Dementia Café Returns To Wyvern Theatre The easing of government restrictions means the welcome return of the town’s theatres, bringing a variety of shows and events back to our social calendars. Now locals can get their fix of comedy, drama, music and more.
Further, the re-opening of the Wyvern Theatre also means the return of the theatre’s community projects. Such projects as the popular and much-needed Wyvern memory café.
Since 2014
Set up in 2014, the Wyvern memory café offers a relaxed monthly get-together for those living with dementia. It’s also of huge service to their carers, friends and family. Sponsored by Home Instead, the service is completely free to attend and has previously entertained visitors with such activities as quizzes, therapy pets, cheese tasting and cupcake decorating, as well as the extra special Christmas sessions known for their festive fun (and food!).
The memory café returns on Monday 4th October from 10.30am – 12 noon. It will take place in the lower foyer of the Wyvern Theatre, allowing access through the venue’s accessible entrance.
‘We’re thrilled to bring the monthly memory café back to the Wyvern Theatre,” tells Community and Education Officer, Kate Claxton. ‘It’s been fantastic opening our doors to our audiences once more. But we’ve also missed the regular sense of community and wellbeing that services like our memory café offered, before lockdowns and social distancing restrictions. Our first session back will give us a gentle ease in. We’ll have a quiz, cake and plenty of chatter as we reacquaint ourselves with familiar faces and welcome anyone new to the fold.’
The supporting act
With support from the Swindon Dementia Action Allianceand sponsorship from Home Instead, the memory café will offer guests the opportunity to enjoy activities such as flower arranging, poetry, music and movement. All in a dementia supportive environment. ‘We’re thrilled that the memory café at the Wyvern Theatre is recommencing physically’ explains Home Instead’s Toby Kirk. ‘It was always very well attended and formed a key engagement in people’s calendars each month. Over the past year it’s become ever clearer that the get-togethers and cafés matter to the local community.
This has been a year where people haven’t been able to get out to see friends and family as much as they would wish. So it thrills us to help the Wyvern Theatre bring the community back together with monthly cafés jam-packed with entertainment. We can’t wait to get back!’
If you would like to find out more about the Wyvern Memory Café or register your or a friend/family member’s place at a session, you can email Kate Claxton at Kate@wyverntheatre.org.uk
żywiec Polish Pilsner Beer Recent weeks have seen me make two visits toDo Syta (AKA the Bear Restaurant) in the Polish Club in Park South. Thus arises an opportunity for a Swindon in 50 Drinks post! This time we raise a glass to żywiec Polish pilsner beer.
The Żywiec Brewery
According to that font of all knowledge, sometimes, Wikipedia – the Żywiec Brewery (pronounced Zhi-vietz; Polish pronunciation: [ˈʐɨvjɛt͡s]) is one of the largest breweries and beer producers in Poland.
Founded in 1856 in the town of Żywiec, the brewery manufactures pale lager with a 5.6% alcohol volume. Grupa Żywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: 1. Żywiec Brewery 2. Elbrewery 3. Leżajsk 4. Warka Brewery and 6. Browar Namysłów.
Currently, the Dutch Heineken Group (Heineken International Beheer B.V.), with a 65% shareholding, has control over its major operations. Harbin B.V. has 35% shareholding. The brewery has the capacity of producing 5 million hls a year, making it the largest brewery in Grupa Żywiec.
About the brewery
The brewery began life in 1856 in the eponymous town – then part of Austrian Poland. The Habsburg Imperial family owned it until the post-WWII Communist government of Poland confiscated it. The beginning of the 1990s saw a court case started by the descendants of the original owners. It seems they sued the Polish government for compensation to the tune of 77 million dollars and rights to use the Habsburg family name and coat of arms for marketing purposes. There followed an out-of-court settlement on undisclosed terms in December 2005.
The Żywiec Brewery began distribution to other towns of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1913. In the 1990s, Heineken acquired and modernized Żywiec.
Tasting notes
According to Beer Advocate, Zywiec carries a bright, pale gold, transparent countenance. The beer smells of dry grasses, green apples and corn syrup – on this I wouldn’t know as I have no sense of smell. Now, I DO smell but that’s another thing altogether!
Anyway, Beer Advocate describes the taste thus: Sweet, and malty with green apple tartness and grassy flavours dominating it. As to its feel: light and dry, with a round softness that plays at the front and sides of the tongue.
So there you have it – a pleasant pilsner with which to wash down the schniztel or the perogi in Do Syta.
Okay, so a few words about the charming Do Syta, otherwise known as the Bear Restuarant in the Polish Club.
I’ve enjoyed two lovely occasions in this delightful little place, with fellowHobnob Press author, David Bradshaw. As you can see in the images below we did book swaps.
David Bradshaw and Angela Atkinson with respective copies of Growing up Barefoot and Swindon in 50 Buildings
Swimming without mangoes
From the Hobnob Press website:
Second volume of memoirs by a Montserrat-born author who grew up in Swindon during the 1960s and 1970s, and went on to become a successful lawyer and law lecturer. This volume describes his arrival at the age of 8 in the Wiltshire railways town, how he survived (‘swam for his life’) in unfamiliar surroundings, and how he flourished in his studies, sports and friendships at St Joseph’s School in Swindon.
A bit about the food
It’s good and the portions are huge. The pierogi are super scrummy, the chips are delicious and the schnitzel is not half bad. I’ve not yet tried the soups but they look fabulous too so must get round to that!
