We are thrilled to welcome one of Britain’s most beloved Authors, Sir Michael Morpurgo OBE and his wife Clare to The Yard for a rare and intimate evening celebrating the publication of Michael’s latest memoir, Down Burrow Lane: Life and Love on the Farm, and fifty years of the pioneering rural charity they founded together, Farms for City Children.

All profits from the evening will go directly to Farms for City Children, supporting their mission to give young people the opportunity to grow happier and healthier through hands on experiences of nature, food and farming. Over the past fifty years, the charity has welcomed more than 100,000 children and young people to live, learn and thrive on working farms in Devon, Gloucestershire and Pembrokeshire.

Guests will enjoy a complimentary glass of fizz and seasonal canapes and we’re delighted that Michael and Clare will be with us all evening, sharing their personal and moving story behind the book in conversation with Alison Martin. Together, they will reflect on their extraordinary journey and answer questions from the audience.

Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase the limited signed first edition of Down Burrow Lane. Limited to just 550 signed and numbered editions, each is signed by both Michael and Clare Morpurgo and priced at £250, with all royalties supporting Farms for City Children. Go to www.morpurgo1976.com to buy the book.

Join us at The Yard as we celebrate Michael & Clare’s remarkable legacy and help ensure more young people have the opportunity to experience the joy and wonder of life on a working farm.

We are raising money for Michael & Clare Murporgo’s charity Farms for City Children, and supporting their mission to give young people the opportunity to grow happier and healthier through hands on experiences of nature, food and farming. Over the past fifty years, the charity has welcomed more than 100,000 children and young people to live, learn and thrive on working farms in Devon, Gloucestershire and Pembrokeshire.

The Hamper is full of goodies from our very generous local businesses.

MoonRoast Coffee ✦ Wild Sauna Voucher ✦ MHAC Socks ✦ The Candover Voucher ✦ Hydes Cyder ✦ The Yard Cafe Voucher ✦ SummerDown Diffuser Oil ✦ Candover Brook Sparkling Wine ✦ Face Matters Skin Product ✦ Naked Grape Rosè ✦ Bon&Rose Gelato ✦ Pots Beer & Chutney ✦ Pete’s Bees Honey

We're delighted to welcome local artist Ingrid Berry to The Yard to exhibit her new collection of oil paintings Mother Earth, Father Sky, the largest body of work she has created to date.

Join us for this special private opening evening, where guests will enjoy a glass of fizz and canapés, hear from Ingrid about the story behind the collection, and have the first opportunity to view and purchase the works.

The exhibition began as a search for a self Ingrid had lost touch with. In 2013 she encountered the idea of the inner child, the part of us carrying our earliest wonder, vulnerability + belonging, and realised her own was missing. The collection is dedicated to bringing her home: her freedom, her joy, her love of colour and magic. The figures that recur throughout represent both the adult and child within, in quiet conversation.

Travelling through indigenous communities including the Sámi of the Arctic Circle, Aboriginal Australians and Native American peoples, Ingrid was drawn to how deeply they understand identity as inseparable from land, and to the idea of Mother Earth and Father Sky: earth as nurturing presence, sky as guiding spirit.

For this collection, Ingrid turned her attention upward, studying cloud and light, and asked local fathers to describe their experience of fatherhood. Their letters, deeply moving, spoke of creating safety, security and love for their families with total devotion. We're grateful to the Hampshire fathers who trusted her with their words.

This collection has particular resonance for us: Ingrid grew up in the Candover Valley, and it was walking into our barn space at The Yard, that gave her the energy to create her largest collection yet. We couldn't be prouder to host Ingrid and we hope you will come + feel the energy of her love for our beautiful Candover Valley, and your own connection within it.

The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday 2nd October - Sunday 4th October from 10am to 3pm.

Please note the exhibition is only accessible by staircase

Join us for an evening with one of Britain’s true pioneers of alpine skiing along with the new season launch of Snow Finel ski wear.

Graham Bell represented Great Britain at five Winter Olympic Games over fourteen years from Sarajevo in 1984 to Nagano in 1998. He was an eight-time British Ski Champion, recorded top ten finishes on the Alpine Ski World Cup Circuit and is one of the finest downhill skiers Britain has ever produced.

Now he’s a familiar face and voice of winter sports for millions of viewers as long standing presenter of the BBC’s Ski Sunday and commentator at multiple Winter Olympic Games.

Graham will be in conversation with Alison Martin to talk about his life long passion for snow sport and new found love of triathlon, cycling, fencing and skate boarding!

Snow Finel is a 100% British ski brand with a range of base layers, mid layers, tanks, gilets and classic ski jumpers. This event will see the launch of their new collection with the full range on show and a 10% discount for purchases on the night.

Very excited to welcome back The Forcefields.

We can’t wait to step back into The Forcefields world where sound and vision merge seamlessly.

This mesmerizing live music event features dynamic and emotional vocals by Ayama Forcefield, whose voice soars over an orchestral blend of sonic textures that are both haunting and uplifting. Max Forcefield anchors the performance with his evocative bass lines while conducting a visual spectacle that will leave you spellbound.

Alexandra Tolstoy is an explorer, author, broadcaster and entrepreneur whose life has been shaped by travel to some of the most remote parts of the world.

At 25, she set out on an extraordinary nine-month expedition along the ancient Silk Road, travelling 5,000 miles by horse and camel from Turkmenistan to China. The journey became her first book, The Last Secrets of the Silk Road, and was followed by expeditions on horseback through Mongolia, Siberia and Central Asia, including a remarkable ride from Turkmenistan to Moscow.

Her passion for travelling on horseback and for traditional cultures led to the BBC television series ‘Horse People with Alexandra Tolstoy’, in which she travelled the world exploring communities whose lives still revolve around horses.

Alexandra has spent more than 25 years travelling in Kyrgyzstan and is an official Ambassador for the country. She now runs Alexandra Tolstoy Travel, taking small groups on riding expeditions through the remote Tien Shan mountains. Most recently, she made Beyond the Silk Road, a documentary filmed in Kyrgyzstan with actors Dominic West and Clarke Peters.