10 things to do in Hampshire this Bank Holiday Weekend

Here's our guide to the top ten things to do...

(1) At Winchester City Mill...

MORE than 1,400 bathtub ducks will race down the River Itchen tomorrow. The amazing spectacle will be the final event in aid of a fundraising appeal to keep Winchester City Mill open to the public.

Set in the heart of England’s ancient capital, and thought to date back well over 1,000 years, the National Trust mill has weathered the course of time, until now.

The building suffered huge flood damage in 2014 and many of the ancient beams were found to be in a bad state of decay. Temporary measures have been put in place but in the next twelve months permanent repairs need to be made to ensure the building remains open to the public.

The appeal went public in February 2017 and thanks to the support of local media and a very generous public, the Mill has raised £70,000 to-date. However, £125,000 is needed by the end of the year so that repair work can begin in early 2018.

Throughout the year the City Mill has held many fundraising events; but the bathtub duck race and fete day is set to be the biggest and most exciting of all.

Entry to the fete is free, with the event kicking off at 11am. Thanks to the Mill’s volunteer bakers, visitors will be able to pick up delicious handmade treats made using the Mill’s wholemeal flour. There’ll be plenty of traditional ‘village fete’ games, with the opportunity to snap up some great prizes.

A pop-up baguette bar will offer freshly-made lunchtime snacks. There will be plenty of other refreshments on offer in the Mill’s pretty island garden, including local ales, chilled Pimms and soft drinks.

See nationaltrust.org.uk/winchester-city-mill or call 01962 870057.

(2) In Hampshire cinemas...

THOMAS the Tank Engine and his trusty friends return to the big screen this weekend.

In the brand new animated film, Thomas and Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor, Thomas ventures outside of the Island of Sodor for the first time to the mainland. Intrigue and wonder is soon replaced with terror as James becomes trapped in the steelworks and it's left to Thomas and his newfound friends to once again prove that friendship always wins.

Visit your local cinema's website for details of showtimes.

(3) At Hoglands Park...

IN Steven Spielberg's massive blockbuster, paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) are among a select group chosen to tour an island theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA. While the park's mastermind, billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), assures everyone that the facility is safe, they find out otherwise when various ferocious predators break free and go on the hunt.

Cult classic Jurassic Park is being shown under the stars in Southampton tomorrow night.

Visit hijackcinema.co.uk for tickets.

(4) At Sir Harold Hillier Gardens...

CELEBRATE the end of the summer with the talented 80 piece orchestra and singers, Pops Incorporated UK and Big Band.

They will be performing well known hits for the whole family taking inspiration from West End shows, films and a good helping of contemporary music for you all to dance and sing along to tomorrow night.

This open air picnic concert concludes with a spectacular firework finale.

Expect a brilliant family evening out with children's entertainment, circus skills and pond dipping all set in the beautiful gardens.

Gates open at 6pm for music lovers to enjoy their picnics.

Tickets are sold out, but late returns may be available from 01794 369318.

(5) At Buckler's Hard...

Shakespeare is coming to the Forest on two wheels tomorrow as all-female cycling troupe the Handlebards perform As You Like It in support of Naomi House & Jacksplace hospices.

Travelling from show to show across the country by pedal power – and with only the sets, props and costumes that can be carried on a bike – the Handlebards will cycle into the attraction to stage an open-air performance in front of the Shipwright School, overlooking the picturesque Beaulieu River.

Unfurl your travel rugs and unpack picnics before enjoying this energetic and hilarious production, for an unforgettable evening in the heart of the New Forest.

The time-honoured comedy As You Like It tells the story of Rosalind and Celia, who are banished from court and don disguises to seek out a new life in the forest, where Rosalind’s lover Orlando is also forced to flee. With love, lust and mistaken identity to contend with, as well as a variety of colourful characters in Shakespeare’s finest tradition, this mad-cap caper becomes a riot of laughs.

Low on frills but big on performance, the Handlebards is the world’s first cycling theatre company re-inventing the traditional travelling theatre troupe of old with a modern environmentally-friendly twist. Tickets from handlebards.com or the Tea Rooms at Buckler's Hard.

Doors open at 5.30pm, with the show starting at 6pm. This is an open air performance with no fixed seating, so bring along picnics, blankets and chairs.

(6) At Southampton Common...

FUN at the Fair returns this Bank Holiday weekend.

W Cole & Son and the team are back with their popular attraction and all the exciting rides, as well as a Bank Holiday market on Monday.

Armband sessions tomorrow and Sunday allow you to enjoy all the rides for two hours as many times as you'd like.

As well as all the fun and daredevil attractions, there are a host of walk through shows and bouncy castles, plus game stalls giving you the chance to win some great prizes.

The atmospheric attraction, a regular on The Common over the years, includes rides for all ages. It is open each day until Monday.

(7) At Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley...

AN innovative new puppet show will bring to life the history behind one of the county’s most recognisable landmarks this weekend.

Theatre company Unexpected Places has been commissioned to create a show that highlights the historical importance of its Chapel – all that remains of Netley Hospital.

The hospital, which stretched for a quarter of a mile along Southampton Water, was the world’s first purpose-built facility for treating British military personnel injured in conflicts between 1863 and 1963.

The resulting production, Blighty One, uses puppets to tell the true story of Johnny, a young soldier who, after suffering gunshot wounds on the Front Line during the First World War, was twice sent home to be treated at Netley Hospital – the same hospital where, as an eight-year-old boy, he had delivered the Daily Echo to the patients on its wards.

Aimed at ages nine and above, Blighty One will run in the park’s Empire Room tomorrow and Sunday with two shows each day, at 11am and 2pm. Admission is free but places are limited so advance booking is advised. Visit hants.gov.uk

(8) At Petersfield Summer Festival...

HOMETOWN Festivals will once again be celebrating the Great British summer all three days this August Bank Holiday weekend.

For the seventh successful year the free-to-enter event will be taking place on the streets and market square in the centre of Petersfield for everyone to come and join in with so many things to see, listen to, drink and taste.

It will feature three days of top quality live music with the whole festival starting on the Saturday evening from 7pm, followed by two full days of fantastic varied market stall trading featuring some of the best food and products available from the local area as well as awesome family entertainment and activities.

Enjoy everything from an animal petting zoo, face painting, children’s rides, classic cars, American hot rods, Star Wars characters and much more.

See petersfieldfest.com

(9) At Butser Ancient Farm, Waterlooville...

HAVE you ever wondered what a real Roman gladiator day would have been like? Now you can experience it at Butser Ancient Farm! Watch a real gladiator fight in a special arena, visit a real Roman market stall to buy some intriguing items, and enjoy a variety of other entertainment and activities across the site during a jam-packed day.

The event, on Monday, is part of the Roman Summer 2017 and also includes a mounted skill-at-arms and combat demonstration on horseback.

Audiences will also be joined by bestselling Roman Mysteries author Caroline Lawrence, who will be meeting young readers and judging art and poetry competitions, as well as signing copies of her new books The Gladiators from Capua and Death in the Arena!

Visit butserancientfarm.co.uk

(10) At Somerley Estate...

SPEND a hazy bank holiday Saturday sampling over 180 real ales and ciders; a spot of wine tasting, perhaps, or the obligatory festival Pimms. Somerley Beer & Music Festival returns to the beautiful Walled Gardens at Somerley House tomorrow and promises to be a laid back affair. There will be plenty of delicious local food to line the stomach from Bratwurst to wood-fired pizza. So you can sit back and soak up the live music at this quintessentially British fest.

Go to somerleybeerfestival.com