A compass of Cumbrian legends.

Venue: Penrith Playhouse Theatre, Auctionmart Ln, Penrith CA11 7JG

Date & Time: Friday 30 Aug 2024, 7:30PM

This short music drama takes audiences anticlockwise around old Cumbria from west to north, pausing to uncover old tales of battles, spirits, loyalty, love, betrayal, and superstition. From ruined abbeys to enchanted stone circles, watery secrets to ghostly cairns, this is a folkloric tour of the magic of Eden, the Lakes, and the Dales.

'The Cumbria Opera Group are the pinnacle of performing arts in Cumbria' - Seen and Heard International.

For more information, and to book tickets, please visit the Penrith Players website.

Open Daily Friday 21 June to Sunday 1 September | Entry available any time from 10am onwards | Last Entry 4.30pm

Book tickets now for Rheged's new Summer exhibition, Lost Spells, Lost Words: Beyond & Before, an exhibition of over 250 original artworks from prize-winning illustrator, wildlife artist and author, Jackie Morris.

For the first time, her life’s work is displayed together, celebrating over 30 years of her work from over 30 children’s books.

In this exhibition set in three parts, take a magical journey of imagination, stories and dreams, from Whales to Ice Bears, Dragons to Tigers, Birds and Nature. Her books include The Ice Bear, The White Fox, The Snow Leopard, Tell Me A Dragon, and Lord of the Forest, full of stunning paintings that draw the reader into wonderful landscapes where unforgettable stories are told. Many are now used in schools and hospices across the UK.

Discover not only Jackie’s life, career and early work but also the original artwork and soundscapes of the award-winning ‘The Lost Words’ and ‘The Lost Spells’, which she created with Robert Macfarlane.

Follow Jackie’s path to becoming one of the most recognisable children’s illustrators in an extraordinary exhibition, with the beautiful original watercolour paintings that fill the pages of her books, including Jackie’s collaborations with Ted Hughes, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb & James Mayhew, as well as pieces never seen by the public before.

This family friendly exhibition includes children’s art activities; design a Dragon, make a Dragon Passport, and enjoy an exhibition trail. You will also have the chance to buy the artwork too.

For more information and to book tickets, please visit the Rheged website.

Westmorland and Furness Council is running tennis coaching and cardio tennis fitness sessions this summer at Penrith Castle Park.

Junior tennis coaching will be delivered over two days, Thursday 15 and Friday 16 August, by Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) qualified coaches from Ullswater and Eden Junior Tennis Club.

Sessions cost £20 and include a 2-hour lesson on each of the two days.

Session times are the same each day as follows:

• 10:00 – 12:00 for ages 4-10 (primary age)
• 12:00 – 14:00 for ages 11-18 (secondary age)

The lessons are aimed at children aged 4-10 years who are just starting to play tennis, and young people aged 11-18 years with some experience who wish to develop their skills. All equipment is provided.

Sunday tennis coaching and cardio tennis for adults and juniors will be held on 11, 18 and 25 August, and 1 September from 10am-11am and cost £5 per session.

These fun sessions offer 30 minutes of tennis coaching with 30 minutes of cardio tennis, a high energy group fitness class that combines music and tennis with cardiovascular exercise.

The sessions on 11 and 25 August are for adults and young people aged 14+. Sessions on 18 August and 1 September will have two coaches and are also open to children aged 4+ who will be on a separate court.

For details and bookings, visit the Castle Park tennis website.

Penrith Park Run is a free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event at Frenchfield! Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you!

It's completely free to join, just register before you first come along. You only ever need to register with parkrun once. Don't forget to bring a printed copy of your barcode. If you forget it, you won't get a time.

For more information, please visit the Park Run or search for Penrith Park Run on Facebook.

Get involved with Ramblers Wellbeing Walks!

Ramblers Wellbeing Walks are short group walks making it easier to start walking and stay active.

Walks aim to be suitable for people of all ages and abilities and our leaders will ensure that you walk at a pace that you find comfortable.

Make new friends and start a new hobby!

Check out walks in the Eden area in the leaflet below:

• Eden Walks - April- June 2024

For more information about the Ramblers, please visit their website.

The Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) is a programme of Summer activities and experiences aimed at all school-age children and young people in Cumbria.

The programme is administered by Westmorland and Furness & Cumberland Council who have commissioned a number of different organisations to provide activities across the summer, with all activities including a nutritious meal.

Places are FREE for young people who receive benefits-related Free School
Meals. Additional FREE spaces are available for children and young people who fit a number of eligibility criteria. For more information about potential eligibility for a free space, please email: HAF@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk

Some activity providers also have spaces available for any child, but there may be a cost to parents.

For activities based in and around Penrith, please see the leaflet below:

• Summer HAF - Eden Area Leaflet

For activities further afield to Penrith, please visit the Westmorland & Furness website.

The very wonderful Illyria Theatre are returning to our shores once again this August, with a production of The Adventures of Dr DoLittle.

Venue: Lowther Castle, Penrith CA10 2HH

Date & Time: Wednesday 14 August, 5.30pm

Seasoned outdoor theatregoers will know that these productions are really fun - family-friendly, highly entertaining, beautifully staged.

Audiences are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets to sit on. Obviously umbrellas as a precaution and clothing to suit the weather. The gates open at 5pm and the play starts at 5.30pm prompt. Snacks, ice-cream, drinks will be on sale in the courtyard and you can bring your own picnics.

Tickets from £10 for a child to £50 for a family of 4. Once again, the event is being staged in aid of the Calvert Trust. Theatre tickets will enable ticket holders to visit the Castle and Gardens on the day only without further charge.

For more information, please visit the Visit Eden website.

A marionette performance based on the traditional fairy tale.

Venue: Upfront Gallery Nr, Hutton-in-the-Forest, Penrith

Date & Time: Thursday 29 August 2024, 2.30pm

Meet Daisy the cow, the giant, the fiddle playing leprechaun with magic beans and the hen that lays golden eggs.
Jack is brave, but can he fool the giant, escape and save the day?

The show lasts approximately 1.5 hours with an interval in the middle and the opportunity after the show to meet the puppets and puppeteers and take photographs.

Tickets: Adults £10, Children £8.50, Family (2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children) £33.

For more information, and to book tickets, please visit the Upfront Theatre website.

'Kids Free Fridays' is back, just in time for the 2024 summer holidays!

Every Friday from July 12th to September 6th inclusive, one child can travel for free when travelling with a full-fare paying adult on return journeys with Ullswater 'Steamers'. Simply use the code KIDSFREEFRIDAY24 when booking tickets.

For more information, please visit the Ullswater Steamer website.

Penrith Repair Cafe aims to fix your broken items and save them from landfill. At the same time, you'll learn new skills from the brilliant volunteer repairers who can fix electricals, garden tools, ornaments and also tackle clothing and textile repairs! This is all carried out free of charge, but donations are appreciated.

There is also a cafe with delicious home made cake and drinks, which is also free!

The Repair Cafe runs on the second Saturday of each month - so 10 August - from 10am - 1pm at the Old Fire Station on Bridge Lane.

For more information, visit the Penrith Repair Cafe website and follow them on their Facebook page.

Get Involved and Make a Difference!

Can you answer YES to any of these questions:

• Do you have some spare time?
• Do you want to meet new people?
• Do you want to learn new skills?
• Do you have a skill or interest you’d like to share?
• Do you care about your community?
•  Do you want to build your CV?
• Do you want to improve your wellbeing?
• Do you want to try new experiences?

If any of these are YES, then you could enjoy volunteering!

Volunteers do more than just make a difference to their community: they also have a great time themselves. There are a wide variety of opportunities, from befriending to admin, youth work to environmental conservation, charity shops to events, building maintenance to health advocate, and much more. You can volunteer as a one-off for a couple of hours, or you can commit to an amount of time to suit you.

You are invited to come along to talk to Cumbria CVS about how you could get involved: we will be at Penrith library on Tuesday 13th August, 9.30am-2.30pm. We look forward to speaking with you!

You can also go to https://volunteering.cumbriacvs.org.uk any time to search for volunteering opportunities near you.

