Celebrating Christmas in Southwell

Upton Christmas Studios – Picture by artist Susan Isaac

Tina’s back in the building – or at least she will be next weekend!

It’s only a flying visit, between 10am and 12 noon on Sunday, but she’ll have plenty of news to share when she sits down with June and Rachel in the studio once  more.

Not surprisingly, Christmas will be high on the agenda as she shares some of the festive highlights for Southwell and the surrounding villages. She’ll have details of the Late Night Shopping event on Thursday 29 November, together with how the town will be celebrating Small Biz Saturday on 1 December.

Tune in or listen online to find out too what’s been happening at BELOVED@THEBARN, her Southwell gallery, studio and shop, and what she has planned to celebrate its first birthday over the same weekend.

Last but by no means least, Tina will be describing how she and her mum have coped with the trials and tribulations of clearing out the family home. Just how do you decide what’s treasure and what’s trash at a time like this?!

A feast of treats at Thoresby Park

No more excuses for using the word – with only 56 sleeps to go, Christmas is sure to be front and centre of everyone’s mind by now! Which means it’s time to give some serious thought to shopping…

And if last-minute gifts are on your list, you’ll want to hear what Teresa Molloy has to say when she joins the Girls Around Town in the studio this weekend.

The annual Winterfest Arts and Crafts Fair returns to Thoresby Park on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 November and Teresa will be sharing all the details of the event with June and Rachel in the first hour of Sunday‘s show.

“One of Nottinghamshire‘s best-kept secrets no longer, last year’s Winterfest was the best yet with some fabulous handmade crafts on sale inside the Victorian Riding Hall and plenty of tasty treats to enjoy outside in The Courtyard too,” she says.

“We’re different from most Christmas fairs – supporting local crafters who put a lot of time and effort into their business is important to us so we only accept handmade items to sell at Winterfest.”

This family-friendly event runs from 10am to 4pm both days, with free admission and visits from Santa himself, along with carol singing from local choirs, music from brass bands and free craft workshops run by Thoresby Studio artists.

Tune in or listen online from 10am to 12 noon for a peek at what’s in store – rumour has it there’ll be some rather special brownies you might want to put at the very top of that shopping list!

Soap with a conscience

You probably think long and hard about what’s in all the skin care and beauty products you use, right?

But how much thought do you give to something as simple as that bar of soap sitting in the bathroom or by the kitchen sink?

Not a lot, at a guess – after all, it’s no sooner on your hands or body than you’re rinsing it off again…

But not all soaps are created equal and if you want to find out why, you need to tune in or listen online this weekend, when June and Rachel take a look behind the scenes of Soapology with their guest Louise Grosse.

Based in Farndon, Louise creates handcrafted, artisan soaps using only 100 per cent natural ingredients. Made in small, quality-controlled batches, each bar is unique, with essential oils chosen and blended carefully for their therapeutic benefits.

With natural colourants in swirls, layers or solid colours, the soaps she makes aren’t just great for your skin – they look like little works of art when not in use too. And who could resist soaps with names such as MojitoPerfect GentlemanSudweiserHello Yellow and Sham-Pooch (yes, there’s even one especially for your four-legged friends!)?

What’s more, these ‘soaps with a conscience’ are eco-friendly as well. “None of our soaps contain palm oil, a decision we made because we are uncomfortable with contributing to deforestation of the natural habitat of orangutans and other wildlife who call the forests of Indonesia their home,” says Louise. “After a lot of hard work and many trial batches, we believe we have created a recipe that is superior to others that do contain palm oil.”

Join the Girls Around Town between 10am and 12 noon on Sunday to hear Louise explain how she taught herself the traditional cold process method of soap making known as saponification and how you can even try your hand at making your own soap on one of her Soapology Studio workshops.