Bring your Archaeological finds to Penrith and Eden Museum to have them identified by the region’s Portable Antiquities Scheme Finds Liaison Officer, Alex Whitlock.

Every September thousands of volunteers across England organise events to celebrate our fantastic history and culture.

Heritage Open Days 2024 in Eden is your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore!

Dates: 6-15 September 2024. 

For more information, and to see the Eden events, please visit the Visit Eden website

Dalemain are hosting a traditional celebration of the harvest, offering visitors a chance to explore the importance of the Harvest at Dalemain and in Cumbria throughout the centuries.

There will be talks, activities and guided tours, to be enjoyed by everyone from families to gardening experts.

Dalemain have plenty of traditional and special activities taking place throughout the day. You can meet Poppy the Fell Pony. As well as a selection of hand-picked nurseries and craft stalls from the North of England and apple juicing with the North Lakes Orchard Group. Visitors should bring clean apples (hand picked and washed, not rotten) and a container for their juice.

There will also be a parade of vintage tractors and a visit from our guest of honour, our mascot Philbert the Squirrel!

Herbs and apples have been harvested from the gardens and will be served as part of our delicious Autumnal menu in the Great Barn Tearoom.

A special Harvest Celebration will take place at St Andrew’s, Dacre at 9.30am on Sunday 1 October 2023. The church will be decorated with beautiful, traditional harvest decorations, and everyone is welcome to this service of thanksgiving.

Tickets can be booked and these will go live closer to the event online.

The 2024 Dalemain Harvest Festival will take place on Sunday 15th September.

For more information, please visit the Visit Eden website.

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.

Sunday tennis coaching and cardio tennis for adults and juniors will be held on  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 session on the 25 August are for adults and young people aged 14+. The session on 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.

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.

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 14 September - 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.

Our free guided walks have a long history dating back to the earliest campaign to prevent the closure of the Settle-Carlisle train line.

Saturday 7th September - Armathwaite to Carlisle

Follow the River Eden from Armathwaite to the historic city of Carlisle on this epic walk with much to see along the way.

Grade: Explorer!, Distance: 14 miles / 22.5km.

Saturday 14th September - Kirkby Stephen Wander

An opportunity to discover some wonderful trails in the environs of Kirkby Stephen.

Grade: Hiker, Distance: 10 miles / 16km.

Saturday 21st September - Langwathby Circular

Another chance to visit Long Meg and Her Daughters stone circle on this walk exploring the area around Langwathby

Grade: Hiker, Distance: 11 miles / 17.7km.

For more information, please visit the Visit Eden website.

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:

• 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!

Hear the stories of some of the trees in Acorn Bank’s significant apple collection.

Venue: Acorn Barn, Temple Sowerby, Penrith CA10 1SP

Dates & Times:

• Sunday 25 Aug 2024, 11.30 - 15.30
• Sunday 01 Sept 2024, 11.30 - 15.30
• Sunday 08 Sept 2024, 11.30 - 15.30
• Sunday 15 Sept 2024, 11.30 - 15.30
• Sunday 22 Sept 2024, 11.30 - 15.30
• Sunday 29 Sept 2024, 11.30 - 15.30
• Sunday 06 Oct 2024, 11.30 - 15.30
• Sunday 13 Oct 2024, 11.30 - 15.30

Join Robin, Garden Volunteer, on a tour through the walled garden and orchard to learn more about the apples grown at Acorn Bank. The 175 varieties of apple growing under the care of the garden team start to ripen at the end of August, with the latest being picked around the middle of October. In these tours, you'll learn about some of the most interesting characters in the collection including Irish Peach, Lemon Square and Pitmaston Pineapple – but don’t be fooled by their names!

For more information, please visit the National Trust website.