What You’ll Want To Do This Weekend
Here are all the things you don’t want to miss across the North East and Yorkshire this weekend
Get out in the Garden(s)
Open Gardens are a great way to visit some of the amazing green spaces around you, find inspiration for your own back yard, and also give back to worthwhile causes. Some of North Yorkshire’s most beautiful gardens will be on display this Sunday when the pretty village of Mickley throws open its gates for an Open Gardens event, with all money raised being donated to the village church, St John’s, and Ukrainian relief charities. Meanwhile in the North East, the historic Whalton Manor Gardens will also be opening to the public on Sunday. The three-acre gardens include extensive herbaceous borders, spring bulbs, rose garden and more, and all donations will go to nursing and health charities. For more special spaces to visit near you, head to the National Open Garden scheme website.
Run Along to the Races
From Thursday to Saturday, the Northumberland Plate Festival takes place at Newcastle Racecourse. The historic race, previously known as the ‘Pitmen's Derby’, formed the centrepiece of the holiday period known locally as 'Race Week’ for local mine workers. Today's Plate Day attracts a diverse crowd of racegoers and it’s a great excuse to dress up. With races during the day and live music from star DJs in the evenings, you can expect a lively atmosphere throughout the paddock morning til night.
Shop the Summer Sales
This weekend, charity Smart Works Leeds is holding a Summer Fashion Sale at the Corn Exchange in Leeds, with designer and premium high street womenswear and accessories at massively discounted prices. On Friday there’ll be an evening of shopping offering the chance to browse rail after rail of womenswear, all donated to the charity, as well as pop-up stalls hosted by a selection of Yorkshire-based fashion, beauty and jewellery brands. Then on Saturday, the sale continues all day with fresh drops throughout the event, ensuring there are enough bargains for everyone. Best of all, for every item you buy, money is going back to Smart Works Leeds to help dress and coach unemployed women for job interviews. Visit the Smart Works website to get yourself a ticket.
Cram in a Cream Tea
Friday is National Cream Tea Day and we say that’s the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a cuppa and a load of cake. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a baker, then why not try these three recipes to upgrade your cream tea this weekend? You can thank us later!
Zoom over to the Zoo
June is National Zoo and Aquarium month. Great for family fun, Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens is a must-visit with lots of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, aquatics and invertebrates to explore. The Zoo Keeper experience is a particularly great way to view this zoo, helping the experienced keepers to prepare and give out feeds, carry out health checks, and of course keep the enclosures clean and tidy. Or if aquariums are more your thing, then there are few better than Hull’s The Deep. Aiming to create a deeper understanding and enjoyment of the ocean through stunning marine life, interactive displays and presentations, you can travel the seas from the shallowest tropical lagoons to the darkest depths of the coldest oceans, embark on a magical underwater journey and marvel at the incredible diversity of life beneath the waves.
Have Fun at a Festival
Spend the day at the first ever Yorkshire Feastival in the beautiful Nidderdale countryside on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. With Yorkshire’s best producers, from food and drink to arts and crafts, as well as lots of talented performers, this is one for the grown ups as well as the kids. There’s an inflatable village, fun fair, mini farm and archery, cocktail-making masterclasses, live cooking demonstrations and health and wellbeing workshops. Or simply come along to enjoy a Yorkshire-brewed beer and listen to the talented performers on stage.
Dream about their Dance
Dream is a vibrant, fresh and innovative full-length ballet based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and we recommend you jump at the opportunity to see it live at Gala Durham this Friday. Working with award-winning instrumentalist and composer Frank Moon, Ballet Cymru have created a magical, gender-bending world of fairies, lovers, and bewitching enchantment. Featuring Ballet Cymru’s groundbreaking dancers, stunning video projection, and innovative choreography, this is a sparkling re-interpretation in ballet for the 21st Century and you don’t want to miss it.
