Rheged Centre
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Enjoy England Quality Assured Visitor Attraction |
A Place to Meet.
Rheged is a gallery, café, cinema, shopping venue, workplace and creative space on the edge of the Northern Lakes. A place where kids can be kids in our Indoor Play and Making Space and where friends, family and colleagues can share a meal, watch a film, hold a meeting, see an exhibition, buy a gift or catch up over coffee. A flexible space for getting together or enjoying time alone with a book or notepad; a place where stories are told, ideas are sparked and the Cumbrian landscape is a constant source of inspiration.
Cinema
Our giant-screen cinema offers an immersive experience unique within our region. The 18.3-metre-wide screen invites you to leap into the action of the latest Hollywood releases and family favourites or be transported to one of the world’s great theatres, where live-streamed opera, ballet and musical performances come vividly to life through our state-of-the-art surround sound system. Enjoy the show with sweet treats from our Deli including Kimi’s Gelato, popcorn and hand-packed confectionery range from Bon Bon’s.
Indoor Play
Our state of-the-art indoor play area, designed by Tigerplay features a new café serving coffees and cakes, along with a seating area for parents and guardians. The revamped space features three slides alongside each other to race down and a specific area for young children. It also includes an elevated level including a ‘nest-like’ den which can be reached through climbing walls and ladders.
Making Space
Where children can get creative decorating a range of models including bunnies, dinosaurs, masks, letters and more with decorative patterned papers in our Decopatch workshop.
Gallery
In our spacious Gallery we host a changing programme of four exhibitions every year which have a connection with our Cumbria home. We are proud to exhibit work by Cumbria’s artists and craftspeople, as well as emerging and established artists from all over the UK. This strong relationship with artists means we can show creativity at its most diverse, as well as reflecting life in the landscape. Alongside each exhibition is a range of creative classes led by exhibiting artists.
Café
Our 100-seat ground-floor cafe is a relaxed dining space where you can brunch with friends, enjoy a working lunch or catch up before a movie. Our menu is inclusive and flexible, changing with the seasons and featuring handmade food and drink from our community of local producers.
Deli
Our Deli counter offers sandwiches, pies, salads, cakes and bakes made by us as you would make them at home. On the move? We offer speciality coffee by Carvetii in Threlkeld available to take away with you. In our Deli shop you will find edible gifts with a strong sense of place. Local and handmade foods, including Cumbrian preserves, artisan pastas, organic wines and small-batch craft spirits. Functional cookware and eco-conscious utensils and accessories for table and pantry.
New to our Deli, enjoy a selection of hotdogs on your next evening visit to our Cinema. Made with Cumberland sausages from our butchery, and topped with pickled red onions, crispy onions, grated parmesan cheese and a sauce from Wild & Fruitful of your choice, as well as a halloumi option!
Add homemade sea salt & herb potato wedges on the side too, with Cotswold Gold Garlic Mayonnaise or Wild & Fruitful Bowness BBQ Sauce. Available Friday and Saturday evenings (5pm -7pm) or until the beginning of a live streaming event in our Cinema.
Toyshop
Our toy shop is packed almost to the rafters with children’s books, clothes, toys, puzzles, gifts, Jellycat teddies and pocket-money treats. Children can find new titles by their favourite authors, or discover retellings of classic fairytales. Our vibrant range of children’s clothing is from brands such as Blade Rose as well as Marcus Walters screen-printed just for us sweatshirts and t-shirts. We stock a huge selection of LEGO® which features Harry Potter, Avatar, Lego City, Technic, Spider-Man, Lightyear and Minecraft.
Clothing and Wellbeing
Our lifestyle shop includes stylish womenswear and accessories, exceptional beauty products, and contemporary interior accessories. Clothing ranges includes sustainable labels (People Tree; Thought Clothing), iconic names (Birkenstock) and British knitwear from Eribé and Harley of Scotland.
Our Wellbeing space showcases natural skincare and vegan-friendly makeup from emerging and established brands. Our brands include REN, This Works, Trilogy, L’Occitane, Dr Hauschka, with makeup from Stila.
Find textiles, ceramics, lighting and craft to bring warmth and personality to indoor and outdoor spaces in our Home section. As well as bespoke blankets, scarves and natural scented candles created for us by craft producers and beguiling gallery of cards and gift wrap designed and printed in Britain.
Design Shop
An evolving space celebrating art, design and thought. Ceramics, jewellery and items for the home from iconic names and local makers. We stock a range of stationery, art materials and craft kits for both adults and children to get creative with. As well as products made by artist exhibiting in our Gallery.
Outdoor Shop
Kit to inspire adventure in the Cumbrian landscape. Clothing, footwear, rucksacks, accessories, books and camping gear from KUHL, Rab, Fjallraven, Cotopaxi and mindful brands including Fjällraven, Patagonia, Howies and many more.
Cafe: 9am till 5pm
Shops: 10am – 5.30pm
Gallery: 10am – 5.30pm
Deli:
Sunday – Thursday 8:30am - 5.30pm
Friday to Saturday 8.30am – 7pm (serving brand new hotdogs and potato wedges 5pm – 7pm)
Cinema: Please see programme. Drinks and snacks available.
Filling station: 6am – 10pm
Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Open New Years Eve and Day
Location
Rheged Centre, Redhills
Penrith, Cumbria
CA11 0DQ
Rheged is a couple of minutes’ drive from the M6 (J40) at Penrith along the A66 towards Keswick.
Regular bus services between Penrith and Keswick stop at Rheged. Visit traveline.info for timetables.
Our 250-space car park is free for Rheged visitors. Please note that the car park closes when Rheged closes. It is locked and unattended overnight.
