Aldersgate Ward Club get together
7th January 2021
Aldersgate Ward Club New Year Party
The Master hosted 24 members of the Ward Club for a virtual New Year Party on Thursday 7th January 2021. The evening was a joy and it was a pleasure to see so many familiar faces after an absence of ten months! It was an added pleasure to be able to greet Past Master Christine Goode who lives in New Zealand and for whom it was early morning in Christchurch.
The Master had, prior to the event, invited members to make a contribution to the evening and this resulted in a wonderful mix of words and music. Melanie Trapnell, read ‘The Tour’ by Victoria Wood, Jan Yerbury ‘Going Home Time’ by Joyce Grenfell and David Brown provided us with humorous poems by two Lancastrian poets. Interlaced with the readings were musical interludes!
Jackie Martin with her clarinet reminded us of the all time favourite Acker Bilk by playing ‘Stranger on the Shore’. The Master, a professional violinist who trained at the Royal College of Music, Lucerne Conservatoire and the Vienna Academy of Music entertained us with familiar music including ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ George Shearing, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Carl Davis, ‘The Fascinator’ James Scott, ‘Ashokan Farewell’ Jay Ungar and ‘El Choclo’ Angel Villoldo.
As the evening reached its conclusion the Master invited members to toast the Ward Club. Past Master Andrew Hamilton in his vote of thanks to the Master and participants said it was the first time in his memory of over thirty years with the Club that a Master has been a professional musician.
Master, we thank you for providing us with some light relief on a cold winter evening in the middle of the pandemic. The evening was a real tonic and we look forward to meeting again as soon as possible.
Past Master Jan Yerbury
