By: Margaret Heward

UNTIL APRIL 25
Small and Beautiful. Exhibition of work from Mirfield's West Yorkshire Print Workshop - painting, printmaking, textiles, sculpture and much more. Batley Art Gallery, Market Place, Batley. Monday and Wednesday, 9.30am-7pm, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9.30am-5pm, Saturday, 9am-4pm. Please ring to confirm as gallery is occasionally used for other activities. 01924 326021.

UNTIL SEPTEMBER 20
Our Sporting Greats. Memorabilia, video footage and interviews of Kirklees sporting stars including Dewsbury's Eileen Fenton. Red House Museum, Oxford Road, Gomersal.

THEATRES

Lawrence Batley Theatre
Huddersfield 01484 430528
Tale Traders Magic Story Stall - April 18
Carlos Lopez-Real's Mandorla - April 25
Paul Merton's Silent Clowns - April 25

The Carriageworks
Leeds 0113 224 3801
Weekend Breaks - April 17-18
The Bartered Bride - April 20-25
The Uncle's Dream - April 23-25
Romeo and Juliet - April 28
The Clean as Possible Comedy Show - April 28
Lost in the Wind - April 30

West Yorkshire Playhouse
Leeds 0113 213 7700
When We Are Married - April 17-25
Circo de la Sombra - April 17-18
Courtyard Comedy Club - April 19
Kellerman - April 22-25
fuseleeds09 - April 25-May 2
Northern Exposure - April 28-May 2

Alhambra Theatre
Bradford 01274 432000
Fame, The Musical - April 17-18
Le Grande Cirque Fantazie - April 28-May 2

St George's Hall
Bradford 01274 432000
BD1 Live and Unsigned - April 17
Joe Longthorne - April 18
Memory Lane, music from the 40s-70s - April 22
The Songs of Sister Act - April 24
Horrible Histories - April 28-May 2

Bradford Playhouse
Chapel Street
Bradford 01274 820666
Classical Music Showstoppers - April 24-25
Hype Dance presents Routes - April 30

Theatre Royal
Wakefield 01924 211311
Hansel and Gretel - April 17-19
Do You Wanna Dance - April 25
Robin Ince - April 29
Wishbone Ash and Aynsley Lister Band - April 30

COMMUNITY

APRIL 18
Author Jack Byard, signs copies of Know More Sheep, a superb reference book on sheep, at Border's, Birstall, from 1pm. A follow-up to the best selling Know Your Sheep.

APRIL 24
Antiques Evening with Clodagh Tweedale. All Saints Church, Roberttown, from 7.30pm. Tickets £3, including refreshments. Valuations of items 50p. Proceeds to church funds.

APRIL 25-26
Children's author James David, will be signing copies of his Aqua Crysta series of books at Border's, Birstall, from 10.30am.

APRIL 25
Beginners' watercolour workshop at Oakwell Hall Country Park, Nutter Lane, Birstall led by Richard Gawthorpe from 10am-4pm. Theme: qualities of sunlight, £22. Placed booked on 01924 326240.

Craft and Gift Fair at Croft House, Jackroyd Lane, Upper Hopton, 9.30am-4.30pm. Home and gift ware, books, jewellery, international produce, cards and much more. Admission £1 including tea/coffee (children free). Tombola, raffle. Refreshments all day.

APRIL 30
Creative artist Catherine Hill will make bookmarks at the meeting of Bosom Pals breast cancer support group at the Rosewood Centre, Dewsbury and District Hospital from 7pm.

DRAMA AND STAGE

APRIL 17-18
The Pajama Game by Buttershaw St Paul's Juniors at Cleckheaton Town Hall, from 7pm. Tickets f £7.50 (adults) and from £5.50 (concessions) from the town hall or from 01274 416466.

APRIL 20-25
Batley Gilbert and Sullivan Society presents The Pirates of Penzance, Dewsbury Little Theatre, Upper Road, Batley Carr, 7.30pm each night with a Saturday 2.30pm performance. Tickets, £7-£8 on 01924 437359.

