Community, Parish Council & Village
The Orpen Players’ spring production is Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’.
The box office is now open at Ash’s shop Colchester Road in the village. Tickets are £5 for 24 April and £6 for 25/26. Doors open at 7.30pm with curtain up 8pm.
Contact Roger Milne on 01206 241048 to reserve tickets.
The West Bergholt Concert Band recently announced this to be their 30th Anniversary Year. As reported in the Village Bulletin:
Welcome to the band’s 30th Anniversary! We’ve certainly got an exciting year ahead, with seven concerts of our favourite music at our favourite venues, with musicians from seven local schools joining in with the fun!
We’ve already started the year’s activities, with Training Band leading a number of weekend workshops for local primary schools, which have proven a huge success.We’re then into our first full concert of the year, featuring music from Phantom Of The Opera, Dvorak’s New World Symphony, Big Bands In Concert, Hoe-Down from Rodeo, and, ah-hem, The Stripper. That’s what happens when the band get to request their favourite pieces!
Sunday 16th March – 3:00pm – West Cliff Theatre, Clacton (in aid of the Royal British Legion)
After a short break for Easter, we’re then performing another “Instant Concert” with four Colchester secondary schools as a commemoration of the band’s founder Sid Cooper, who taught at those schools. The programme includes music from Sinatra, The Sound Of Music, Gershwin, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto (Adagio), Joseph, Mars…and Deep Purple (the band’s choice again!).
Saturday 19th April – 7:30pm – St Botolph’s, Colchester (in aid of the Shelley Centre for Therapeutic Riding)
The rest of the year is equally busy, with our “Summer of ‘78” concerts featuring music linked to the year the band was started, such as Copacabana, Grease, Star Wars, Abba, and Bolero.
Saturday 14th June – 7:30pm – West Cliff Theatre, Clacton (in aid of St Helena Hospice) – with the Sweeting Swing Band.
Saturday 12th July – 7:30pm – St Botolph’s, Colchester (in aid of Essex Air Ambulance (TBC))
As you can see, we’re looking forward to our best (and busiest) ever year, so if you’re after a fun afternoon or evening’s entertainment and a programme of great music…come along to one of the above !
Everything you need to know about the band (including concert details and directions, and how to join us) is on our website (www.wbcb.org), or you can call Graham on 01206 824157. We look forward to seeing you at some of our concerts…and wish you a belated happy new year !
Parent & Toddler GroupThe group meets in the Methodist Church Hall, Chapel Lane every Monday during term time from 9.30 am to 11.30 am. Parents and carers are invited to bring pre-school children and babies giving them an opportunity to meet up for a chat and the children to play.
Please see updated details at https://westbergholt-pc.gov.uk/village-life/schools/parent-toddler-group/.
Tickets for the Orpen Players’ production of Hansel and Gretel are now available from Ash’s store Colchester Road.
The pantomime is at the Orpen Memorial Hall Lexden Road on:
Tickets are priced children £3 adults £5 apart from the 8pm performance on 2nd February which is is priced £5 for everyone.
Contact Roger Milne on 01206 241048 to reserve tickets.
On Saturday 15 December the village Concert Band will be performing A Christmas Festival in St Mary’s Church, New Church Road beginning at 7.30pm. Tickets may be purchased on the door. Refreshments will be available during the interval. All proceeds to church charities.
The next meeting of the association is on Monday 15 October when Steve Canham will talk about Tree Cultivation. Please note that the childrens’ paintings and pumpkin growing competition will be judged in the Orpen Memorial Hall on Saturday 27 October.
President Joyce Woolhead welcomed visitors and new members. She asked for volunteers to organise Member’s Meeting. The AGM next month will be guided by WI advisor Judith Rose. This will be followed with entertainment from our drama group. Quizzes on tree names are available at 50p from the treasurer. Outings secretary is hoping to organise a coach to Chelmsford Cathedral WI Carol Service at 2.45pm on 19 December with time for lunch/shopping beforehand. Please contact 01206 241969 as places are limited.
Peter Webb made a welcome return with his talk on The Good Life part 2. Members enjoyed hearing about his conservation and the return of barn owls as well as anecdotes about his livestock on the smallholding.
The autumn production is Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward with director, Tony Saitta who is chair of the Headgate Theatre. Performances are Thursday 25/26/27 October. Doors open 7.30pm with curtain up at 8pm. Tickets £4.50 on Thursday £5 Friday and Saturday can be purchased from Ash’s Shop, Colchester Road from Saturday 13 October or contact Roger Milne on 01206 241048.
The vice-president Pat Moran welcomed 3 visitors to the meeting. The tea party held in the Methodist church hall was a success with over £100 being raised for funds. Congratulations were given to Jeanne Dean who won the Yorkshire Tea competition. A selecton of small garments and teddies were on display. These had been knitted by Jeanne and Heidi and would be sent to the orphanages in Romania.
The president Joyce Woolhead presented flowers together with a card signed from all the members to Marjorie Thomas a long standing member who is leaving the village and will join her local Balkerne Gardens group.
The speaker, Linda Scoles, who arrived in England from America in 1971 with her husband who served on the Lakenheath airbase, gave an amusing talk entitled ‘Divided by a Common Language’. Members were amazed at how many expressions had totally different interpretations.
The new season of the village Gardeners Association begins on Monday 17 September in the Orpen Memorial Hall at 7.30pm. Speaker Bill Wye will talk about the cultivation and care of fuchsias. New members most welcome.