Jade Pinto Andrade

Vanner Gallery in Salisbury will host its annual summer group exhibition, The Mixtape, from August 14 to September 12. The showcase will feature work by 20 contemporary artists using a broad range of creative styles, including several artists new to the gallery. The exhibition is intended to give local residents and visitors an opportunity to discover unfamiliar artists, with the gallery describing it as one of its most exciting shows of the year.

Shops across Salisbury sold out of eclipse glasses ahead of the August 12 solar eclipse after demand surged. Robert Dyas sold about 400 pairs and received hundreds of inquiries, while Salisbury Photo Centre sold its entire stock of roughly 30 to 40 pairs. Several other retailers did not stock the glasses. The UK Health Security Agency warned that ordinary sunglasses are unsafe and recommended indirect viewing methods such as a pinhole projector. Certified glasses should meet the ISO 12312-2 standard and must not be used with binoculars, telescopes or cameras without appropriate solar filters.

A deep partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK on August 12, beginning around 6:17 p.m., peaking at 7:14 p.m. and ending around 8:07 p.m. Suggested viewing locations near Salisbury include Dinton Park, Martin Down, Fordingbridge Recreation Ground, Ringwood and the New Forest, Warminster Town Park, Salisbury Plain and Cranborne Chase. Organised events will provide astronomy expertise and specialist viewing equipment, while all viewers are advised to use certified eclipse glasses or properly filtered astronomical equipment and never look directly at the Sun.

Hockey's Farm Shop and Farmyard Cafe in South Gorley won four Great Taste Awards, including a top three-star award for its Pannage Spare Rib Roasting Joint and one-star awards for pannage belly pork, a sausage roll, and wild venison and crab-apple sausages. The awards recognize the shop's artisan production and use of New Forest pannage pork, made from rare-breed pigs that forage on fallen acorns. The Guild of Fine Food described the awards as a celebration of craftsmanship, traditional methods and locally sourced ingredients.

The Green Dragon pub in Alderbury will mark its first anniversary since reopening with Dragon Fest, a family festival on August 15. Tickets will cost £1, with all proceeds supporting Alderbury and West Grimstead C of E School. The event will include live music, children’s activities, food, a raffle and a pub quiz, and organizers hope it will become an annual community event.