Filling station and EV charging points available on site.
|
Enjoy England Quality Assured Visitor Attraction |
Lost Spells, Lost Words: Beyond & Before Exhibition
Curated in partnership with Rheged, celebrate over 30 years of the work of Jackie Morris in this brand new exhibition, unlike any other she has done before. Jackie is a prize-winning, internationally best-selling illustrator, wildlife artist and author, living in Wales. For the first time, her life’s work is displayed together, with over 250 original artworks from over 30 children’s books.
In this exhibition set in three parts, take a magical journey of imagination, stories and dreams, from Whales to Ice bears, Dragons to Tigers, Birds and Nature. Her books include The Ice Bear, The White Fox, The Snow Leopard, Tell Me A Dragon, and Lord of the Forest, full of stunning paintings that draw the reader into wonderful landscapes where unforgettable stories are told. Many are now used in schools and hospices across the UK.
Discover not only Jackie’s life, career and early work but also the original artwork and soundscapes of the award-winning ‘The Lost Words’ and ‘ The Lost Spells’, which she created with Robert Macfarlane.
The phenomenally successful, The Lost Words, is a ‘spellbook’ for all ages which celebrates nature’s power to spark imagination, voted the most beautiful book of 2016 by UK booksellers, winning the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2019, Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and most recently, nominated for the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator award. From Lost Words, a sequel, The Lost Spells was created.
Jackie has appeared painting on the big screen at ‘Spell Song Concerts’ at venues all over the UK. Her work has been translated into over fourteen languages, including Japanese, Korean, French and Spanish, as well as adapted for stage, and set to music, notably The Lost Words as a BBC Prom at the Royal Albert Hall and as Spell Songs by Folk by the Oak.
Follow Jackie’s path to becoming one of the most recognisable children’s illustrators in an extraordinary exhibition, with the beautiful original watercolour paintings that fill the pages of her books, including Jackie’s collaborations with Ted Hughes, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb & James Mayhew, as well as pieces never seen by the public before.
This family friendly exhibition includes children’s art activities and a chance to buy the artwork too.
Ticket information coming soon...
“SCRUMPTIOUS!” by Beggars Belief | Family Theatre
All is well at Sylvie’s Scrumptious Sweet Shop, P.C. Lee can’t resist the fruit cake, Stanley the Horse loves peppermint creams, and the Talkative Twins only cause a crumb of chaos. That is until a stranger arrives, and their irresistible ice cream threatens to spoil everything. SCRUMPTIOUS! is a magical show about friendship and ice cream, with hilarious songs, dancing, storytelling and gentle audience participation — the perfect treat for families and anyone young at heart.
1h
Suitable for Age 4+
£8.50 fee
“SCRUMPTIOUS!” by Beggars Belief | Family Theatre
All is well at Sylvie’s Scrumptious Sweet Shop, P.C. Lee can’t resist the fruit cake, Stanley the Horse loves peppermint creams, and the Talkative Twins only cause a crumb of chaos. That is until a stranger arrives, and their irresistible ice cream threatens to spoil everything. SCRUMPTIOUS! is a magical show about friendship and ice cream, with hilarious songs, dancing, storytelling and gentle audience participation — the perfect treat for families and anyone young at heart.
1h
Suitable for Age 4+
£8.50 fee
Tartan Weaving with Jan Beadle
This course is a perfect introduction to weaving for beginners.
Enjoy a day of weaving a tartan scarf using a four-shaft table loom. Explore classic tartan weaving patterns and go home with a lovely scarf.
Jan will have the looms set up, ready to go, when you arrive in the workshop room which is spacious and bright with views of the fields. Jan has over 30 years’ experience in the textile field both as a teacher and as a designer and maker of contemporary woven textiles for fashion and interiors.
10am -4pm
Maximum 8 people
Minimum age 16
£70 pp including materials
Kintsugi Craft Workshop for Beginners
Discover the ancient art of Kintsugi in a fun and creative way and create beautiful ceramic pieces to take home. Kintsugi celebrates the Japanese philosophy of the beauty of imperfection. You’ll learn how to safely break pottery and to repair it with gold, thereby embracing the cracks to make unique pieces of art. You will be given your own toolbox which will contain all the items you need for this workshop. Your Kintsugi pieces will make beautiful mementoes of the day which can be used as ornaments or as gifts.
Amelia has a Master's degree in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage from the University of Lincoln. She is a gilt frame, objects, and decorative surfaces conservator and restorer and has worked in the Fine Arts sector for over 4 years gaining extensive experience in restoring and conserving antiques. During this time, she worked with Kintsugi and developed the technique for beginners to enjoy this creative art.
£45 pp inc materials
Max Number 12
Minimum age 18 years
Brian Hall | High Risk – Climbing to Extinction
On behalf of Community Action Nepal
Brian, a close friend and climbing partner of Community Action Nepal’s founder, Doug Scott, shares his captivating journey through the 1970s and 80’s, recounting his memories of their mutual friends: Alan Rouse, Paul Nunn, Joe Tasker, Pete Thexton, Georges Bettembourg, Mike Geddes, Alex MacIntyre, John Whittle, John Syrett, Sam Cochrane and Roger Baxter-Jones.
Starting with rock climbing at Leeds University and progressing to the hard game of mountaineering in Scotland and the Alps in winter, Patagonia and the Andes. He then went to Nepal on expeditions to Jannu, Nuptse, Everest in winter, Ogre 2, Makalu, Chamlang and K2.
Brian asks why they took such risks and remembers these friends with fondness, celebrating their achievements and looking back at a very different world than today. The Golden Age of Himalayan climbing was an epoch that marked the change from heavyweight expeditions to fast and light alpine style. They thought it was a safer way to climb, but in the end, the statistics show otherwise.
The presentation is loosely based on the book High Risk, a critically acclaimed work that won the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature in 2022, the Himalayan Club Kekoo Naoroji Award in 2022 and the NZMFF Best Mountain & Adventure Narrative 2023.
