Adver guide to Easter treats for all the family

Today

Boat Trip on the Kenavon Venture, 2.30pm, Kenavon Venture, Devizes Wharf, Devizes. Adult £6, Seniors £5, Children (5-15) £4. 01380 721279. Every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday and Thursdays at 2.30pm during the summer school holidays A relaxing cruise through Devizes passing neatly tended gardens in an environment rich cutting before opening up towards the Vale of Pewsey, turning just past Devizes Marina and the Hour Glass Public house. Depart from Devizes Wharf at 2.30pm returning at approximately 4.15pm. Boarding starts l0 minutes before departure.

Thursday 

Footloose, 7.30pm, Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon. £18 to £20. 01793 524481. The all-singing, all-dancing musical about city boy Ren who is forced to move to Bomont, an American town that has banned dancing. It isn’t long before Ren can’t resist breaking the rules and he’s not alone! With a full professional set & live orchestra, cutting-edge choreography and classic hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear It For The Boy and of course the unforgettable title track Footloose. Presented by Tanwood Youth Theatre.

Easter at Steam, 11am, STEAM, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon. 01793 466637.

This Easter holiday the Museum is bursting with things to see and do for all the family! Among story-telling displays, you’ll find legendary steam locomotives, including King George V and City of Truro, a train simulator, interactive Signal Box and oodles of hands-on exhibits. A collection of working vintage slot machines in our Seaside Pier area completes your round trip, about two hours in all. Join the fun activity challenge 'Bigger, Better, Faster'! to mark 'KGV90' - the 90th Birthday of loco legend, King George V! Easter challenge, at 11am, (Age guide: 6-12 yrs). Join the challenge to make a car and try to get on to leader board for the furthest distance travelled. On every day.

Maundy Thursday Walk, 10am, Meet at St Christopher's Church, Box , Corsham. Call 742549 or 810791 to book lunch @ Quarryman's Arms.

Twelfth Night, 7.30pm, The Watermill, Bagnor, Newbury. £10 and up. 01635 45834. The Watermill has become known around the world for its bold, ensemble driven approach to presenting Shakespeare. For our anniversary year we celebrate this rich history by presenting a new production of a play that balances comedy, romance and tragedy in equal measure. This production is reimagined in the 1920s where prohibition is rife and Europe is still reeling in the wake of war. https://www.watermill.org.uk/twelfth_night#dates-ttab On every day.

Friday

Footloose, 7.30pm, Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon. £18 to £20. 01793 524481. See above

Wroughton Country Market, 9am, Ellendune Community Centre, Barrett Way, Wroughton. Free entry. 01793 638240.

Light Between the Trees, 9am, Westonbirt The National Arboretum, (A433 three miles south east of Tetbury). 01842 814612.This spring take in some beautiful artwork in the picturesque setting of the Great Oak Hall at Westonbirt Arboretum. Artists Caroline Payne and Lorna Hitchen's will be exhibiting their superb paintings of Westonbirt, dogs and all things relating to our beautiful countryside.

Wroughton Choral Society: Good Friday Choral Devotion, 7.30pm, St Joseph's Catholic Church, High Street, Wroughton. Bob Chilcott: Requiem Jan Disma Zelenka: Miserere Soloists: Robert Felstead (tenor), Kate Leedham (soprano), Angela Breakspear (soprano). directed by John Henderson.

Saturday

Meet the Railway Workers, 10am, STEAM, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon. Free with standard admission. 01793 466637. Take this amazing opportunity to meet real GWR engine drivers and signalmen who will show you the controls and bring the great railway story to life. Just head for No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle and you’ll find friendly STEAM volunteers to welcome you aboard! Children also get a special GWR certificate when they ‘change the points’ in STEAM’s authentic GWR signal box.

Purton and District Age Concern Easter Market, 9am, Outside Pavenhill shops, Pavenhill, Purton. free. 01793 770696. Easter Market will include sausage tasting, bric-a-brac, cakes, books, Easter items, bargains and a raffle.

Weird Wiltshire Art Exhibition, 11am, The Richard Jefferies museum, Marlborough Road, Swindon. free. 07768917466. An exhibition of myth, magic and mystery in Wiltshire, over 40 local artists interpret the theme of Weird Wiltshire.

The Homecoming - Professional & Amateur Boxing Show, 4pm, Pro: Direct Play at PlayFootball Swindon Indoor, Bramble Road Kembrey, Swindon. £10 to £60 per ticket. 01793 833468. An exciting night of Professional and Amateur boxing event featuring 8 professional and 5 amateur fights. Professional fights includes Top 10 UK ranked boxers and the Amateurs feature recent Schoolboy National Champions.

