Three bands, a DJ, face-painting, crown decorating, storytelling, game stalls and more - and this Coronation Funday is all free!

Thank you, Richmond Town Council, for putting on an after-party for anyone who hasn't been invited back to the Palace. It's in Friary Gardens, from 11:00 to 15:00, on Sunday 7 May. And did we mention that it's free?

Mackenzie Thorpe will be at Arthaus Gallery tomorrow, Saturday 29 April, when you can be among the first to see his beautiful new bronze sculpture. You'll also get a chance to enjoy his vibrant Spring Collection, and his new print releases, Faster and Faster (illustrated) and Let's Go for a Walk.

Drop in and meet Mackenzie, any time from 10:30 to 15:30. Arthaus is in Finkle Street, Richmond.

An RAF base during World War II, the site was later quarried for gravel by Tarmac. As quarrying started to wind down, in 2008, restoration began. Now quarrying and restoration have ended, and the diggers and earth-movers have gone. What's left is not just a glorious nature reserve, but a timeline of the process of transformation. The newest section is raw, raw, raw – but already the soil has a thin bloom of dock, weld and other colonising pioneer plants. Move on a few hundred yards to a section that was restored five years earlier, and you'll find successor plants in profusion, and thousands of new trees in guards. A bit further, and the wild meadows are in flower, and the oak, birch and alder saplings are starting to shade out smaller plants. Meanwhile, the lakes, elegantly carved by Tarmac's huge machines, are developing beaches and bays of sediment, which have attracted bulrushes and wading birds. It's lovely now, and in fifteen or twenty years it will be a paradise.

Whether you're a birder, a dog-walker or a family out for a picnic, you'll find Scorton Lakes an undiscovered gem. Get out there and see it now. You can park in Scorton village (nice pubs) or use one of the reserve's two car parks between the Brompton-on-Swale traffic lights and Scorton.

More details are at scortonlakes.org.

On Friday 29 April, Richmond's annual festival of traditional music, dance and tales kicks off. Everywhere around the town and castle, on street corners and in pubs, you'll bump into jugglers, morris dancers, minstrels, cloggies, folk-singers and story-tellers. Richmond Brewing Company will be filling tankards at the MayFest Tavern, and Tom Fool will be making a nuisance of himself all over town - run if you spot him!

Lots of events are totally free! Those that are ticketed offer reduced prices for local residents from postcodes DL9, DL10 and DL11.

Pick up a programme from Richmond Information Centre, or take a look online at richmondmayfest.org/whats-on.

The Artisan Market is back in Richmond's Market Place this Sunday, with dozens of colourful stalls displaying and selling the very best in Yorkshire's crafts and food. 

The market will be packed with handmade goods - it's a great opportunity to purchase a gift or to treat yourself! Whether it’s a piece of art to brighten your room, or some local produce to stock your kitchen cupboards, there'll be something for everyone. There will also be street food vendors with hot and cold options for a late breakfast, or lunch on the go.

You can easily spend an hour browsing, sniffing and tasting. Afterwards, drop in at Richmond Information Centre in the town's Victorian Market Hall, to pick up some leaflets or maps or advice, and then enjoy a ramble round Richmond's historic town centre and Castle Walk. Or go further afield, maybe? Pootle down to The Station for coffee and cake, and then stroll round the famous Easby Loop. There's so much to do!
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The Artisan Market runs from 10:00 to 15:00 on Sunday 16 April.

Here's a lovely-sounding display at The Station: Maxine Ahmed's A Celebration of Nature in the Dales. Maxine works mainly in watercolour "because of the purity, luminosity and clarity of the colours". You can see what she means in the picture above. (Is that Pen Hill, do you think?)

You can even chat with Maxine, as she will be painting at The Station on 16, 18, 23, 25 and 30 April.and on 2 and 7 May. Come along and see her at work and say hello All the works are for sale, so - who knows - you may leave with something to fill that hole on your living room wall!

The peaceful ruins of Easby Abbey, just outside Richmond, give little idea of the tumultuous events which overcame the abbey.

Founded in about 1152, the abbey grew in importance and wealth, largely as a result of the lucrative wool trade. In 1537 King Henry VIII ordered the suppression of the monasteries, as part of his programme of independence from the Church in Rome, and by 1538 much of the destruction had been completed.

What a shame we can no longer see the original buildings, but everyone loves a good set of ruins. (Interesting fact: one visitor to Tintern Abbey in the early Romantic Period suggested taking a hammer to the ruins in order to 'improve' them.) Anyway, back to Easby...

Entry to the English Heritage site is free, and there is now a free guided tour every Sunday. The tour is at 2 pm, it leaves from the entrance gate, and it lasts about 45 minutes.

Parking at Easby can be difficult (it's a small car park) but if you enjoy a stroll you can park at The Station in Richmond, walk to Easby along the old railway track, visit the site, and return on the other side of the river. Total distance is an easy 2 1/2 miles (and if you want more detail you can pick up a copy of Richmond Walks either at our Information Centre in Richmond's Market Place or at the shop in The Station - well worth the £2!).

We're offering free chocolate Easter eggs at Richmond Information Centre, but you'll have to move fast!

100 tubes of Cadbury mini-eggs are on offer. Just drop in at our pod in the Market Hall and pick up a quiz form; that will lead you to three attractions in town (the Georgian Theatre Royal, the Green Howards Museum and the Richmondshire Museum) where you will quickly find the answers to the three quiz questions.

Got the answers? Then it's back to the Information Centre with your form, to pick up your prize. It's that easy! But when the prizes are gone, they're gone...