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Headlines 7 Poole Pride With its home at Lighthouse, the day-long Poole Pride free festival on Saturday 7th June plans to include cabaret, comedy and music performances as well as workshops, talks and craft. The Coming Out Cabaret will stage performances showcasing local LGBTQ+ artists, while Dorsetborn’s Writing Out Loud will provide a platform for heartfelt LGBTQ+ stories written and performed by local queer artists. New for 2025, the ‘gayleidh’ is sure to be a memorable highlight, and there’s no shortage of other opportunities to get into the groove with a baby rave, silent disco and even a queer lunchtime recital. Artist-sewist Matt Wilding will also be showing his installation, Wings of Pride . Quilted in two pieces and based on an eagle’s wingspan, the wings are both a celebration of Pride and can also be used to protect and comfort. On the front are the colours of the progressive Pride fl ag while the back is all gold fabric with the thread in Pride colours. 7 June: Lighthouse, POOLE, BH15 1UG. lighthousepoole.co.uk. MATT WILDING ‘WINGS OF PRIDE’ Steeleye Span Together for fi fty six years now, Steeleye Span changed the face of folk music forever by taking it into the world of gold discs and international tours. New album The Green Man Collection brings together tracks from their recent releases with new versions of three classics (including a reworking of Hard Times featuring Status Quo’s Francis Rossi), a cover of Elvis Costello’s Shipbuilding and the title track, a previously lost Bob Johnson song from the 1980s. The band are undertaking a full UK tour in support of the album, their fi rst live dates of the year, where they will be joined by new violinist Athena Octavia. As ever – and with such a rich history to choose from - the night will offer a selection of songs from across the years and fi rm fan favourites. 17 May: Hardye Theatre, Queen’s Avenue, DORCHESTER, DT1 2ET. 7.30pm. £30 / £28. 01305 266926 / dorchesterarts.org.uk Diary Dates DORSET OPERA FESTIVAL 22 - 26 July dorsetopera.com COLIN SCOBIE & JAMS COLEMAN 11 and 12 July concertsinthewest.org PRIDDY FOLK FESTIVAL 11 - 13 July priddyfolk.org ‘JANE EYRE’ 2 August chapterhouse.org ‘ROMEO & JULIET’ 2 and 29 August chapterhouse.org RWA OPEN 172 6 September - 4 January rwa.org.uk B-SIDE BIG WEEKEND 11 - 14 September b-side.org.uk ‘INSIDE OUT’ 12 - 21 September insideoutdorset.co.uk SOMERSET ART WEEKS 13 - 28 September somersetartworks.org.uk ‘JANE EYRE’