AN OPPORTUNITY this week to work hands-on alongside Rusland Horizons as part of their Coupes and Cords project. Why not join them on their volunteer work parties as they carry out a range of projects that involve the local community in recording, restoring, managing and celebrating the heritage, wildlife and wooded landscape of the area.

Mainly focusing on coppicing and woodland management, staff will lead the day with a view to developing legacy interest in woodland work and you will be able to learn more about the benefits of coppicing. Everyone welcome, no experience necessary. What to take: Suitable outdoor clothing, sturdy footwear, gloves, lunch and drink. On Tuesday (9am-4pm). Booking essential at www.eventbrite.co.uk

MOTHER’S Day Afternoon Tea on Sunday (March 31). Why not treat mum to a gorgeous Afternoon Tea in the beautiful surroundings of Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass. The tea will be served in the castle’s Drawing Room or the Billiard Room. Both these elegant rooms with their ornate plaster ceilings overlook the castle lawns. In fact it’s a great treat for all the family.

FEATURING works from Abbot Hall's collection, private and public loans, exhibition 'Refuge: The Art of Belonging' is running until June 29 in the hall's gallery.

It tells the story of the artists who entered Britain as a result of Nazi occupation in Europe during World War Two. Artists include Kurt Schwitters, Hilde Goldschmidt, Lucie Rie, Hans Coper, Martin Bloch, Josef Herman, Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach. The show is part of the nationwide arts festival Insiders/Outsiders which celebrates refugees from Nazi Europe and their contribution to British culture. On show is Portrait of Edward Driscoll (1941). www.abbothall.org.uk

THEATRE company Tortoise in a Nutshell brings us The Lost Things. A story about a boy who falls and finds himself in a dark and terrifying new world.

It's a world of lost things: car keys, wedding rings, dads, and a mysterious girl who is building an amazing machine. Performed in a unique dome structure, the play is about losing things and finding things you didn't even know you were looking for; a dark fairytale set in a fantastical world, where nothing is quite as it seems. On stage at The Brewery, Kendal, on Saturday (March 30) at 2pm & 4pm. Box office 01539-725133.

Tickets: £9.50; concessions £7.50 MURDER, She Didn’t Wrote: The Improvised Murder Mystery. Presented by Degrees of Error and Something for the Weekend.

A classic murder mystery is created on the spot in this ingenious and riotous show from Bristol Improv Theatre’s resident company. It’s a bit like live-action Cluedo! Playing on Saturday (March 30, 7.30pm) at The Dukes. Box office 01524-598500 Tickets £16; concessions £14.50.

The Jerry Richardson Trio perform at Zeffirellis Jazz Bar, on Saturday (March 30, 8.30pm). The electric organ virtuoso, singer and long-time Sting associate Richardson, leads his superb trio, featuring the sparkling alto saxophone of Garry Linsley and much-respected session drummer Graham Hare, through a set paying homage to the musicians he reveres, from Ray Charles and Jimmy Smith to Mose Allison and Donald Fagan. Great covers and great originals. Box office 015394-33845