What's happening in Coventry & Warwickshire

Head down to Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium 25 – 27 June to be part of this fantastic family day out.
Watch the best British athletes compete to earn a place in the Aviva GB & NI team heading to Barcelona for the European Championships in July.
Supporting the athletics on the track there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy at the event including bungee runs, trampolines, an Alfa Romeo car simulator and much more. Kids tickets are just £1 and Adults from £10.
For more information and tickets visit : www.ticketmaster.co.uk/promo/xy6czj?brand=uk_uka&camefrom=CFC_UK_ATHLETICS_UKA_CW

Christopher Parkhurst was a pupil of Cheylesmore School from 1959 to 1962 in classes 1A, 2A and 3A before leaving. He has sent in a photo from around 1960. Christopher remembers some of the teachers in the photo - Mr Tickle or Mr Asthill, Mr Davis who taught English Language and Mr Brandon who taught Maths and Arithmetic.
Did you go to Cheylesmore School? Do you recognise anyone else in the photo?

Stratford Jazz have announced their programme for April and May. Acts include the Lee Jones Quartet, the Jucamaya Quintet, the Geoff Eales Trio with Ben Waghorn, and the Esther Miller Quintet. Octojazzarian Vic Ash will also be appearing in May with Simon Spillett as part of his 80th birthday Celebration Tour.
Stratford Jazz opens it doors every Sunday evening at The Chapel, No.1 Shakespeare Street, Stratford. Tickets range from £6 to £10.

If you are looking for an unusual gift for a loved one why not get a beautiful  traditional Welsh love spoon. You can now buy them online on a new e-commerce website designed by Coventry web design company, CWN Design. The site has a full range of love spoons hand-crafted by leading Welsh craftsman Ken Jones. The lovespoons range in price from £7.50 to £25. CWN Design, the company behind CWN, has provided a professional web design service for the Midlands and beyond since 1994.

Free-entry jazz is back on Sunday evenings in August in the Oak Room at Stratford upon Avon’s 500-year old White Swan Hotel. The Oak Room’s perfect ambiance offers oak-panelled, lounge-style comfort, next to the bar with two real ales. The jazz is ‘modern’ from top Midland and visiting musicians with a different band every Sunday, 50 times a year for the last 20 years. Stratford Jazz funds Oak Room jazz with a raffle. See www.stratfordjazz.org.uk or phone Roy on 01789 298607.

Warwickshire band Lament have recently released their third studio album 'Sun Soaked'. This is an admirable collection of 12 great tracks that are guaranteed to set your foot tapping, your hips moving and your head gently swaying to the enticing Latin rhythms. Lament are song writers Kath Kimber on vocals with Anthony McTiffen on acoustic guitar, joined by Liz Ralls, Wayne Matthews and Chris Viggers. Their music is “a world fusion of latin, jazz and flamenco with driving bossa inspired beats and soaring vocals”. It's guaranteed to hit the groove and make you move!

Cricket giants - South Africa - have selected Harry Shaw to carry out all their coaching for the 20:20 cricket tournament this summer. The Harry Shaw VIP coach will accompany the team as they travel around.

Harry Shaw have a wealth of experience in handling coach arrangements for all sports teams - current customers include Coventry City FC and The Coventry Blades.

Bablake Weather Station (BWS), based at Bablake School in Coventry, has been running since 1977. Led by head geography teacher, Steve Jackson, and aided by a rota of school pupils the weather station has seen many technological advances over the past three decades. Now fully automated BWS provides daily weather information for Coventry as well as historical weather data going back to 1870 and a webcam. The station is recognised as an official Met Office Climatalogical Station.   www.bablakeweather.co.uk

Railway historian Mike Hitches has produced a new book detailing the history of railways in Warwickshire. From the opening of the first railway to serve the county in 1838 the book recounts the struggles and battles between the various companies - the L&B, TVR, LNWR, GWR and NWR - for supremacy over some of the Warwickshire branches. The book includes archive photographs, period timetables, company advertisements and loco-shed allocations. The paperback, published by The History Press, costs £14.99.