Fun for all the family at River & Rowing Museum Public Events and Exhibitions Programme
June - December 2009

… Water Water Everywhere … The Henley Iron Age Hoard ...
Code Breakers: Calling all Secret Agents… RRM Funtime ... Dancing with Dinosaurs…

03 June 2009: The River & Rowing Museum (www.rrm.co.uk) has announced its exhibitions and events programme for the second half of 2009 and with a range of activities, events and exhibitions from ancient hoards of treasure to tranquil wildlife tours - there's something for everyone to enjoy!

Best of all, visitors can enjoy the Museum all year round for the price of just one ticket, starting from as little as £7 per adult and £5 per child aged four and over! Children three and under go free!

Forthcoming highlights include:

• Water Water Everywhere: Exploring Flooding on the Thames - flooding has been affecting people's lives for centuries. This exhibition gives everyone the chance to find out more about why it happens and how you can prepare while discovering the real stories of people who live and work on the river and learning about river wildlife, including the shy water vole.
  
  
• The Henley Iron Age Hoard - check out this fantastic hoard of 32 gold coins over 2,000 years old. This rare example of Iron Age coins conjures up lots of interesting questions such as: Who did the coins belong to? Were they buried deliberately or were they lost?
  
  
• Guided tours of Ratty's Refuge - The River & Rowing Museum garden which won a bronze medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2008 has been recreated at the Museum. Visitors can experience the tranquillity of the wildlife garden and learn how to garden to help save 'Ratty' as water voles are the UK's fastest declining mammal.
  
  
• RRM Funtime - discover the archaeologist in you with this fun interactive mini-excavation. See if you can piece our friendly skeleton back together and have a go at noughts and crosses - prehistoric style!! The Museum's Archaeology Zone has lots of gruesome, imaginative and entertaining things to do.
  
  
• Design Textiles and Make Clothes! - unleash the fashion designer in you by being creative with textiles, pattern cutting and sewing your own clothes!

MAJOR EXHIBITIONS

The Henley Iron Age Hoard
Invesco Perpetual Henley Gallery
Don't miss the latest addition to the Invesco Perpetual Henley Gallery - a fantastic hoard of 32 gold coins over 2,000 years old. This amazing hoard is a rare example of Iron Age coins that conjures up lots of interesting questions. Who did the coins belong to? Were they buried deliberately or were they lost? Don't forget to visit the shop to see our new Celtic range of goodies. The Henley Hoard has been acquired in partnership with the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

Guided tours of Ratty's Refuge
Experience the tranquillity of our wildlife garden, dedicated to encouraging water voles back to the banks of the Thames. We've teamed up with Henley Wildlife Group to tell you the story of the garden and how it fits into the wider management of Mill Meadows. Free 30 minute tours will take place on the following Fridays at 11.30am: 10 July, 24 July, 7 August, 21 August, and 28 August. Places must be booked in advance on 01491 415605. Or you can view Ratty's Refuge from the terrace café and collect a fact sheet on the garden and meadows from the Museum's Front Desk.

Drift
Kirkham Gallery
4 April 2009 - 12 July 2009
The Kirkham Gallery at the River & Rowing Museum is showing a contemporary art installation by the creative partnership brook & black in Spring 2009. Using Gericault's famous painting The Raft of the Medusa as a touchstone, the artists have responded to themes of the river, flood, climate change and loss. Using video, sculpture and sound they will create a poetic, multi-layered art installation that reaches beyond the interior gallery space. brook & black have recently exhibited in France, Germany, and most recently at the Wallace Collection, London.

Life by the Water
Henley Arts and Crafts Guild
The Wall
13 June 2009 - 31 August 2009
A wonderful collection of work by members of the Henley Arts and Crafts Guild, capturing the spirit of living on or beside the river.

Not so dawdling: Magdalen's 150 years
Schwarzenbach International Rowing Gallery
June 2009
Oscar Wilde was one of its most famous members, but Magdalen College Rowing Club is probably best known as the engine room of British success at the early Olympic Games in the 1900s. Amongst its colourful alumni, there were also two Nobel-prize winners. This special display celebrates 150 years of rowing at the world-famous Oxford college.