From the Jam, 7.30pm, Meca, Regent Circus, Swindon. 0845 293 8480.‘40th Anniversary Tour 1977 – 2017’ Featuring Bruce Foxton & Russell Hastings

Oliver in the Overworld, 2.30pm, The Neeld Community & Arts Centre, High Street, Chippenham. £5 60p per ticket booking fee applies. 01249 446699. By Albert Hammond and Mike Hazelwood. Join the Kats in this fast-moving madcap musical adventure. Lasting 55 minutes it is suitable for ages 3- 7, their families and friends and is suitable for both deaf and hearing audiences. Oliver in the Overworld is the first ever musical created from scratch with sign language. Created by multi award -winning Artistic Director Kinny Gardner with beautiful puppets, magical transformations, 10 super songs and daft dances, and featuring fully integrated Sign Language, this is an ingenious and imaginative theatre show with big laughs! www.neeld.co.uk

Wings & Talons - Wiltshire Falconry Experience Days, 9am, Lacock, Reybridge, near Lacock. 01249 661533 On all week

Sunday

The Great Lydiard Park Easter Egg Trail, 10am, Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze, Swindon. £4. 01793 466664. Hop into Easter at Lydiard Park! The trail begins at the Coach House Activity Centre and will take you round the lakes, woodlands and lawns. Search for clues hidden around the park to claim your Easter surprise.

Easter Sunrise Service, 5.30am, Old Holy Rood, Old Town, Swindon. Free. 01793 536815. A chance to enter the old Holy Rood Church in Old Town for a special Easter Sunrise service as the birds sing in Easter Day.

Faringdon Folly Tower and Woodland, 11am, Faringdon Folly Tower and Woodland, Stanford Road, Faringdon. Adults £3, 11-16s £1, Under 11s Free 0845 475 8386. This unique unusual 100ft tower is Faringdon’s icon and the last major folly to be built in England. It sits on Folly Hill, within a charming circular 4 acre woodland of splendid Scots Pine and broadleaf trees, some more than 200 years old. Check out the fantastic views over 5 counties and find out about the history of Folly Hill, Henry James Pye (of Sing a Song of Sixpence fame), Oliver Cromwell and the very eccentric Lord Berners (the creator of the tower). There are many fun things to do in the woodland. Seek out the 24 black birds and giant willow pie, Cromwell’s cannon, the fairly useless bridge, Lord Berners in a tree, a fairy house and a variety of birds and animal sculptures lurking among the trees. You might even see a troll, or a giraffe - but please do not feed him’ The Tower is open from April to October on the first and third Sundays of the month The woodland is always open and entry is Free Book the Tower for your own event www.faringdonfolly..org.uk Boat Trip on the Kenavon Venture, 2.30pm, Kenavon Venture, Devizes Wharf, Devizes. Adult £6. 00, Seniors £5. 00, Children (5-15) £4. 00. 01380 721279.Every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday from the 1 April to 29 October 2017. Also an additional trip on Thursdays at 2.30pm during the summer school holidays

Monday, April 17

Easter Cycle Orienteering, 10am, Richard Jefferies Museum, Marlborough Road, Swindon. Free event. 07962 118849. Hop on your bikes this Easter to explore Swindon's cycle paths with a cycle orienteering challenge! Choose between 1, 2 or 3 hour rides (must be finished by 3pm). Collect orienteering points along the way and hand your points cards in at the checkpoint when you finish - prizes awarded for the three highest scores in each time category. All you need is a roadworthy bike, but we have volunteers on site to check it's safe to ride. We also recommended that you carry a pump and a spare inner tube or puncture repair kit just in case! The Richard Jefferies Museum are kindly hosting us and providing some lovely homemade cakes and refreshments. They'll be lots on site to enjoy if your legs are tired from cycling. So come along and find out how easy it is to get around Swindon by bike. Sign up in advance and collect a free goodie bag from Richard Jefferies on the day! There will be limited on-the-day entries. Sign up here: http://bit. Ly/2mf9YNB Lock Experience Boat Trip, 2.30pm, Kenavon Venture, Devizes Wharf, Devizes. Adults £6. Seniors £5. Child (5-15) £4. 01380 721279. Bank Holiday Mondays at 2.30pm and Wednesdays during the summer school holidays at 11am we are going through some locks. The trip takes about 2 hours. We leave from Devizes Wharf and head west through 3 locks to the Black Horse Public House where we turn and return. We pass through 3 locks down and 3 locks back. Children under 5 years of age travel free.

