this month
Top events to put in your diary
Get set for a fantastic summer of family-friendly fun!
May
■ From early May
Yorkshire’s Spurn Point Discovery Centre is resuming its Spurn safaris. Enjoy the three-hour trip aboard an adapted ex-military, 4x4 truck – the Unimog – which acts as a mobile hide as it transports you across the nature reserve.
Visit England’s tallest lighthouse and hear tales of the military and maritime history of the ever-changing Spurn island, at the mouth of the Humber estuary. For dates and prices, visit www.ywt.org.uk/spurndiscovery-centre/spurn-safari.
■ 2 May - 27 June
Britain’s beaches are a very precious natural resource, but they need our help and attention. So that they can continue to provide a habitat for wildlife and a pleasure ground for humanity, we must keep them free from the waste we create – and we can all do our bit while on tour.
Waves of Waste is a beach-clean project being run by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust along the county’s coast, and it needs volunteers. For dates and information about how to volunteer to take part in a beach clean, visit www.ywt.org.uk/events.
During each beach clean, Waves of Waste coordinators record the litter collected for a national database held by the Marine Conservation Society.
■ From mid-May
As and when Government guidelines allow, Shropshire’s Ironbridge Gorge Museums will be reopening.
Outdoor spaces at the Museum of The Gorge, Iron Bridge Tollhouse and Blists Hill Victorian Town have been getting ready to welcome visitors from mid-April. Joining them from 17 May should be Enginuity, Jackfield Tile Museum, Coalport China Museum, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and exhibits at the Museum of the Gorge. Find out more at www.ironbridge.org. uk/plan/opening-times.
■ 30-31 May
Burghley House, near Stamford in Lincolnshire, is hosting a Living Heritage Game and Country Fair in its beautiful parkland (1).
The fair provides two arenas, presenting a range of country sports and pursuits – you could try your hand at clay shooting, airguns, archery and fishing.
There will also be a large selection of dog events, a Craft Village, a Food Show with demonstrations, falconry and vintage vehicles.
Burghley House gardens are open to the public now – book your time slot when you purchase your tickets at www.burghley.co.uk.
June
■ 11-13 June
The South of England Show looks set to go ahead at the showground in Ardingly, Sussex. The three-day event will host agricultural and equestrian displays, live entertainment, rural crafts, and plenty of food, drink and shopping opportunities.
Enjoy watching international-level showjumping, heavy horse displays and livestock parades, and discover more about the countryside at work. To book tickets and find out more, visit seas.ticketsrv.co.uk/events.
June-July
■ Various dates
Get your diaries out, gardeners!
With the RHS Malvern Spring Festival cancelled and Chelsea Flower Show postponed until September, keen horticulturists will have to wait until June for the next RHS event.
The Orchid and Plant Show will be held on 18-20 June at RHS Hyde Hall, in Chelmsford, Essex, followed on successive weekends by the Harlow Carr Flower Show, near Harrogate, Yorkshire (25-27 June), and the Hampton Court Palace Flower Festival (6-11 July).
The RHS Tatton Park Flower Show, in Knutsford, Cheshire, takes place on 21-25 July. To book tickets, visit www.theticketfactory.com.
July-August
■ 29 July -1 August
Camp Bestival is back, with a line-up of DJs that includes Fat Boy Slim (and his daughter, Nelly), Sara Cox and Jo Whiley. For details of acts and festivities, visit campbestival.net.
NOTE All event details were correct as we went to press, but please check before making any journey