FIRSTLY, a quick reminder that Kielder’s ‘Church in the Castle’ service will take place on Sunday, August 16, at 2.30pm, and will be led by Peter Smith, with music by a young writer of modern hymns.

THE Women’s Institute centenary was celebrated in style this week by the massed ranks of our four local Women’s Institutes with a truly delightful tea party at Tarset Village Hall on Wednesday, August 5.

Excellent catering was provided, not by the Women’s Institute members for once, but by Sarah Billany and her dedicated crew of helpers from the Carriages Tearoom (cakes, as you’d expect, to die for) and entertainment was provided by the irrepressible, if aptly-named, Unlikely Ladies.

This is my opportunity to congratulate the Women’s Institute on its 100th birthday – may it carry on for the next 100 years!

TICKETS for Bellingham and District Dramatic Society‘s latest production are now available at the Country Store in Bellingham.

The play will be Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which is a fascinating tale of murder, tragedy, witchcraft and revenge.

This will be an outdoor production at Kielder Castle (which will become Cawdor castle for the purposes of the play) and the performance dates are Wednesday, September 9 to Saturday, September 12, inclusive.

Doors open at 6.30pm (with refreshments available) and the performance starts at 7.30pm.

There will also be a bus running from Bellingham to ‘Cawdor’ castle on each of the nights, but please be aware that numbers are strictly limited.

Tickets can be purchased at the same time as your play ticket and you may want to book early if you would like to reserve a bus seat.

Please note that because this is an outdoor production, BADDS would recommend that you wear sensible footwear and appropriate (by which I mean ‘waterproof’) clothing and maybe have some midgie cream to hand.

BADDS would also like to remind people that because the play deals with some fairly adult concepts, it is not suitable for young children.

You can blame Will Shakespeare for that, though!