Miniature Railway Train Rides, 1pm, Great Bulkington Railway, Mill Lane, Bulkington Village, Devizes. £1. 01380 828101. The private miniature railway will be open for ‘diesel’ powered train rides for adults and children of all ages. Light refreshments will be served by the Ladies of Christ Church in the village hall in aid of church funds. Google ‘Great Bulkington Railway’ for demo video.

There is a thousand feet of railway track, a 40 foot long tunnel and lots of workings signals. We have ride on carriages for our passengers - all profits will go to Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Vintage Motorcycle Club Jumble Sale, 9am, Lotmead Farm, Wanborough. £1. 01793 790137.

Tuesday 18/04/2017

Dick and Dom, 6pm, Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon. £15. 01793 524481. The legends of Children’s TV, Dick and Dom are about to be unleashed on Swindon! Touring the UK in a show that promises to get the whole family on their feet, the performance will be full of madcap challenges and audience participation games that will guarantee to have you in stitches. This is a show you won’t want to miss! The BAFTA winning stars of such memorable shows as Diddy TV, Absolute Genius with Dick & Dom, The Legend of Dick & Dom and of course Dick & Dom in Da Bungalow will be live on stage and bringing their unique bundle of fun and anarchy to life! And 2pm matinee Hansel and Gretel, 11am, Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Old Town, Swindon. £13. 01793 524481. Two children go on a journey of bravery and discovery to an enchanted forest, where all is not quite as it seems… Will Hansel and Gretel be able to use their wisdom, love for their family and, above all, courage, to fend off the Wicked Witch and find their way home? Will the Gingerbread Man get lost in the house made of sugar, spice and all things nice? What secrets and surprises does the forest hide? Courtyard Productions bring this classic tale of mystery, intrigue and magic to life through a blend of interactive puppetry, original song and humour. Directed by David Durant, this show will delight and excite children over two years old and will charm young and old alike. And 2pm matinee on both days Easter Half Term Bounce, 10am, MECA, Regent Circus, Swindon. 0844 579 3322. Bouncy Castles (up to 10yrs) Inflatable Obstacle Course (up to 10yrs) Toddler Soft Play (0-4yrs) 0-6 Months - Free Under 4's - £4 4 Plus - £6 Adults.

Wednesday 19/04/2017

Art Club, 11am, Artsite, The Post Modern, Theatre Square, Swindon. 07910959036. £5 per session.

Hansel and Gretel, 11am, Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Old Town, Swindon. £13. 01793 524481. Two children go on a journey of bravery and discovery to an enchanted forest, where all is not quite as it seems… Will Hansel and Gretel be able to use their wisdom, love for their family and, above all, courage, to fend off the Wicked Witch and find their way home? Will the Gingerbread Man get lost in the house made of sugar, spice and all things nice? What secrets and surprises does the forest hide? Courtyard Productions bring this classic tale of mystery, intrigue and magic to life through a blend of interactive puppetry, original song and humour. Directed by David Durant, this show will delight and excite children over two years old and will charm young and old alike. And 2pm matinee on both days.

Dinosaur World, 1.30pm, Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon. £15.50. 01793 524481. Dare to experience the dangers and delights of Dinosaur World in this interactive new for show all the family (ages 3+). Grab your compass and join our intrepid explorer across unchartered territories to discover a pre-historic world of astonishing (and remarkably life-like) dinosaurs. Meet a host of impressive creatures, including every child’s favourite flesh-eating giant, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Triceratops, Giraffatitan and Segnosaurus, to name a few! Book now for this entertaining and mind-expanding jurassic adventure, live on stage! Tickets: £15.50 Danger Zone: £18. Family of 4 (must include 1 adult): £14.50 each (exc. Danger Zone) Wednesday 19 Apr 2017 at 1.30pm Thursday 20 Apr 2017 at 11:00am Thursday 20 Apr 2017 at 2pm

Thursday April 20

King Arthur Day, 10am, Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre, Oxenwood, Marlborough. £30. 01264 731274. Looking for a fun day out for the young ones over the Easter Holidays? Come join us at Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre spending a day living the adventure of King Arthur!! A fun, informative and action packed day!