1h 30m
Wainwright Memorial Lecture by Graham Uney | In Support of Fix the Fells
Graham fell in love with the mountains at a young age. He completed the Wainwrights just before his 18th birthday, and in 1998 he became the first person to backpack over all the 2,000 ft summits of Wales (the Welsh Hewitts) in one continuous expedition. He has since completed two more rounds of the Welsh Hewitts, all of the English Hewitts, and in Scotland has climbed more than 200 Munros and 100 Corbetts. He has been a rock climber since his early teens, and has a number of first ascents to his name, mainly in Yorkshire, but a few in the Lake District too.
Graham’s talk will be focussed around his book Walking the Wainwrights - 64 Walks to Climb the 214 Wainwrights of Lakeland
1h
Tickets: £12
Society Members: £8 (Membership card to be shown with your ticket on the evening)
Create a Piped Cushion with Ashlea Ginesi
New for our programme of creative classes, a chance to learn some sewing techniques with a takeaway creation to enhance your home. Join Ashlea for this hands on class, designed to teach you the basic methods of pattern placement, piping, putting in a zip and finishing techniques to make your own high quality cushion.
All you need to bring is your sewing machine. Ashlea will provide zips, the fabric, piping cord and threads, which are all included in the price. If you also need 18 inch inners, these will be available to buy on the day for £8 – please bring cash.
Ashea has studied and worked within the design industry since 2005. Ashlea has a strong knowledge of interiors and design, priding herself on producing high quality hand sewn soft furnishing.
Maximum number 10
Minimum Age 14
£50 inc all materials
Cartoon Circus | Live Show
The one hour family show features some of Britain's funniest clowns, traditional slapstick comedy, magic, illusions, the amazing girl in the spinning bottle, cartoon characters, plate spinning, an acrobatic human slinky, puppets, prizes and surprises
A LIVE SHOW NOT TO BE MISSED!
Cartoon Circus | Live Show
The one hour family show features some of Britain's funniest clowns, traditional slapstick comedy, magic, illusions, the amazing girl in the spinning bottle, cartoon characters, plate spinning, an acrobatic human slinky, puppets, prizes and surprises
A LIVE SHOW NOT TO BE MISSED!
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly | Family Theatre
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly...... But The People’s Theatre Company do!
And now you can too as they bring the world’s best loved nonsense rhyme to life just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pam Adams’ best-selling book!
In this enchanting stage adaptation, aliens from a distant planet have crash-landed on earth and need our help to get home. But there’s a problem. Their rocket runs on stories, not fuel, and only the greatest story in the universe will be enough to save them!
With a captivating combination of live action, animation and puppetry, this magical re-telling of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly is sure to surprise and delight children and nostalgic adults in equal measure .
A great introduction to the theatre with just the right balance of sitting listening and taking part ★★★★★ – Bristol Guide
Thoroughly entertaining and brilliant fun. ★★★★★ - Patricia Goodwin, What's on Stage
A lovely take on the nursery rhyme with lots of interaction. A truly magical 60 minutes. ★★★★★ - Andrea Murphy
For ages 3-103!
1h 20m
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly | Family Theatre
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly...... But The People’s Theatre Company do!
And now you can too as they bring the world’s best loved nonsense rhyme to life just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pam Adams’ best-selling book!
In this enchanting stage adaptation, aliens from a distant planet have crash-landed on earth and need our help to get home. But there’s a problem. Their rocket runs on stories, not fuel, and only the greatest story in the universe will be enough to save them!
With a captivating combination of live action, animation and puppetry, this magical re-telling of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly is sure to surprise and delight children and nostalgic adults in equal measure .
A great introduction to the theatre with just the right balance of sitting listening and taking part ★★★★★ – Bristol Guide
Thoroughly entertaining and brilliant fun. ★★★★★ - Patricia Goodwin, What's on Stage
A lovely take on the nursery rhyme with lots of interaction. A truly magical 60 minutes. ★★★★★ - Andrea Murphy
For ages 3-103!
1h 20m
Fused Glass Christmas Decorations with Roxanne Denny
Try your hand at glass fusing and have fun making your own Christmas decorations with hands-on guidance from Roxanne. You will learn all you need to know to design and produce three to six decorations, including an introduction to different forms of glass, colour changes in the kiln, glass compatibility and how to cut glass
All materials and use of equipment are included in the price. Your finished pieces can be collected from Rheged a couple of weeks after the class.
Roxanne is an award-winning glass artist, who produces colourful and abstract fused glass pieces including bowls, wall art, coasters, jewellery and much more. Roxanne has been teaching glass courses for the past nine years and loves to bring out the creativity of her students and see the pieces that they produce.
10am-1pm
Minimum age 16 years
Maximum of 8 in the class
£65pp
Sarah Smout: Waterbaby | RGS
Waterbaby invites us on a personal and global journey exploring our fragile and intrinsic relationships with water. Combining her soulful poetry, mesmerising vocals and live-looped cello soundscapes, Sarah captivates and tugs at the heart. With stories from her voyages by boat to Iceland, Shetland, the Faroes and the Uists, and over land to waters around her northern UK home, Sarah shares personal experiences of how water has shaped her life. Waterbaby is a plea for the future of the planet by returning to the ocean that cradled us all as we were waiting to breathe; humming with atmosphere, carrying the voices of people, places and beings who need to be heard, encapsulating the urgency for connection, healing, and experience with nature.
Sarah Smout is an environmental artist whose work transcends traditional boundaries, weaving together nature, creativity, and activism to provoke thought and inspire change. Combining her unique use of live-looped cello soundscapes, ethereal vocals and soulful poetry, she creates a transportive and mesmerising world leaving audiences captivated and spell-bound, ready to take action for the planet. Her music has been played on the BBC’s Radio 2, Introducing and Look North programmes, and she has worked with Greenpeace, COP26 and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, with many ongoing cross-arts, science and community projects.
