SCROLL DOWN TO READ ABOUT ALL OUT MEETS IN 2023
ASTLEY
10th - 12th MARCH 2023 Photographs with thanks to June Elmes
First Folk Meet Up of the Season 10th-12th March 2023. A Newbie’s Review. It was forecast to be a chilly one. However, the welcome could not have been warmer. Chris and Jenny had prepared jacket potatoes for the travellers, which for me was the perfect beginning to a wonderfully relaxing weekend at Astley village hall.
I came with my daughter, Emily (9), who was very excited. We had been once before in November and Emily had learned to play the spoons with Gay. My dad, Mark and his partner Daphne, had been extolling the virtues of this lovely group for some time. This first evening was an easy going session of song, music and spoken word (I had never heard of the Effin Bee until then!). We were given a curious quiz of letters and numbers – which I have kept and intend to puzzle my friends with. Throughout the evening I kept hearing folk saying they were going to put the heating on, as the outside temperature dropped to minus 4. We were reminded to please leave out our fire buckets – although Julie made an excellent point that she didn't fancy throwing a block of ice at her van should a fire emergency occur!
Saturday woke warm and bright. After our communal cuppa in the hall, some of us settled down to crafting with June. She had prepared a lovely little Easter chick from wool and kitchen roll middles, even providing a chocolate egg to hide under the chick. I will be making more of these! We were treated to a jam session by, amongst others, Julie, Tom and Gay. The AGM also took place this weekend. Emily and I stepped out of this to chill out in the van. According to some feedback, some 45 minutes of discussion resulted in the committee remaining the same!
The rain came as myself and Emily decided to pump up our fancy new awning. Undeterred, we got it up in time for tea. What a communal spread that was! Of course there was John Jackson's famous trifle, which may have had a drop of brandy in it. Oooof! Saturday evening was a joy. So much skill and enthusiasm on display. Collette, a friend of Chris and Jenny, joined in for the evening with her mandolin. I sang with my dad – who pitched it a bit too high for me – but the fabulous thing is, no-one minded. Emily played the spoons again with Gay, and got a cheer! She was bursting with pride. And we all danced – even Tom – thanks to brilliant calling skills and some technical wizardry. Thank you to Chris and Jenny for coordinating a delightful weekend of acceptance, collaboration and smiles. Emily is already planning her performance piece for the next one.
Emma
10th - 12th MARCH 2023 Photographs with thanks to June Elmes
First Folk Meet Up of the Season 10th-12th March 2023. A Newbie’s Review. It was forecast to be a chilly one. However, the welcome could not have been warmer. Chris and Jenny had prepared jacket potatoes for the travellers, which for me was the perfect beginning to a wonderfully relaxing weekend at Astley village hall.
I came with my daughter, Emily (9), who was very excited. We had been once before in November and Emily had learned to play the spoons with Gay. My dad, Mark and his partner Daphne, had been extolling the virtues of this lovely group for some time. This first evening was an easy going session of song, music and spoken word (I had never heard of the Effin Bee until then!). We were given a curious quiz of letters and numbers – which I have kept and intend to puzzle my friends with. Throughout the evening I kept hearing folk saying they were going to put the heating on, as the outside temperature dropped to minus 4. We were reminded to please leave out our fire buckets – although Julie made an excellent point that she didn't fancy throwing a block of ice at her van should a fire emergency occur!
Saturday woke warm and bright. After our communal cuppa in the hall, some of us settled down to crafting with June. She had prepared a lovely little Easter chick from wool and kitchen roll middles, even providing a chocolate egg to hide under the chick. I will be making more of these! We were treated to a jam session by, amongst others, Julie, Tom and Gay. The AGM also took place this weekend. Emily and I stepped out of this to chill out in the van. According to some feedback, some 45 minutes of discussion resulted in the committee remaining the same!