APRIL 29-MAY 3
Les Miserables, school edition, Cleckheaton town hall, by the Applause Theatre School. Tickets £9-£13. Evening performances 7.15pm, Saturday matinee 2.30pm. Phone 07711 955950.

APRIL 30-MAY 2
Phoenix Players presents Court in the Net, a farce by Ray Cooney. Batley Business and Enterprise College, Batley Field Hill. 7.30pm. For ticket enquiries call 01924 359880.

MUSIC

APRIL 20
Organ concert with Andrew Millington of Exeter Cathedral at 1pm at Huddersfield Town Hall. Tickets: £4 (£3 concessions) from Kirklees Booking Offices, tel 01484 223200, or from the Town Hall box office on the day.

APRIL 23
Piano and vocal recital at Heckmondwike Grammar School presented by HGS old boy David Bolt and Ian Brown. Programme includes Liszt's Tre Sonetti di Petrarca, Beethoven's Sonata No 27 in E minor, along with some compositions of his own. He will accompany tenor Ian Brown in a variety of songs including Butterworth's A Shropshire lad, and Schumann's Dichterliebe. Tickets and further details from the school on 01924 418308 or at office@heckgrammar.kirklees.sch.uk.

APRIL 24
Award-winning vocalist Kathie Ryan stars in a St George's Day concert at St Saviour's Church, Brownhill, Batley, at 7.30pm. Country and Western, plus songs from the 1960s onwards. Tickets £6 including wine and nibbles and finger buffet - call 01924 476812.

Fund-raising concert at St Mary's Social Club, Batley, in aid of a children's nursery project in Kayalitsha, Capetown. Featuring Singing For Fun from Batley, Wakefield's Merrie City Singers, senior music students from St John Fisher Catholic High School in Dewsbury, the Good In Parts choir from Leeds and the Yorkshire Broads women's trio. Starts
7.30pm, admission £3 (under 15s free).

PUBS AND CLUBS

APRIL 17
Free band night, Park View Bar, off South Parade, Cleckheaton, 8pm.

APRIL 18
Tamla Motown Night at St Paulinus Social Club, Dewsbury. 8pm - midnight. DJs Tony Patchett and Martyn 'Dranny' Dransfield. Admission £3. For information call 01924 473713.

Soul and Motown diva Hayley Ria Christian performs at the California Inn, Oxford Road, Gomersal, from 8.30pm.

Outstanding girl/boy duo Shameless at Earlsheaton Central WMC, Dewsbury.

Madness tribute Complete Madness, Batley Frontier.

Controversial, Manchester's finest funky house night at Bar Deco.

At The Hop, duo at Batley Carr Social Club, Mill Road, Batley Carr.

APRIL 19
Danny Tetley, singer at Batley Carr Social Club, Mill Road, Batley Carr.

APRIL 21
Deeside Dixies. Leeds Jazz Club, Armley Conservative Club, Ridge Road, 8.30pm-11pm. Admission charged. Phone 0113 252 3844.

APRIL 23
Soul Explosion at the Frontier, Batley. Earnestine Pearce of The Flirtations, with Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, and Clem Curtis of The Foundations. Tickets £10. Box office: 01924 442122.

APRIL 25
Kill All Enemies (mad metal and rock) and Kleenkill (formerly Black As One rock and covers) play at The George, Cleckheaton.

Top class female artiste Lisa Pearson at Earlsheaton Central WMC, Dewsbury.

The Solicitors, kings of Northern Soul with three-piece horn section and one of the hottest rhythm sections around - soul at its best at Batley Frontier.

Dirty Secretz, funky clubbing with electro music at Bar Deco Floor 2, Batley. Guest list tickets £5 in advance. Venue open from 10.30pm until late.

APRIL 28
Entertainment and dancing - swing music of the 40s and 50s with Eddie Martell and the Reg Hargreaves Quartet. Batley Carr Social Club, Mill Road, off Bradford Road, from 8.30pm. Bar snacks available, admission £2 on the door. Phone 01924 461242.