Her live film, Rooted, was selected to be screened at the famous Kendal Mountain Festival and Hinterlands Rural Film Festival. ‘23 saw her return to KMF to perform alongside Simon Armitage, Robert MacFarlane, Sam Lee, and Elizabeth Jane-Burnett at the festival’s sold-out event “Music on Nature”, as well as receiving an Honorary Research Fellowship at the University of Cumbria. She also sold out her recent show at Hay Festival, and toured her solo show ‘Eyjar’, inspired by her island-hopping sailing voyage to Iceland, at arts centres and venues across England.
Prior to her solo career launching in 2019, she toured and recorded internationally with artists for over a decade. Now, Sarah makes every effort to tour via land and sea, in order to keep her negative impact on the planet to a minimum. Sarah has embarked on epic sea voyages to places such as the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, the Faroes and Iceland to record natural sounds, travel slowly, and collect stories from the people, flora and fauna she encounters. 2025 sees her biggest adventure to date, set to take place around Svalbard, a frontier of climate change.
Sarah’s deep care for the planet resonates through her compositions, encapsulating the urgent need for connection, healing, and experience with nature.
“Deeply lovely” - Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2
“Simply beautiful” – Greenpeace
“Imaginative, creative, innovative and deeply sensitive, but above all, brave”
- Sir John Lister Kaye, author and naturalist
1h 50m (inc 20m interval)
Brit Rock Film Tour
Intro and & Q&A with Filmmaker Alastair Lee.
A special gala event screening of the Brit Rock Film Tour 2024 (Brit Rock VI).
Film maker Alastair Lee will host the evening in his inimitable style. There will also be athlete appearances and sponsor give-aways.
This year's films include; 'Nose Job' one of the biggest climbing stories in years as ex-competition climbers Billy Rydal and Alex Waterhouse take on the ambitious project of trying to be the first Briton's to free climb the Nose on El Capitan, Yosemite. Not only do they have no big walling experience they have also barely climbed a multi-pitch route between them. Watch in disbelief as our two young upstarts blow the doors off the bank of possible.
'Close Encounters of the Blind'. Blind climber Jesse Dufton ably supported by his wife and sight guide Molly takes on his great challenge yet, the notoriously tough and sustained route 'Matador' on the iconic Devil's Tower, Wyoming. All does not go to plan as it soon becomes clear Jesse has bitten off more than he can chew, what unfolds is a truly gripping ascent with blind leader falls and a lesson is guts, drive and determination.
Complete film program tbc.
Total running time 120mins with interval
The Little Mermaid | Christmas Live Pantomime
Last year's ticket prices available until End of April 2024
Panto makes a splash with a fabulous new version of The Little Mermaid
Join us for a fun packed show full of live pantomime fun, comedy and custard pies!
Dive under the sea with us this festive season and enjoy a fresh, fantastical spin on this classic tale. Full of colourful characters, sensational songs, lots of laughter and more fun than you can shake a flipper at, join us in an underwater kingdom like no other!
Prepare to be enchanted by the Little Mermaid’s vibrant spirit, as our modern heroine embarks on an adventure, meeting colourful characters along the way that audiences of all ages will adore.
The Little Mermaid will include all the usual panto-wonderfulness – an enchanting story, goodies to cheer, baddies to boo, songs to sing along to and of course heaps of joining-in silliness, making it perfect for all the family.
1h
The Little Mermaid | Christmas Live Pantomime
Last year's ticket prices available until End of April 2024
Panto makes a splash with a fabulous new version of The Little Mermaid
Join us for a fun packed show full of live pantomime fun, comedy and custard pies!
Dive under the sea with us this festive season and enjoy a fresh, fantastical spin on this classic tale. Full of colourful characters, sensational songs, lots of laughter and more fun than you can shake a flipper at, join us in an underwater kingdom like no other!
Prepare to be enchanted by the Little Mermaid’s vibrant spirit, as our modern heroine embarks on an adventure, meeting colourful characters along the way that audiences of all ages will adore.
The Little Mermaid will include all the usual panto-wonderfulness – an enchanting story, goodies to cheer, baddies to boo, songs to sing along to and of course heaps of joining-in silliness, making it perfect for all the family.
1h
The Little Mermaid | Christmas Live Pantomime
Last year's ticket prices available until End of April 2024
Panto makes a splash with a fabulous new version of The Little Mermaid
Join us for a fun packed show full of live pantomime fun, comedy and custard pies!
Dive under the sea with us this festive season and enjoy a fresh, fantastical spin on this classic tale. Full of colourful characters, sensational songs, lots of laughter and more fun than you can shake a flipper at, join us in an underwater kingdom like no other!
Prepare to be enchanted by the Little Mermaid’s vibrant spirit, as our modern heroine embarks on an adventure, meeting colourful characters along the way that audiences of all ages will adore.
The Little Mermaid will include all the usual panto-wonderfulness – an enchanting story, goodies to cheer, baddies to boo, songs to sing along to and of course heaps of joining-in silliness, making it perfect for all the family.
1h
The Little Mermaid | Christmas Live Pantomime
Last year's ticket prices available until End of April 2024
Panto makes a splash with a fabulous new version of The Little Mermaid
Join us for a fun packed show full of live pantomime fun, comedy and custard pies!
Dive under the sea with us this festive season and enjoy a fresh, fantastical spin on this classic tale. Full of colourful characters, sensational songs, lots of laughter and more fun than you can shake a flipper at, join us in an underwater kingdom like no other!
Prepare to be enchanted by the Little Mermaid’s vibrant spirit, as our modern heroine embarks on an adventure, meeting colourful characters along the way that audiences of all ages will adore.
The Little Mermaid will include all the usual panto-wonderfulness – an enchanting story, goodies to cheer, baddies to boo, songs to sing along to and of course heaps of joining-in silliness, making it perfect for all the family.