Penrith Town Council, working with Plug & Play, Eden Valley Artistic Network and the Penrith Arts & Culture group, has funded and arranged for bands / artists to play around Penrith on Saturday's across the Summer.

Sounds Around Town showcases the enormous wealth of local talent we have in Penrith (and the surrounding area) and aims to encourage more visitors into the town centre and increase the ‘dwell time’ of those visitors by giving them bands / artists worth sticking around for!

We are now heading towards the end of the summer season, with six acts currently scheduled to play across the next four Saturdays around Penrith:

• 10 August, Carolyn Francis, New Squares
• 17 August, Gary Atkinson, Bandstand
• 24 August, Kenneth Wilson, New Squares
• 31 August, Squeezebox, Bandstand

All bands / artists play around 2pm and finish on or before 4pm. Check those acts out if you're in and around the town centre on any of those dates!

Close your eyes and Robert IS Tom Jones!

Venue: Penrith Playhouse Theatre, Auctionmart Ln, Penrith CA11 7JG

Date & Time: Friday 6 Sep 2024, 7:30pm

Close your eyes and Robert IS Tom Jones - open them up again - and he’s STILL Tom! The look, the mannerisms, the moves, the accent - and most of all - THE VOICE.

Astonishing vocals from an astonishing vocalist - and all backed by a superb ban, who’s energy really brings Sir Tom's classic songs to life!

For more information, and to book tickets, please visit the Penrith Players website.

A love letter to literature and libraries.

Venue: Penrith Playhouse Theatre, Auctionmart Ln, Penrith CA11 7JG

Date & Time: Friday 13 Sep 2024, 7:30pm

This comedy musical two hander celebrates the written word and the power it gives us. A laugh out loud satire, Ruth and Keith mix song, word play and wisdom to bring you this twisted tale.

But be prepared, these two also have their own tale to tell; just as hilarious as the musical they are performing.

For more information, and to book tickets, please visit the Penrith Players website.

Some people just wish they lived in another era, the era of classic rock!

Venue: Penrith Playhouse Theatre, Auctionmart Ln, Penrith CA11 7JG

Date & Time: Saturday 14 Sep 2024, 7:30pm

Anthems of Rock takes you back to the heyday of 80’s rock.
This rock opera is like nothing you’ve seen before! With 3 West End credited vocalists and backed by one of the best 5-piece bands on the planet, relive the hits from rock gods such as Journey, Aerosmith, Queen, Bon Jovi, Kiss, AC/DC, Van Halen, and many more!
If you are a fan of live classic rock, this is the show for you!

For more information, and to book tickets, please visit the Penrith Players website.

Penrith Music Club’s opening concert of the 2024-25 season features two of the greatest British pianists of recent years, Peter Donohoe and Martin Roscoe in a recital of music for two pianos.

Venue: Penrith Methodist Church

Date & Time: Monday 23 September, 7.30pm

Peter was a prize-winner in the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow in 1982 and Martin has also gained an international reputation, both as solo pianist and accompanist.

They will be giving a recital of music for two pianos – a unique event in the 80-year history of Penrith Music Club and one not to be missed! The programme includes music by Mozart, Saint-Saëns, Debussy and Rachmaninov.

Tickets for all Penrith Music Club concerts are available in advance from Beckside Books, Penrith, or can be pre-booked on 01768-863518. Ticket prices are £20 Adults and £5 students.

Further information, including how to become a subscribing member the club, can be found on the Penrith Music Club’s website.

Get involved with the Eden River Trust's Community Tree Nursery project!

There are regular sessions at the tree nursery – usually Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings – for growing native trees from seed or cuttings and looking after all the plants.

The Eden River Trust are still developing the site itself so there is always a bit of digging or building for anyone who likes to flex their muscles and there are also special features to set up to enhance sustainability and support wildlife and community use at the plot.

We’ve worked hard to make the site as accessible as possible and you don’t need any experience or special skills to join in – just come and say hello when we’re there or get in touch with Jenni Payne at volunteers@edenrt.org, call 01768 866788 or visit the Eden Rivers Trust website for more information.

Why not come along for the ride? Perhaps you’ll discover a skill or passion you never knew you had!