The Australian Bush comes to TaddingtonLive and Local always boast of ‘surprising shows in surprising places’ and the event in Taddington in mid-November will be no exception to the rule. Bush Gothic, a fantastic ‘bush band’ who perform folksongs of colonial Australia will … transport the Bramwell Institute with their music on Friday 16 November at 7:30pm.

Rattled by the bones of felons and steeped in campfire smoke, this outstanding Australian band performs riveting folk from the era of criminal women and convict men, of treachery and transportation. They tell Gothic tales of desperate people from an era of adventure and gold. Their music is a haunting marriage between darker, stranger folksongs of colonial Australia, evocative vocals and beautiful, at times foot-stomping music with a wry, antipodean twist.
The band are from Melbourne and have a foot in the future as well as the past. They have had a slew of sold out concerts and 5-star reviews. The Guardian described fiddle-singer and band leader Jenny M Thomas as an ‘edgy rising folk star’; the Unthanks invited them on tour and to perform at their own festival; their latest album release was chosen as runner up for Roots Magazine 2016 Album of the year.

Tickets are now on sale and can be booked by emailing [email protected], by calling or texting 07929 151 688 or in person at The Queen’s Arms, Main Street, Taddington. Advance tickets: £10.00 standard; £9.00 65+; £8 student. On the door: £10.50 standard; £10.00 65+; £8 student.

Clive Waddington, a leading archaeologist from the Archaeological Research Services will give a talk on ‘The Story of Excavations at Fin Cop’ at Taddington Institute on Wednesday 31 October 7:30. For anybody who isn’t familiar with the story, Fin Cop is the site of the Iron Age hillfort at the end of Monsal Dale next to the A6 and is clearly visible from Taddington. The story of the excavations carried out by Clive and his colleagues assumed national importance as it provided unique and indeed gruesome evidence of events which took place on the site over 2,000 years ago.

Tickets are just £3 in advance or on the door – but book early to avoid disappointment. Refreshments (not included) will be available after the talk. You can book tickets by emailing us at [email protected] or calling 07929 151 688.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TADDINGTON VILLAGE : RHS CHATSWORTH FLOWER SHOW 2019

The RHS have asked us whether we would like to do a Well Dressing for their annual flower show in June. They apparently have a stand highlighting the Derbyshire tradition of Well Dressing and ask villages to participate. If there are a number of participants it then becomes a competition with the designs being voted for by the visiting public – the prize is an engraved trophy.

The RHS will pay towards the cost of producing the Well Dressing, but we as a village would be responsible for producing it here and transporting it to the flower show. We would also need to have people on hand every day of the show to maintain the Well Dressing and to talk to people about it and the village etc. There is a minimum size requirement and the middle board of our well dressing would be suitable rather than using all five sections, which would make it both easier to complete and to transport to Chatsworth.

We already have on board an artist who is willing to do the design and four people who would be happy to be on the stand at the show, but we need to know if there are enough people in the village who think this is a good thing for the village and who would be willing and available to help put this all together. The show runs 5-9th June with set up on the 4th and clear up on the 10th, so we would need volunteers for:-

1. People with petalling knowledge, specifically those who can identify which flowers/materials can be used/sourced to make the Well Dressing successful – they would need to be available for the week preceding the show.

2. People who would like to help with the actual petalling, experience not needed – available as above

3. People to clay the board – approx. one week before the show

4. 3-4 People who could transport the well dressing and erect it on site on Monday 3rd or Tuesday 4th June.

5. 3-4 People to dismantle and bring it back on Monday 10th June

6. Somewhere undercover where we could petal for the week preceding the show

Can people let us know what they think, good or bad, and whether they’re able to help – what we don’t want to do is compromise our own Well Dressing Week in August.

As to what it will bring to the village – advertising and more awareness of our own Well Dressing week and promoting our village to the tens of thousands of visitors at the flower show which could hopefully produce more visitors to the village – benefitting everyone as it will make Taddington a more thriving village.

Please send your comments to [email protected] by Friday 5th October. Thank You.