On a beautiful hot July day, 50 members of the Arts Society Ascot gathered at the Mediterranevm restaurant by the Bray Marina, overlooking the Thames. After a glass of refreshing fizz, we settled around 5 long tables, where we were served a delicious 3 course lunch, during which we chatted with old and newer friends. The atmosphere was jolly and everyone really enjoyed this annual event.

To see photos of the event please click HERE

On a sunny June lunchtime, members of the Arts Society Ascot came together at the beautiful location of the Chobham Golf Club for their annual Summer Lunch. On arrival they were greeted with welcome drinks, after which they sat down to a delicious three course lunch, followed by tea and coffee and an entertainment in the form of a QI - Quite Interesting - quiz based on the arts in all their forms. Slides on a variety of topics, some accompanied by music clips, were projected onto a screen and members were asked questions which had 3 possible answers, some of which were humorous but all having interesting explanations. It was a most enjoyable event. 

To see photos of the event, please click HERE

On a beautiful July morning, members of The Arts Society Ascot gathered at the luxurious Fairmont Hotel in Windsor Park for our annual Summer Lunch. This had been the setting for the Northern Ireland Protocol - The Windsor Framework, where the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that a new agreement had been reached to change the way the Northern Ireland Protocol operates. It had also hosted Joe Biden, the President of the United States the previous night, who had gone on, before our arrival, to Windsor Castle to meet the King! 

As members arrived, they were ushered onto the private terrace of the 1215 restaurant, where refreshing drinks were served. In the year 1215 the Magna Carta was signed within walking distance of this restaurant in the historic grounds of Runnymede. There was plenty of seating for us on the terrace, where we could chat and enjoy the views of the beautiful, manicured gardens and some of the sculptural artworks that we would explore later in the day. Our lunch comprised a delicious Buffet Menu of a variety of salads, a Mediterranean platter, Chicken Caesar wraps and a selection of assorted breads, followed by a choice of hot dishes, prepared with locally grown products, including those from the Royal Farms and Windsor artisans. As the dessert was brought in, half of the group went out into the gardens for a tour of the sculptures in the hotel grounds, with Anne Aldridge, who had curated the exhibition of works by two artists, Paul Vanstone and Thomas Joynes. Paul Vanstone's work was in marble, and Thomas Joynes' in various metals such as bronze and steel. Once the first group had finished its tour, they went back for dessert, while the second group had their tour. The time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to make our way home. It had been a wonderful day, with a delicious lunch and beautiful weather, shared with friends. What more could one ask for?

To see photos of the lunch click HERE and go to Events or click HERE to see a wider selection of pictures.

On Tuesday 2 May, following  our lecture on ‘The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany’, the Arts Society Ascot celebrated the upcoming Coronation of King Charles III with a special ‘Picnic’ lunch. Members were invited to stay on after the lecture, either having brought their own picnic lunch or ordered a Lunchbox, with food provided by Gail’s’ Bakery offering two choices of menu.

On the previous day, the May Day Bank Holiday, members of the committee and other volunteer helpers, arrived at the venue to set up the tables in preparation for the following day’s festivities. There was a buzz of excitement as large tables were literally wheeled out into the hall, then dressed with tablecloths decorated with purple ribbons, miniature picnic baskets filled with coronation napkins, cutlery, assorted greenery and jewel encrusted crowns. Sue Douet and a friend busied themselves creating a magnificent floral display, which took pride of place by the stage.

On Tuesday, when the lecture had finished, the pre-ordered lunchboxes were brought into the hall, and members were invited to collect the ones they had chosen. Those who had brought their own lunches, went to collect them from their cars.  A table was set up at the side of the hall and a wonderful selection of cakes, baked by members of the committee, was displayed. The mood was festive and everyone enjoyed their lunch, which was followed by tea, coffee and cake! We then held a raffle, with the first ticket being drawn by our speaker of the day, Mrs Clare Ford-Wille. The event was hailed as a great success and a fitting tribute to our new King.

Once the proceedings had finished, the clear-up began! So many people stayed on to help clear away the tables and chairs, wash and dry the cups and saucers, clear any rubbish and sweep the floor, and we are very grateful to them all.

