Featured Events in Cookham in 2025 (August Updated)

An Evening with Lionel Shriver Come and join us for an unforgettable evening with the award-winning American author and journalist, Lionel Shriver, at The Odney Club in Cookham, Berkshire. Don't miss this opportunity to meet the acclaimed writer in person and delve into the world of her captivating stories. Lionel Shriver is best known for her novel, We Need to Talk About Kevin, which won the Orange Prize. It was adapted as a film starring Tilda Swinton. Tickets include a glass of wine and canapes. Mania: What if calling someone stupid was illegal? In a reality not too distant from our own, where the so-called Mental Parity Movement has taken hold, the worst thing you can call someone is 'stupid'. Everyone is equally clever, and discrimination based on intelligence is 'the last great civil rights fight'. Exams and grades are all discarded, and smart phones are rebranded. Children are expelled for saying the S-word and encouraged to report parents for using it. You don't need a qualification to be a doctor. Best friends since adolescence, Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war. Radio personality Emory – who has built her career riding the tide of popular thought – makes increasingly hard-line statements while, for her part, Pearson believes the whole thing is ludicrous. As their friendship fractures, Pearson's determination to cling onto the 'old bigoted way of thinking' begins to endanger her job, her safety and even her family. Lionel Shriver turns her piercing gaze on the policing of opinion and intellect, and imagines a world in which intellectual meritocracy is heresy. Hilarious, deadpan, scathing and at times frighteningly plausible, MANIA will delight the many fans of her fiction and journalism alike. ‘Exhilarating’ THE TIMES 'Merciless and funny' ECONOMIST 'Funny, important and timely … I was laughing out loud at the same time as my blood was running cold' JOHN CLEESE ‘Never shy of getting stuck in, Shriver now sets her satirical sights on groupthink and the policing of thought' FINANCIAL TIMES, Book of 2024 'Provocative, stimulating and outrageous' SPECTATOR 'A savage dystopian satire' THE SCOTSMAN Information Source: The Little Bookshop | eventbrite

An Evening with Lionel Shriver Join us for an evening with Lionel Shriver in conversation with writer and journalist, Tanya Datta, at The Odney Club in Cookham, Berkshire. Tickets include a glass of wine and canapes. Although Lionel Shriver has published many novels, a collection of essays, and a column in the Spectator since 2017, and her journalism has featured in publications including the Guardian, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, she in no way wishes for the inclusion of this information to imply that she is more ‘intelligent’ or ‘accomplished’ than the average person. The outdated meritocracy of intellectual achievement has made her a bestseller multiple times and awarded her prizes including the Orange Prize, but she accepts that all of these accidental accolades are basically meaningless. She lives in Portugal and Brooklyn, New York. Mania: What if calling someone stupid was illegal? In a reality not too distant from our own, where the so-called Mental Parity Movement has taken hold, the worst thing you can call someone is 'stupid'. Everyone is equally clever, and discrimination based on intelligence is 'the last great civil rights fight'. Exams and grades are all discarded, and smart phones are rebranded. Children are expelled for saying the S-word and encouraged to report parents for using it. You don't need a qualification to be a doctor. Best friends since adolescence, Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war. Radio personality Emory – who has built her career riding the tide of popular thought – makes increasingly hard-line statements while, for her part, Pearson believes the whole thing is ludicrous. As their friendship fractures, Pearson's determination to cling onto the 'old bigoted way of thinking' begins to endanger her job, her safety and even her family. Lionel Shriver turns her piercing gaze on the policing of opinion and intellect, and imagines a world in which intellectual meritocracy is heresy. Hilarious, deadpan, scathing and at times frighteningly plausible, MANIA will delight the many fans of her fiction and journalism alike. ‘Exhilarating’ THE TIMES 'Merciless and funny' ECONOMIST 'Funny, important and timely … I was laughing out loud at the same time as my blood was running cold' JOHN CLEESE ‘Never shy of getting stuck in, Shriver now sets her satirical sights on groupthink and the policing of thought' FINANCIAL TIMES, Book of 2024 'Provocative, stimulating and outrageous' SPECTATOR 'A savage dystopian satire' THE SCOTSMAN Information Source: The Little Bookshop | eventbrite

