Skip to content

Category: Clubs

Posted on

Women’s Institute – September Update

President Pat Moran welcomed members and visitors to the most recent meeting. The W I is looking forward to entertaining past members as their 90th year is celebrated.

A walk is planned for 19 October followed by lunch at Barn Plants.

The scheduled speaker was unable to attend at the last minute but the president gave a fascinating and enlightening talk on her childhood in a mining valley in South Wales.

Next month Barbara Faulkner makes a welcome return with her talk entitled The ‘Witch’ Report on Halloween. Everyone is encouraged to wear something appropriate for the occasion. It is an Open Meeting with several other W I’s invited to attend.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Top Ten Trees of Colchester

… is the speakers topic when Ian Baalham visits the West Bergholt Gardeners Association meeting on Monday 19th September (7:30pm) in the Orpen Hall.

The talk will be followed by the Annual general Meeting. The Association looks forward to welcoming back present members as well as newcomers and visitors. Annual subscription is only £9; visitor entry £3. The association offers a varied programme throughout the year including trips to national and local gardens.

DIG TOGETHER DAY Growing as a Community

Please note that this event (as publicised in the village bulletin for 24 September) is postponed until Spring 2012.

For further information about the organisation please contact Terry Claydon 01206 242124 – [email protected] or Valerie Lofthouse 01206 855450 – [email protected]

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Wanting to play brass or woodwind?

In the run up to a planned concert focussed directly towards young people, the West Bergholt Concert band  will be holding band experience days where any brass or woodwind players can come along and try the band alongside experienced band members.

  • Saturday 15th October 2.30pm – 4.30pm, West Bergholt
  • Saturday 12th November 2.30pm – 4.30pm, West Bergholt
  • Saturday 26th November 2.00pm – 4.00pm, St Botolph’s

These events are a great opportunity to experience playing in a band in a relaxed and supportive environment and have proven to be great fun for everyone involved. If you’d like to join in the fun, please visit their website www.wbcb.org to reserve a place. They’ll also be holding their termly Open Rehearsal on Friday 30th September, which is again open to any brass or woodwind players.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

The Unexpected Guest

… a thriller by Agatha Christie is the Orpen Players Autumn production directed by Mike Poole. Lost in the fog, Michael Starkwedder stumbles into Richard Warwick’s house to find him dead and Richard’s wife, Laura, standing near him with a gun – but did she kill Richard?

The characters and cast are:

  • Richard Warwick – Paul Michaels 
  • Laura Warwick – Debra Hornigold 
  • Michael Starkwedder – Kevin Topple 
  • Jan Warwick – Ben Maytham 
  • Mrs Warwick – Jo Austin 
  •  Miss Bennett – Chrissie Wenden 
  • Henry Angell – Brian Butcher 
  • Sergeant Cadwallader – Keith Sparrow
  •  Inspector Thomas – Robin Warns
  •  Julian Farrar – Will Parrick 

Running for three nights only between 27th & 29th October tickets are available from Ash’s Store, Colchester Road, by calling Roger Milne on 01206 241048 or you can also pay on the door. Find out more more on the Orpen Players website.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Women’s Institute – Quarter Update

Emmeline Pankhurst in
 less-fashionable
Prison attire

June was an ‘Open Meeting’ with the president Pat Moran welcoming visitors from other W I’s. During the refreshment break everyone was able to view the displays of press cuttings on our 90th birthday celebrations, together with old programmes and minutes.

Ex mayor, Sonia Lewis, talked about her mayoral year and included a typical day. She spent none of the council’s money whilst in office and her audience were keen to hear about her various outfits worn for the variety of official duties she carried out. Two walks were organised and members then enjoyed a lunch at Barn Plants.

The July outing was a visit to Perrywoods garden centre where members enjoyed browsing around the extensive area before lunch.