To see photos of the event click HERE

On 21^st July 2022 members of The Arts Society Ascot travelled to West Sussex for their annual Summer Lunch. This year, it was held at Mannings Heath Golf Club and Wine Estate, but we began the day with a visit to Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, a Grade I listed garden that reopened in 2019 following a 10 year restoration. The 240 acre site includes gardens, parkland, lawns and forested areas as well as seven lakes in the valley. Leonardslee House has been converted to a hotel, with a Michelin star Restaurant and Art Gallery. The grounds also include a Sculpture Park featuring works by local artists as well as acclaimed pieces of South African sculptor Anton Smit.

On arrival at Leonardslee, we were greeted with refreshments after which we were free to explore all that the estate had to offer in glorious sunshine. We took guided tours of the gardens and woodland, where we saw magnificent trees, some of which were very rare, as well as many of the sculptures. We visited the “Beyond the Dolls’ House” exhibition, an extensive collection at 1:12 scale, built in 1998, containing over 200 characters, depicting an Edwardian estate and neighbouring villages. We also saw the Leonardslee wallabies, introduced by naturalist Sir Edmund Loder in 1889, and believed to be Bennett’s Wallabies from Tasmania, Australia.

We were then taken by our coach to the nearby Mannings Heath Golf Club and Wine Estate for lunch, where we were greeted with most welcome glasses of refreshing sparkling wine.  A delicious three course meal followed, after which we set off back to Ascot after what had been a truly memorable day.

To see photos of the day please click HERE

The Arts Society Ascot celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II with an exclusive afternoon tea party on 30th May, just ahead of the country's main celebrations. 

There were finger sandwiches, with scones and delicious cakes made by Eloise, tea, coffee and petits fours - in fact so much lovely food that we were given doggie boxes to take home.  There was a tremendous response to our request for memorabilia related to the Queen's landmark jubilees and other events, to mark Her Majesty’s achievements, and members' offerings were displayed for all to see. We toasted Her Majesty with whatever was at hand, then held a raffle and an auction of decorations. Perhaps the most memorable part of the afternoon was the table dressing - not just beautiful flowers and English china place settings - but at each place, an individual brightly coloured hand-made, edible miniature hat (on a miniature wooden hat stand), made by Eloise, decorating a box of fruit cake - one for each member to take home!  

Thank you Eloise, and The Royal Ascot Golf Club. What a triumph!

To see photos  click HERE

Following the Art Society Ascot's December lecture, 'A Right Royal Christmas: How our Royal Families Celebrated Christmas Through the Ages' by Roger Askew, we held our first Exhibition of Art created by our members. This was held in the Hall at St Michael's Church, Sunninghill, our new lecture venue. The exhibition was organised by Eloise Voslchenk, our Visits Secretary and former Young Arts Representative, and Indira Seevaratnam, our current Young Arts Representative. They co-ordinated the collection and display of the exhibits in the Church Hall, which was decorated with festive greenery, creating a welcoming meeting and exhibition space where members were invited to view the artworks, with glasses of mulled wine and mince pies. We were so impressed by the talent among our own members and are very grateful to them for sharing their talent with us.

To see more pictures of the Exhibition click HERE

On a beautiful sunny July morning, at the tail end of a record-breaking heat wave, 33 members of the Arts Society Ascot gathered beneath the shady trees outside the Runnymede Boathouse to embark upon the first part of the day's festivities. For many of us, it had been a long time since we had met in such numbers with our fellow members and the excitement was palpable! We were greeted with a wonderful sight - a table bedecked with glasses of Prosecco or Sparkling Elderflower and an array of delicious snacks, all prepared by Eloise, our Visits Secretary, ably assisted by her cousin. We mingled with each other, catching up on all our news from the past year and a half, celebrating being able to meet again after so long.

