Category: News

A fireworks spectacle and spooky surprises will be central to the Halloween fun at an annual event at The Fleur de Lys in Lowsonford this month.

The pub’s Halloween & Fireworks Party, on October 31^st, will feature a host of live family entertainment, from fire shows to music and food.

It marks the twelfth Fireworks Night event organised at The Fleur by owners Emma and Nick Woodhouse.

Visitors this year can again expect to be wowed by performances from Storm In A Teacup circus group, including a spectacular fire show, stilt walker, bubble witch and LED artists, plus, for the kids, there will be the chance to get involved in face painting by Glitter Squad, craft tables and a fancy dress competition. There’s also tarot readings from Dayle Adams – and all to a background of live music sets from local five-piece covers band Real Human Beings.

The highlight of the evening is a sensational fireworks display from Fantazia Fireworks from 7.30pm after a live pyrotechnic and fire show from Storm In A Teacup. Food and drinks can be purchased, including BBQ and mulled wine and mulled cider, from the inside and outside bars.

Emma said: “Last year we made the decision to combine our annual Fireworks Night with Halloween and it was such a blast that we thought we’d try to outdo ourselves this year. It’s a brilliant excuse to decorate this 500-year-old building in creepy décor and a fantastic excuse to dress up and have a bit of a boogie.

“We love seeing our youngest customers wowed by the fireworks and fully immersed in the magic of the evening. We’re always very conscious about making events that are suitable for the whole family, so we try to create an upbeat but intimate atmosphere that isn’t too overwhelming. It also finishes around 10pm so there’s still time to get home for scary movies and trick or treating, too. We love partnering with other local businesses and performers, so it’s a bit of a showcase for our performers and suppliers, as well.”

She added: “Not many people know that the originator of the Gunpowder Plot, Robert Catesby, lived a stone’s throw away from The Fleur de Lys, in Bushwood Hall on Bushwood Lane. We always talk about Guy Fawkes, but it was actually Catesby’s plan to replace Protestant James I with a Catholic monarch. So, sleepy little Lowsonford is actually kind of pivotal to British history!”

The Halloween theme could also be seen as a nod to one of the building’s former guises as a mortuary, from where the bodies were taken to Rowington Church in the absence of a village church. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that it first opened as a tavern, later going on to introduce the ‘pioneering’ idea of serving food and giving rise to the now famous Fleur De Lys pies.

Gates open for the Halloween & Fireworks Spectacular at 6pm with the fireworks display at 7.30pm. The food stalls close at 8.30pm and bar closes at 10.30pm.

Tickets are £18 for adults, £10 for 4-16-year-olds and free for under threes and are available to purchase HERE.

When Leamington’s David Blick crossed the finish line of one of the toughest triathlons in the world, on Sunday, there were thousands of people cheering him on – but he had only one person on his mind – his late mum.

The 53-year-old completed the IRONMAN Wales in Tenby in just over 16 hours and powering him on through every 140 miles of the gruelling challenge was the memory of Maggie, who died after a battle with breast cancer just a few months earlier.

David, who has now completed six Ironman Challenges, was one of more than 3,000 athletes, professionals and amateurs, who joined in one of Wales’ biggest sporting events which included the 112-mile (180.2 km) bike course.

He is now hoping to further build on the £2,000 already raised for Breast Cancer Research.

He said: “The swim started at 7:30am and, despite the rain, the atmosphere was incredible. The crowds and support around Tenby were absolutely epic and gave everyone a huge lift from the moment we entered the water.

“Then came the bike. Wet, windy and relentlessly hilly. The descents were particularly sketchy with greasy roads and difficult conditions. Speed wasn’t important today, staying upright was. Fortunately, I managed to do that and just kept grinding it out mile after mile all 7.5 hours of it.

“The run was where it really became a battle. The rain eased to mostly drizzle, but my foot started hurting badly. In the end, I walked much of the run and all of the last seven miles. At that point it was simply about determination and getting to the finish line. 6.5 hours of torture.”

He added: “Throughout those final miles, I kept thinking that a few hours of pain was nothing compared to what my mum went through for months during her fight with breast cancer. Whenever things got tough, I reminded myself to just keep moving forward and get over that finish line.

“The support on the course is absolutely nuts – you have to be there to experience it, but it feels like all of Wales is there behind you – just incredible and you feel like a superstar for a few hours!”

This IRONMAN marked a return to the town where the inspiration for David’s award-winning Warwickshire Gin Company was born. It was his visit to Tenby Gin in 2018 which inspired his journey to entrepreneurship prompting him to leave his retail and logistics career of 28 years to launch a distillery business in Leamington.

Reflecting on his challenge, David added: “Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout the training and on race day. From over 3,000 miles on the bike and 500 miles in my trainers, right through to the finish line, your encouragement meant more than you’ll ever know.

“Just over 16 hours in total, not my quickest – it wasn’t about breaking records though. I was never going to be back to my best eight years after doing the last one, and with the other challenges on the day, I’m just incredibly grateful to have completed it. This one was for Mum.”

Donate to David’s fundraiser page HERE.