The Bramshott and Liphook Arts and Crafts Society held its latest demonstration evening on May 8 at 7.30pm in The Canada Room at The Millennium Centre in Liphook.

This month members were fortunate to have local artist and tutor Livvy Stainer come to give a live demonstration of producing a child’s portrait in pastels.

Livvy is a Petersfield portrait artist and tutor specialising in capturing the essence of children and adults in portraits. She trained at Heatherley’s School of Portraiture and Figurative Art in London and has 30 years of professional experience in drawing and painting people.

Before becoming a full-time artist and tutor she worked in design and illustration in London. She is greatly inspired by the works of Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas.

Her fascination with the human form, especially the face, drives her work. Livvy explained that every face is completely unique, and she loves exploring the story behind each expression. Her goal is to infuse emotion and drama into her portraits while staying true to the likeness and character of her subjects.

Livvy took members through how she starts with willow charcoal for her under drawing, and the importance of getting the proportions correct, especially with a child’s face as it is different to an adult’s face.

Once she was happy with this, she fixed her drawing with Windsor and Newton professional fixative. This then allowed her to use multiple layers of pastels, starting with the softer and lighter coloured pastels and working up to putting in details with the darker and harder pastels.

Livvy will be taking a workshop entitled Portrait In Pastels on June 28 at the Triangle Centre in Liss.

Participants will arrive at 9.30am to set up, and there will be tuition from 10am to 4pm, with a break for a packed lunch.

She will reveal more tips of the trade, and artists can either work from a photo of their own or one that Livvy will provide. Pastels can be provided on the day if needed. The cost is £40 for members and £50 for non-members.

On June 12 there will be a pottery demonstration by Susan Fox, who will bring her potter’s wheel to show throwing and other techniques and glazes she uses to make her pottery. It will be in The Canada Room at the Millennium Centre in Ontario Way, Liphook, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Demonstrations are free for members and £5 for non-members.

Membership for the remainder of the year costs £25 and allows free entry to all demonstrations. There is also a programme of Saturday workshops throughout the year and an exhibition in October. For more details visit https://www.liphookartsandcrafts.org.uk/, email Carol at [email protected] or call her on 01420 489564.

Petersfield Golf Club’s chosen charities for this year are the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, and Dementia Friendly Petersfield, a volunteer-led organisation supporting people and families affected by dementia.

New ladies’ captain Jackie Carter selected the latter cause in honour of her late father and Royal Navy veteran Charles Maddison, who lived with Alzheimer’s disease. Jackie will be supported by club captain Iain Thomson, whose late father lived with vascular dementia.

The club’s initiative for Dementia Friendly Petersfield has raised more than £1,000 since April and aims to reach £10,000 by the end of the year. Events such as raffles, themed competition days and two awareness-raising talks are central to the campaign.

A free Dementia Awareness Day will be held at Petersfield Golf Club on June 20 from 10.30am to midday, hosted by East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds. The session is open to all and aims to improve public understanding of dementia and communication with those living with it.

Jackie Carter said: “Dementia touches so many lives, and with the right support and understanding we can make a real difference.”

To book a place on the Dementia Awareness Day call Alex at Petersfield Golf Club on 01730 895165 extension 1, or email [email protected]

For further information about Dementia Friendly Petersfield call Audrey Morton on 07966 759929.

Rogate Choral Society has just celebrated its participation in the Petersfield Musical Festival, 117 years since its first appearance.

Recent documentary discoveries show that in 1908 its performance of Juda Maccabeus received praise from the festival’s most distinguished observer, the composer Vaughan Williams.

He described the performance as “a very good musicianly performance, especially since it came from a new choir”.

In her report to the recent annual general meeting, secretary Alice Kidd thanked all the band members for their help and support with the events throughout 2024.

Alice said there were 31 ringers in the band in 2024, including five young ringers. She added: “This is a fantastic number of ringers and is a great reflection of the enthusiasm, learning and support which is happening in the tower.”

Treasurer Sue Walker reported that income slightly exceeded expenditure in 2024. She has stepped down after a number of years and was thanked for her time and commitment with a basket of flowers.

Alton Choral Society gave its annual Reflective Music for Good Friday concert at Alton Methodist Church on April 18.

The concert raised nearly £500 for vital humanitarian work carried out by Médecins Sans Frontières in more than 70 countries.

The choir, directed by Wendy Busby and accompanied by Jane Palmer, gave a moving performance of excerpts from The Path of the Soul, a cantata by choir member and local composer Jenny Bateman, to a large, appreciative audience.

There were also accomplished solo performances by soprano Alison Crow, singing I Know That My Redeemer Liveth by Handel, and Wendy Busby, accompanied by her husband Patrick, who performed Merciful God, also by Handel, and Bach’s aria If Thou Art Near.

Alton Choral Society’s next concert will be at 7pm on June 28 in Alton Methodist Church. As the concert falls at the end of Alton's Regency Week, and as there is much excitement over the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, it will also perform music Jane could have listened to at that time.

New members are welcome. No auditions are necessary, but a basic knowledge of reading music is recommended and a love of making music absolutely essential.

Rehearsals are at the Salvation Army Hall on Wednesdays from 7.45pm. For more details visit https://www.altonchoral.org.uk/, email the secretary at [email protected] or call Wendy Busby on 07715 771489.

The Medstead Music Recital on April 26 saw 11 talented musicians delight a large and appreciative audience with a wide variety of music ranging from Handel to a recently composed duet by local composer Jenny Bateman.

The first half of the concert opened with a rousing rendition of Irving Berlin’s There’s No Business Like Show Business sung by all the performers.

Alison Crow gave an evocative performance of the beautiful Solveig’s Song by Edvard Grieg.

The audience also enjoyed a beautiful performance of Handel’s Ombra Mai Fu sung by Annabel Lofthouse.

There were three flautists from the Alton Concert Band among the performers. The first flute number was Widor’s Romance Op 34, beautifully played by Kathy Starkey.

The audience were also treated to two contrasting piano duets. Firstly there was a very atmospheric performance of two movements from Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, performed to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth, which was expertly performed by Pande Shahov and Patrick Busby.

The first half concluded with an ingenious piano duet arrangement of the romantic and very popular Adagio from Rachmaninoff’s 2nd piano concerto, beautifully performed by Jenny Griffiths and Patrick Busby.

After a short interval the second half commenced with Schubert’s masterpiece, The Shepherd on The Rock, a song arranged for soprano, flute and piano. This was expertly performed by Lorna Silvester on the flute and soprano Wendy Busby.

John Lofthouse followed this with an amazing virtuoso rendition of The Lord Chancellor’s Song from Iolanthe by Gilbert and Sullivan, hugely appreciated by the audience.

In complete contrast was Dawn of Peace, a beautiful duet for two flutes expertly performed by Lorna Silvester and Maureen Veigh.

Next came local composer Jenny Batemen’s duet Roses, sung most sensitively and skilfully by Jeremy Griggs and Wendy Busby.

Chopin’s virtuoso 1st Ballade followed, played with great feeling and accuracy by Patrick Busby. This piece was made famous in the epic film The Pianist about a musician surviving against all the odds in Poland in the Second World War.

The concert then ended with all the musicians singing a stirring rendition of The Eton Boating Song.

The concert raised more than £900, split between The Kathryn’s Mercy Home Charity and funds for a new defibrillator for Medstead.

Kathryn’s Mercy Home provides support and education to children and their families from some of the most disadvantaged communities in southern India. For more information visit https://www.kmhuk.org/