and you can see video of their set plus footage of the other four finalists in this comprehensive review by tophat

Thursday 15 March

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week

This week in East Hampshire the curtain comes down on Petersfield Musical Festival and you can help save the planet during Climate Change Week

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org

This week’s top events 

1) Friday, Saturday, Petersfield: The Petersfield Musical Festival reaches a rousing crescendo this weekend with celebrity organist Carlo Curley and a Jubilee Choral Concert providing the big finish
2) Friday, Saturday, Alton: Follow in the footsteps of some of Alton’s most famous alumni at the Allen Gallery’s latest exhibition
3) Saturday, various: It’s climate change week and on Saturday there no fewer than three environmental events striking up across the district
i) The Energy Advice Centre in Alton offers advice on Heat Pumps and Solar Panels
ii) The East Hants Environmental Network sets up in Petersfield Market
iii) The Eco-town team cooks up a Walk, Make and Bake day
4) Sunday, Petersfield: Monkey’s Fist will be packing a punch in Petersfield’s Square Brewery. Not a martial art but, in fact, a jazzy/Celtic, world fusion instrumental.

This week’s top news 

1) The body of a Petersfield man was found by Ramshill in Petersfield
2) Liphook pupils got their business heads on as they got stuck into a Young Enterprise scheme
3) The East Hampshire Environment Network have been making the most of Climate Change Week with a tour of the district
4) The parents of a girl who died in a bike accident near Alton have paid tribute to their daughter

Review of the week

This week’s review is kayturk’s report of the European Union Chamber Orchestra’s ‘captivating’  performance at G-Live in Guildford.

Thursday 8 March

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week

This week in East Hampshire the Petersfield Musical Festival takes centre-stage with its usual mix of professional-calibre performers and local talent. But there’s also a little rock, some history, an art exhibition and some classic comedy.

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org

This week’s top events

1) Friday, onwards: Eight days of top quality musical performance, from cabaret to classical, will be filling the Festival Hall during this year’s Petersfield Musical Festival
2) Friday onwards, Alton: Follow in the footsteps of some of the famous names to live in Alton with this display of mementoes - and add your items to the collection
3) Friday, Alton: Treloar College will display artwork from schools across the district as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
4) Saturday, Alton: Five of the area’s top rock bands are gargling with diesel, howling at the moon and deliberately not washing their hair in solemn preparation for the Lounge Bar’s fourth Battle of the Bands Heat. There can be only one winner!
5) Friday, Saturday, Alton: Love, laughter and lots of mistaken identity in the Alton Operatic and Dramatic Society’s saucy supplication Kiss Me, Kate!
6) Saturday, Bramdean: Go in search of ghosts and ghouls at Hinton Ampner’s spooky Twilight Tour. Ghost hunting equipment is provided it says here. Don’t cross the streams.

This week’s top news
1) Three men assaulted a 36-year-old Liss man in broad daylight last week. Can you help with police inquiries?
2) Solar panels, water-saving taps and eco-friendly materials all feature in the winning eco-house design in an architectural competition for Whitehill & Bordon
3) But every house can be more eco-friendly – Insulate Hampshire is giving away free home insulation before the end of March
4) Motorists have been warned to take care with their cars after a spate of thefts and vehicle break-ins in Petersfield
5) Liphook gymnasts have a spring in their step thanks to a brand new, state-of-the-art air track to help them train

Review of the week

It was long, it was loud and it included bands called Belligerence and Ageless Oblivion. Pigtails not only reviews the epic entertainment on offer at the Day of Rockening! but has also posted an album of pics and videos to bring the chaos to your screen.

Alternatively, if you long for a slightly softer touch then check out jhowlett’s review of the ‘heart-warming and thought-provoking’ On Golden Pond at the Yvonne Arnaud

Want to submit a review? All our reviewers are website members who fancied having a go. Don’t be shy, send us yours!

Find out how to make chickens earn their corn

Thursday 19 January  

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week?

This week in East Hampshire you can play along with a panto, find out how to cut back your energy output or set yourself up in chickens.

