March Newsletter

April Lecture

Our lecture on 8th April will be “London Bridged – 3,500 years of Crossing the Thames” with lecturer Charlie Forman which is a change from the programme published in your membership card.  We hope you will join us afterwards and stay for free tea or coffee and a hot cross bun in the bar area.

Coach Trip to Belmont House

The cost of our coach trip to Belmont House on 30th April will be £50 per person and this will cover the charge for the coach, admission to the house (with guided tour) and gardens and coffee or tea and biscuit on arrival.  

There is an optional lunch which is served in the Orangery.  The choices for the optional lunch are:

Salmon with new potatoes and kitchen garden salad                              £12.50

Seasonal tart/quiche with new potatoes and kitchen garden salad           £10.00

Ham or cheese ploughman’s                                                                  £8.50

(Seasonal produce from Belmont’s own Kitchen Garden is used where possible).

Those do not wish to take up the optional lunch offer can bring a picnic to enjoy in the garden. There are still a few places left on the coach if you haven’t signed up yet so please see to our Visits Co-ordinator, Pam Childs-Kelly.

October Coach Holiday to Derbyshire

The holiday to Derbyshire by coach (6th to 10th October) is going ahead as planned and participants will have received the booking form by email.  A non-refundable deposit of £75 is required by the travel company Airedale Tours by 31stMarch and all financial transactions will be dealt with directly by the travel company.  Committee member Lynne Rumsey is co-ordinating the tour and has a list of participants and their contact details.  A list is also being sent to our contact at the tour company, Stephanie Shearon who will liaise directly with participants.  There is one single room left of our accommodation allocation if you are interested in joining the group and more twin/double rooms may be available if required.

Arts Society Magazine Spring 2025

We may be small but we make a difference!  The latest edition of The Arts Society magazine features the visit by the arts charity Magic Lantern to Ifield School funded by The Arts Society Gravesend through a Community Grant last year.  Thank you to Helen Beck our Community and Young Arts Representative who organised the event.

STOP PRESS!!

In celebration of its bicentenary, London’s National Gallery has announced a major rehang of its collection, alongside new acquisitions and loans.  Joanne Rhymer who delivered our February lecture has offered our Society a guided tour of the National Gallery for a party of twenty on Thursday 12th June at 11.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. at a cost of £10 per person. Participants will need to make their own way to the gallery.  Gloria Holden will be collecting names and £10 per person on a first come, first served basisfor those members who wish to sign up.  

Websites

Please check our websites for the latest news and information:   https://theartssociety.org/gravesend (on the national website) and https://www.theartssocietygravesend.org.uk (our local website