"Pop-up mess"? Sounds like a visit by the grandchildren. All those pieces of Lego lying around waiting for bare feet - ouch!

But no, this lucky dip selection from What's On Richmond is a Mess in the military sense - though probably not much like the one in our historic photo. It's open to Green Howards Museum visitors every Friday and Saturday in April from 11 Ack Emma onward, in the stunning Normanby Room. Hot drinks and baked snacks are promised. Sounds wonderful.

​No Meals Ready-to-Eat, presumably?

Cute photo! But we could have put a horrible one here, of a lamb torn to shreds by a dog. Sadly, that's all too common at this time of year. The danger in the headline is to the lambs, obviously, not to walkers.

Here's what the Yorkshire Dales National Park website says:

Lambing time can run until June. Keep your dog under close control, preferably on a short lead. Even dogs on long leads can frighten sheep enough to miscarry or lose their lambs.

Humans can have the same effect, so if you're crossing a field and can possibly detour a bit to avoid ewes and their lambs, please do so.

One further, sobering extract from the National Park website:

Remember, a farmer is legally allowed to shoot any dog worrying livestock.

This week's Lucky Dip is for residents and particularly for recent arrivals in Richmond. It's our new Community Groups page, and you can find it under the INFO link above.

We've listed a really interesting range of societies and groups and clubs for you to get involved with. Triathlons, maybe? No? OK, Scrabble then? Perhaps you sing in the shower? Then there's a choral society which needs you! Badminton? Local history? Conservation? Activities for your children, to get them out from under your feet? They're all there.

Perhaps you'd like to get behind the scenes and help out? Many societies and clubs are crying out for volunteers. We list them too.

Go on! Get off that sofa and join! But first, if you're still on the sofa, click the link to Community Groups and take a look at what's going on.

The very popular Artisan Market returns to Richmond's huge, cobbled Market Place this Sunday. You'll find food, drink, crafts and gifts of all kinds among the 40 or so colourful stalls. No mass-produced goods whatsoever; everything is small-scale and locally crafted.

Sunday's forecast is for good weather, so plan to spend a happy hour browsing and tasting your way round the market before enjoying the rest of the town's attractions: castle, waterfall, walks,  ancient alleyways and more... And come and visit Richmond Information Centre in the Victorian Market Hall (also on the Market Place) to explore our wide range of maps and guidebooks or simply to get advice.

Parking in or near the Market Place may be impossible, so we suggest Nun's Close Car Park, which is a pleasant five-minute walk away (a flat walk, which is a bit of a rarity in Richmond).

Enjoy your visit!

Are you a new Wordle fan who'd like to play more than once a day? A keen cruciverbalist? Or just someone who'd like an evening of Scrabble?

Here's our latest lucky dip from What's On Richmond, and this time it's from the 'Regular Events' section: a group of keen Scrabblers meets in Richmond on Wednesday evenings, when between two and eight players enjoy a couple of hours of gentle competition (or cut-throat competition, sometimes!)

For details, visit the Richmond Scrabble Club web page.

Richmond Castle has alerted us that Castle Walk - the promenade around the Castle, high above the River Swale - will close on Monday 14 March for five days, for its annual survey and for any necessary repairs.
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​Photo © John embleton

Here's another chance discovery from What's On Richmond... We've all seen the Upstairs life in grand houses, and sometimes, let's be honest, it's a bit dull. But Downstairs, now, Downstairs... That's much more fun: huge ovens; dumb-waiter lifts; wooden butter churns; a sense of real people doing things we can associate with...

We don't know exactly what will be on display at Kiplin Hall, but the promise of "untold stories of domestic service through the Annie Marchant Kitchen and Dairy Collection" is enough to whet our appetite.  And after you've visited, you can walk round the lovely gardens, the lake and the parkland, and then enjoy a bit of the Upstairs life in the grand tearoom.

​The exhibition, 'Silent Footsteps', opens 11 March, and runs until November.  Details here.