Jennifer Worth is a bestselling author who has lived in Boxmoor for more than 30 years. Her Call the Midwife series of books, based on her time as a nurse in the East End of London in the 1950s, is currently being sold as a single volume and is at No. 3 in the Times bestseller list.
Now she's published a new book, In the Midst of Life, where she shifts her attention away from stories of life's beginning to the experiences of those nearing the end of their days.
In the Midst of Life starts with memories of Jennifer's beloved grandfather as he ages before her young eyes. She moves on other stories of those she nursed or came into contact with as a ward sister - the dying woman who walked across Northern Europe to be with her son; the businessman who set up office in a hospital broom cupboard; the family divided by a decision no-one could bear to make.
Jennifer asks why as a society we've moved away from a natural acceptance of death, towards a hospitalised end. What are we so afraid of? And is there such a thing as a good death?
"Human life is precious. And human death is sacred. Or at least it should be, and would be if we allowed it to be..."
Jennifer Worth will be signing copies of In the Midst of Life as well as her Tales from a Midwife trilogy at Meet the Author at Boxmoor Hall on Saturday 20 November - part of the Boxmoor Christmas Village.
Jennifer's books will be available to purchase at the event, and she's joined by a number of other local authors. You can also buy Jennifer's books via the links below.
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE Junior
On Saturday 20 November, catch Gobstoppers Theatre Company's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie Junior at the Boxmoor Playhouse on St John's Road. This is a junior version of the classic 1960s musical, about a young American woman in the roaring Twenties, performed by Gobstoppers' 7-11 age group. Tickets are £10 for adults and there are performances at 1.30pm and 6.30pm. (Pssst! Why not combine it with a visit to the Boxmoor Christmas Village?)
ELMER THE ELEPHANT
For ages 4-7 and their adults, this musical adaptation of the ever-popular Elmer the Elephant promises oversized fun. Saturday 27 November, 1pm & 3.30pm at the Old Town Hall Theatre, preformed by by Blunderbus Theatre Company. More info and booking details here
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (pictured, above)
Why is it only humans who get presents at Christmas wonders Eddie the mouse? So he sets off on a wondrous Christmas eve journey to find out. For children aged 3+. Saturday 4 December, 1pm and 3.30pm. "Christmas as it should be" says one critic. More info and booking details here
Pantomime: ALADDIN
Runs from Thursday 25 November to 1 January at the Watford Palace Theatre, with tickets increasing in price the nearer you get to Christmas. Promises to be a fun-packed pantomime is from the team behind last year’s Cinderella. "Dazzling sets and costumes, talented actors, live music and all the lavish spectacle you have come to expect from us," says the WPT website. Tickets from £11.50 to £20. Boxes £50, increasing to £100 around Christmas. More info and booking details here.
Caroline Kirton is a local artist living in Chaulden Vale who graduated from the Univeristy of Hertfordshire in 2008. She creates snapshots of teenage life using a mixture of vintage fabrics, free machine embroidery, applique and screen prints.
CLICK HERE: PHOTO GALLERY OF CAROLINE KIRTON'S ARTWORK
Many of Caroline's works have humorous or thought-provoking titles, which hint at the narrative behind the image. Caroline is interested in the bond between mother and child, and the process of letting go. She likes to examine the issues faced by teenagers and their families as they grow up and explore their own independence.
Caroline says she'd like to engage the community with her work and challenge the negative preconceptions that many hold about teenagers today. Her next solo exhibition is at Ashridge Management College in November.
Click the link above to see a photo gallery of Caroline's work. You can find out more about her and her art on her website: www.carolinekirton.co.uk. She blogs at www.carolinekirton.blogspot.com
Boxmoor's Gobstoppers Theatre Company has an entertaining season of shows coming up. On Thursday 11 November treat yourself to an evening performance of The Jungle Book at the Old Town Hall in Hemel's Old Town, performed by children from Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead.
On Saturday 20 November you can catch Thoroughly Modern Millie Junior at the Boxmoor Playhouse on St John's Road. This is a junior version of the classic 1960s musical, about a young American woman in the roaring Twenties. It's performed by the 7-11 age group. Tickets are £10 for adults and there are performances at 2pm and 7pm.
Gobstoppers' youngest group, the Teddy Bears (5-7) are also performing their own show this autumn - Stella the Starfish at Boxmoor Playhouse on Saturday 2 October, 2pm. Tickets are normally £3 on the door, but Boho Boxmoor readers can get in free. The perfect chance to have a look at what Gobstoppers do, if you're considering it for your own child.
Gobstoppers run classes for the following age groups: 4-7s (Teddy Bears), 7-11s, 12-15s, 15-20s (including GCSE and A Level). Spaces in their classes tend to become available following the autumn performances - so do book yourself in for any of the shows if you've got kids who are interested in drama and want to get a first-hand look at what Gobstoppers do. There are spaces in the Teddy Bear group currently.
Gobstoppers was set up in 1994 by Chris and Victoria Williams, both drama teachers and professional actors. Their classes combine drama, singing and dance and usually focus on a major performance each term. There is a warm family atmosphere, and the classes are held locally at the Boxmoor Playhouse.
Find out more about Gobstoppers on Boho Boxmoor, or visit their website. Photo shows a Gobstoppers' performance of Beauty and The Beast, spring 2010, photo © DG Images
Hertfordshire Open Studios 2010 kicks off on Saturday 11 September and runs until Sunday 3 October. You can visit local artists at their studios. Below is a list of the participating artists who live in Hemel Hempstead. You can find a full list of all the artists in the Hemel, Berkhamsted and Tring area on the Herts Open Studio website. This also gives full contact details for the artists below, if you'd like to drop in by appointment. But otherwise the idea is you just turn up during the open-studio time listed and have a browse around and meet the artist. Sounds wonderful.
