Wiltshire Folk Arts
Contact Us :
Wiltshire Folk Arts
19 Whistley Road, Potterne, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 5QY
email: mail@wiltshirefolkarts .org.uk
Office: 01380 726597
Bob : 07714 550990
Newsletter : December 2007
Hi all
Lots of news this month ... and lots of things going on too.
In this issue :
Tinkers Bag triumphs in France
Concert & Ceilidh on 15th Dec
The Potterne Mummers
Ceilidh in Chippenham, 29th Dec
Barrel House Blues will be no more :((
More Sad News
Swindon in Harmony ? (5 Jan 08)
After exhaustive organising and the sterling efforts of Mary-Ann Pickett, new Chairperson of the Melksham & Avon Twinning association and her colleagues both in Melksham and France, Tinkers bag eventually floated of to France to do one of their best ever gigs to date.
Playing to a great audience of 300 people in the lovely French town of Avon, near Fontainebleu, the band had a great weekend and were looked after most royally by the twinning members from France.
Lots of good friends were made and all had a really great time. Bob made some hand painted backdrops specially for the occasion and they worked well. These can be seen at the next Tinkers Bag concert this coming Saturday in Potterne.. Thanks to all the Twinning organisers for their assistance and generosity. Tinkers Bag are now looking to do a bit more international work. Know someone in Canada, or Australia, New Zealand perhaps ...?? Oh well ... if you don't ask !!! :)
Wiltshire Folk Arts Benefit Concert and Dance
Saturday 15th December, 8pm, Potterne Village Hall
Nothing to do on the 15th December? Then why not come and join us for a great evening. We have lots of music, Song Dance and general fun with Tinkers Bag, Dave & Jan Field, Ron Harries, Bob & Gill Berry and many, many more. There will be some dancing to a Tinkers Bag & Scratch band in the second half with calling by Dave Field. It should be a great night and the proceeds from the evening will be going towards maintaining the Wiltshire Folk Arts web site and proceeds from the raffle will be donated to the Potterne Village Youth Centre.
We really need your support as it is these events that keep the web site and information service going. If you have a mailing list of your own please consider letting as many people as possible know as the more we get the better evening we have and the benefits for all are so much the greater.
We are doing sausage rolls, mince pies and mulled wine. There is NOT going
to be a bar so if you want to bring your own drinks please do - we'll supply
the glasses.
There will be a great faffle and all donation towards this will be gratefully received.
Tickets are available now, or we can reserve them for you to collect on the door. Please let us know if you intend to come along so we can get an idea of how many mince pies to make!. See you there - it should be a real hoot!
Potterne Mummers strike again !
No - we are not downing tools for better pay - but we are considering doing so for better conditions! As you may be aware from last years emails on the subject, there are severe restrictions on the performance of these traditional plays. In a nutshell, this yearly activity is being restricted because the Mummers fall into a chink in the recently legislated entertainment licensing law. Because it is called a play it has been treated the same as say, a full theatrical performance or a musical. Because of this all pubs would need to have on their licence, the words " Performance of a play" in order for the mummers to perform there. Many pubs, understandably, do not have this and not likely to want to pay between £100 and £630 to place an amendment to their licence either. So we at Wiltshire Folk Arts and The Potterne Mummers have mounted a campaign to try and get the Government to see the problems we have but in order to do that we need lots of correspondence from anyone and everyone we can find that supports the campaign.
This is going to be a monumental task but with a lot of help and a following wind, we seriously believe we can make a difference and allow these type of events to happen unimpeded by petty beaurocratic nonsense. If you want to know more about what we are planning, or what we have done so far, please email us. We'll put you on the campaign mailing list and keep you updated with events as they happen. So here we go !!! . If you can help, please do so by writing or emailing your thoughts to us and we will try to make something happen.
The list of venues that the Potterne Mummers WILL be playing at this year is still being put together and we'll send it out this by coming Wed evening at the latest. or you can call us (07714 550990) for the latest info as it comes in. We definitely will be performing in Everleigh, Devizes, Market Lavington and Potterne.
Ceilidh in Chippenham
Here is news of another Ceilidh. This one will be in Chippenham on the 29th December at St. Pauls Church Hall in Chippenham. The band for the evening are the wonderful Woodpecker band and it all kicks off at 7.30pm. Tickets are just £7.50 and it is a bring your own drink evening. So grab a bottle of something and get along to the dance. We're going so we'll see you there too. (more info from Dave Field on 01249 657128)
Barrel House Blues - last chance to catch 'em
Barrel House Blues are stopping gigging as one of the band's members is moving to France. There is one last chance to catch them. Call Graham to check if there are any tickets left. Here's the info:
Sunday 9 December The Riverside, Bradford-on-Avon 3.00pm
Proceeds to be shared with Dorothy House. (£6) Booking recommended
Contact 01225 309115 or gpball@beeb.net
Sadly, Alan passed away last Saturday in Dorothy House. Alan had been fighting cancer for a while and true to form in his own inimitable way was working right up to the last minute to make the fabulous Trowbridge Village Pump Festival happen.
He will always be remembered; predominantly for his excellent playing and
singing as a solo artist, with Tinkers Cuss and many other bands but also for
his true grit in producing one of the UK's best Folk Festivals.
His "show must go on" attitude is an inspiration to us all and our deeply held respect and sincere best wishes go to his wife, Christine, and all his family.
Alan's funeral is on Thursday (13th Dec.) and donations are requested to go to Dorothy House Hospice in Bradford on Avon. Full details from us on 07714 550990.
Craig, Morgan and Robson and Swindon Scratch Choir
Saturday 5 January 2008 8pm
Craig Morgan Robson presents SUMMON UP THE SUN, a heartwarming and joyous celebration of winter traditions. Carols, songs, folk tales and much more from one of the folk scene's most acclaimed harmony groups.
'Three singing angels with a devilish sense of humour' - Pebbles Arts Centre
'Harmony singing at its best' - fRoots
plus a selection of songs from Swindon's own community choir - Swindon Scratch Choir.
Three terrific voices come together in an outstanding acapella harmony group which has an effortless range and variety unheard of in folk music for many years. They are turning their hands and voices with consummate ease to dramatic traditional ballads, lilting love songs and the occasional cutting edge contemporary work; their glorious and often intensely moving harmony singing, combined with the warmth of their stage presence, has been aptly described as a mix made in heaven.
Tickets: £7; Concessions £5.
Tickets are available from the Swindon Arts Centre Box Office:
The Arts Centre Devizes Road, Old Town Swindon, SN1 4BJ.
Tel: 01793 614837
That's it for the minute ... more coming soon including the Mumming list.
Bob
Wiltshire Folk Arts