The rain came as myself and Emily decided to pump up our fancy new awning. Undeterred, we got it up in time for tea. What a communal spread that was! Of course there was John Jackson's famous trifle, which may have had a drop of brandy in it. Oooof! Saturday evening was a joy. So much skill and enthusiasm on display. Collette, a friend of Chris and Jenny, joined in for the evening with her mandolin. I sang with my dad – who pitched it a bit too high for me – but the fabulous thing is, no-one minded. Emily played the spoons again with Gay, and got a cheer! She was bursting with pride. And we all danced – even Tom – thanks to brilliant calling skills and some technical wizardry. Thank you to Chris and Jenny for coordinating a delightful weekend of acceptance, collaboration and smiles. Emily is already planning her performance piece for the next one.
Emma
NETHER WHITACRE
21st - 23rd APRIL 2023 Photographs thanks to John Jackson, Linda Vowels and Julie Eaton
WOW - what a fantastic weekend at Nether Whitacre. Daphne and Mark took over the 'Pirate' themed event at short notice and did a brilliant job. We had 'Pirate' Quizzes and 'Pirate' Punch. There were some great costumes and all the singers and musicians performed some form of nautical tunes.
This was a three night meet. We had use of the hall all weekend and we welcomed visitors from North Central who made valuable contributions to the proceedings. Shared suppers on two evenings went down well (as always). Daytime, there was the usual communal jigsaw, various arts and crafts and some form of music preparation for the evening. Thanks again to Daphne and Mark.
21st - 23rd APRIL 2023 Photographs thanks to John Jackson, Linda Vowels and Julie Eaton
WOW - what a fantastic weekend at Nether Whitacre. Daphne and Mark took over the 'Pirate' themed event at short notice and did a brilliant job. We had 'Pirate' Quizzes and 'Pirate' Punch. There were some great costumes and all the singers and musicians performed some form of nautical tunes.
This was a three night meet. We had use of the hall all weekend and we welcomed visitors from North Central who made valuable contributions to the proceedings. Shared suppers on two evenings went down well (as always). Daytime, there was the usual communal jigsaw, various arts and crafts and some form of music preparation for the evening. Thanks again to Daphne and Mark.
ROWINGTON
19th - 21st MAY 2023
Maybe it was the good weather forecast or the prospect of a weekend in Shakespeare country that ensured a good turnout of “Midland” folk and a healthy selection of visitors to Rowington. As everyone settled in to their pitches we were met with the first challenge – draw a picture to represent one of Shakespeare’s plays. By 6:30 tables, chairs and tablecloths had been set out in the hall and everyone was tucking in to soup (courtesy of Beth and Gay) and rolls, washed down by an unexpected bonus – wine provided by June and Jeff. They were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and wanted to share this with everyone. Congratulations to them on their wine selection – oh, and on their anniversary!! It was therefore no surprise that the rest of the evening went well with exuberant singing, dancing and laughter, especially when caller Mark’s patience was tested to the full during one dance.
Saturday dawned with beautiful sunshine. Morning coffee was taken outside in Linda’s garden as a local dance group had use of the hall for a couple of hours. For well over an hour the whole group sat in the sunshine chatting, drinking tea and coffee and, it is rumoured, eating biscuits. There can be no other reason for the club’s normally copious supplies of biscuits running low by Saturday teatime. Saturday afternoon’s activities included jamming in the hall, crafting, people going for walks or just sitting in the sun till teatime – when emergency supplies of biscuits appeared – phew!!
The usual eclectic mix of hot and cold delights (and what was left of Jeff’s and June’s wine) for the shared supper started the evening, along with a small tot of mead, continuing the Shakespearian theme. The plays for which people had drawn cryptic clues were revealed and a quiz on Shakespeare – showing that we are not all as uncultured as we look! – interspersed another evening of singing, dancing and yet more laughter. However all these events were overshadowed by drama.