Swindon’s new new town-centre community hub has launched a kick-off crowd-funder appeal.
The Hub, aiming to provide a welcoming and affordable town-centre venue for classes, meetings, exhibitions and concerts, is asking Swindon residents to chip in. Whatever they can manage makes a difference.
The crowdfunding appeal has a target of three thousand pounds. The funds will cover: 1. Start-up costs including insurance 2. Servicing the customer lift and well as vital updates to fire, safety and security systems.
Volunteers at the Hub have produced a video as part of their crowdfunding page. As a sign of how long it’s taken to get to this stage, the volunteers in the video below mostly appear wearing winter clothes.
Natalie North, one of the volunteers behind the project, said “We have arrived at an exciting point. Now we’ve signed the lease we’re ready to turn this empty building into an amazing Hub in Swindon’s town centre’
Calling Swindon residents and businesses
‘We’re calling out to all Swindon residents to support this charitable project. We’re all volunteers and it’s all not for profit’, Natalie added.
The Hub opened its doors for the first time last Saturday, offering a sneak preview and a chance to get involved. Volunteers welcomed shoppers and passers-by inside the former River Island store. They aim to make the new Swindon Hub a vibrant venue in the heart of Swindon.
Some of the over 100 visitors to the Hub picked up a cloth or a broom, lending a hand to the big job of cleaning and dusting. Almost two years since the last tenants moved out, plenty of dust had accumulated.
‘It was a big job’ said Mark Page, one of the Hub volunteers. “But it’s going to be well worth it when all the events and activities start happening’, he added.
The gang encourged everyone who visited to pick up a felt pen and put their ideas down on the Dream Board. In other words a huge sheet of paper where people could suggest what they would like to do or see in the new community centre.
‘We’ve had so many great ideas” says Jol Rose, one of the organisers on the day. “Our next step is to start making those dreams real. The Crowd-funder is key to getting the place ready’ Jol said.
The Beat the Street Swindon game is set to enter its Go Explore week. The point here is to encourage participants to find the area’s best heritage and cultural gems.
So far, 23,700 participants have signed up and have together walked, cycled, run, scooted and wheeled 76,000 miles across Swindon.
Teams are in with a chance of winning vouchers for books or sports equipment. All they have do is walk, cycle or roll as far as possible between the beat boxes and hover their fobs or cards over the beat boxes to score points.
The further players travel, the more points they score for their community or school team. The first Beat Box you hover your card over marks the start of your journey. Walk, cycle or roll to the next one and you score 10 points. Then keep going!
Beat the Street enters its go explore week
Leaderboards
There are leaderboards for schools, community teams and charity teams Jessie May and The Harbour Project.Each is divided into total and average points to ensure that smaller teams are in with an equal chance of winning.
Currently, Haydonleigh Primary School leads the total points leaderboard and Stratton Team Ministry leads the average points leaderboard. But it’s still all to play for!
This week is Go Explore. Events include a Swindon Town Centre Story Trail on Saturday, 25th September from 11am to 3pm. In that players can locate 10 missing scrolls around the town. And participants can also score double points on Beat Boxes 143 and 144.
Councillor Brian Ford, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Health said: ‘It’s great to see people embracing the Beat the Street game and clocking up an impressive number of miles. There are bonus points on offer on some Beat Boxes to help you get out and about and to find new routes to school or work, plus other local areas you may not have known about.’
Looking Good Dead at the Wyvern Theatre It’s been a long time listeners. I simply can’t remember when I was last at the theatre. But we’re back! For now at least …
So, my for my first visit to the auditorium since the BC days, I got a good dose of deadly drama in Peter James’ stage play.Oh it felt good to see something three-dimensional again. I mean Netflix is brilliant right – but it IS good to see something live. I was starting to forget.
From the blurb on the official website: ‘The thrilling Roy Grace series from multi-million No.1 best-selling author Peter James returns with the world premiere stage production of Looking Good Dead, starring award-winning actor and EastEnders icon, Adam Woodyatt and star of stage and screen Gaynor Faye (Emmerdale, Coronation Street, The Syndicate) …’
What you can expect
I’m ever impressed with the staging of plays and the clever use of set design. And this one was very nifty. In the image below the action the audience sees behind that domestic blind, is what the characters are viewing on their laptop from their perch on the sofa. Then there’s one other piece of set that slides on and off.
Nice room set I thought – very Ikea!
The stage of Looking good dead at the Wyvern
The action is pacy – there’s ne’er a dull moment – and obvs, as the title of the play suggests, it’s about murder. But not a cosy crime a la Agatha Christie or Father Brown. Far from it. I can’t say too much for fear of spoilers so will say only that it has a rather dark subject matter at its core so be prepared for that.
There’s a few humorous moments here and there but on the whole it’s gripping, edge-of-seat stuff. Oh – and there’s a twist right at the end of course. I didn’t see it coming – but then I never do!
So go and see it. If you don’t you’ll be dead sorry! See link above to book tickets.
The cast
Headlining is Adam Woodyatt of Eastenders fame – whom I barely recognised so much weight has he lost! He is always good value – I’ve seen him twice in panto at the Wyvern. His Captain Hook was glorious! Opposite him is Gaynor Faye – unknown to me I fear but I’m many of you will be familiar with her excellent work.