The rowing that China forgot
Schwarzenbach International Rowing Gallery
June 2009
The foreign community in Shanghai enjoyed a rowing club from 1837 to 1940, situated just off the Bund near the old British consulate. Regattas were held on the Wangpo River and at Henli, a magical summer retreat 40 miles inland on Soochow Creek. The club also arranged regattas among Chinese seamen and the crews of visiting ships. Our Rowing Historian Christopher Dodd went back during the Olympics to kick over the traces of an institution that was once the centre of social life in old Shanghai.

Water Water Everywhere: Exploring Flooding on the Thames
Treasures Gallery
June 2009 - June 2010
Flooding has been affecting people's lives for centuries...find out more about why it happens and how you can prepare at this new exhibition. We've teamed up with the Environment Agency to tell you the real stories of people who live and work on the river. See our interactive flood wall of pictures and fascinating facts and find out if you live in a flood risk area. Learn about the wildlife that lives in and around the river, including the shy water vole. The River & Rowing Museum is trying to encourage the water vole back to the banks of the Thames at Henley and has created a special garden. Ratty's Refuge is full of water-vole friendly plants and a pond. It can be viewed from the terrace café and the far end of the Thames Gallery.

Our Sporting Life
The London 2012 Open Weekend is taking place from 24-26 July as part of the Cultural Olympiad. The idea is to celebrate art, culture, sport, and everything that makes up the London 2012 Games. The River & Rowing Museum will be taking part with its ground-breaking project Our Sporting Life. In the build-up to London 2012 we are launching a search for the sporting memories, heroes, objects, photographs and experiences that have inspired the nation. Tell us which national and well-known example of our sporting heritage has inspired you and how. Log on to www.oursportinglife.co.uk

"This is absolutely the right time for a project like this, because yes it makes a connection with our past and we can learn through it, but it also makes a personal connection with people and the way that sport has influenced their lives. Whether memorabilia or whether it is memories, it is part of the fabric of our society and I think it is understanding where we have come from we can better understand and map the future and make our country a better place for this. At LOCOG we are really excited about this project and we think that it can make a huge contribution to our Olympiad." Jonathan Edwards

RRM Funtime
Kirkham Gallery
25 July 2009 - 6 September 2009
RRM Funtime returns this summer with even more fun and interactive things to do. Explore our new Archaeology Zone - try your hand at being an archaeologist in our very own mini-excavation or see if you can piece together our friendly skeleton. Discover which objects rot in the ground and which do not, and have a go at noughts and crosses - prehistoric style! Why not explore the other zones and have a go at building a bridge, standing on an 'Olympic' podium or dressing up in historical costume. And don't forget to try your hand at being a gallery detective with our new trail around the Museum.
RRM Funtime is designed to be enjoyed by families and groups with children under 14. Children must be accompanied at all times.

The Long Tradition: a Touring Exhibition to Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Oxford Scribes
The Wall
5 September 2009 - 29 November 2009
An exhibition of 26 framed pieces showing the development of western calligraphy from Greek to modern computer-designed letters. Each frame will show an example of the original text and a vibrant modern interpretation.

Finds Surgery
Wednesday 9 September 2009 12pm-2pm
Museum foyer
Would you know what to do if you found an old coin in your back garden? Well, The Portable Antiquities Scheme (www.finds.org.uk) is a voluntary scheme for recording archaeological finds made by the public. It holds Finds Surgeries and the next one at the River & Rowing Museum is Wednesday 9 September. For more information contact anni.byard@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Watching the River Flow
Thames Paintings by Alexander Pemberton
Kirkham Gallery
19 September 2009 - 3 January 2010
Alexander Pemberton's recent paintings of the Thames frequently depict gritty, industrial stretches of the river. His confident and masterly handling of the paint reflects a deep awareness of the river and its environment and each beautifully considered composition resonates strong and painterly impressions of the light, air, water and space. Supported by The Homes & Communities Agency.

COMING SOON
Immerse yourself in the history of the local area....the new Oxfordshire Victoria County History exhibition is coming to the Museum at the end of the year. See our website (www.rrm.co.uk) for the latest information.

