Dylan and Wilde are a heady mix

Worcester band, Shadowlands, and London actor Neil Titley will perform their own unique tributes to their idols at The Talbot, in Knightwick, on Sunday, February 16.

Between them, they hope to raise hundreds of pounds for Acorns Children's Hospice in a bid to help it build a £4m complex in Bath Road for youngsters from Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

The night of entertainment begins at 8pm with a Life of Oscar Wilde, a funny, yet moving, tribute to the playwright, who was jailed in 1897 for his homosexual relationship with handsome Oxford undergraduate Lord Alfred Douglas.

The 50-minute piece specifically looks at his last days in Paris.

"The phrase 'well travelled' is for once very apt, " said Mr Titley.

"The play has been to over one hundred venues in Britain, to eight states of the USA and to 10 other countries.

"In Ethiopia, I had to perform to a Somali war lord and his bodyguards."

Shadowlands, formed rec-ently by college friends John Coutts, Robin Richards and guitarist Paul Rose, will be performing during the second half of the show at 9.15pm.

The group are described as a lyric driven folk-rock band, with a distinctive sound made from a combination of three vocalists, two guitars, a violin and various harmonicas.

Entrance to the double bill is free but any donations to Acorns would be greatly appreciated.

Schools can join in quest for cash

WORCESTERSHIRE schools are being invited to join Herefordshire in dedicating Valentine's Day to a charity for children with life-limiting illnesses.

So far, nearly 20 primary and secondary schools in Herefordshire have pledged to fundraise for Acorns Children's Hospice, which plans to build a £4m complex in Worcester.

Organisers want Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, whose children will also benefit from the new hospice, to join in the campaign.

The idea came from Doug Lowe, head teacher at Trinity Primary School, Hereford, and special needs teacher Mary Schiavon, who has already raised £1,000 with her puzzle book Bat for Acorns.

"I would like February 14 to become Acorns Day, with schools holding a no uniform day or Valentine disco," she said.

Herefordshire Council's director of education, Dr Eddie Oram, has written to every school in the county, asking them to take part.

"Acorns already gives valuable care and support to our children at times of need," he said.

"It could obviously be needed by any child, at any time, from any school."

Community fundraising co-ordinator Fran Winterbourn said that, although they were promoting Acorns Day, events could be organised any time of year.

"If every school in each of the Three Counties was to do something for Acorns, it would mean we could extend our care and support," she said.

Stars to sing out

TOP opera stars will be hitting the right notes for the charity at 7.30pm on Wednesday, February 19.

Masterpieces by Puccini, Verdi, Mozart and Mascagni as well as songs by Novello, Quilter and Gershwin will be performed by artists from major companies.

Internationally-renowned tenor Ian Storey, of Leominster, will be performing at the Hereford Cathedral concert, organised by the stars and the Rotary Club of Hereford Wye Valley.

The Royal Academy's Queen's Jubilee Award winner, Helen Ray, is also in the line up.

Tickets are £12, available from The Cathedral Shop, Outback Records, Hereford, Nick Fisher Music, Hereford, and Capriole Music, Leominster.

For more information, visit www.herefordwv-rotary.co.uk

Painting talents aid the children

A WORCESTER-based painter is using her artistic talents to raise money for the Acorns Children's Hospice.

Ruth Burden, aged 77, of Barbourne, hopes that a postcard version of her painting Dreaming of Acorns will help boost the funds for the hospice, planned for Bath Road, St Peter's.

Dreaming of Acorns was first painted for a special art exhibition entitled Artstick, which was held in Worcester last year, and involved 57 local artists, including Mrs Burden.

Retired artist, Chas Perrett, aged 66, organised the exhibition and said it was decided to use Mrs Burden's painting because it captured the many of the important elements of Acorns and the new hospice, such as children, a donkey and an oak tree.

Mrs Burden paid for her painting to be reproduced as a printed postcard herself. They can be bought from Worcester's City Museum and Art Gallery, for 50p each.

Few places left for adventure

ADVENTURERS wanting to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World before a dam submerges it for a hyrdo-electric scheme need to put their skates on.

Acorns Children's Hospice has only a few places left on its Three Gorges Trek along China's Yangtze Kiang River in May.

Walkers have the opportunity to see some of the world's most spectacular views as they climb 3,000ft up the gorges.

Fund-raising director Simon Burne said it was the last chance to see them before a dam submerged them to give China electricity the equivalent of 15 nuclear power stations.

The development will also help control the devastating floods that affect the region.

"The views are simply amazing and the whole place is full of history," he said.

"It really will be an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

To join you will need a £250 deposit and raise £2,500. To find out more contact Emily Henton on 0121 248 4802 or visit www.acorns.org.uk