1h
Your enquiry will be sent directly to Rheged Centre. Please fill in as much detail as you can.
A Place to Meet.
Rheged is a gallery, café, cinema, shopping venue, workplace and creative space on the edge of the Northern Lakes. A place where kids can be kids in our Indoor Play and Making Space and where friends, family and colleagues can share a meal, watch a film, hold a meeting, see an exhibition, buy a gift or catch up over coffee. A flexible space for getting together or enjoying time alone with a book or notepad; a place where stories are told, ideas are sparked and the Cumbrian landscape is a constant source of inspiration.
Cinema
Our giant-screen cinema offers an immersive experience unique within our region. The 18.3-metre-wide screen invites you to leap into the action of the latest Hollywood releases and family favourites or be transported to one of the world’s great theatres, where live-streamed opera, ballet and musical performances come vividly to life through our state-of-the-art surround sound system. Enjoy the show with sweet treats from our Deli including Kimi’s Gelato, popcorn and hand-packed confectionery range from Bon Bon’s.
Indoor Play
Our state of-the-art indoor play area, designed by Tigerplay features a new café serving coffees and cakes, along with a seating area for parents and guardians. The revamped space features three slides alongside each other to race down and a specific area for young children. It also includes an elevated level including a ‘nest-like’ den which can be reached through climbing walls and ladders.
Making Space
Where children can get creative decorating a range of models including bunnies, dinosaurs, masks, letters and more with decorative patterned papers in our Decopatch workshop.
Gallery
In our spacious Gallery we host a changing programme of four exhibitions every year which have a connection with our Cumbria home. We are proud to exhibit work by Cumbria’s artists and craftspeople, as well as emerging and established artists from all over the UK. This strong relationship with artists means we can show creativity at its most diverse, as well as reflecting life in the landscape. Alongside each exhibition is a range of creative classes led by exhibiting artists.
Café
Our 100-seat ground-floor cafe is a relaxed dining space where you can brunch with friends, enjoy a working lunch or catch up before a movie. Our menu is inclusive and flexible, changing with the seasons and featuring handmade food and drink from our community of local producers.
Deli
Our Deli counter offers sandwiches, pies, salads, cakes and bakes made by us as you would make them at home. On the move? We offer speciality coffee by Carvetii in Threlkeld available to take away with you. In our Deli shop you will find edible gifts with a strong sense of place. Local and handmade foods, including Cumbrian preserves, artisan pastas, organic wines and small-batch craft spirits. Functional cookware and eco-conscious utensils and accessories for table and pantry.
New to our Deli, enjoy a selection of hotdogs on your next evening visit to our Cinema. Made with Cumberland sausages from our butchery, and topped with pickled red onions, crispy onions, grated parmesan cheese and a sauce from Wild & Fruitful of your choice, as well as a halloumi option!
Add homemade sea salt & herb potato wedges on the side too, with Cotswold Gold Garlic Mayonnaise or Wild & Fruitful Bowness BBQ Sauce. Available Friday and Saturday evenings (5pm -7pm) or until the beginning of a live streaming event in our Cinema.
Toyshop
Our toy shop is packed almost to the rafters with children’s books, clothes, toys, puzzles, gifts, Jellycat teddies and pocket-money treats. Children can find new titles by their favourite authors, or discover retellings of classic fairytales. Our vibrant range of children’s clothing is from brands such as Blade Rose as well as Marcus Walters screen-printed just for us sweatshirts and t-shirts. We stock a huge selection of LEGO® which features Harry Potter, Avatar, Lego City, Technic, Spider-Man, Lightyear and Minecraft.
Clothing and Wellbeing
Our lifestyle shop includes stylish womenswear and accessories, exceptional beauty products, and contemporary interior accessories. Clothing ranges includes sustainable labels (People Tree; Thought Clothing), iconic names (Birkenstock) and British knitwear from Eribé and Harley of Scotland.
Our Wellbeing space showcases natural skincare and vegan-friendly makeup from emerging and established brands. Our brands include REN, This Works, Trilogy, L’Occitane, Dr Hauschka, with makeup from Stila.
Find textiles, ceramics, lighting and craft to bring warmth and personality to indoor and outdoor spaces in our Home section. As well as bespoke blankets, scarves and natural scented candles created for us by craft producers and beguiling gallery of cards and gift wrap designed and printed in Britain.
Design Shop
An evolving space celebrating art, design and thought. Ceramics, jewellery and items for the home from iconic names and local makers. We stock a range of stationery, art materials and craft kits for both adults and children to get creative with. As well as products made by artist exhibiting in our Gallery.
Outdoor Shop
Kit to inspire adventure in the Cumbrian landscape. Clothing, footwear, rucksacks, accessories, books and camping gear from KUHL, Rab, Fjallraven, Cotopaxi and mindful brands including Fjällraven, Patagonia, Howies and many more.
Cafe: 9am till 5pm
Shops: 10am – 5.30pm
Gallery: 10am – 5.30pm
Deli:
Sunday – Thursday 8:30am - 5.30pm
Friday to Saturday 8.30am – 7pm (serving brand new hotdogs and potato wedges 5pm – 7pm)
Cinema: Please see programme. Drinks and snacks available.
Filling station: 6am – 10pm
Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Open New Years Eve and Day
Location
Rheged Centre, Redhills
Penrith, Cumbria
CA11 0DQ
Rheged is a couple of minutes’ drive from the M6 (J40) at Penrith along the A66 towards Keswick.
Regular bus services between Penrith and Keswick stop at Rheged. Visit traveline.info for timetables.
Our 250-space car park is free for Rheged visitors. Please note that the car park closes when Rheged closes. It is locked and unattended overnight.
Filling station and EV charging points available on site.