CLUBS FOR FAMILIES, TEENAGERS AND CHILDREN

Artways art club
Saturday 6 June, Saturday 13 June, Saturday 20 June, Saturday 27 June, Saturday 4 July
10.30am - 12.30pm
Come and join a Saturday morning club for 7-11 year olds. Five-week courses will explore ways of making art in a wide range of media. The courses alternate between two-dimensional practice in drawing, painting, printmaking and mixed media work; and three-dimensional practice in clay work, environmental media, felt and construction. The course includes all materials and refreshments and is led by experienced, qualified tutors. Sessions must be booked in advance. (Limited to 12 places. Additional sessions will be run in the autumn).
Age 7 - 11 years
£50

Artways art club
Saturday 6 June, Saturday 13 June, Saturday 20 June, Saturday 27 June, Saturday 4 July
2pm - 4pm
A chance to work towards a recognised qualification in art. The Arts Awards are accredited at Bronze, Silver and Gold level. These five week sessions are led by professional artists and educators and are designed to help you develop your skills and understanding of different ways of making art. You will get guidance in working from observation and imagination, developing and presenting ideas, using a sketchbook and working in different media. Sessions must be booked in advance. (Limited to 12 places. Additional sessions will be run in the autumn).
Age 11 - 15 years
£50

Taylor Tug's under fives club
Wednesdays during term time 10am - 11.30am or 1pm - 2.30pm
Interactive sessions for parents to enjoy with their children. A range of creative activities including craft, stories, songs and free play which explore the Museum. Sessions are led by a trained teacher and are informal and fun for all. Sessions must be booked in advance for a half or whole term only. Age 18 months - 5 years. Half a term (5 weeks) £35, Whole term (10 weeks) £68. Booking line: 01491 415600. Booking email: edbookings@rrm.co.uk



EVENTS FOR FAMILIES, TEENAGERS AND CHILDREN

The River & Rowing Museum is proud to be family friendly! It has created a wide range of exciting and entertaining events and activities for children, parents and families.

Jewellery Design - Memory Wire Magic
Thursday 23 July
1.30pm -3pm
Learn how to use memory wire to make fab, cool jewellery in no time at all. Practise and perfect the techniques you need to make funky wrap around bracelets, nifty necklaces and sparkling rings - all using an array of gorgeous glass beads and crystals with expert tuition.
Age 9-16
£8.50 + £8 materials

Taylor Tug's Summer Holiday Happening
Wednesday 29 July
11am -12.30pm
Start the Summer Holidays with Taylor Tug. Make and create all sorts of things inspired by the Museum and the river. Interactive sessions for parents to enjoy with their children.
Age 18months - 5 years

Funky T-Shirts
Thursday 30 July
11am - 4pm
Create designs for a t-shirt (bring your own) using fabric paint, screen prints and dyes, taking inspiration from the Museum collection. Bring a packed lunch.
Age 7-11
£16.50

Archaeology Day - Britain BC
Before the Romans Came
Friday 31 July
11am - 4pm
Follow the trail to our beautiful Iron Age hoard. Enjoy activities with our team of Museum archaeologists. Make a clay nodule full of coins. Learn archaeological illustration and get digging. Meet an Iron Age weaver. Have your face painted - Iron Age warrior style.
Fun for all the family
FREE with admission

Hop Along Horse
Tuesday 4 August
10.30am - 12.30pm
Come and hold the very horseshoes that were once on the hooves of the Henley Stagecoach horses. Then make your own mini hobby horses with dowling rod and calico bags.
Age 4 - 7
£8.50

Magic and Muggles
Wednesday 5 August
10.30am - 12.30pm
Design a Knut, Sickle or Galleon with an image of your favourite hero or villain from the Harry Potter books, taking inspiration from the Museum's Iron-Age 'Muggle' coins. Then make your own moving magical pictures by making a zoetrope.
Age 7-11
£8.50

Design Textiles and Make Clothes!
Thursday 6 August & Thursday 13 August
10.30am - 3.30pm
Two days of creative fun with textiles, pattern cutting and sewing your own clothes!
The first day, Hen Coleman will show you how to print and dye fabric with fabulous effects and designs. The second day, Camilla Shelley will help you to cut a pattern to your measurements and sew it up to make something to wear. If you choose to book for the second day only you will need to bring your own fabric. Bring a packed lunch.
Age 11-15
£20 per day

Paper Picnic
Tuesday 11 August
10.30am- 12.30pm
Ratty and Mole love having a picnic... so make yourself paper sandwiches, fairy cakes and even a tissue salad. You can set it all out on a picnic cloth and have a picnic for your teddies. Watch out though…Toad will want to come too.
Age 4 - 7
£8.50

