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The Cherington Players' Music Hall 2012
February: not my favourite month. No longer Winter, but not quite Spring, either. My birthday month: another year older, so need cheering up. Fortunately, on cue and in the nick of time, it’s The Cherington Players’ annual Music Hall! Eclectic – certainly; surreal – not infrequently; entertaining – always; an essential date for the diary – most definitely.
Times change, of course: where once a judge held court and a schoolmaster gamely followed, who’d have imagined that Kermit the Window Cleaner could so successfully wield the MC’s gavel? Other changes are more evolutionary, and therein lies the key to the continued success of this much-loved institution: individual performers may move on to pastures new, or opt for a year out, but there remains a sufficient core of stalwarts to provide continuity and maintain long-standing tradition. Seasoned ‘guests’ may wind down gracefully (or even a little disgracefully), whilst relative newcomers, not so long ago tentative and a little self-conscious, visibly blossom into the leads of the future. The roles of Director Diana Fremantle and Musical Director ‘Dame’ Helen Porter are pivotal, of course: with the Music Hall on her CV, Diana is surely a shoo-in for Michael Boyd’s job, a little further up the A3400, whilst Helen’s fascinator deserves its own billing in the programme.
Cherington is about as far from the sea as it is possible to be on our island, so this year’s first act, Songs from the Sea, struck the first slightly surreal note. The Company traversed the spectrum from traditional sea shanties to The Beach Boys with considerable aplomb and minimal props. A backdrop from South Pacific offered a potentially incongruous setting for The Skye Boat Song; fortunately, a sufficient number of performers had thought to pack a tartan travel rug for their trip to the seaside, and the end result included some nice harmonies. John Baldwin’s solo rendition of Sea Fever brought the first act to a close in great style.
With the first interval behind us, it was time for the traditional Solos & Duets, with Helen and Tim Porter (“Brailes’ answer to the Von Trapp Family”, to quote our MC, James Walton) setting the standard as usual. Bracketed by the singing voices of Sarah Bourne and Octavia Lewis, Mark Dudfield (whose absence from the first act had caused some consternation amongst afficionados) was on his usual form (!) with his stand-up routine. Mark Rosen’s poem, Chocolate Cake was delivered with panache by Andy Elliott, whilst Chris Bourne, displaying talents that always managed to elude James Herriot, gave a spirited performance of George Formby’s Wigan Boat Express. Colin Beckett’s tribute to Rolf Harris brought the second act to a hilarious conclusion, although I did find myself scouring the audience nervously before giving way to laughter at his ‘Birmingham’ joke!
This year’s final act was given over to Favourites from Gilbert & Sullivan: if ever there was a theme tailor-made for The Cherington Players, this was it! Less scope than usual for cross-dressing, despite the inclusion of A Regular Royal Queen from The Gondoliers, and no outing this year for Anthony Granville’s much-admired legs, but full advantage was otherwise taken of the comic potential of no fewer than four light operas. The successful partnership of Jane Gibbs and Jonathan Stolerman this year foresook their flying jackets for Sino-Japanese apparel: will they again make the cover of The LINK, one wonders? Geoffrey Gibbs, surely the ideal candidate for a piratical cameo in With Catlike Tread, settled for making a Tit (Willow) of himself. But it was the ensemble pieces that stole the show, with some fine singing and fun-poking: the final two numbers, I’ve Got a Little List and The Ruler of the Queen’s Navee were particularly well chosen and executed.
The usual hugely enjoyable and entertaining evening, then. But the question must be asked: will it be possible to emulate the Stourton Hippodrome’s unique atmosphere in the new Village Hall?
David Farman (Little Wolford)
The Cherington Players 2012
The Cherington Players have great pleasure in announcing that they will, once again, be putting on a musical performance for your entertainment in the Village Hall on the following dates;
- Friday 17th February
- Saturday 18th February
- Friday 24th February
- Saturday 25th February
Each show starts at 8.00 pm with doors opening at 7:30 pm, A bar will be kindly provided by the Cherington Arms and a raffle will be held with generous prizes.
Tickets are available from Sarah Scotter (686303) at £3.50 for the opening night and then £5.50 for the other 3 performances.
Proceeds go to towards local village organisations.
CSS Village Lottery Results : February 2012
The winners in The February 2012 lottery are:
1st Prize £100 – Anita Law
2nd Prize £50 – Rosie McArdle
3rd Prize £30 – Tom Upson
Many thanks to all who subscribe. Remember you have to be in it to win it!
For more information on joining please contact Alan Thompson (01608 686861) or better still drop in on our Saturday coffee mornings (10:00 – 12:00) at the Village Hall.
Cherington and Stourton Diamond Jubilee Itinerary
The Central Weekend to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee takes place from Saturday 2 June to Tuesday 5 June 2012.
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Itinerary
Saturday June 2nd
The Queen spends the day at Epsom Derby.
Sunday June 3rd
The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh travel in the Royal Barge which is the centrepiece of a 1,000 boats flotilla.
