Here's a rare chance for visitors to fossick around among parts of the Green Howards' valuable collection which are usually kept hidden from view.

Guided visits are on Mondays and Tuesdays starting on 28 June, then throughout July. You'll need to have booked for 10.30am museum admission to be included in the tour, and numbers are very strictly limited. During the tour, which complements the current special exhibition, Treasures in Store, Curator Lynda Powell will explain why some of the Museum's precious objects are kept under wraps, uncover the challenges of storage, conservation and display, and reveal, for your eyes only,  rarely seen items from the Museum's treasured collection. This part of your visit will take about 40 minutes.

More information here: greenhowards.org.uk/behind-the-scenes

A new book reveals the colourful history of Richmond's racecourse​, and the heroes, villains and horses of its Georgian heyday.

A Short History of Richmond Racecourse and its Grandstand, by Prof. Mike Huggins and the Richmond Burgage Pastures Committee is illustrated with fascinating historic engravings, paintings and photos. The book ranges from the early 1500s, when horse-racing in Richmond was first recorded, through the bustling 18th and 19th centuries and the army camps of the 20th century, to the present day, when the course swarms with dog-walkers, and the Grandstand lies half-demolished and with an uncertain future.
 
Besides the timeline of how racing prospered in Richmond, the book contains a large number of amusing anecdotes about jockeys, trainers, owners and those who wagered a lot of cash on their favourite horses… winning big, but only sometimes.
 
The book is available for £10 at Richmond Information Centre, in the Market Hall, and at Castle Hill Bookshop. It's also available online: follow the SHOP link above.

(Illustration of Richmond Grandstand, from the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 26 December 1891)

The Big Plant Sale returns to Richmond on Sunday 13 June, from 11am to 4pm, as part of the Richmond 950 celebrations.  Bring a big shopping bag or basket to the Market Place between 11:00 and 16:00 - you'll find lots of irresistible additions to your garden, patio or window-boxes!
The sale will feature flowers, herbs, seedlings, cuttings, mature plants that have been split, surplus plants and more. Exhibitors will include Ravensworth Nurseries, J & H Meynell, Garth Cottage Herbs, Just the Job Environmental Services, Mandy Owen Flowers and Plants, Middlemoor Plants, and Original Richmond In Bloom. (And your stall, maybe? If you'd like a free stall, contact Marcia McLuckie: 01748 825525 or [email protected]. A contribution to Original Richmond In Bloom would be welcome.)

The yearly event raises funds for the extra flowers around Richmond town centre which enhance the planters and baskets provided by Richmond Town Council.