Taylor Tug's Summer Holiday Happening
Wednesday 12 August
11am - 12.30pm
Have more summer fun with Taylor Tug. Enjoy stories, songs and creating all sorts of things inspired by objects in the Museum. Interactive sessions for parents to enjoy with their children.
Age 18 months - 5years

Meet Consuta
Wednesday 12 August
12pm-4pm
Museum jetty
Come along to the Museum jetty to see Consuta, a beautifully restored working steam launch used as an umpire boat for Henley Regattas during Victorian times.
Fun for all the family
Free with Museum admission

Dancing with Dinosaurs
Tuesday 18 August
10.30am - 12.30pm
Find out about the crocodile-like dinosaurs that lived by the Thames and see their poo or 'coprolite'. Make small model dinosaurs and volcanic scenery that will light up with a torch. See what is inside the belly of a brachiosaurus.
Age 4 - 7
£8.50

Taylor Tug's Summer Holiday Happening
Wednesday 19 August
11am -12.30pm
Join Taylor Tug to paint, play and make all sorts of things to celebrate summer at the Museum. Interactive sessions for parents and carers to enjoy with their children.
Age 18 months - 5 years

Meet Consuta
Thursday 20 August
12pm-4pm
Museum jetty
Come along to the Museum jetty to see Consuta, a beautifully restored working steam launch used as an umpire boat for Henley Regattas during Victorian times.
Fun for all the family
Free with Museum admission

Hisses and Kisses...Make a Snake
Wednesday 25 August
10.30am- 12.30pm
Did you know that snakes kiss the air with their tongues to catch a scent? Grass snakes enjoy living in the grassy backwaters of the river. You can make one with coloured cylinders of card. Find out how they play dead in the water. Then practise your hissssssssssssssssssss.
Age 4 - 7
£8.50

Code Breakers: Calling all Secret Agents!
Wednesday 26 August
10.30am -12.30pm
Become a Secret Agent worthy of joining MI High! Learn how to make and break secret codes, write invisible messages and take fingerprints for evidence. Then use your skills to take part in a secret mission around the Museum galleries and crack the case!
Age 7-11
£8.50

Focus on the Forties
Thursday 27 August
10.30am - 4pm
Come and find out about life during World War II. See some original World War II vehicles, make some games played during this time, learn the Lindyhop and enjoy a sing-song remembering the tunes that kept everyone's spirits up.
Contribute to a unique display; bring a photocopied picture of someone in your family who was involved in the war. All children dressed in 1940s style get in free.
Fun for all the family
FREE with admission (same style as before)

Big Draw: The Longest River of Drawing
Saturday 24 October
10am -5pm
This is your chance to take part in a nationwide event and have a go at drawing in the Thames Gallery on the 'longest river of drawing'. Take inspiration from the Museum's collection of boats and add your imagination! All drawing materials provided.
Fun for all the family
FREE with admission
Please see the Big Draw website for further information and events: www.drawingpower.org.uk

Wobbly Webs…Shivering Spiders
Tuesday 27 October
10.30am - 12.30pm
They dance, tidy up and recycle. Enter the wonderful world of spiders. Make a whole army of them using card fabric and pipe cleaners. Make a wobbly web for them to live on with string and fine elastic. Learn the Staying Alive Dance.
Find out why spiders are not really allowed in the Museum!
Age 4 - 7
£8.50

Little Letters: Illuminated Manuscripts
Wednesday 28 October
10.30am - 12.30pm
Use the Oxford Scribes calligraphy exhibition as inspiration for creating your own little letters…on a large scale! Use collage and different materials to fill a letter of your choice in the form of an illuminated manuscript.
Age 4-7
£8.50

Perfect Portraits…Family Portrait Day
Thursday 29 October
10.30am -12.30pm & 1.30pm -3.30pm
Use all sorts of different materials to make a mounted portrait of your family. You could even make a cartoon. Be inspired by the Museum's collection of photos and images. Meet caricaturist Scooter McKenzie at a drop-in workshop on caricatures and cartoons.
Fun for all the family
FREE with admission

Look out for details of a young writers' competition on the theme - Flood! Details to be announced at the Henley Literary Festival