Tea & Tour, 2pm, Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon. £10/£15. 01793 524481. After sell-out dates last season, we are thrilled to be continuing with our Tea & Tour packages. Let our expert guides lead you behind the curtain to explore the backstage secrets of show business. Tread the boards and see the auditorium from the stars’ point of view. After your tour, relax and enjoy a delicious afternoon tea created by our hospitality team. Tours begin at 2pm, followed by afternoon tea at approximately 2.45pm. Available for pre-bookings only. Please let Ticket Office know of any mobility or dietary requirements at the time of booking. Tour and Afternoon Tea: £10 per person Tour and Champagne Afternoon Tea: £15 per person

Textile Craft Break, Lower Shaw Farm, Old Shaw Lane, Swindon. £175 (Includes 3 nights’ accommodation). 01793 771080. Immerse yourself in a tactile world during this long weekend. The warm and friendly atmosphere of a small group will be conducive to creativity! Learn the art of needle felting (sculpting using wool and a barbed needle), to make toys, pincushions or small sculptures. We will also use this technique two dimensionally to make a picture, embellish clothes or a hat, or to make decorative repairs to holes in jumpers. You will learn embroidery stitches, which you can use creatively to make a work of art, or up-cycle a garment. Towards the end of the course we combine some of the techniques, and incorporate beads, to make wearable textile jewellery. No previous experience necessary. Tools provided. £20 charge for materials. All weekend

Topsy Turvy Theatre: Christopher Nibble, 2pm, Arlington Arts Centre, Mary Hare, Newbury. £8. 01635 244246. Written and illustrated by Charlotte Middleton and adapted for the stage by Claire Alizon Hills, Topsy Turvy Theatre, the company who brought you Ruby Flew Too! and Isabel’s Well, proudly present the charming Christopher Nibble in a tale of dandelion daring-do! The guinea pigs of Dandeville love munching dandelion leaves so much that slowly but surely dandelions are disappearing from all over town. Christopher Nibble knows that crunch time has come when there is just one dandelion left – but will this plucky little guinea pig have the flower power to save the day? Written especially for children aged 2-7 (and their big people too) and told with Topsy Turvy Theatre’s own blend of energetic storytelling, handmade puppets, original music and stunning scenery, Christopher Nibble is an uplifting story of one guinea pig’s selfless undertaking to help halt the disappearance of the delicious dandelion forever!

Friday April 21

Alice in Wonderland, 1:00pm, Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Old Town, Swindon. £13. 01793 524481. Follow Alice and the White Rabbit as they set off on a colourful, topsy-turvy adventure like no other and meet a host of outlandish characters including the troublesome twins, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, the notorious Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire cat and of course, the Mad-as-a-bat-Hatter! Immersion Theatre proudly bring their trademark energy to their most spectacularly bonkers show to date, as children and adults alike are invited to join in the hilarity of seeing this classic story brought vividly to life before having the opportunity to meet the characters after the show…why not come dressed up as your favourite? A perfect day out for the entire family, you’d be mad to miss it! And 4pm.

April Working Weekend, Lower Shaw Farm, Old Shaw Lane, Swindon. Free. 01793 771080. This is a chance to get to know the farm, turn your hand to old jobs and new, enjoy good company and good food too! An opportunity to have bright ideas by the compost heap, happy talk in the hen house, and cool chat in the kitchen. Join us to prove that many hands make light work and that today’s stranger is tomorrow’s friend. Our Working Weekends are run in the beautiful spirit of the WWOOF organisation: we feed and accommodate you, you work, with us. For more information on WWOOF, see www.wwoof.org.uk.

The BIG Bounce Take 4, 9pm, MECA, Regent Circus, Swindon. £5 advance. 0844 579 3322. Features the latest tunes, space hoppers, bouncy castles, giant slide, inflatable obstacle course, rodeo and ball pit! Fancy a night out clubbing where you can take a break from the bangin’ beats by rolling about in a ball pit or leaping around on a bouncy castle? Or maybe have some chill-out time by playing a retro video game. Leave the 9 to 5 gruel behind and take a nostalgic trip to your childhood whilst Paul Carroll will be playing the latest floor fillers people can be immersed in ball pit, staging a spacehopper race, enjoying a bouncy castle or jumping into photobooth with props, all while enjoying a drink.

