Clubs/societies

Egham library is holding African drumming workshop at the end of March.

The event will be hosted on Saturday March 27, which will be led by master percussionists using West African drums.

Participants will then be able to take part in a group finale.

The times are between 9.30-10.30 and 11am-12pm in Egham, and 2-3pm and 3.30-4.30pm in Sunbury, and the cost is £2.

A transport collectors fair takes place at the Hythe Centre, Thorpe Road, on Saturday, February 13, from 10.30am until 3.30pm.

The fair will feature collectables for bus, tram, trolleybus, rail and underground. Access is via the vintage bus service 441c from 10.10am via Staines bus station, stand 3.

And also served by First Bus route 71 and travel Surrey route 441. Hot and cold snacks all day. For more details call 01784 455955.

The nights are drawing in, Christmas is lurking round the corner, it must be Pantomime time (Oh, no, it isn't! Oh, yes, it is!) This year Thorpe Players have a brand new, credit-crunch busting panto, "Jack and the Queenstalk", which has been specially written for them with two Dames (Buy One Get One Free)! With a large cast, it is full of action, jokes, colour and singing, and has lots of opportunities for the audience to boo, cheer and join in. The story follows the well-known tale, but with plenty added: extra characters, the two Dames for the price of one, a beanstalk, and a giant - well, a gigantic Queen anyway! - and is suitable for children of all ages, from 4 to 104.

"Jack and the Queenstalk" takes place in Thorpe Village Hall, which is just the right size for such a show, as it is not too big to frighten the little ones. Performances are on Friday 27th, Saturday 28th November, Friday 4th and Saturday 5th December at 8pm, with matinees at 2.30pm on the Saturdays. Tickets are just £4 for children and £8 for adults, with family tickets (2 of each) at £20, and further discounts for larger groups. For bookings and enquiries phone 07923 583295. The show is suitable for all the family, so if you can't borrow a child, come along and be one yourself!

Hundreds of poppy-wearers observed two-minutes silence at one of the most picturesque memorials in the county for Remembrance Day yesterday (Sunday, November 8).

At 11am, more than two hundred people made no peep as Reveille piped out and filled the grounds of the Royal Air Forces Memorial on Cooper's Hill, Englefield Green, where the names of 20,000 service men who lost their lives fighting for their country are etched on its walls.

A pantomime featuring the music of rock band Queen will be performed in the Village Hall this month.

Jack and the Queenstalk is being put on by the Thorpe Players on Friday, November 27 and Saturday November 28. A repeat performance will take place on Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5.

The show starts at 8pm. Tickets cost £8 for adults, £4 for children and £20 for a family (two adults and two children). To book call 07923 583295.

An extremely rare brown shrike was spotted on Staines Moor prompting thousands of birdwatchers to drop everything and flock to the beauty spot over the last ten days to catch a view of the small brown spectacle. Herald & News reporter Russell Butt donned his wellies and grabbed his binoculars to see what all the fuss was about.

There's not many things more frustrating than when your holiday plans go awry.
So imagine the surprise of one small, brown bird who should be heading from Siberia to South East Asia for the winter, but has found himself perched atop a hawthorn bush in Staines.

Imagine its further surprise to instantly achieve celebrity status on arrival, with more camera lenses being pointed at it than Kate Moss gets stumbling out of a Soho nightclub.

The cast of a charitable circus were bitterly disappointed at Thorpe Park after staff refused to let them park their caravans in the car park.

Members of senior management at the theme park in Thorpe told Happy's Circus that they couldn't park in the coach bays because it was against their terms and conditions, despite the fact that on another occasion the circus had been allowed to park at the attraction without complaint.

Green-fingered gardeners will be rewarded for their endeavours when the winners of the 2009 Best Kept Garden competition receive their awards.

The winners of the annual competition, organised by the Egham Residents Association, will be formally presented with their awards at the Egham Royal Show, which takes place on Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30 at Caddey's Field, off Whitehall Lane.

The presentation, taking place on the Sunday, will also include a photo display of the winning gardens.

The Thorpe Players are breaking new ground with their next production.

Not only is it an European premiere, but it also features the first time the group has had a mother and daughter acting the roles of mother and daughter.

Local drama group Thorpe Players is breaking new ground with their next production. Not only is it an European premiere, but it features a mother and daughter acting the roles of mother and daughter. Dee and Angie Bews have both been members for many years, but this is the first time that they have acted together and they are both thrilled to be playing Mrs Bennet and her daughter Lizzie in a new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice.

Director Sharon Young "searched for a version of the story that kept the truth of the book, and this one by Jon Jory does just that. I am excited and nervous at staging such a well-known and well-loved classic, but I know my cast will meet the challenge and they and the audience will enjoy the humour and charm of the play." Thorpe Village Hall is an old barn, and just right for this show, which takes place from Wednesday 10th to Saturday 13th June at 8pm. Tickets are £9 and can be booked on 07923 583295.