LECTURES

Painting the Thames
Saturday 19 September
Alexander Pemberton studied at Chelsea School of Art and has won many national and international awards and commissions.
11.30am (coffee from 11am)
For the opening of his exhibition in the Kirkham Gallery, Alexander Pemberton will be talking about the background to his paintings and his professional career as an artist. He is based in London, near the Thames at Greenwich, and this talk will be of particular interest to painters and to those with an interest in oil painting from life. As well as showing the development of his work since his student days at Chelsea School of Art, he will address practical issues of sketching outside and developing work in the studio
£5.50

Climate Change: The Challenge to Managing Flood Risk
Saturday 17 October
Peter Quarmby is the Regional Flood Risk Manager for the Thames Region, Environment Agency
11.30am (coffee from 11am)
Our Climate is changing. We already have the evidence of sea level rise, increased winter rainfall and storms. Flood risk will increase with more frequent flooding and more people at risk. We cannot afford to provide defences in many locations and there will be an increasing residual flood risk behind defences that we do have. So how can we manage flood risk? Peter will explain how we are changing our approach to managing flood risk both at a strategic level and at a community level. He will look at solutions and consider the role of dredging.
£5.50

Mothers of Invention
Saturday 31 October
9am-5pm
The River & Rowing Museum and Friends of Rowing History are organising a Rowing History Forum on Saturday 31 October. The keynote speaker will be Thomas E Weil who puts the challenging question: Who is the Mother of Invention? He will investigate who is really responsible for the slide, the shell and the outrigger. Other speakers at the forum include boat builder Gail McGarva and Rob van Mesdag. Reserve your seat by calling 01491 415600 or email edbookings@rrm.co.uk
£30 including morning tea and coffee, buffet lunch, afternoon tea and coffee.
The forum is preceded by an optional dinner at Henley's Leander Club on Friday 30 October. Contact Sheila Harrington 01491 636760 or sheila@leander.co.uk

Peter Blake and the Post-War Art Scene
Sunday 22 November
David Addison is the former Director & Keeper of Fine Art at Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museums, and an artist and regular lecturer in art history and art appreciation.
2.30pm (coffee from 2pm)
A product of the post-war period, Peter Blake epitomises the pent-up creativity of an epoch-changing period in British art: a melting pot of pre-war attitudes; the spirit of a New Elizabethan age; the invasion of American art; and a belief that the arts were key factors in the way forward. This talk explores that vibrant context, still beset with hardships, in which the young Peter Blake pursued his individual visions and his subsequent development.
£5.50

Famous People and Places of the Chilterns
Saturday 5 December
Claire Forrest is the Information and Interpretation Officer at the Chilterns
Conservation Board and is responsible for promoting the Board and the Chilterns AONB.
11.30am (coffee from 11am)
The rolling hills of the Chilterns have been home to many famous figures over the centuries. Poets, artists, authors, statesmen, as well as some more notorious characters, have all been drawn to this area to build homes and find inspiration. Hear about some of these famous people, the places they lived in and the stories associated with them.
£5.50

ADULT WORKSHOPS

Bridal Posy Bouquets
Saturday 13 June
Christine Dromgoole is a florist with over 20 years' experience in creating beautiful flower arrangements for all occasions.
10.30am - 1pm
Learn how to create a beautiful bridal posy bouquet. Step-by-step demonstrations show two classic wedding bouquet designs. You'll have the opportunity to make and take home your own bouquets. Materials to bring: floristry scissors, florist wires and an old jam or coffee jar. All other materials including fresh flowers will be provided.
£18 + £20 materials

Resin Jewellery
Saturday 1 August
10.30am - 4.30pm
Adele De Fazio is an experienced jeweller and artist, working with a variety of media including precious metals and resin.
Learn how to make unique pieces of resin jewellery. You can incorporate glitter, beads, found objects and pictures to make eye-catching and beautiful jewellery. This course will cover all the techniques you will need. The cost of the course includes all the resin, the use of moulds and all the tools and equipment. For details, visit www.artclaysupplies.co.uk
£36