Monday June 4th
BBC Concert at Buckingham Palace: Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace broadcasted by the BBC.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Beacons: A network of Beacons from throughout the UK and the Commonwealth with The Queen lighting a National Beacon at approximately 10:30 in the evening.
Tuesday June 5th
Service of Thanksgiving and Carriage Procession: Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral and a formal carriage Procession by The Queen.
Cherington and Stourton Diamond Jubilee Itinerary
A 2nd meeting to discuss how Cherington and Stourton will celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is to be held on Tuesday 28th February in the Village Hall at 7:30
Current ideas are;
- All children in the villages to receive a Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Coin.
- Children to design a logo to be used on a Commemorative Mug.
- A small Church service to be held on the morning of Tuesday 4th June with Bell Ringing.
- 50′s themed village get together.
- A marquee in the gardens of either Tachbrook House, The Show Ground or the Cherington Arms.
- Sit down communal lunch on one long table with cold meats provided by the Diamond Jubilee committee and salad, bread rolls etc. provided by the village residents (bring your own drink, cutlery, crockery etc.)
- Entertainment provided by the Cherington Players (music hall style sing-along), children’s games throughout the day, possible a barrel race or tug of war for adults
- Village Queen (11 – 16) to be selected via a drawing of lots prior to the day, 2 attendants (2 – 11) also selected by drawing of lots.
- Procession to top of Cherington Hill to see the lighting of the Beacon at approx 10:15
Furthern information to come after the 2nd meeting on the 28th February.
CSS Village Lottery Results – January 2012
The winners in The January 2012 lottery are:
1st Prize £100 – Chris Owen
2nd Prize £50 – Paul Marriott
3rd Prize £30 – David Paton
Many thanks to all who subscribe. Remember you have to be in it to win it!
For more information on joining please contact Alan Thompson (01608 686861) or better still drop in on our Saturday coffee mornings (10:00 – 12:00) at the Village Hall.
Chipping Norton Music festival
It was a personal tragedy in Cherington which brought about the creation of what is now The Chipping Norton Music Festival. In 1902, Eleanora Dickins of Cherington House married her cousin the Rev Alan Dickins after much family resistance. Sadly he died of TB and Eleanora returned to Cherington aged 25 resolved to devote the rest of her life to good works in the community. She came from a musical family which is thought to have links with Edward Elgar. Both she and her sister Ruth played the violin and with several other family members provided accompaniment and solo items for many festivals.
Eleanora and her younger sister Ruth, must have had the same kind of vision when in 1903 they decided to organise a festival “for the encouragement of part singing in the country districts”.
The committee chose music for the choirs to sing during the dark winter evenings. Each choir was expected to produce a soloist, to sing an unaccompanied madrigal, sing in four parts and the programme had to include a choral work by a composer from the 16th century onwards.
An embroidered banner was to be made with the monogram of the Stour Choral union on it and a motto was chosen “There’s many a Crown for who can Reach” a quote from Robert Browning’s poem Last Ride Together. The first festival was successfully held on 13th April 1904 at Shipston-on-Stour possibly in the hostel which was also a small community centre. There were classes for glees, madrigals, vocal solos, male and female voice choirs and a chorus sung by the combined choirs, this all lasted a day with a concert in the evening which would be a combination of choral work and some solos by a professional.
The Festival is no longer solely about choral singing, there are instrumental classes for a wide range of instruments, speech and drama, guitar, folk and of course, the professional concerts. Tastes change and the Festival has embraced these and adapted the way it is run to suit a wide range of tastes and abilities. The Festival now lasts three weekends and all of the days between attracting entries from all over the country. Choirs of all age groups are still an integral part and for the 100th Festival 2012 a brand new choral work has been commissioned.
The Dickins sisters may not recognise the current Festival as the one they so earnestly began in 1904 but they would be immensely proud with what they see and the passion for music which flourishes in this area.
For further information about Chipping Norton Music festival see website www.cnmf.org.uk or email secretary secretary@cnmf.org.uk
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in Cherington
Meeting to discuss The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations
There is a meeting in the village Hall at 7:30 on February 9th to discuss the CSS Villages Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Please come along and let us know your suggestions and give your opinion of where the Village Beacon should be lit.
Further information here – The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
Photos of Cherington, Stourton and Sutton
As anyone browsing through the CSS Villages website will undoubtedly have noticed, there is a distinct lack of graphics, photographs etc.
To improve the overall look of the the villages website I would appreciate it if anyone who has any good photos of the villages, or from events that have happened within the villages, please send these to me so we can create a stock library of images for using within the website.
Please get in touch with Terry on 685039 or email me on webmaster@cssvillages.co.uk
If easier I can pop around and take them direct from your PC and load them on to a USB stick.
Village Lottery Results December 2011 Christmas Double
December 2011 Results
1st prize £200 – Steve Allkins
2nd Prize £100 – Jane Cameron
3rd Prize £60 – Kath Beauchamp
Many thanks to all who subscribe. Remember you have to be in it to win it!
