The Easter holidays are usually a time to get out and about, enjoying a wealth of events and activities. Although our movements are now curtailed, there’s plenty of local entertainment to enjoy online ...

Easter Sunday, April 12 at 6pm
Cinderella
Revisit The Courtyard’s panto as Cinderella gets an encore performance on YouTube.

You know the story of Cinderella and how she met her Prince Charming, right?

Well, yes, up to a point, butThe Courtyard’s 2019 panto gave the classic fairytale a twist or two and a thoroughly contemporary theme.

In this iteration, it turns out that Cinders and her Prince (Rory McCollum) are destined for each other, soul mates in the making, not for their stereotypical fairy tale qualities, but thanks to their shared passion for the natural world ... and the galaxies beyond.

And living happily ever after in wedded bliss is less of a goal than saving the planet.

This very 21st century couple’s role models are Greta Thunberg and Brian Cox, and there’s not a lot of Disney princess in Isabella Rubin’s feisty Cinderella!

Instead, she’s a woman who knows her own mind, has the strength to say ‘no’, even - especially - to her wicked stepmother and her bossy ugly sisters, and values loyalty and kindness more than social media and selfies.

Here’s a Cinderella who wants to change the world, and who knows that while it’s nice to be important, it’s more important to be nice.
 

The Judge’s Lodging in Presteigne
The Judge’s Lodging is closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but they will be posting things to entertain, educate and interest (hopefully!) on their social media for every day we would have been open.

Their comprehensive website will give you a tempting taste of all the museum has to offer, including lots of recipes because, as they say “We love Victorian food and cooking.
judgeslodging.org.uk

Hereford Cathedral
Whilst the cathedral is closed they have made their stained glass colouring-in sheets downloadable to help keep families entertained, and they’re inviting you to send them pictures of your creations.

Create your own Stained Glass Window or colour in windows depicting Jesus Walking on the Sea; Jesus Washing his Disciples’ Feet and St Paul’s Shipwreck.

Keep your finished pictures and, when the cathedral is open again, go and look for your window.

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust
Sign up for regular newsletters and keep in touch with what the Wildlife Trust is doing this spring.

And they’d love to hear about the wildlife you’re seeing near you - so share your pictures, sightings and anecdotes ...

Goodrich Castle
Visit English Heritage on YouTube, take a virtual tour of Goodrich Castle and explore the brilliant historical recipes – How to make breakfast the Victorian way or How to make marble Easter eggs the Victorian way.
english-heritage.org.uk/youtube.com

Get dramatic in the sitting room
The Courtyard offers 10 great ideas for getting creative at home

  • Re-create a scene from your favourite movie
  • Play a game of charades, the classic game of acting, miming and guessing that everyone loves to play!
  • One-word story - the clue’s in the name as you tell a story taking it in turns - one word at a time!
  • Create your own news report: write a review of your favourite book or play, or imagine an interview with one of your favourite characters.
  • Write a poem - it can be about anything at all. About being stuck at home, or even what you had for breakfast. Record your poem and send it to The Courtyard.
  • Sing a song from your favourite musical - we all know how good it feels to sing. Why not change the lyrics and have fun with it!
  • Choreograph a dance routine to your favourite song and teach it to the rest of the family! l Write your own play - based on a favourite book or completely made up, then perform it.
    The Courtyard and Feral Productions are also inviting everyone to send in their IsolationCreations - from poems to paintings and everything in between.

The Mappa Mundi
Explore the Mappa Mundi online … with the exhibition closed you can’t go and see Hereford’s medieval treasure in person, but a fabulous interactive website will let you explore it in detail without leaving home.

Measuring 1.59 x 1.34 metres the map is constructed on a single sheet of vellum (calf skin).

Scholars believe it was made around the year 1300 and shows the history, geography and destiny of humanity as it was understood in Christian Europe in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

The inhabited part of the world as it was known then, roughly equivalent to Europe, Asia and North Africa, is mapped within a Christian framework. Jerusalem is in the centre, and east is at the top. East, where the sun rises, was where medieval Christians looked for the second coming of Christ. The British Isles is at the bottom on the left.
themappamundi.co.uk

Hereford Museum
Take a virtual visit to the museum and explore some of the vast collection of artefacts, from costume and textile to arms and armour, decorative art and social history.

Everywhere you click you’ll find something truly fascinating - a pair of shoes from the start of the 18th century, a man’s swimming costume from the 1930s, a 15th century sword or a pair of pistols made by Baker of Hereford.

It may not be quite the same as visiting the museum in person, it might just be better – giving you plenty of time to explore and the whole internet at your fingertips to do even more research!
herefordshire.gov.uk

Halo @ Home
To keep you happy and moving Halo has created Halo@Home - everything you need to keep active: tips, advice and interesting articles; virtual online exercise classes to follow, created by Halo instructors including favourites such as Blitz and slower sessions such as Yoga and Pilates.

Halo’s partners at Shapemaster and their specialist physiotherapists have also filmed low impact and gentle workouts for older people or those with limited mobility.

More classes will be added. What classes do you want to see? Email info@haloleisure.org.uk with your suggestions.

Learn to identify bird song
We’re probably spending lots more time outside now, and with so much less traffic and barely any aeroplanes overhead, the birds are taking centre stage.

Add to your enjoyment by downloading the Warblr app, take your phone out on your walk and record a chunk of bird song, then Warblr will identify the species of bird/s on your recording as well as images and descriptions to help you put a ‘face to the song’.

The data collected on species identification is then freely available to be used for research and conservation.
warblr.co.uk

30 Days of Fun in the Garden this month
Tamsin Westhorpe, author of Diary of a Modern Country Gardener, has written a 30-day challenge to gardening activities you can share with children this April.

Whether you have a huge country garden or a tiny town plot, or perhaps just a sunny windowsill, this diary of things to keep your hands and minds busy is the perfect distraction.

The projects are all low-cost and don’t require any special skills or equipment – you can improvise with whatever you have to hand.
www.orphanspublishing.co.uk/ gardenfun

Take a virtual tour of LA
Sign up at herefordwalk.org, and be whisked away on a fascinating virtual sightseeing tour of the showbiz city, the legendary LA.

You’ll be strolling along incredible beaches, visiting the world-famous tourist attractions, seeking out the hidden gems of the city, and finding out more about the culture and history of the City of Angels.

Every step you take here at home will transport you around this fabulous virtual tour. You can join the tour at any time, and there are some great prizes lined up along the way too.