Planters for Autumn
Saturday 12 September
Cookie Scottorn is a ceramic and textile artist making planters, fountains, sculptures and wall hangings based on figurative and mythical themes.
10.30am - 4.30pm
Come and make a terracotta wall head planter for your autumn garden using Anne Seymour Damer's models of Tamesis and Isis - the keystones in the central arch of Henley Bridge - as inspiration. We will hand build the basic shape and then model the faces using impressed found objects to create patterns. No experience is necessary. If you have any modelling tools please bring them and a sketch book and apron. The finished planters will be dried and fired and ready to pick up from the Museum approximately four weeks after the course.
£36 + £5 for materials and firing

Poetry: Writing to Sustain
Saturday 3 October
10.30am - 1pm
Joe Butler is a blacksmith and a poet, who has taught in schools, colleges, youth centres and prisons; he is well-known for his recent stunning collection Hearthstone - Two Rivers Press
In this popular workshop Joe looks at how to produce work that sustains us as creative individuals and that honours the fragile planet we inhabit. This half-day, practical workshop is suitable for writers of all abilities.
£18

The Long Tradition - a Calligraphic Taster
Friday 30 October
10.30am -4.30pm
Carol Huff is a previous chairman of Oxford Scribes and an active member of the Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society; she is an experienced teacher and her work has featured in many exhibitions.
'The Long Tradition' of calligraphy in the Western World introduces 'hands' such as Italic, Foundational and Roman Capitals - all of which are still used today. Come and try your hand at some of these styles of writing and help to keep them alive! Professional calligrapher, Carol Huff, will provide paper, pen, ink and encouragement in a relaxed environment that all beginners should enjoy.
£36 including materials

Jewellery Design - Make Beautiful Jewellery
Saturday 31 October
10.30am - 12.30pm
Diana Mowatt exhibits and sells her handcrafted jewellery at Jam for Tea in Henley-on-Thames and runs regular workshops in the local area.
Learn new jewellery-making techniques to design and create beautiful jewellery. Knot leather cord to make unique necklaces. Practise your wire-wrapping techniques to make perfect loops for earring dangles and pendants. Learn the different uses for memory wire and jewellery wire, and take away necklaces, bracelets and earrings unique to you. Choose from an array of gorgeous glass beads and crystals with expert tuition.
£18 + £12 - £20 materials

Drypoint Etching and Printmaking
Saturday 12 December
10.30am - 1pm
Hen Coleman is a professional artist, printmaker and experienced teacher. She graduated with an MA in print from the Royal College in 2006.
Come and have a day making prints of drypoint etchings on a professional press using aluminium, zinc and acetate plates. Drypoints create a lovely soft and expressive line with very little effort. This session is suitable for beginners and experienced artists - anyone who wants to create some fabulous Christmas cards or a special and unique gift. Bring ideas along or take your plate out to the riverside and sketch the view. All materials provided. Bring an apron. For more info see www.hencoleman.com
£18 +£10 materials

Christmas Table Arrangement
Saturday 19 December
Christine Dromgoole is a florist with over 20 years' experience in creating beautiful flower arrangements for all occasions.
10.30am -1pm
Create your own table arrangement this Christmas under the guidance of an expert florist. Through step-by-step demonstration, you will be shown two different designs of displays suitable for any mantle or table centrepiece. You will make and take home your own floral display. Materials to bring: floristry scissors and your own container (the size of a dinner plate and at least 2 inches in depth). All other materials provided.
£18 + £20 materials

CREATIVE WRITING COURSES

Writing Your Novel
Thursdays - twenty sessions, meeting every two weeks commencing September 17
David Grubb
3pm - 5pm
The course will cover all of the key elements involved in writing your own novel, including concept, genre, style, potential audiences, research, planning and mapping, individual chapters and how they relate, the role of dialogue, people and action, colour and shading and shaping the narrative. It will also offer practical advice about the market place, agents, publishers, online publishing opportunities, revisions and reviews, audience testing, making space for writing and completing the novel. There will be support available once the course is over.
£180

Writing Planet Earth
Saturdays - twenty sessions, meeting every two weeks commencing September 26
David Grubb
10am - 12pm
Ten themes will be explored through short prose, poetry, radio writing, diaries, letters, essay and creative mixed media documentary. The resulting portfolio will comprise individual pieces of work and also a manuscript blending the different texts. This may also be recorded and images, music and artwork may be included. Specific information about publication routes will be a strong element of the course as will publicity re competitions, agents, publishers and editors.
Themes: the environment, conflict, poverty, travel, art, explorations, wildlife, other states, wonders, life and death forms.
The Museum and the surrounds may be incorporated in some of the sessions.
£180

David Grubb has had three novels, an autobiography, and several collections of poetry published, and has edited two anthologies. Both courses are for groups of individuals and one of the outstanding features of group work is that you have an audience of readers/listeners proving instant reader appreciation throughout the course.