After an immaculate performance on Friday evening star entertainers Bertie and his Fabulous Boys were suddenly no more. The Boys were unceremoniously dropped and Bertie performed on Saturday with an all-girl backing, Julia and Gay! There was talk of careers being over and of serious damage to mental health. It speaks volumes for the skills and dedication of the stewards, Beth and Bill, that the evening went extremely well, that coffee on Sunday morning was a convivial affair and everyone left looking forward to Shatterford with its peace and Flower Power theme,
Daphne and Mark
19th - 21st MAY 2023
Maybe it was the good weather forecast or the prospect of a weekend in Shakespeare country that ensured a good turnout of “Midland” folk and a healthy selection of visitors to Rowington. As everyone settled in to their pitches we were met with the first challenge – draw a picture to represent one of Shakespeare’s plays. By 6:30 tables, chairs and tablecloths had been set out in the hall and everyone was tucking in to soup (courtesy of Beth and Gay) and rolls, washed down by an unexpected bonus – wine provided by June and Jeff. They were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and wanted to share this with everyone. Congratulations to them on their wine selection – oh, and on their anniversary!! It was therefore no surprise that the rest of the evening went well with exuberant singing, dancing and laughter, especially when caller Mark’s patience was tested to the full during one dance.
Saturday dawned with beautiful sunshine. Morning coffee was taken outside in Linda’s garden as a local dance group had use of the hall for a couple of hours. For well over an hour the whole group sat in the sunshine chatting, drinking tea and coffee and, it is rumoured, eating biscuits. There can be no other reason for the club’s normally copious supplies of biscuits running low by Saturday teatime. Saturday afternoon’s activities included jamming in the hall, crafting, people going for walks or just sitting in the sun till teatime – when emergency supplies of biscuits appeared – phew!!
The usual eclectic mix of hot and cold delights (and what was left of Jeff’s and June’s wine) for the shared supper started the evening, along with a small tot of mead, continuing the Shakespearian theme. The plays for which people had drawn cryptic clues were revealed and a quiz on Shakespeare – showing that we are not all as uncultured as we look! – interspersed another evening of singing, dancing and yet more laughter. However all these events were overshadowed by drama.
After an immaculate performance on Friday evening star entertainers Bertie and his Fabulous Boys were suddenly no more. The Boys were unceremoniously dropped and Bertie performed on Saturday with an all-girl backing, Julia and Gay! There was talk of careers being over and of serious damage to mental health. It speaks volumes for the skills and dedication of the stewards, Beth and Bill, that the evening went extremely well, that coffee on Sunday morning was a convivial affair and everyone left looking forward to Shatterford with its peace and Flower Power theme,
Daphne and Mark
SHATTERFORD
9th - 11th JUNE 2023
The theme was Flower Power and John, our steward, set the scene with swathes of ox eyed daisies which were soon made into posies for the tables at supper. For the gardeners there was a crossword to complete. After our usual soup and rolls there followed an enjoyable evening of dance and song.
It was a hot weekend so it became a lazy day with a song session in the afternoon, though two went on a bike ride. Then just as we were to have supper the heavens opened. The rain was so heavy that it put supper off for almost an hour but those already in the hall, waiting for the others to arrive, were content with a glass or two of wine courtesy of Gay's significant birthday.
There was a prize for the most picturesque flower costume and many members tried to win the chocolate bar! Then after a plant quiz, another evening of dancing and singing. We were not many but it was a real family atmosphere with everybody joining in.
Gaynor
9th - 11th JUNE 2023
The theme was Flower Power and John, our steward, set the scene with swathes of ox eyed daisies which were soon made into posies for the tables at supper. For the gardeners there was a crossword to complete. After our usual soup and rolls there followed an enjoyable evening of dance and song.
It was a hot weekend so it became a lazy day with a song session in the afternoon, though two went on a bike ride. Then just as we were to have supper the heavens opened. The rain was so heavy that it put supper off for almost an hour but those already in the hall, waiting for the others to arrive, were content with a glass or two of wine courtesy of Gay's significant birthday.
There was a prize for the most picturesque flower costume and many members tried to win the chocolate bar! Then after a plant quiz, another evening of dancing and singing. We were not many but it was a real family atmosphere with everybody joining in.
Gaynor
FILLONGLEY
22nd - 26th JUNE 2023 Photographs thanks to June Elmes
What a great meet! The weather was sizzling, apart from a rain shower just as some units arrived on Thursday. There were lots of activities and it was lovely to meet up with old friends from around the regions. Our stewards, Jeff and June, organised everything brilliantly, with help from Ann & Tim, as stewards in training, and other Midland members.
