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All in the month of August 60 years since “I have a Dream” Remembering Ralph Vaughan Williams Big anniversary for the World Council of Churches The wife of William Shakespeare International Bat Night:  26th-27th August Allotments come of age as 2023 marks the 21st year of National Allotments Week ** Editor:  We continue our column that...

It was: 400 years ago, on 6th August 1623 that Anne Hathaway died. She was William Shakespeare’s wife. 125 years ago, on 23rd August 1898 that the British Antarctic Expedition set off from London and became the first to spend winter on the Antarctic mainland and cross the Ross Ice Shelf.  It was the first...

Sixty years ago, on 28th August 1963, Dr Martin Luther King Jr delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The civil rights rally was attended by about 200,000 supporters, including many A-list film celebrities released temporarily by their...

Seventy-five years ago, on 23rd August 1948, the World Council of Churches was founded in Amsterdam. It flowed out of the modern ecumenical movement, which had begun in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There had been agreement by 1937 to establish a World Council of Churches, but the official inauguration was deferred by...

It was 65 years ago, on 26th August 1958, that the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams died. Among his most famous compositions are The Lark Ascending, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and A Sea Symphony. Despite increasing deafness, brought on by exposure to gunfire when he served in the Second World War, Vaughan...

Four hundred years ago this month, on 6th August 1623, Anne Hathaway died. She was the wife of William Shakespeare. Born in 1556, she was eight years older than her husband, who was only 18 when they married. The eldest of eight children of a well-off yeoman farmer living at Shottery, only a mile from...

Did you know that there are 18 species of bat in the UK? And did you know that these bats make up almost a quarter of ALL our mammal species? So, our UK bats are well worth celebrating. And International Bat Night brings together bat groups and the Bat Conservation Trust, to provide many opportunities...

Much beloved by gardeners across the UK, allotments are cherished for the space they provide to grow one’s own fresh vegetables, among other things. This year the theme is Soil Health. As National Allotments Week explains: “Good soil health is widely accepted as way to improve yield when growing edibles, but also contributes positively to...

All in the month of JULY 75 years of the National Health Service Even the BBC couldn’t find the Loch Ness Monster In appreciation of William Byrd Henry Moore and his monumental sculptures Diabetes timebomb: NHS to offer ‘soup and shakes’ diet The sweet smell of rain ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks...

It was: 400 years ago, on 4th July 1623 that William Byrd, English Renaissance composer, died. Regarded as one of the greatest British composers, and best known for his sacred music. 175 years ago, on 7th July 1848 that Waterloo railway station in London opened. 150 years ago, on 19th July 1873 that British-born Australian...

It was 75 years ago, on 5th July 1948, that the National Health Service (NHS) began operating – formally opened at the Park Hospital in Manchester, now renamed Trafford General. The National Health Service Act provided for the establishment of a comprehensive health service for England and Wales. (Separate legislation was produced for Scotland and Northern...

Twenty years ago, on 27th July 2003, a team from the BBC reported that the Loch Ness monster did not exist. They had combed every inch of the loch, using 600 sonar beams guided by satellite navigation, and still found nothing. The operation was covered in the BBC One documentary, Searching for the Loch Ness...