The Old Town Hall in Hemel's Old Town is running an exhibition featuring work from all of Dacorum's Herts Open Studios 2010 artists up until Sunday 3 October. You can get a taste of each artist's work and see if there's anyone in particular you'd like to drop in on. More on that exhibition here. Re:create in Berkhamsted is also featuring a collective open studio, featuring four artists - open 10am-12pm Saturday and Sundays (more here).
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD ARTISTS - OPEN STUDIOS 2010
Edna Eckett, 2 The Briars, Leverstock Green Road, Sat-Mon/ Fri 12pm-4pm (artwork featured above).
Drawing, mixed media 2D, painting
Audrey Naylor, 53 Gravel Lane, HP1 1SB, Sat-Sun 11am-5pm
Pamela McMenamin, Studio 5, The Stables, Pouchen End Hall, Pouchen End Lane, Sat 11am-3pm, Wed-Fri 10am-2pm. www.pamelamcmenamin.co.uk
Jodi Phillips, 28 Curtis Road, Leverstock Green, HP3 8LE, Sat-Fri 11am-3pm. www.jodiphillips.com
Catherina Petit Van-Hoey, 16 Severnmead, HP2 6DX Sat-Sun 11am-6pm, Thurs 11am-5pm
Mixed media 2D, textiles. Website.
Sue Theobald, 4 Curtis Road, Leverstock Green HP3 8LE (off Leverstock Green Road, opposite Holy Trinity Church) Sat-Sun 12pm-4pm, Wed/Fri 10am-4pm
Glass, sculpture
Please check the Herts Open Studios 2010/Dacorum artists web page for more information. If details change during the course of the Open Studios, those changes are more likely to appear there rather than in the listing above. All details are correct at time of publishing.
Tracy Furlong and Martin Hopton are two professional jewellery makers committed to transporting their art and skills from London's urban setting to rural Hertfordshire. Last year they took over a barn in Beaumont Hall Farm, between Hemel Hempstead and St Albans, and kitted it out as their ideal studio.
Now, they not only work from the Old Dairy studio (above), they also offer taster classes and short courses to anyone keen to learn the art of jewellery making.
IN PICTURES: THE OLD DAIRY STUDIO AND HOPTON & FURLONG'S WORK
Both Tracy and Martin are graduates of St Martins Art College London who have exhibited nationally. Martin got a first class honors in 1990 and Tracy grauduated with a higher second class honours in 1998. Martin still teaches BA and MA courses at St Martins, as well as spending 10 hours a week at his studio in London's jewellery centre, Hatton Garden.
They are busy professional jewellers, working on individual commissions, their own designs, and model making - producing a single piece to order that will then be used to create a line of jewellery. Their commissions range from engagement rings, wedding rings, dress and occasion rings, watches, pendants and earrings to more unusual items like bespoke champagne flutes.
Martin's style is influenced by Victoriana, and he even specialises in items in vogue during that period - ornate enamelled unbrella handles, for example, or mourning jewellery to commemorate a lost loved one. Tracy's produces timeless, delicate pieces with a focus on texture and colour.
Martin was also trained as a cabinet maker and all the benches at The Old Dairy are of his own creation, made using traditional skills. He supplies bespoke jewellery benches to other studios.
If you'd like to try Martin and Tracy's jewellery-making classes, they offer five-hour one-day courses on the second Sunday of each month, which will cost you £50. There are also classes on Monday afternoons, and a seven-week course starting in the summer, from £225.
Your first project will be to make a simple copper band. Then you'll progress to pendants, stone-set rings, earrings, cufflinks and gift items. They teach every jewellery-making technique other than enamelling.
There's also a reference library at the studio that students can access. Tracy and Martin's goal is to offer everything that students usually travel to London for, right here in Hertfordshire. They also hope to build a network of jewellery makers and artists in the area, with their Old Dairy studio as one of the centres. To find out more, contact Tracy and Martin using the details below.
Hopton & Furlong, The Old Dairy, Beaumont Hall Farm, Beaumont Hall Lane, St Albans, Herts, AL3 6RN. Tel 07821288302 or 07931736959 or 01582 799040. Email hoptondesign AT yahoo.co.uk.
This Friday Berkhamsted musician Clare O'Connell and her Chroma ensemble is holding one of series of concerts aimed at introducing young children to classical music.
The mini-concert, 'Fairy Tale Fantasia', is being staged at Greenway School, Berkhamsted, at 4pm. It will include the story of Cinderella set to music by Rory Boyle with a wonderful narration inspired by Roald Dahl's story. There will also be excerpts from Peter and the Wolf and Ravel's Mother Goose Suite.
This will be Chroma's fourth concert for children (ideally aged 4-11). The previous concerts had themes like 'Winter Wonderland', 'Jungle' and 'Gypsies and Dancers'. Concerts normally last for 45 minutes, followed by a biscuit and a drink so that the children can talk to the performers.
Each concert involves a different set of instruments - Friday's line-up is wind quintet and piano. Typically, the musical performances are interspersed with chat about the instruments and stories to accompany the music, to keep children's attention. The atmosphere is kept light with jokes and stories, dispelling the myth of the rarified nature of classical music.
Chroma Children's Fairy Tale Fantasia, Friday 26 March 4pm, Greenway School, Crossways, Berkhamsted. Tickets £3 children, £5 adults. To book email chroma.concerts AT me.com or call Clare O'Connell on 01442 862953.
To find out about future Chroma concerts locally, including their children's concerts, click here. Visit Chroma Ensemble's website here.
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