Dogs Trust Family Workshop - Cookham Library Welcome to our family workshop at Cookham Library! Join us for a fun-filled event where you can learn all about responsible pet ownership and how to care for your furry friends. This workshop is perfect for families looking to educate themselves about dogs and have an enjoyable time together. Information Source: RBWM Libraries | eventbrite

Join us for the second year of the Face2Face Maidenhead Business Show, at the CIM Business Centre, Cookham Moor Hall, SL6 9QH in the picturesque village of Cookham on Friday 13th June. We will be in the `Berkshire Suite, with plenty of space to move around and network. Doors open at 9.30am and there will be unlimited teas/coffees throughout the day, plenty of time to network, five expert speakers each talking on different topics to help with your business pain points, a buffet style lunch, a professional photographer, goodie bags to take home and free parking on site. Agenda: 9.30am: Doors open, sign in and get a name badge, teas/coffees, mingle 10.15am: Warm welcome from Emma Kisby from Face2Face Maidenhead and Sam Gryckiewicz from the Cookham Moor Hall 10:30am: Kati Noakes, Social Media Specialist: '50 Shades of Social' 11am: Mike Jelves, Video Marketing Expert: 'What's YOUR Reason For Not Making Videos?' 11:30am: Break/Networking 12pm: Lindsay Wright, Team Dynamics Expert with an extensive background in corporate communications: 'Know Yourself, Grow Your Business: The Power of Self-Awareness' 12:30pm: Lunch/Networking 1:15pm: Chris Hunt, Mental Performance Psychologist: 'Elite Thinking for Elite Results - YOUR Mental Game Unleashed' 1:45pm: Nina Lenton, Coach for Creatives: 'How Can Creativity Help Us In Business?' 2:15pm: Networking 3pm: Ends Early Bird tickets are £39 and ends on 13th May. Full price is £49. Discount codes apply for directory members. Let me know if you haven't received your code. Get in touch with Emma Kisby if you have any questions or queries about the event or accessibility, and she will be happy to help: hello@face2facemaidenhead.co.uk Visit our website: https://face2facemaidenhead.co.uk This event is open for anyone with a small business, start up, charity or anyone looking to network and learn. It is aimed to be friendly and relaxed, to make new connections and feel inspired. Speakers or order of lineup are subject to change Information Source: Face2Face Maidenhead | eventbrite

What could be better than Prosecco afternoon tea with Gill Hornby and Natasha Poliszczuk to celebrate the latest novel from the best-selling author of Miss Austen in the 250th anniversary year of Jane Austen? There will be a book signing after the talk with a discount on books purchased at the event. Please see the menu below; the venue requires a minimum of two weeks notice for vegan or glute-free options, please contact us with any dietary requirements . There is free parking at the venue. The Elopement by Sunday Times best-selling author, Gill Hornby. The new novel from the author of Miss Austen, which has been adapted into a major BBC four part adaptation starring Keeley Hawes, The Elopement is published around the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth 1820. Mary Dorothea Knatchbull is living under the sole charge of her widowed father, Sir Edward – a man of strict principles and high Christian values. But when her father marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary’s life is suddenly changed. Her new stepmother comes from a large, happy and sociable family and Fanny’s sisters become Mary’s first friends. Her aunt, Miss Cassandra Austen of Chawton, is especially kind. Her brothers are not only amusing, but handsome and charming. And as Mary Dorothea starts to bloom into a beautiful young woman, she forms an especial bond with one Mr Knight in particular. Soon, they are deeply in love and determined to marry. They expect no opposition. After all, each is from a good family and has known the other for some years. It promises to be the most perfect match. Who would want to stand in their way? ‘Gill Hornby’s trilogy about Jane’s family has all Austen’s wit and unnerving powers of observation with an extra twenty-first century zap.’ Ferdinand Mount ‘It’s gripping and moving and also so sharp and funny… I loved it!’ Sabine Durrant. Information Source: The Little Bookshop | eventbrite

Three walks, of varying lengths exploring his supporters and collectors in the village, where he lived and painted his many works in Cookham and finally taking in the views which so inspired him. Information Source: Stanley Spencer Gallery | eventbrite