Lost Spells, Lost Words: Beyond & Before Exhibition
Curated in partnership with Rheged, celebrate over 30 years of the work of Jackie Morris in this brand new exhibition, unlike any other she has done before. Jackie is a prize-winning, internationally best-selling illustrator, wildlife artist and author, living in Wales. For the first time, her life’s work is displayed together, with over 250 original artworks from over 30 children’s books.
In this exhibition set in three parts, take a magical journey of imagination, stories and dreams, from Whales to Ice bears, Dragons to Tigers, Birds and Nature. Her books include The Ice Bear, The White Fox, The Snow Leopard, Tell Me A Dragon, and Lord of the Forest, full of stunning paintings that draw the reader into wonderful landscapes where unforgettable stories are told. Many are now used in schools and hospices across the UK.
Discover not only Jackie’s life, career and early work but also the original artwork and soundscapes of the award-winning ‘The Lost Words’ and ‘ The Lost Spells’, which she created with Robert Macfarlane.
The phenomenally successful, The Lost Words, is a ‘spellbook’ for all ages which celebrates nature’s power to spark imagination, voted the most beautiful book of 2016 by UK booksellers, winning the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2019, Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and most recently, nominated for the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator award. From Lost Words, a sequel, The Lost Spells was created.
Jackie has appeared painting on the big screen at ‘Spell Song Concerts’ at venues all over the UK. Her work has been translated into over fourteen languages, including Japanese, Korean, French and Spanish, as well as adapted for stage, and set to music, notably The Lost Words as a BBC Prom at the Royal Albert Hall and as Spell Songs by Folk by the Oak.
Follow Jackie’s path to becoming one of the most recognisable children’s illustrators in an extraordinary exhibition, with the beautiful original watercolour paintings that fill the pages of her books, including Jackie’s collaborations with Ted Hughes, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb & James Mayhew, as well as pieces never seen by the public before.
This family friendly exhibition includes children’s art activities and a chance to buy the artwork too.
Ticket information coming soon...
“SCRUMPTIOUS!” by Beggars Belief | Family Theatre
All is well at Sylvie’s Scrumptious Sweet Shop, P.C. Lee can’t resist the fruit cake, Stanley the Horse loves peppermint creams, and the Talkative Twins only cause a crumb of chaos. That is until a stranger arrives, and their irresistible ice cream threatens to spoil everything. SCRUMPTIOUS! is a magical show about friendship and ice cream, with hilarious songs, dancing, storytelling and gentle audience participation — the perfect treat for families and anyone young at heart.
1h
Suitable for Age 4+
£8.50 fee
“SCRUMPTIOUS!” by Beggars Belief | Family Theatre
All is well at Sylvie’s Scrumptious Sweet Shop, P.C. Lee can’t resist the fruit cake, Stanley the Horse loves peppermint creams, and the Talkative Twins only cause a crumb of chaos. That is until a stranger arrives, and their irresistible ice cream threatens to spoil everything. SCRUMPTIOUS! is a magical show about friendship and ice cream, with hilarious songs, dancing, storytelling and gentle audience participation — the perfect treat for families and anyone young at heart.
1h
Suitable for Age 4+
£8.50 fee
Tartan Weaving with Jan Beadle
This course is a perfect introduction to weaving for beginners.
Enjoy a day of weaving a tartan scarf using a four-shaft table loom. Explore classic tartan weaving patterns and go home with a lovely scarf.
Jan will have the looms set up, ready to go, when you arrive in the workshop room which is spacious and bright with views of the fields. Jan has over 30 years’ experience in the textile field both as a teacher and as a designer and maker of contemporary woven textiles for fashion and interiors.
10am -4pm
Maximum 8 people
Minimum age 16
£70 pp including materials
Kintsugi Craft Workshop for Beginners
Discover the ancient art of Kintsugi in a fun and creative way and create beautiful ceramic pieces to take home. Kintsugi celebrates the Japanese philosophy of the beauty of imperfection. You’ll learn how to safely break pottery and to repair it with gold, thereby embracing the cracks to make unique pieces of art. You will be given your own toolbox which will contain all the items you need for this workshop. Your Kintsugi pieces will make beautiful mementoes of the day which can be used as ornaments or as gifts.
Amelia has a Master's degree in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage from the University of Lincoln. She is a gilt frame, objects, and decorative surfaces conservator and restorer and has worked in the Fine Arts sector for over 4 years gaining extensive experience in restoring and conserving antiques. During this time, she worked with Kintsugi and developed the technique for beginners to enjoy this creative art.
£45 pp inc materials
Max Number 12
Minimum age 18 years
Brian Hall | High Risk – Climbing to Extinction
On behalf of Community Action Nepal
Brian, a close friend and climbing partner of Community Action Nepal’s founder, Doug Scott, shares his captivating journey through the 1970s and 80’s, recounting his memories of their mutual friends: Alan Rouse, Paul Nunn, Joe Tasker, Pete Thexton, Georges Bettembourg, Mike Geddes, Alex MacIntyre, John Whittle, John Syrett, Sam Cochrane and Roger Baxter-Jones.
Starting with rock climbing at Leeds University and progressing to the hard game of mountaineering in Scotland and the Alps in winter, Patagonia and the Andes. He then went to Nepal on expeditions to Jannu, Nuptse, Everest in winter, Ogre 2, Makalu, Chamlang and K2.
Brian asks why they took such risks and remembers these friends with fondness, celebrating their achievements and looking back at a very different world than today. The Golden Age of Himalayan climbing was an epoch that marked the change from heavyweight expeditions to fast and light alpine style. They thought it was a safer way to climb, but in the end, the statistics show otherwise.
The presentation is loosely based on the book High Risk, a critically acclaimed work that won the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature in 2022, the Himalayan Club Kekoo Naoroji Award in 2022 and the NZMFF Best Mountain & Adventure Narrative 2023.
