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Family Arts Festival

Two young children with circus equipment, one with a twirling ribbon and one with a balancing set

This Easter Weekend, join the Open Doors team as they travel across the district with their first Family Arts Festival.

Across multiple venues in each location, you’ll be able to turn your hand to everything from learning circus skills to handling historical objects, having a go at musical instruments to contributing your artistic skills to a collaborative art piece and so much more. Explore virtual reality through drawing on our headsets (for those aged 12 and over) or bring your little ones to Time Travel Tots or our Open Doors first birthday parties.

Not only are there activities for all ages but every single one of them is totally FREE for all participants. 

To keep up to date join our Facebook event on our National Civil War Centre's Facebook page.

Saturday 30th March – Ollerton

Picture of artistic grafitti on a wall

Join Open Doors at Lifespring Centre, Dukeries Leisure Centre and Ollerton Town Football Club!

Book your tickets for sessions via the links below!

Lifespring Church

10am-3pm: Circus Skills, Face Painting

11am-12pm: Hand Drumming with Tim and Helen

1pm-2pm: Hand Drumming with Tim and Helen

Dukeries Leisure Centre

11am-3pm: VR activity with Samantha Peberdy (12+)

11.30am-12:30pm: Birthday Party session with Open Doors Milly

2pm-3pm: Birthday Party session with Open Doors Milly

Ollerton Town FC

12pm-3pm: Disc Golf, Face Painting, Our Heritage on Tour

Sunday 31st March – Newark

Time Travel Tots Session

Join Open Doors at Hawtonville Children's Centre and the Buttermarket.

Book your tickets for sessions via the links below!

Sunday 31st March – Newark

Hawtonville Children's Centre

10am-2pm: Circus Skills, Face Painting, Disc Golf

10:30am-11:30am: Time Travel Tots with Donna

12:30pm-1:30pm: Time Travel Tots with Donna

Buttermarket

10am-2pm: Fabric Painting with Vanessa Stone

11am-12pm: Music Tech and Song Writing with Eddy and Tim

12:30pm-1:30pm: Music Tech and Song Writing with Eddy and Tim

Monday 1st April – Rainworth

VR experience festival

Join Open Doors at Lifespring Centre, Dukeries Leisure Centre and Ollerton Town Football Club!

Book your tickets for sessions via the links below!

The Social Action Hub

10am-3pm: VR activity with Samantha Peberdy (12+), Circus Skills

10:30am-11:30am: Time Travel Tots with Donna

12:30pm-1:30pm: Time Travel Tots with Donna

Rainworth Village Hall

10am-3pm: Our Heritage on Tour, Face Painting

11am-12pm: Birthday Party session with Open Doors Milly

2pm-3pm: Birthday Party session with Open Doors Milly

BSL and Access

Milly’s birthday parties will be a relaxed environment and all activities will be accessible however we would like to let everyone know that there will be loud music which may be difficult for people with sensory issues, so please feel free to bring along some noise cancelling headphones! There will also be basic British Sign Language (BSL) available during these sessions.

The musical sessions are accessible to everyone and soundLINCS welcomes everybody to come and create some fantastic music!

We will have BSL interpreters at our Circus skills workshop at the Lifespring Centre from 12pm to 1.30pm at Ollerton on Saturday 30th and at the Our Heritage on Tour activity at Ollerton Town Football club from 2pm to 3pm. There will also be a BSL interpreter during our fabric painting activity at the Buttermarket at Newark on Sunday 31st from 10:30am to 12:30pm. If you have any questions regarding BSL access please email visitorinformationcentre@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk.

Accessibility Information

The Open Doors festival is for everyone and all abilities. Please find here a list of the venues with their accessibilty information. Their adress and what 3 words are listed so that you can find the venues with ease.

Lifespring Church Centre (Sherwood Drive, NG22 9PP; W3W orchestra.apprehend.active)

Ramp from the carpark to the centre's front door. Flat access to all spaces that are being used once inside.

Dukeries Leisure Centre (Main Road, Boughton, NG22 9JJ; W3W sheepish.lilac.tanked) 

Lift access available to the Sports Hall. More info here.

Ollerton Town FC (Walesby Lane, NG22 9UT; W3W emphasis.pounces.pillows)

The area is a grassed area, so precautions to be taken for wheelchair uses, dependant on the weather. No accessible toilet

Hawtonville Children's Centre (Bowbridge Road, NG24 4EG; W3W library.gilding.clumped)

Ramp access from outside. Flat access throughout the building. Two routes to outside space, one of which is accessible.

Buttermarket (Middlegate, NG24 1AL; W3W dodging.pacifist.damage)

Flat access from Middlegate entrance; lift up to mezzanine level.

Social Action Hub (Kirklington Road, NG21 0JR; W3W unwell.outnumber.option)

Ramp from outside; flat access throughout the building.

Village Hall (Kirklington Road, NG21 0JY; W3W crumples.posting.sneezing)

Ramp from outside; flat access throughout the building.

Free Parking Information!

Free car parking is available for the festival on site at Dukeries Leisure Centre, Ollerton Town FC and Forest Road car park is a short walk from the Lifespring Church Centre.
 
For Newark there is increased parking available on Sunday’s in Newark Town centre. At Hawtonville Children’s Centre there are limited accessible parking spaces which are available on a first come first served basis, there is on street parking in and around the centre too!
 
At Rainworth, free parking is available on site at the Village Hall, which can also be used for The Social Action Club as the venue’s are opposite each other on Kirklington Road.