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org

This week’s top events 

1) Rogate, Friday: More tales of magic and murder in the Middle East as the Proteus Theatre presents its production of Arabian Nights
2) Petersfield, Friday, Saturday: The Winton Players tip buckets of family fun over their willing audience with their proper panto Cinderella
3) Headley, Friday, Saturday: Headley Theatre Club is mixing its genres with a panto performance inspired by a ballet with their version of The Nutcracker. It’s good and we can prove it - see the review below.
4) Monday, Alton: Find out how the government’s energy plans will affect you at the Greening Alton and Holybourne AGM
5) Privett, Wednesday: Let your couped-up inner farmer eggspress himself with this introduction to chicken keeping. I can’t say the course is offering a free range of topics but you’ll only have to shell out a poultry £8! We apologise unreservedly for the rubbish yokes. Let’s move on.

This week’s top news 

1) A local musician recently diagnosed with leukaemia has been touched by the generosity of the Petersfield public after a charity gig was held in his honour
2) If you are a young person who wants to make a difference and have a say then the East Hampshire Youth Council is waiting for your call
3) Damian Hinds MP has launched a campaign to help residents save money on their fuel bills
4) A Petersfield pupil’s dreams of being an astronaut have lifted off thanks to a trip to a US Space Center
5) Good news for amateur food critics who also like poking around in strangers’ sock draws! Hit TV show Come Dine With Me is looking for East Hampshire contestants for an upcoming series.

Review of the Week

Headley Theatre Club squeezed a large cast onto a small stage to produce a panto that would have ‘pleased Tchaikovsky’ according to our reviewer Balzan, who saw The Nutcracker last week

Thursday 12 January

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week

This week in East Hampshire you can start the New Year as you mean to go on – with a raucous panto, some serious music, a hard-core poetry slam down and, we respectfully suggest, some much-needed exercise. 

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org

This week’s top events

1) Friday, Alton: Well-known acts and some new faces provide the post-Christmas pick-me-up at Alton’s Lounge Bar’s Acoustic Night

2) Friday, Saturday, Haslemere: It’s panto time! Oh no it is isn’t! Oh … let’s just get on with it, yes? Haslemere Thespians provide the knockabout fun with Sleeping Beauty. It was a hit with this reviewer, at least.

3) Friday onwards, Petersfield: More traditional panto action. This time it’s the Winton Players frocking up as ugly step-sisters in Cinderella

4) Friday onwards, Headley: Headley Theatre Club get in on the act with a performance of The Nutcracker, it’s a dramatic version though, not a ballet. You’ve missed the ballet

5) Saturday, Petersfield: A special charity gig has been arranged to help popular musician, and Hanging Tree Band member, Dafydd Tavinor who has recently been diagnosed with leukaemia

6) Tuesday, Petersfield: Jack Dean is a fast-shootin’, slam-talkin’, hammer and tongues spoken word artist and he’s performing at Petersfield Write Angle. Poetry – it’s the new rock, apparently.

This week’s top news

1) The latest stretch of the Shipwright’s Way has been opened so get out and enjoy the countryside

2) Whitehill and Bordon residents can now have their say on the future of Quebec Barracks

3) A new medical information website could save lives

4) A Bordon man has been arrested after a pensioner had her bag snatched in Alresford 

5) Petersfield pupils enjoyed a bit of peace and enlightenment with the visit of a monk to their school

Review of the Week

This week sees reviews of the colourful and sparkly Sleeping Beauty, at Haslemere, (which is still running – see above) and two reviews of recent Moscow City Ballet performances. Romeo and Juliet and The Nutcracker. You can’t say we don’t do proper culture here.

Recieve this newsletter direct to your inbox every week by registering on www.easthampshire.org

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week?

This week in East Hampshire it’s pretty much Christmas or bust. You can buy trees, pick up presents, meet the suspiciously ubiquitous Santa and generally get into the festive spirit. But if you’re already fed up with all things festive then it’s slim pickings we’re afraid.

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org

This week’s top events

1) Friday, Birdworld: Meet Santa and his impish elves at Birdworld

2) Saturday, Ludshott: Nothing makes a proper Christmas like a real tree. Ignore those annoying needles and pick one up at Ludshott Common.

