It’s St George’s Day on Sunday when we celebrate the patron saint of England. And Nigel Clough’s Stags have a massive few days coming up that could decide whether or not they make the promotion play-offs and another possible trip to Wembley in May.
St George famously slayed a dragon. Can Mansfield slay third-placed Stevenage, managed by former boss Steve Evans, on Saturday and then champions-elect Leyton Orient next Tuesday night?
Sadly, the main St George’s Day event in Nottinghamshire, the annual parade in Nottingham, has been cancelled this year because of rising costs and a lack of funding. But the occasion is being marked in the Mansfield area with a busy weekend at the RSPB Sherwood Forest nature reserve and visitor centre in Edwinstowe.
Elsewhere, memories of the BBC TV hit comedy, ‘Hi-de-Hi!’, are stirred at Mansfield’s Palace Theatre, while Mansfield Museum hosts an important exhibition and there’s even a pop-up disco for grown-ups on Saturday night!
Find out more by browsing through our guide to things to do and places to go. But before you set off, please check the websites of the individual venues for opening times and admission prices. Have a great weekend! And come on you Stags!
1. Medieval fun for the kids
What was it like to be a knight of the realm and fight on the battlefields of medieval Britain? A special St George's Day event at RSPB Sherwood Forest on Sunday (11 am to 3 pm) features a fun session for six-to-11-year-olds in which they can take part in 'knight school' training sessions, don armour and learn how to use a sword and bow. Find out about life in Robin Hood's day. Photo: Submitted
2. Hello campers! Rise and shine!
It's more than 40 years now since the much-loved comedy 'Hi-de-Hi!' first graced our TV screens. But memories are sure to be stirred by a show adapted from the BBC sitcom at Mansfield's Palace Theatre from tonight (Wednesday) until Saturday. Masque Productions promise a laugh a minute as they re-create Maplin's holiday camp from the 1950s and its host of colourful characters. Hello campers! Rise and shine! (As Gladys Pugh might have said!) Photo: Submitted
3. Windrush exhibition
You may think you aren't associated with the Windrush generation. But what about that aunt who told you she arrived by boat from Trinidad in the 1950s or that neighbour who used to make you the most amazing Caribbean food? An exhibition, 'It Runs Through Us', is on at Mansfield Museum until the end of November, celebrating the West Indian immigrants who arrived on the ship, HMT Empire Windrush (pictured), to help rebuild this country when there was a shortage of labour after the Second World War. Photo: Submitted
4. Tour of Sherwood Forest with the sheriff
Want to know more about the legends of Sherwood Forest and its most famous inhabitant, Robin Hood? Who better to tell you than his arch enemy, the Sheriff Of Nottingham, who will be within the ancient oaks on Saturday (10 am to 11 am) to regale visitors with tales of medieval life? The hour-long tour, which encompasses a walk and a talk, is suitable for all ages but please no dogs. Photo: Submitted