30th June 2025: Stanley Spencer’s love of the Thames was intertwined with his art and his personal identity. Winding gracefully through Cookham it was a source of inspiration for his work and a symbol of his spiritual and emotional connection to the village of his birth on 30 June 1891. The steam launch Alaska, built just up river from Cookham at Bourne End in 1883, is now refurbished and once again seen on Cookham Reach, setting for the Cookham Regatta. It will leave from the landing stage at the Ferry for two sailings - choose from 5 pm or 6.30 pm for an approx. hour long trip. On board you will meet Dr Amy Lim, the curator of the current exhibition A Marvellous Atmosphere: Stanley Spencer and Cookham Regatta , and enjoy a welcome drink included in your ticket as we travel upstream to Cockmarsh and Winter Hill, passing the natural landscape so enjoyed by Spencer (also a cash bar on board). Returning to the Ferry Inn about an hour later you can enjoy an optional dinner at 20% discount for attendees (please book directly with the Ferry Inn, not included with your ticket). PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE FERRY INN LANDING STAGE AT LEAST 15 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR SCHEDULED DEPARTURE. Undercover space is limited. If the weather looks like being warm more tickets may become available late June. The gallery will remain open until 5.45 pm and entry is included in the ticket. Opens at 10.30 am. Information Source: Stanley Spencer Gallery | eventbrite

We're delighted that we'll be joined by Lorraine Kelly CBE at the Media Hub's 12th birthday celebration on Wednesday, July 2nd. Lorraine will be conversation with Media Hub member Gemma-Leigh James and she will be discussing her TV career which has spanned 40 years. Lorraine started off as Scottish correspondent with TVam in 1984 and currently presents "Lorraine" on ITV. She has also recently written her first novel, "The Island Swimmer". Lorraine was awarded an OBE by the Queen in 2012 for her services to charity and a CBE by Princess Anne in 2020 for services to broadcasting. Last May Lorraine was also presented with a BAFTA Special Award for her outstanding contribution to television. Interviewer Gemma-Leigh James is an award-winning Scottish presenter, reporter and host, with experience across, BFBS Radio, BBC Radio and Marlow FM she has hosted everything from national breakfast shows to global broadcasts for military audiences. After Lorraine's interview, we will also have our regular, fun-filled networking session where you can connect with other media professionals and there will be a live performance from The Material Girls. The Media Hub's members include print journalists, producers, directors, writers, bloggers, actors, photographers, media trainers and consultants. Previous guest speakers have included the late Sir Michael Parkinson, Ross Kemp, Carol Kirkwood, Princess Esméralda of Belgium, John Altman, Adrian Moorhouse and Dotun Adebayo. We would like to all of the people and local businesses who make the Media Hub possible - the Bel & The Dragon, Carillion Communications, Adrian Adams, Mahnam Sabahi, Caroline Field and Rachel Sellman. We look forward to welcoming you to the Bel & The Dragon on July 2nd for what will definitely be a very special evening! Information Source: Sarah Parfitt | eventbrite

Join us for an evening with Cecelia Ahern to celebrate the launch of her latest novel, Paper Heart. Tickets include a glass of wine and canapes. There will be a discount on books sold at the event and a chance to meet Cecelia at the book signing. Cecelia’s debut novel PS I Love You was an international bestseller and was adapted to film starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. Her second novel, Where Rainbows End, was adapted into Love, Rosie starring Lily Collins. Her books have been published in over thirty-seven languages, and have sold over twenty-five million copies. In addition to her novels, she is also the author of a highly acclaimed collection of stories, Roar, which is now an Apple Original series starring Nicole Kidman on Apple TV+. PAPER HEART From Cecelia Ahern, multi-million copy bestseller and contemporary fiction powerhouse, comes a poignant story of finding yourself – and finding your way home. Pip’s world is small. But it’s about to become a whole lot bigger. For years she’s tucked away her dreams, shrinking herself into the space left behind – like the delicate origami she creates alone in her room. Then hope comes from an unlikely place: an astronomer from the local observatory. He teaches her to look up at the stars, and to see a world far bigger and more beautiful than she ever imagined. And perhaps in that big, beautiful universe there’s someone waiting for her. If she can find the courage to open her heart. Pip never stopped dreaming, but now it’s time for her to live – and maybe even to fall in love. Information Source: The Little Bookshop | eventbrite

Information Source: SaveEnergy CBS Ltd | eventbrite