We had the use of the hall from Thursday to Sunday evenings. Every night there was dancing and a huge variety of solo spots. Our MCs Jeff, Chris, Richard and Beth kept us in order and managed a good mix of dances and performances. Ann & Tim led the band on 3 evenings, with the ‘big band’ on Saturday led by Mark. As a fairly new band member, I was very glad of their expert leadership.
We had many callers, some relative beginners but others experienced, and the dancers enjoyed themselves greatly, even when the dance didn’t go exactly as planned. The more experienced dancers were a great help to those of us that were less so! The individual performers wowed us in various ways, from beautiful songs, tunes, poems, a story with audience participation (and pirate noises), a song on the autoharp with watery sound effects and a solo clog dance. There were also raffles on 2 evenings. We were pleased to win a bottle of wine, but surprised to win 3 times more (the tickets were drawn again!)
During the day there were crafts on offer – iris folding, encaustic art, crochet and origami dress cards. The fiendish jigsaw of hundreds of tiny books on a bookcase was completed by Sunday evening. Impromptu music collaborations took place on the field. The highlight was the annual boules tournament on Sunday afternoon, which was won by Kevin and Chris (Woody), with worthy runners up Gaye and Paul. A big
thankyou to Julie for making the excellent trophies for our winners.
Saturday saw the greatest number of units on the field - about 45. The AGM and Members' meeting took place in the afternoon – I’m sure this will be reported in full elsewhere. Many thanks to the committee for all they do for us.
We rounded off the meet with a sumptuous shared supper on Sunday evening, a beetle drive and the results and winners of the two quizzes (cryptic underground stations and landmarks around the world). John gave out some spectacular beetle themed prizes!
Thank you, once again, for a superb time, great company, activities, music and singing. That’s what Folk Group meets are about!
Julia Davies
22nd - 26th JUNE 2023 Photographs thanks to June Elmes
What a great meet! The weather was sizzling, apart from a rain shower just as some units arrived on Thursday. There were lots of activities and it was lovely to meet up with old friends from around the regions. Our stewards, Jeff and June, organised everything brilliantly, with help from Ann & Tim, as stewards in training, and other Midland members.
We had the use of the hall from Thursday to Sunday evenings. Every night there was dancing and a huge variety of solo spots. Our MCs Jeff, Chris, Richard and Beth kept us in order and managed a good mix of dances and performances. Ann & Tim led the band on 3 evenings, with the ‘big band’ on Saturday led by Mark. As a fairly new band member, I was very glad of their expert leadership.
We had many callers, some relative beginners but others experienced, and the dancers enjoyed themselves greatly, even when the dance didn’t go exactly as planned. The more experienced dancers were a great help to those of us that were less so! The individual performers wowed us in various ways, from beautiful songs, tunes, poems, a story with audience participation (and pirate noises), a song on the autoharp with watery sound effects and a solo clog dance. There were also raffles on 2 evenings. We were pleased to win a bottle of wine, but surprised to win 3 times more (the tickets were drawn again!)
During the day there were crafts on offer – iris folding, encaustic art, crochet and origami dress cards. The fiendish jigsaw of hundreds of tiny books on a bookcase was completed by Sunday evening. Impromptu music collaborations took place on the field. The highlight was the annual boules tournament on Sunday afternoon, which was won by Kevin and Chris (Woody), with worthy runners up Gaye and Paul. A big
thankyou to Julie for making the excellent trophies for our winners.
Saturday saw the greatest number of units on the field - about 45. The AGM and Members' meeting took place in the afternoon – I’m sure this will be reported in full elsewhere. Many thanks to the committee for all they do for us.
We rounded off the meet with a sumptuous shared supper on Sunday evening, a beetle drive and the results and winners of the two quizzes (cryptic underground stations and landmarks around the world). John gave out some spectacular beetle themed prizes!
Thank you, once again, for a superb time, great company, activities, music and singing. That’s what Folk Group meets are about!
Julia Davies
BROMSBERROW
12th - 15th OCTOBER 2023
This was a 3 day meet at the Village Hall starting on Thursday afternoon. Over the weekend 47 people attended, with 18 motor homes, 7 caravans and 2 tents. Some members stayed one day , some for 2 days and some for all 3 days.