3) Saturday, Alton: Santa swaps sleigh power for steam power as he hops on the Watercress Line’s special service

4) Saturday, Privett: Jewellery, books, cards and children’s presents are all on sale at this fair in the Privett Centre

5) Saturday, Basingstoke: Experience the magical glow of a Victorian Christmas - minus the shoeless urchins - at the Milestones Museum

6) Saturday onwards, Tilford: Give your Christmas a rustic twist at the Rural Life Centre

7) Saturday, Alton: Indulge in a festive feast of seasonal music with this local choirs’ carol concert

8 ) Sunday, Petersfield: Petersfield Christmas Festival offers competitions, shops and market stalls to get the town in the right spirit

9) Sunday, Horndean: The Footlights perform a mixed bag of treats, from ukulele to djembe.

10) Tuesday, Horndean: Father Christmas will be visiting Horndean Precinct to enjoy the annual carol concert

This week’s top news

1) Get your home insulated for free with Insulate Hampshire’s brilliant new scheme

2) Already Hampshire Police have arrested 43 drivers as they begin their traditional Christmas clampdown on drink driving

3) There was a fantastic festive feel at the Whitehill Bordon Christmas Festival

4) TV legend Fred Dinenage will be dishing out awards to East Hampshire’s top sporting stars

5) Petersfield pupils gave the Mayor’s Christmas Card competition their best shot

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week?

This week in East Hampshire you can prepare for Christmas in earnest with the help of some jolly local shindigs or you can ignore it altogether and catch a show instead. We’ve split our events in two this week and we still haven’t got room to fit them all in. Check out our events page for the full run down.

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org.

This week’s top events

Don’t look now but here comes Christmas. If you need proof cast an eye over these festive frivolities

1) Friday, Liss: Villager of the Year Tony Grant will bang the big red button to turn on Liss’ Xmas lights, accompanied by carols from the combined church choirs
2) Friday, Horndean: Prepare to boo and hiss your way through pantoland as Horndean Tech plays host to Jack and the Beanstalk. (Is panto a specifically Christmas event? Oh yes it is, oh no it isn’t etc and so on …)
3) Saturday, Bordon: The Whitehill Bordon Christmas Festival jingles into town bearing gifts such as choirs, craft fairs and Santa in an Eco-Grotto
4) Sunday, Alton: Alton town centre gets all seasonal with a market stalls, entertainers, performances and fun stuff by the sleigh-load with its annual Yuletide Festival.
5) Sunday, Selborne: Head to Gilbert White’s House to quaff mulled wine, much mince pies and… wassail apple trees! We have no idea either but it definitely sounds like fun.

There’s non-Christmassy stuff too, mind

1) Friday, Alton: A mix of local talent and new guys will be singing as loud as possible to make up for the lack of amps at the Lounge Bar’s acoustic night
2) Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Alton: The Fringe Theatre presents the powerful and moving tale of a group of young boys during one summer afternoon in the Second World War with their production of Blue Remembered Hills
3) Saturday, Petersfield: The all-too-rare musical combination of guitar and mandolin will be given an overdue airing with a duet at St Peter’s Church
4) Saturday, Alton: Alton Community Choir are gargling with honey and humming arpeggios as they prepare for a performance of traditional, seasonal songs plucked from Hampshire and around the world

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week?

This week in East Hampshire you can have Christmas count-downs, funny farces, tapping toes, political debates, brass bands and some fantastic folk music.

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org

This week’s top events

1) Friday, Petersfield: We don’t mean to panic you but Christmas officially begins on Friday when the Petersfield lights are switched on. Only 36 shopping days left!
2) Friday, Alton: Find out if you’re an Anton du Beke or an Audley Harrison or even, perish the thought, an Ann Widdecombe with Alton’s ballroom dancing classes.
3) Friday, Saturday: Expect misunderstandings, mishaps and mistaken identities as The Grayshott Stagers’ complicated comedy Look Who’s Talking takes to the stage
4) Friday, Horndean: Find out what localism means for Horndean at a meeting featuring a guest spot from local MP George Hollingbery
5) Wednesday, Denmead: From classical pieces to military marches, come and enjoy the brassy brilliance of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines School of Music. Oom pah!
6) Wednesday, Petersfield: From epic folk to grasscore, via rock’n’roll and bluegrass The Deadly Gentlemen promise a killer night whatever your musical mores