1h 30m
Wainwright Memorial Lecture by Graham Uney | In Support of Fix the Fells
Graham fell in love with the mountains at a young age. He completed the Wainwrights just before his 18th birthday, and in 1998 he became the first person to backpack over all the 2,000 ft summits of Wales (the Welsh Hewitts) in one continuous expedition. He has since completed two more rounds of the Welsh Hewitts, all of the English Hewitts, and in Scotland has climbed more than 200 Munros and 100 Corbetts. He has been a rock climber since his early teens, and has a number of first ascents to his name, mainly in Yorkshire, but a few in the Lake District too.
Graham’s talk will be focussed around his book Walking the Wainwrights - 64 Walks to Climb the 214 Wainwrights of Lakeland
1h
Tickets: £12
Society Members: £8 (Membership card to be shown with your ticket on the evening)
Create a Piped Cushion with Ashlea Ginesi
New for our programme of creative classes, a chance to learn some sewing techniques with a takeaway creation to enhance your home. Join Ashlea for this hands on class, designed to teach you the basic methods of pattern placement, piping, putting in a zip and finishing techniques to make your own high quality cushion.
All you need to bring is your sewing machine. Ashlea will provide zips, the fabric, piping cord and threads, which are all included in the price. If you also need 18 inch inners, these will be available to buy on the day for £8 – please bring cash.
Ashea has studied and worked within the design industry since 2005. Ashlea has a strong knowledge of interiors and design, priding herself on producing high quality hand sewn soft furnishing.
Maximum number 10
Minimum Age 14
£50 inc all materials
Cartoon Circus | Live Show
The one hour family show features some of Britain's funniest clowns, traditional slapstick comedy, magic, illusions, the amazing girl in the spinning bottle, cartoon characters, plate spinning, an acrobatic human slinky, puppets, prizes and surprises
A LIVE SHOW NOT TO BE MISSED!
Cartoon Circus | Live Show
The one hour family show features some of Britain's funniest clowns, traditional slapstick comedy, magic, illusions, the amazing girl in the spinning bottle, cartoon characters, plate spinning, an acrobatic human slinky, puppets, prizes and surprises
A LIVE SHOW NOT TO BE MISSED!
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly | Family Theatre
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly...... But The People’s Theatre Company do!
And now you can too as they bring the world’s best loved nonsense rhyme to life just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pam Adams’ best-selling book!
In this enchanting stage adaptation, aliens from a distant planet have crash-landed on earth and need our help to get home. But there’s a problem. Their rocket runs on stories, not fuel, and only the greatest story in the universe will be enough to save them!
With a captivating combination of live action, animation and puppetry, this magical re-telling of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly is sure to surprise and delight children and nostalgic adults in equal measure .
A great introduction to the theatre with just the right balance of sitting listening and taking part ★★★★★ – Bristol Guide
Thoroughly entertaining and brilliant fun. ★★★★★ - Patricia Goodwin, What's on Stage
A lovely take on the nursery rhyme with lots of interaction. A truly magical 60 minutes. ★★★★★ - Andrea Murphy
For ages 3-103!
1h 20m
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly | Family Theatre
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly...... But The People’s Theatre Company do!
And now you can too as they bring the world’s best loved nonsense rhyme to life just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pam Adams’ best-selling book!
In this enchanting stage adaptation, aliens from a distant planet have crash-landed on earth and need our help to get home. But there’s a problem. Their rocket runs on stories, not fuel, and only the greatest story in the universe will be enough to save them!
With a captivating combination of live action, animation and puppetry, this magical re-telling of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly is sure to surprise and delight children and nostalgic adults in equal measure .
A great introduction to the theatre with just the right balance of sitting listening and taking part ★★★★★ – Bristol Guide
Thoroughly entertaining and brilliant fun. ★★★★★ - Patricia Goodwin, What's on Stage
A lovely take on the nursery rhyme with lots of interaction. A truly magical 60 minutes. ★★★★★ - Andrea Murphy
For ages 3-103!
1h 20m
Fused Glass Christmas Decorations with Roxanne Denny
Try your hand at glass fusing and have fun making your own Christmas decorations with hands-on guidance from Roxanne. You will learn all you need to know to design and produce three to six decorations, including an introduction to different forms of glass, colour changes in the kiln, glass compatibility and how to cut glass
All materials and use of equipment are included in the price. Your finished pieces can be collected from Rheged a couple of weeks after the class.
Roxanne is an award-winning glass artist, who produces colourful and abstract fused glass pieces including bowls, wall art, coasters, jewellery and much more. Roxanne has been teaching glass courses for the past nine years and loves to bring out the creativity of her students and see the pieces that they produce.
10am-1pm
Minimum age 16 years
Maximum of 8 in the class
£65pp
Sarah Smout: Waterbaby | RGS
Waterbaby invites us on a personal and global journey exploring our fragile and intrinsic relationships with water. Combining her soulful poetry, mesmerising vocals and live-looped cello soundscapes, Sarah captivates and tugs at the heart. With stories from her voyages by boat to Iceland, Shetland, the Faroes and the Uists, and over land to waters around her northern UK home, Sarah shares personal experiences of how water has shaped her life. Waterbaby is a plea for the future of the planet by returning to the ocean that cradled us all as we were waiting to breathe; humming with atmosphere, carrying the voices of people, places and beings who need to be heard, encapsulating the urgency for connection, healing, and experience with nature.
Sarah Smout is an environmental artist whose work transcends traditional boundaries, weaving together nature, creativity, and activism to provoke thought and inspire change. Combining her unique use of live-looped cello soundscapes, ethereal vocals and soulful poetry, she creates a transportive and mesmerising world leaving audiences captivated and spell-bound, ready to take action for the planet. Her music has been played on the BBC’s Radio 2, Introducing and Look North programmes, and she has worked with Greenpeace, COP26 and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, with many ongoing cross-arts, science and community projects.