August‘s meeting was an ‘Open Meeting’, vice-president, Bea Girkin, welcomed members and visitors. Mrs Louise Reed was introduced as Emmeline Pankhurst. She wore the fashion of the 1920’s and gave an in-depth insight into life in prison and the traumas of trying to obtain suffrage for women.

The West Bergholt WI are looking forward to meeting past members on 15th September in the Methodist Hall from 2pm to 4pm to celebrate their 90th year. Invitations will be distributed this month.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Brownies raise money for LEPRA

1st West Bergholt Brownies recently turned a badge challenge into a fund-raising opportunity.

In performing to  family and friends in order to win their Entertainers Badges they raised a wonderful sum of £120.00 for LEPRA (a Colchester-based charity specialising in fighting diseases of poverty principally in the 3rd world) .

Well done girls!
This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Gardening – Beeleigh Update

Beeleigh Abbey Gardens

An historical and peaceful retreat of three acres of riverside gardens in a delightful setting dating from the 13th century was enjoyed by 32 members of teh west Bergholt Gardeners Association on their July evening visit to Beeleigh Abbey Gardens, Maldon.  The original abbey was founded in 1180 for white robed canons of the strict Premonstratensian order.  The energetic commitment to Beeleigh by the owners and their staff was reflected in the splendid show of English old roses; mixed borders; cottage garden; wild flower meadow; river walk; vegetable and fruit production and water features.

Interested in visiting the gardens? They are next open on 8 & 22 July; 5 & 19 August and 2 & 30 September 10.30am to 4.30pm – entry £4. Refreshments available/ free parking. Information available on http://visitmaldon.co.uk/beeleigh-abbey/ – telephone: 07779 223321.

For details on the Gardener’s Association’s meetings and outings contact Valerie Lofthouse, Chair: tel. 01206 855450 – [email protected] or Terry Claydon, Treasurer: tel. 01206 242124 – [email protected].

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Summer Wildlife Walk at Hillhouse Wood


Joe Firmin and Philip Smith will lead this walk starting at the Old Church at 10am on 10th July.  Being in and near the wood the walk offers a chance to see butterflies (including whiteletter hairstreaks), dragonflies, damselflies and other colourful insects, as well as summer wildflowers and resident birds.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Gershwin to Gaga

is the theme of the next West Bergholt Concert Band concert.  Featuring music from the likes of Gershwin, of course, Coldplay, John Williams, Stevie Wonder, Wicked & Gaga the concert will be held on Saturday July 16th, 7:30pm, in St Mary’s Church Hall to mark its re-opening.

As always, all of the band’s concerts are raising money for local & national charities. This year’s charities will include Myasthenia Research, Coggeshall Youth Work Trust, Clacton Family Support, Headway, Lepra and our local Church Charities.

To find out more check out the Band’s website.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Ebullient & exuberant gardens

Ebullient and Exuberant – aptly described the Old Vicarage Gardens, East Ruston when 52 members and guests visited this week. As we left one beautiful ‘themed’ garden we were enticed into the next. We felt we had travelled many continents seeing Echium pininana from the Canary Islands; Eschonaria yuccoides from Mexico; agaves, aloes, puyas and cacti in the Arizona ‘Desert Wash’; native cordylines and phormiums in the New Zealand garden and a South African flavour in the Exotic section.

Aeoniums and succulents in
the North Garden

Feeling more at home, we ambled through areas of woodland; adored the fragrances in the rose garden; admired with envy, ʽmega’ sized lettuces in the highly productive vegetable patch. A walk into a meadow of cornflowers threw out a blue haze whilst in the wildflower meadow hardy geraniums and other herbaceous plants competed with the grass. And this is just a brief description of all we sampled and enjoyed.

Beeleigh Abbey Gardens, Maldon – will be our next outing on the evening of Tuesday 5 July. The three acres of riverside gardens are set in a picturesque and historic setting dating from the 13th century.

For details on our meetings and outings contact Valerie Lofthouse, Chair: tel. 01206 855450 – [email protected] or Terry Claydon, Treasurer: tel. 01206 242124 – [email protected].

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net