A musical weekend!...

It's that time of the week where we give you another great list of what's on this weekend in the local area, it's all rather musical and Christmassy!

Saturday 13th December:

Newport Pagnell and Olney Club Christmas Fair @ The URC Hall, High Street, Newport Pagnell, 10am-3pm.

Free entry. A wonderful selection of local arts and crafts people with something special for those last-minute Christmas gifts.

Olney Village Fair @ The Church Hall, Church Street, Olney, 11am-3pm
'For lovers of original vintage'. Come along for some crafty bargains and items. Entry £1.

Tickford Abbey Christmas Craft Fair @ Tickford Abbey, 2-4.30pm.

A great selection on offer, including Christmas cards, handcrafted Christmas ornaments, hand decorated mugs, edible Christmas treats and more, created by Tickford Abbey's residents and staff members. 

Danesborough Chorus Christmas Concert @ St. Mary's Church, Woburn, 7.30pm.

Combining traditional favourites with a selection of new carols, our Christmas concert will be a feast for your ears and offers plenty of opportunity for audience participation. Tickets cost £10/£8 for adults and £3 for children, including refreshments.

Bozeat Windmill Singers: Unashamedly Christmas Concert @ Bozeat Village Hall, 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £7 and are available on the door.

Carols & Brass @ Parish Church Hall, Newport Pagnell, 7.30pm

The Newport Pagnell Singers and Olney Brass team up to present a traditional Christmas concert with audience participation. Tickets cost £10 and are available from Cambourne Travel, Newport Pagnell or Wilson's Olney.

Sunday 14th December: 

Carol Singing for all @ The R.C Church, West Street, Olney, 7.30pm

A warm welcome to everyone to join the church choir to sing some favourite carols and to enjoy mulled wine and mince pies in the Olney Centre to conclude the evening. Entrance is free, donations to Cafod will be greatly welcomed.

Angels at the Abbey Christmas Fair @ Alston Road, Bradwell Abbey, 11am-4pm.

Come along for some Christmas fun: Santa's grotto, seasonal music and singing, children's activities, mince pies and mulled wine, and numerous stalls offering some great gift choices. Free entry.

Advent Begins!

The countdown is on! It's officially December and the advent calendars are started today! What type of advent calendar do you and your family have, if you have one that is... Is it a cardboard one, an advent candle, or the standard chocolate advent calendar which is probably most popular nowadays. Did you get round to taking some inspiration from the 'upcycled' feature in the Phonebox magazine and make an advent calendar for yourselves to hold a small gift, made out of fabric or toilet roll tubes? We'd love you to share your pictures on our Facebook page if you did!

Whatever type of advent calendar it is, there's something exciting about counting down the days in this way, you really notice how fast time flies when you've got a little door to open each day. 1 day down, 23 more to go (or 24 if you've got one of those rare advent calendars which gives you a door to open on Christmas day!)

TV stars and West End actors launch Milton Keynes pantomime

It’s just 85 sleeps until Christmas. Now that may seem like a long way off, but it won’t be long until the chocolate calendars are being opened and the lights are put in the windows. And MK Theatre is just as ready, launching their festive pantomime last week.

Actor, comedian and TV presenter Bradley Walsh (pictured) made his way to Milton Keynes to launch this year’s pantomime, Peter Pan, after appearing at the venue seven years ago. Playing the mischievous Smee, he will be joined by Britain’s Got Talent favourites Flawless as the pirate crew and Oliver-award winning actor David Bedella as the master of villains, Captain Hook.

Joining them on the decks is Wicked and West End star George Ure as the boy who doesn’t want to grow up and Victoria Tyrell as Wendy Darling.

Running from December 5 until January 11, the theatre’s traditional pantomime is sure to be full of the booes, hisses and swashbuckling adventures, as well as some flying.

Speaking at the launch, Bradley said: “I can’t wait to be back in Milton Keynes. I have been dying to get back, but my schedule over the past seven years hasn’t allowed me. However, this year I’m back with a show that will be fun for everyone – especially me!”

Street dance troupe Flawless added: “When you have a good cast like this, you know it will work. We’ll all have fun with it, and to act as part of it too.”

The full cast arrive in Milton Keynes in November to get rehearsals under way, but you’ll have to wait for our December edition to see the full cast interviews.

Tickets available to book now from atgtickets.com or (0844) 871 7652.