Welcome to Village Connect

April 2005 saw the first edition of Village Connect, a 36-pager set up to encourage the support of our local villages, events and charities, distributed to 2,000 homes in 16 villages.  Seventeen springs later, with its purpose more necessary than ever, the circulation stands at over 23,000 deliveries to 75 villages, and I would like to thank you all sincerely for your continued loyalty to our community.

With events scarce recently, it is a real pleasure to see posters submitted again for live performances, concerts, fairs and exhibitions, and What's On filling up nicely once more.  There will be plenty of things for us to do outside as well, as we emerge from our winter hibernation and as, little by little, the world opens up again.  Boughton House (page 16) opens for the season, hosting a Beezy Bailey painting and sculpture exhibition this spring.  Deene Park (page 24) and Lyveden (page 48) both have Easter egg hunts, trails and activities, as does Rockingham Castle (page 36), which also celebrates its 950^th anniversary this year.  Lamport Hall (page 20) offers Mothering Sunday Lunch & Afternoon Teas, and a season ticket to Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens (page 40) would make an excellent gift for your Mum, as you show your appreciation.

150 Years of Childhood (page 60) will rekindle fond childhood memories, and if you know talented, young musicians, please direct them to the Rising Stars 2022 competition on page 64.  For those still trying to pursue January resolutions, you can read about setting goals on page 68, and if your aim is to simplify, organise or declutter, turn to page 8, where Sorted Together can help.

The mild winter weather has brought out bulbs and blooms ahead of time, and I hope this means that spring is here to stay for the months ahead.  Enjoy this hopeful and joyous time of year!