Louisiana Highway. Leeds Jazz Club, Armley Conservative Club, Ridge Road, 8.30pm-11pm. Admission charged. Phone 0113 252 3844.

APRIL 30
Covers band Kolton at Brooklands Bar, Batley, with music spanning five decades and many genres.

FAMILY EVENTS

APRIL 17
Easter Rhymes and Riddles trail at Red House Museum, Oxford Road, Gomersal. Solve the clues to complete the Easter trail around the house. Free. 11am-4pm.

Easter Eggstravaganza, National Coal Mining Museum, with Easter-themed activities and Easter bunnny will be on site from April 9-13 with his Easter egg trail. Plus Rose-basket craft fair on Easter weekend with floral arrangements to pottery. Admission free. At Caphouse Colliery, New Road, Overton, Wakefield.

Easter fun in the park at Wilton Park, Batley, join in a fun picture quiz set around the park. Small prize for entrants. Free. 1pm-4pm, Starts from the ticket office.

Scarecrows at Thornhill Lees Library. Different crafts with a scarecrow theme - make a picture for the mural. Free but contact the library to book on 01924 324178. 2pm-3pm.

Cooking sessions in the 17th century kitchen at Oakwell Hall, Nutter Lane, Birstall. £7.50 per person for tuition and ingredients. 01924 326240.

Mask making at Heckmondwike Library at 10am, followed by a walk.

APRIL 18
Oakwell Nature Club for children 12 and under. Bushcraft at the country park in Birstall, from 10am-noon. Free, booking essential. 01924 326240.

Charity fundraiser. Face painting, card and cake stalls, raffle, auction and refreshments plus free Easter egg hunt for children. Hand car washes, 10am-4pm; sponsored leg waxing, from 1pm; tea dance with music from The Palm Court Dace Orchestra, 2.30pm-4pm. Heath Cottage Hotel, Wakefield Road, Dewsbury. All process to Cancer Research UK.

APRIL 19
Decorative hat making workshop for children aged eight to 14, West Yorkshire Print Workshop, Huddersfield Road, Mirfield. Call 01924 497646 for more information.

APRIL 25
Kirklees Creative Future, North Kirklees Launch Event, Batley Town Hall, 2pm-5pm. Free and suitable for all ages. Mini-festival of 'Have-a-go' workshops and performances such as Indian and African dance, crafts, and a Space Room for and out of this world experience.

WALKS

APRIL 18
St Paulinus Ramblers, five mile walk around Golden Acre and Breary Marsh. Meet at the Golden Acre car park on the A660, just south of Bramhope, at 11am.

Huddersfield Narrow Canal linear walk with North Kirklees Ramblers. Meet at 11am at Marsden Railway Station (10.30am train from Huddersfield) for a seven miles leisurely walk led by Sumiya Mann (01924 478740). No dogs please, non members welcome.

APRIL 19
Spring Flowers at Oakwell Hall Country Park. Meet countryside officer Richard Aspinall in the visitor centre courtyard at 2pm for a guided walk exploring the rich variety of spring flowers in the park. Free, but booking essential. Not suitable for children. Call 01924 326240.

Castle Howard area with Dewsbury and District Ramblers. Please meet at the Wellington Road car park in Dewsbury at 9am. Tom Glover is the leader.

Baildon Moor with North Kirklees Ramblers. Meet at 10.30am at the junction of St Leonards Street/York Street, Bingley BD16 2PS (GR SE 111 388) for a seven-mile moderate walk led by John Beldon (0113 238 3965). Non members welcome.

Easy nine-mile walk from the Bolton Arms in Leyburn, past the picturesque paths of Leyburn Shawl and the villages of Redmire and Wensley, led by John Woodhead and Stuart Hanson of Batley Rambling Club. Meet 9am at Batley Sports and Tennis Centre, Howden Clough.

TALKS

APRIL 22
The final evening meeting of the North Kirklees Ramblers winter round of talks in the Old Court Room of the Black Bull, Birstall, at 7.30pm with an illustrated talk by Kirklees's Countryside manager. Open to non-members.