Her live film, Rooted, was selected to be screened at the famous Kendal Mountain Festival and Hinterlands Rural Film Festival. ‘23 saw her return to KMF to perform alongside Simon Armitage, Robert MacFarlane, Sam Lee, and Elizabeth Jane-Burnett at the festival’s sold-out event “Music on Nature”, as well as receiving an Honorary Research Fellowship at the University of Cumbria. She also sold out her recent show at Hay Festival, and toured her solo show ‘Eyjar’, inspired by her island-hopping sailing voyage to Iceland, at arts centres and venues across England.
Prior to her solo career launching in 2019, she toured and recorded internationally with artists for over a decade. Now, Sarah makes every effort to tour via land and sea, in order to keep her negative impact on the planet to a minimum. Sarah has embarked on epic sea voyages to places such as the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, the Faroes and Iceland to record natural sounds, travel slowly, and collect stories from the people, flora and fauna she encounters. 2025 sees her biggest adventure to date, set to take place around Svalbard, a frontier of climate change.
Sarah’s deep care for the planet resonates through her compositions, encapsulating the urgent need for connection, healing, and experience with nature.
“Deeply lovely” - Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2
“Simply beautiful” – Greenpeace
“Imaginative, creative, innovative and deeply sensitive, but above all, brave”
- Sir John Lister Kaye, author and naturalist
1h 50m (inc 20m interval)
Brit Rock Film Tour
Intro and & Q&A with Filmmaker Alastair Lee.
A special gala event screening of the Brit Rock Film Tour 2024 (Brit Rock VI).
Film maker Alastair Lee will host the evening in his inimitable style. There will also be athlete appearances and sponsor give-aways.
This year's films include; 'Nose Job' one of the biggest climbing stories in years as ex-competition climbers Billy Rydal and Alex Waterhouse take on the ambitious project of trying to be the first Briton's to free climb the Nose on El Capitan, Yosemite. Not only do they have no big walling experience they have also barely climbed a multi-pitch route between them. Watch in disbelief as our two young upstarts blow the doors off the bank of possible.
'Close Encounters of the Blind'. Blind climber Jesse Dufton ably supported by his wife and sight guide Molly takes on his great challenge yet, the notoriously tough and sustained route 'Matador' on the iconic Devil's Tower, Wyoming. All does not go to plan as it soon becomes clear Jesse has bitten off more than he can chew, what unfolds is a truly gripping ascent with blind leader falls and a lesson is guts, drive and determination.
Complete film program tbc.
Total running time 120mins with interval
The Little Mermaid | Christmas Live Pantomime
Last year's ticket prices available until End of April 2024
Panto makes a splash with a fabulous new version of The Little Mermaid
Join us for a fun packed show full of live pantomime fun, comedy and custard pies!
Dive under the sea with us this festive season and enjoy a fresh, fantastical spin on this classic tale. Full of colourful characters, sensational songs, lots of laughter and more fun than you can shake a flipper at, join us in an underwater kingdom like no other!
Prepare to be enchanted by the Little Mermaid’s vibrant spirit, as our modern heroine embarks on an adventure, meeting colourful characters along the way that audiences of all ages will adore.
The Little Mermaid will include all the usual panto-wonderfulness – an enchanting story, goodies to cheer, baddies to boo, songs to sing along to and of course heaps of joining-in silliness, making it perfect for all the family.
1h
The Little Mermaid | Christmas Live Pantomime
Last year's ticket prices available until End of April 2024
Panto makes a splash with a fabulous new version of The Little Mermaid
Join us for a fun packed show full of live pantomime fun, comedy and custard pies!
Dive under the sea with us this festive season and enjoy a fresh, fantastical spin on this classic tale. Full of colourful characters, sensational songs, lots of laughter and more fun than you can shake a flipper at, join us in an underwater kingdom like no other!
Prepare to be enchanted by the Little Mermaid’s vibrant spirit, as our modern heroine embarks on an adventure, meeting colourful characters along the way that audiences of all ages will adore.
The Little Mermaid will include all the usual panto-wonderfulness – an enchanting story, goodies to cheer, baddies to boo, songs to sing along to and of course heaps of joining-in silliness, making it perfect for all the family.
1h
The Little Mermaid | Christmas Live Pantomime
Last year's ticket prices available until End of April 2024
Panto makes a splash with a fabulous new version of The Little Mermaid
Join us for a fun packed show full of live pantomime fun, comedy and custard pies!
Dive under the sea with us this festive season and enjoy a fresh, fantastical spin on this classic tale. Full of colourful characters, sensational songs, lots of laughter and more fun than you can shake a flipper at, join us in an underwater kingdom like no other!
Prepare to be enchanted by the Little Mermaid’s vibrant spirit, as our modern heroine embarks on an adventure, meeting colourful characters along the way that audiences of all ages will adore.
The Little Mermaid will include all the usual panto-wonderfulness – an enchanting story, goodies to cheer, baddies to boo, songs to sing along to and of course heaps of joining-in silliness, making it perfect for all the family.
1h
The Little Mermaid | Christmas Live Pantomime
Last year's ticket prices available until End of April 2024
Panto makes a splash with a fabulous new version of The Little Mermaid
Join us for a fun packed show full of live pantomime fun, comedy and custard pies!
Dive under the sea with us this festive season and enjoy a fresh, fantastical spin on this classic tale. Full of colourful characters, sensational songs, lots of laughter and more fun than you can shake a flipper at, join us in an underwater kingdom like no other!
Prepare to be enchanted by the Little Mermaid’s vibrant spirit, as our modern heroine embarks on an adventure, meeting colourful characters along the way that audiences of all ages will adore.
The Little Mermaid will include all the usual panto-wonderfulness – an enchanting story, goodies to cheer, baddies to boo, songs to sing along to and of course heaps of joining-in silliness, making it perfect for all the family.
1h
Your enquiry will be sent directly to Rheged Centre. Please fill in as much detail as you can.