Where is Home?, 7.30pm, Swindon Dance, Regent Circus, Swindon. £11 & £9. 01793 601700. Where is Home? is a universal tale, investigating themes of global human migration and displacement. In this quest for adventure, freedom and love, the characters seek their fortunes, experience war and oppression, fall in love, discover the price of fame, and travel to distant lands only to find that what they seek was right under their noses all along. A new twist on a 1000 year old fable with choreography by Bafana Matea, Michael Joseph and Dumisani Ngubane alongside an original music score by Steve Marshall and Grammy Winner Wouter Kellerman with Costumes by Natacha Lascosse.

Wonders of Westonbirt Guided Walk, 11am, Westonbirt Arboretum, Nr Tetbury. 01666 880220. Take in some of the seasonal highlights and wonders of Westonbirt in this two-hour guided walk. Our experienced and knowledgeable volunteers will guide you through the Old Arboretum, exploring the very best features of Westonbirt right now - and as the Arboretum never stands still, no two walks are the same! Timings Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 11am Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays: 11am and 2pm Note that the on first Sunday of each month the Wonders of Westonbirt Guided Walk only runs at 2pm, with a Secrets of Silk Wood walk starting at 11am instead.

Saturday April 22

Dance Battle, 10am, Swindon Dance, Regent Circus, Swindon. £7. 01793 601700. Swindon Dance will be hosting its very first street dance styles battle, ‘West Country Clash (WCC)’ in partnership with Jam! Multi Styles Battle (MSB) and the Youth Dance Academy (YDA). This exciting dance event will see talented street dancers from across the UK compete to music from a live DJ in the styles of; B-Boying, Hip-hop, Popping and under 18’s all styles. Take part or spectate, the event can be enjoyed by ALL AGES! Well-known international dance artists join the panel to judge the dancers as they battle it out and test their skill in the different street dance disciplines. Whether you regularly attend battles or this is your first venture into the world of live street dance this is an experience not to be missed! Includes fee workshops for ages 11+ included in entry price!

1920s Jazz Age: Fashion & Photographs exhibition, 12pm, American Museum in Bath, Claverton Manor, Bath. 1920s Jazz Age: Fashion and Photographs features over 100 fashion objects, including flapper dresses, evening capes, lame coats, couture, and ready-to-wear garments from 1919 to 1929.

Record Store Day, Red House Records inside Holmes Music, 21-23 Faringdon Road, Swindon. A celebration of the 10th anniversary of Record Store Day.

Scarecrow Making Workshop, 10am, Community Room, Poynder Place, Hilmarton, Calne. 01249 760199. All you need to bring are the clothes/ outfit for your scarecrow (All in one, onesie/ boiler suits work well as a base layer), we’ll supply the rest! £5 per scarecrow – Refreshments will be provided.

Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets do Shakespeare, 7.30pm, Swindon Arts Centre, 6 Devizes Road, Old Town, Swindon. £14.50. 01793 614837. Earth’s funniest footwear return with a new show of songs, sketches, socks & violence, taking on The Bard Of Avon himself. Howl at their Hamlet, roar at their Romeo & Juliet, and peer into their Coriolanus. Plus all the usual satirical nonsense from the Two Gentlesocks Of Verrucca.

Sunday April 23

Dowsing the Dragon Energies of Avebury, 10.30am, Outside the Red Lion, Avebury, Avebury. Free Workshop – on St George’s Day! Hosted by the Wyvern Dowsing Society. All welcome. Free event and dowsing tuition given by members. 0775 408 2691 stoneseeker@waitrose.com www.stoneseeker.net

White Horse Challenge, 8am, HQ @ Shrivenham Memorial Hall, 90 miles around Swindon, Swindon. 01793337040. White Horse Challenge 2017 Road Cycling event with over 500 riders covering 90miles and passing 4 White Horses. Not for the faint hearted, this is a 90 mile cycle challenge through Wiltshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire with about 1400 metres of climbing. The route will pass by four white horses: Uffington, Broadtown, Cherhill & Hackpen (Uffington White Horse is the oldest of all British chalk figures and dates back almost 3000 years). It then passes through Avebury which lies in the heart of the Wiltshire downs. The Avebury stones are thought to have been constructed in neolithic times (2700 BC to 2400 BC). Starting and finishing in Shrivenham, riders will be raising money for Water Aid. Registration is between 8-9am and riders are expected to take between 5 and 7 hours to complete the challenge. For more information please see the White Horse Challenge website.

Fairy Trail, 11am, Scotchel Green, Pewsey. The trees will be decorated with fairy doors and windows made by local children for the free trail. For more information call 07493 074566 or visit facebook.com/PewseyFairyTrail.