Then it was time to board the riverboat. We had the top deck virtually to ourselves and settled down to enjoy the cruise up the Thames to Windsor. A running commentary explained what we could see along the way as well as how the locks and weirs on the river ccontrol the water levels.  There was some nifty manouevering at one of the locks, but we managed to get in - and out - without any issues. We passed some beautiful houses, some of which, we were told, were only occupied for a few days each year! Such a waste! At one point, we had to pass under a low bridge and were instructed to remain seated while the roof was lowered so that it was just inches above our heads. further on, we passed under an even lower bridge, and this time wehad to move down to the lower deck so that the roof could be lowered completely. Our journey lasted a little over an hour - thanks to there being no hold-ups at the locks, and we arrived in Windsor just before midday.

We were greeted warmly at the Sir Christopher Wren Hotel and Spa, and waited in a reception room by the restaurant while our tables were prepared. The restaurant was bright and airy and the air conditioing protected us from the heat of the midday sun. We made our way to our tables and settled down to our meal, which was delicious! Before we knew it, it was 3.20pm and we hadn't yet had our coffee but were mindful of the fact that we needed to be back on the boat by 4pm. Needless to say, coffee and tea were served promptly along with delicious petits fours, and then it was time to leave and rejoin our boat. The journey back to Runnymede seemed to me to pass more quickly than in the morning, possibly due to there being less traffic on the river, and before we knew it, we were back at the Boathouse after what had been a glorious day in every respect.

Our thanks go to Eloise who organised this wonderful event, enhancing it with artistic touches such as the Prosecco table and floral decorations on the restaurant tables, which she had created and  taken to the restaurant the night before.

To see photos from the event click HERE

Before the excellent lecture about the Nutcracker ballet at the Royal Opera House (see lectures) Eloise had put together a wonderful display of the ceramic birds the local school children had made for the 2019 Young Arts Project, under her direction.   Pupils from South Ascot Village Primary School came to tell us about their work: to the delight of our members (see photo) the children described the methods they used for the different stages in their productions. They had obviously really enjoyed learning how to work with clay and applying the colour glazes, and then seeing the finished artworks (picture on Young Arts)

The Lecture, given by Nigel Bates, explained so much: from the composer, his time, the story, and various productions, to the workings of the Royal Opera House, the orchestra, mechanics of the sets, intricacies of the costumes, hitches that could happen, and much more, all interspersed with many beautiful music and dance inerludes, and live demonstations  - a  lovely presentation before Christmas.

After the lecture we enjoyed warm mince pies and hot non-alcoholic mulled wine! (surprisingly good, both)

To see pictures of the Young Arts Project click Here

The Society celebrated its 30th successful year with a special visit to Royal Holloway College on Friday 9th August.

Starting with a talk in the beautiful chapel, we toured the Founders Building (right) - one of the world’s most spectacular university buildings, and home to the famous Picture Gallery containing Thomas Holloway’s fine collection of Victorian paintings.  A delicious lunch was served in the Picture Gallery, after which the curator talked to us about some of the pictures surrounding us in the Gallery.

it was a happy and interesting occasion and a great way to mark our anniversary year. 

To see photos click HERE

Our grateful thanks go to an anonymous donor for a Teardrop Flag made for our society.  This will be used to show the location of events and to raise awareness of the Ascot society, and of The Arts Society through its logo. 

On 14^th December we launched a new and exciting Young Arts Project – Art @ the Station – a permanent exhibition inside Ascot station, of artwork produced by pupils in local schools, working with South Western Railway and Barclay Interiors of Ascot, who generously sponsored the project. The schools taking part in the first exhibition are the Marist School – Early Years and Senior Phase, Cheapside School and the Licensed Victuallers’ School. The ages of the artists range from 3 to 12 years. Some of the youngest contributors from the Marist School attended the launch, together with parents and teachers, committee members of The Arts Society Ascot, representatives from The Arts Society West Surrey Area, and from Barclay Interiors as well as the stationmaster, Monaj Bhardwaj.

The event sparked a lot of interest and delight from rail travellers as each of the frames was unveiled. Those attending enjoyed mulled tea (as the station had no alcohol licence!) and a selection of delicious bite-sized cakes and festive chocolates for the children. 

The work displayed will be changed every three to four months, allowing a greater number of schools to have their art exhibited. 

To see more pictures from the Launch click Here, and have a look at the current display next time you're near Ascot Station.