For more information on joining please contact Alan Thompson (01608 686861) or better still drop in on our Saturday coffee mornings (10:00 – 12:00) at the Village Hall.
Cherington, Stourton, Sutton Waste Collection 2012
Please ensure your bins are available from 6.00am on the morning of your collection.
Please note that your bins will be collected as normal over bank holidays (with the exception of Christmas & New Year).
Tuesday 27th December Bins will be collected on Wednesday 28th
Week commencing Monday 2 January collections will return to normal.
Cherington, Stourton, Sutton Website 2012
The website for the 3 villages of Cherington, Stourton and Sutton under Brailes has been running for over 3 years now but still receives very few contributions from the various committees, work groups, event organisers, village residents, etc.
I believe this is primarily because of the lack of knowledge of sending information.
If you would like to contribute anything, it is as simple as just sending an email to webmaster@cssvillages.co.uk if you do not know how to send an email please ring me on 01608 685039
The villages website in 2012
The village website will be updated far more regularly in 2012 and it would be nice if the whole website was more pleasing to the eye.
To do this I need photos, drawings, etc. of the villages to go in posts, if you have any photos of the villages please email them so I can create an image bank to use within posts on the website
This site will only ever be as good as the residents make it.
The Coffee Shop
The Coffee Shop is holding a special event on Saturday 10th December 10:00 – 12:00 at the Village Hall where there will me Coffee, Mince Pies, a special Christmas lottery draw and a lovely selection of Christmas Gifts.
A range of unusual and traditional Christmas gifts will be for sale from the local Craft Group who will also be holding a stall at the Shipston Victorian Evening on the evening of 2nd December.
Daytime Book Club
If anyone is interested in joining a friendly, informal, daytime book club meeting once monthly from the New Year please contact Rowena on 686448
The first get together will be at 11:00 am on Friday 13th January 2012 where regular suitable meeting days and venues will be discussed.
Cherington and Stourton Tennis Tournament 2011
Sunday 14th August 2011 – 2.00pm – Tennis Tournament 2011
Mixed Doubles – To be held on courts in Cherington and Stourton
Bring your own partner or we can find you one.
Sunday 14th August 2 pm followed by lunch
Tennis and lunch £15 – Lunch only £10
for more details phone Janet on 686547
(in aid of CSS Village Hall)
Village Hall Lottery Results July 2011
July 2011 Results
1st prize £100 – Tony Wells
2nd Prize £50 – Harry Upson
3rd Prize £30 – Nick Barker
Many thanks to all who subscribe. Remember you have to be in it to win it!
For more information on joining please contact Alan Thompson (01608 686861) or better still drop in on our Saturday coffee mornings (10:00 – 12:00) at the Village Hall.
CSS Village Hall Lottery Results June 2011
The June Lottery was drawn late in June to allow late subscriptions for the
new year to be collected.
Unfortunately, subscriptions are slightly down on last year so the prize monies has had to be reduced slightly.
Anyone wishing to take out a subscription please contact me on 01608 686861 or alternatively please contact me at the Saturday morning coffee shops.
June 2011 Results
1st prize £110 – Eric Clubley
2nd Prize £50 – Diana Fremantle
3rd Prize £35 – Mr Joe and Mrs Doris Lewis
Many thanks to all who subscribe. Remember you have to be in it to win it!
For more information on joining please contact Alan Thompson (01608 686861) or better still drop in on our Saturday coffee mornings (10:00 – 12:00) at the Village Hall.
CHERINGTON, STOURTON & SUTTON COUNTRY FAIR & FLOWER SHOW
Saturday 6th August 2011
A day not to be missed, great fun for family and Friends
Featuring, Sumo Wrestling, Children’s games, Dog Show, Classic Cars and Tractors.
Kids craft & face painting, Owls Galore, Magic Martin, Car Boot Sale, Steam Engines
Dog Agility Demonstration, Ice Creams, Fire Engine
Tombola, Bottle Stall, Skittles, Coconut Shy………and much more!
Children’s games, Dog Show, Classic Cars & Tractors, Kids craft & face painting, Jousting
Saturday 6th August 10.00am – Showground gate opens
12.00 noon – Car Boot Sale opens
1.00pm – Events commence
Evening Session = Party in the Park
You are invited to the party on the showground from 7.00pm after the Flower Show (£5 per ticket)
Organiser: Tim Briggs 01608 686418
BBQ, & Bar
Featuring Cotswold School Band
Click here for PDF providing more information
Cherington & Stourton Flower Show 2011
The date for the 2011 Cherington & Stourton Flower Show has been announced as Saturday August 6, in the usual place.
Further information now available by – Clicking Here
Shipston and Brailes School Bus Timetable Confusion
Some people may have seen a new bus timetable that appears to show no school bus runs either to or from Brailes and Shipston schools.
Do not worry, this appears to have been a mistake, the buses are still running, timetables below.
