THE FYLDE FIVE - Friday 9 October

Fancy spending an evening inside MI6?

Former MI6 intelligence officer Matthew Dunn takes you behind the scenes of British intelligence - from recruiting agents and planning operations to surveillance, threats and the decisions that can change everything. Expect dramatic recreations, surveillance footage and a genuinely unusual evening out in Lytham.

OPERATION MI6

Saturday 10 October

Lowther Pavilion, Lytham

7:30pm

15+, Approx. 2hours 10minutes

Our tip: Forget another night at the pub. This is about as close as you’re likely to get to the world of MI6 without needing security clearance.

The women history forgot.

What if the women who got written out of art history finally got their own show? This brand-new comedy from award winning Black Liver brings forgotten female artists and muses back into the spotlight through stories, sketches, songs, and spoken word. It’s funny, feminist and a little bit ridiculous.

Rogue’s Gallery

Friday 9 October

Fairhaven Lake Watersports Centre, Lytham St Annes

7:15pm

£10, 14+

Our tip: This is exactly the sort of thing you could easily miss if you weren’t specifically looking for it - which is rather the point.

Blackpool is getting its own Bayeux Tapestry.

A 10-metre tapestry is being created to tell the story of Blackpool - from seaside holidays and the Tower to the illuminations, industry, rebellion and even Horace, the 13,500-year-old Ice Age elk. And you don’t just get to look at it: you can actually help stitch it together.

Knittaz with Attitude: The Blackpool Tapestry

Monday 12 October

Aunty Social, 28 Topping Street, Blackpool

6:30 - 8:30pm

£4 (£3 under 16s)

Our tip: You don’t need to know how to sew. Just turn up with an idea, a memory or a willingness to have a go.

A 160-year-old Kirkham building has a new life.

A Grade ii-listed building in the heart of Kirkham has just been given a new lease of life. Built in 1860 as a Girls’ Charity School, it later became a bank before sitting empty for several years. Now it’s been restored and reopened as 1860 - a sports bar, coffee lounge and bistro.

1860

Poulton Street, Kirkham

Open daily - check current food service times

Our tip: Have a look at the building itself while you’re there. The restoration has deliberately retained its historic character and original features.

What if your favourite book got a glow-up?

Bring along a book you love and spend the evening covering it in rhinestones, pearls, bows, gems and all things sparkly. All the crafting materials and glue are provided, along with snacks, sweet treats and a cosy set-up. No crafting experience needed -just bring a book you’re prepared to make considerably more fabulous.

Book Bedazzling

Wednesday 14 October

Nuvo, 16 Tithebarn Street, Poulton-le-Fylde

7-10pm

£22.38

Max. 10 people

Our tip: Choose your book carefully. Once you’ve covered it in rhinestones, there’s no going back.

What do we leave behind when everything changes?

Five artists and local workshop participants explore memory, loss, place and identity through photography, ceramics, visual art and cyanotape.

It’s part of Good Grief Blackpool - but you don’t have to be grieving to engage with it. It’s an exhibition about the traces people leave behind, the things we remember and how creativity can help us make sense of change.

Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October

Blackpool Central Library, Queen Street

9:30am - 4:30pm Friday, 10am - 4pm Saturday

FREE

Our tip: Don’t just walk around looking at the artwork. Give yourself a little time with it - the stories behind it are what make this one worth seeing.

Fancy making your own Roman blind?

Friday 16 October

Ever fancied making your own Roman blind but had absolutely no idea where to start? This hands-on workshop takes you through the process and lets you make a 42 × 90cm sample blind to take home. Materials are included, and you don’t need previous blind-making experience - but you do need to be confident using a sewing machine.

The Sewing Institute, Lytham YMCA

10am - 2pm

£42 - materials included

Over 16s, confident beginners