This week’s top news

1) Petersfield turned out in droves to remember the fallen at the moving service and ceremony in the town centre on Remembrance Sunday
2) The candidates bidding to fill two empty slots on Bramshott and Liphook Parish Council have been revealed
3) A labyrinth, bug boxes and giant wooden musical instruments sound like parts in a fairy tale but are actually some of the features in a school’s new garden
4) Petersfield pupils stuck on same fake ‘taches as they joined teachers in celebrating Movember
5) This week has seen a campaign by Hampshire Police to stamp out bullying in local schools

Review of the week

Two reviews to throw your way this week and they are on shows that couldn’t be further apart on the entertainment spectrum if they had been split by a prism. First up is Neil Duncan’s blow-by-blow account of the heat and noise generated by Alton’s rock music all dayer, while Tophat turned down the volume but cranked up the drama to review Chichester Festival Theatre’s manic monarch in the Madness of King George

To join our ever-growing list of reviewers register on the site and send in your reviews. Review tickets can be obtained for some performances.

Thursday 20 October

What’s hot on www.easthampshire.org this week?

This week in East Hampshire we’re building up to a terrifyingly terrific Hallowe’en with more spectral spectacles than you can shake a witch’s wand at. Or you’ve got a great guitarist, a steam train, fireworks and ancient entertainment.

Still want more? There’s lots on www.easthampshire.org

This week’s top events

1) Hallowe’en round-up! There is a tombful of spooky goings on across East Hampshire this week as Hallowe’en approaches.

Saturday, Hollycombe: Flee before the frighteningly fun fairground as Hollycombe’s Steam Fair comes to life on Saturday night!
Monday onwards, Birdworld: Cower in the creepy corridors of Birdworld’s Hallowe’en Grotto
Monday onwards, Chawton: Tremble as Pinch the storyteller and Stich the scary surgeon conjure up two hours of spine-chilling fun and fear at Chawton House Library
Tuesday, Alice Holt: Light up your after-life with an atmospheric lantern made at Alice Holt.

But if fake blood and purple wigs aren’t your thing there’s still plenty for you to do

2) Saturday, Beech: Guitarist extraordinaire Gordon Giltrap will be giving another virtuoso performance of skill, wit and charm at Beech Village Hall
3) Saturday, Sunday: The steam sensation that is the Tornado will be whipping a storm of excitement among railway buffs on the Watercress Line. It was on Top Gear once apparently so it must be fast.
4) Sunday, Churt: The fireworks season begins with a bang in Churt on Sunday as they let off £11,000 worth of gunpowder for charity.
5) Monday onwards, Butser Ancient Farm: Celebrate the Celtic New Year in traditional style, no not with a 24 hour pub crawl and kebab binge, but a week of story-telling, folk music, fortune telling and other ancient entertainments
6) Monday onwards, Guildford: Guildford’s newest theatre G-Live is starting off on the right foot with the multi-award-winning Blood Brothers

This week’s top news

1) New bin collection rounds have been launched by East Hampshire District Council. Keep an eye on any updates to the service here
2) Residents of Petersfield and Sheet are invited to have their say on a possible new Sheet Parish Council at a drop-in meeting on Saturday
3) Nominate a local sports star who you feel has contributed the most to their chosen field for an award
4) A Whitehill beauty spot is to be cleared and renovated to make it a better habitat for wildlife
5) An international design competition has been launched to give architects the chance to create Whitehill Bordon’s first eco-homes

Review(s) of the week

Reviews have been flooding in since we started appealing for reviewers - see them all here. We can’t mention them all but two particular highlights are amy’s thoughtful and atmospheric review of Michael Morpugo’s Friend or Foe, at the Yvonne Arnaud, and reviewersirrah’s delightfully bonkers appraisal of heavy metallers White Wizard’s latest album Flying Tigers. You too can review. If you’ve seen something you like let us know about it!

Featured Group

Guildford’s latest theatre and entertainment venue is G-Live, a £26 million new building which will be home to conferences, hospitality and some cracking shows, such as this week’s performance of Blood Brothers (see top events).