There were soup and rolls to welcome members on the Thursday. On Friday and Saturday evenings we had a sharing supper, sitting on tables of 6-8. It was lovely to meet people and get to know them and laugh with them - why was I always on the noisiest table? The sharing supper worked well as there wasn't much left over. The homemade food always seems the most popular.
During the day the crafting activity was making 3-D cards. There was a Wasgij that got a few of us addicted and there were workshops on trying new dances and playing dance music slowly. The weather was glorious, sunny and crisp, interspersed with the occasional shower, so several members went out for walks and for bike rides. Others played music and sang outside.
The beautiful clear days lead to cold nights and this certainly felt like the start of Autumn. To keep us warm we lit a fire pit outside on the patio and toasted marshmallows.
The evenings gave members the chance to entertain the group. There were songs and sing-a-longs, a soliloquy, stories and even a comparison of the different ways men and women shower - shocking! We had 11 of us playing a couple of unrehearsed pieces on our ukuleles. Such fun. Of course, this was all interspersed with plenty of dancing - after all the theme was Dance, Dance, Dance. The band played the music for the dancing and was absolutely fabulous.
Thank you to Mark and TC for stewarding the event and to all those involved in organising the weekend.
Val Farmer
12th - 15th OCTOBER 2023
This was a 3 day meet at the Village Hall starting on Thursday afternoon. Over the weekend 47 people attended, with 18 motor homes, 7 caravans and 2 tents. Some members stayed one day , some for 2 days and some for all 3 days.
There were soup and rolls to welcome members on the Thursday. On Friday and Saturday evenings we had a sharing supper, sitting on tables of 6-8. It was lovely to meet people and get to know them and laugh with them - why was I always on the noisiest table? The sharing supper worked well as there wasn't much left over. The homemade food always seems the most popular.
During the day the crafting activity was making 3-D cards. There was a Wasgij that got a few of us addicted and there were workshops on trying new dances and playing dance music slowly. The weather was glorious, sunny and crisp, interspersed with the occasional shower, so several members went out for walks and for bike rides. Others played music and sang outside.
The beautiful clear days lead to cold nights and this certainly felt like the start of Autumn. To keep us warm we lit a fire pit outside on the patio and toasted marshmallows.
The evenings gave members the chance to entertain the group. There were songs and sing-a-longs, a soliloquy, stories and even a comparison of the different ways men and women shower - shocking! We had 11 of us playing a couple of unrehearsed pieces on our ukuleles. Such fun. Of course, this was all interspersed with plenty of dancing - after all the theme was Dance, Dance, Dance. The band played the music for the dancing and was absolutely fabulous.
Thank you to Mark and TC for stewarding the event and to all those involved in organising the weekend.
Val Farmer
ASTLEY
10th - 12th NOVEMBER 2023 Photographs
Just outside Stourport with its lovely canal basin, Astley was our final meet of 2023. What a fantastic turnout, and of course that led to lots of choice at the shared supper and a variety of spot turns during the evening sessions.
Many thanks to stewards June and Jeff for organising the "Ghosts and Ghouls" weekend. Dressing up was optional but for those who did there was a fancy dress parade and prizes on Saturday evening. As usual the weekend was filled with craft and music sessions, local walks and cycle rides for the more energetic members. There was a long committee meeting on Saturday morning which was paused whilst the whole site held a 2 minute silence on Remembrance Day.
10th - 12th NOVEMBER 2023 Photographs
Just outside Stourport with its lovely canal basin, Astley was our final meet of 2023. What a fantastic turnout, and of course that led to lots of choice at the shared supper and a variety of spot turns during the evening sessions.
Many thanks to stewards June and Jeff for organising the "Ghosts and Ghouls" weekend. Dressing up was optional but for those who did there was a fancy dress parade and prizes on Saturday evening. As usual the weekend was filled with craft and music sessions, local walks and cycle rides for the more energetic members. There was a long committee meeting on Saturday morning which was paused whilst the whole site held a 2 minute silence on Remembrance Day.