FESTIVE EVENTS

A Shoe for St. Nicholas
Saturday 5 December
10.30am -12.30pm Age 4-7
2 - 4pm Age 7-11
Find out why this is St. Nicholas's night and make a special shoe to put on the windowsill! Learn some 3D model-making techniques and decorate your shoe with collage and decoupage.
£8.50

Toad's Crackers about Christmas
Saturday 12 December
10.30am -12.30pm Age 4-7
1.30pm- 3.30pm Age 7-11
Get ready for Christmas by visiting Mr Toad, Ratty and Mole in the Wind and the Willows exhibition. Use this for inspiration in making and decorating Christmas crackers for Mr Toad.
£8.50

Toad's Christmas
Monday 21 December
10.30am - 3.30pm
Mr Toad is waiting to wish you a Merry Christmas. Come and visit him in his caravan to receive your present and then make some last minute decorations.
(Mr Toad will have a refreshment break between 1-1:30pm!)
All ages
£1.50 per child

Tinsel and Toys
Tuesday 22 December
10.30am - 12.30pm
Dr Coppelius has a wonderful toyshop. Hear the story of his daughter Coppelia who is really a doll. You can make a small selection of sparkly toys just in time for Christmas. Then you can see some very old toys from our Museum collection.
Age 4 - 7
£8.50

End

Booking information
Full information for all events, activities and exhibitions is available at www.rrm.co.uk. Bookings can be made on 01491 415 600 or edbookings@rrm.co.uk. All paid for events MUST be booked in advance. No booking is required for FREE events.


Press information
Press releases and pictures for the events and activities can be downloaded from http://www.kallaway.co.uk/rrm.htm. For further information please contact:

Amanda Dellor
01491 415642
amanda.dellor@rrm.co.uk

Katie Jackson
020 7221 7883
katie.jackson@kallaway.co.uk



Notes to Editors

100th Birthday of Wind in the Willows
To mark the 100th birthday of Kenneth Grahame's classic novel The Wind in the Willows in October 2008, The River & Rowing Museum launched a competition to re-frame Kenneth Grahame's famous book for the 21st Century by creating a short story (under 4,000 words) in a contemporary riverside setting which reflects a drastically changing world. The shortlisted entries have been chosen by a panel of award-winning children's writers and were whittled down from hundreds of exciting entries. Full details of the shortlisted stories are available at www.rrm.co.uk. The winning story will be announced on 15 June 2009 at a special prize giving ceremony at the Museum.

The River & Rowing Museum (www.rrm.co.uk)
The River & Rowing Museum is one of the UK's leading regional and sporting museums, attracting over 100,000 visitors a year. The Museum, an independent charity, also has a purpose built education centre visited by over 20,000 children and adults a year.

The Museum provides superb value for money. Tickets start at £7.00 for adults and £5.00 for children, and provide free access for one year.

The Museum celebrates four themes explored through a wide variety of exhibitions and events across four galleries and special exhibitions:

• The past, present and future of the River Thames
• The historic riverside community of Henley on Thames
  
• The international sport of rowing
  
• The Wind in the Willows

Since opening in August 1998 the Museum has received numerous awards including the National Heritage/NPI Museum of the Year award and the Sandford Award For Heritage Education.

Location, opening and ticket information
The River & Rowing Museum (www.rrm.co.uk), Mill Meadows, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 1BF. Tel. 01491 415600.

• The museum, terrace café and shop are open every day from 10am - 5.30pm in summer and 10am - 5pm in the winter
• Tickets give FREE admission for a whole year!
• Admission is just £7.00 for adults, £5.00 for children aged four and over, FREE for children aged three and under and £5.00 for senior citizens and concessions
• Free parking for visitors

The River & Rowing Museum is part of the Thames Valley Museums Group (TVMG) Family Friendly initiative - a scheme that brings together 29 museums across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, to promote their popular appeal to the whole family.

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