Big Bath Sleep-Out: At Home

Avoid the irony, sadly this year Bath’s annual big sleep-out event in Alice Park cannot be for obvious reasons. But homelessness during a lockdown is no joke. Julian House and Bath Boules Charitable Trust lay down a more local gauntlet, inviting you to join in with a sleep-out in your garden, on your balcony or your kitchen floor, sticking to your household/social bubble.

It’s okay, calm down, it’s not until 5th March, when hopefully weather will be more clement, a reality homeless don’t get. So, to stand up against homelessness, challenge yourself to sleep out for just one night at home and help raise vital funds and awareness for men and women forced to do so every night.

Last year they provided life-changing support to over 1,400 vulnerable individuals who were experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness across Bath, Bristol, and the South West. It’s a grim realisation, that without support like this, the life expectancy of a long-term homeless person is just 45 years. By sleeping out, you can change that.

On top of everyday challenges, the on-going impact of Coronavirus has had a devastating effect on the men, women, and children in care. Collectively you can help provide the lifesaving services and support they so desperately need right now.

More details here



McDonalds Coming to Devizes?!

Okay, it was the April Fools joke I broke the Internet with in 2021, but it’s not the 1st of April today….. Bishop’s Cannings Parish Council announced that they are “aware” of a proposal for a new McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant on the site of the Murco garage at Cannings Hill.  They explained a dedicated website…

Using Fulltone as a Proper Noun

To most, “full” and “tone” are two separate words, but around here it’s been a portmanteau and a proper noun since 2019, conveying a unique musical experience where orchestral meets pop, thanks to The Fulltone Orchestra…. Yeah, they may play elaborate concerts around the South West from Exeter Cathedral and Bath Abbey to London’s Cadogan…

Devizes’ Sammi Evans Features on Innereyefull Dub

If I was pleased to hear the vocals of Devizes singer-songwriter Sammi Evans would feature on a single, I was even more delighted when I asked Sammi if it was an electronic dance track, and she replied “it’s reggae!” Well now, this is really pushing my buttons….. West London producer Andy Kent founded Innereyefull in…

Looking Back At Devizes Arts Festival 2026

Featured Image: Gail Foster. Features extracts from reviews by Andy Fawthrop, Ian Diddams and Madelaine Blake. Does it ever stop?! The weekend is upon us again. I think I might need to skip this one, not getting any younger, and besides I did enough laughing, dancing and meeting interesting people over the past fortnight, thanks…

Phil Beer to Perform at The Pump on Friday 4th December!

“Mr Phil Beer needs no introduction to anyone,” says a spokesperson for The Pump in Trowbridge, our grassroots venue kicking up turf on Rolling Stone Magazine last week! Regardless of their mainstream coverage, thankfully The Pump hasn’t forgotten our grassroots media, and let us into their secret, announced only today. One half of the legendary…

“Bullshot Crummond” at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath June 17th – 20th 2026

by Ian Diddamsimages by Ian Diddams & Lisa Hounsome A few weeks ago I scribbled a preview of this production – Bullshot Crummond. I extolled its virtues of daftness, craziness, car chases, sword fights, stage punches, raised eyebrows, lingerie, and deadly tarantulas. Not forgetting the high dangerous converse forcefield! Read that preview for further descriptions…

Award-Winning Circus Cortex BizZzar Comes to Devizes This July

Get ready for an unforgettable family day out as Circus Cortex BizZzar brings its award-winning Big Top spectacular to Devizes from 9–12 July 2026….. Performing at The Green, Southbroom Road, Devizes, SN10 1LL, this thrilling production promises four days of world-class live entertainment for all ages. Featuring an exceptional cast of international performers, Circus Cortex…

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at CrownFest?

CrownFest at The Crown in Bishops Cannings is making a fantastic comeback this July with a stellar lineup, particularly supporting local acts, begging the question, who are you most looking forward to seeing there? It’s not as easy an answer as it might sound, and hey, I’m not intending to answer it myself; I’ve got…

“Don’t Drive to Stonehenge” Advises English Heritage!

Summer Solstice in Wiltshire; it’s a crowd-puller, but even forty years after the Battle of the Beanfield and decades of attempted commercialisation, it remains a tourism the authorities clearly don’t appreciate….. Wiltshire Police and English Heritage have ganged up on social media to warn revellers not to drive to Stonehenge or Avebury for this year’s…

Nothing Seems as Sweet as the Start; NRWO as Devizes Arts Festival’s Finale

All Images: ©Gail Foster If last Saturday’s Celtic punk band quipped if the Devizes Corn Exchange was a bingo hall, and Milton Jones jested “it’s great to be here, in the past,” it took a band with roots to the town to introduce Devizes Arts Festival to a next generation, and, predictably, Nothing Rhymes with…

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