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Music & Drama

Both these groups are wholly based on self-expression, with no obligation to learn lines or read music. Items for drama are mostly homemade burlesques, spontaneous and sufficiently flexible to admit local talent in singing, writing verses and dancing.

Important related activities are the planning sessions and the work parties which get together to make costumes, effect and scenery.

The Music Group plays by ear and some are sufficiently experienced to improvise with harmony. Singing, whistling and percussion are regular accompaniments – as well as guitar, banjo, ukulele, accordion, mouth organ and concertina.

The Group is already confident and expert enough to perform in public and raise money for the Sponsorship Fund.

Jane Fidgen writes:

"Last year I decided that, instead of dusting my concertina which lives on top of the piano and has done for 40-odd years, I ought to start playing it again.  I contacted Sue and Dave, then Don and Fred joined us and later Barnie - and so "The Fossils" was formed and I even bought a new concertina!

We have played in public four times so far and the money we collect goes to the Sponsorship Fund.

It's fun for us and those that sing along with us - long may it continue."

Further Information
For details of the engagements please contact Don Townshend - 0117 904 8128

Spanish for Beginners

Begun in the spring of 2005, this course (Wednesday mornings at the University of Withywood, 10.00 to 12.00 noon), has proved to be instructive and entertaining. Some students regularly go to Spain for holidays and some have second homes there.

A further motivation is provided by Marie José Aguado, a Mexican engineering student we are sponsoring, who sends us e-mails in simple Castilian, which make excellent exercises for our students.

Grammar is confined to the absolute minimum – the emphasis is on making oneself understood, for confidence in this direction promotes further desire to learn.

Wednesday mornings (tbc)
10.00am to 12.00 noon
for further information please contact: Anton

Advanced French Conversation

How can using a foreign language give you the opportunity to meet new people and make friends? Of course these days, most of us can go abroad and use our language skills to communicate. Suddenly the efforts involved in learning a foreign language become worthwhile.

But why not use the language here at home and enjoy it? This is the main objective of our meetings. Two groups, with no more than seven or eight people, meet on Wednesday evenings or Thursday mornings every fortnight for an hour. We chat, exchange news, discuss a topical subject, listen to the latest news from France from one of us who has just come back from holiday there. All this happens in a relaxed atmosphere where it becomes quite natural to speak French and therefore helps build confidence. Some of us have been coming for over ten years and just enjoy meeting friends - and it all happens in French.

The donations which members make at the end of each session go to the University’s Sponsorship Fund.  The two French conversation classes recently donated £40 to Educaid. This will be used to buy calculators for a school in Sierra Leone as the students cannot take official maths examinations without them.

Wednesday 10.00am or 7.30pm (tbc)
for further information please contact: Marie Jo Coutanche - 0117 964 3106 or email mariejo@andrec.plus.com