2018 charity

click the link below to find out more about our 2018 charity:

musicformymind

change of date

Please note the February Red Lion jam has been brought forward to January 31st

gigs

13 

gigs already booked

for 2018 !

Going to be a busy year.

 

Stephen's post script to 2017:

Hi folks

As we polish off the last of the Christmas dinner bubble & squeak, reheated Christmas pud & ready ourselves for some Auld Lang Syne.  It's a good time to reflect on what an absolutely incredible LotSU year it's been.  Certainly a year of first's !

We kicked off with our new chosen charity 'Hospice at Home Volunteers', and Maureen Kerr very kindly gave us a briefing on their difficult but vital work at our  January edition of LotSU.

Then in May we celebrated in extraordinary & magnificent Victorian Music Hall style our 3rd LotSU year of strum-a-sing-a-long fun & happiness, making it a wonderful day to remember.  The spin-off from this was the start of slowly adding more Music Hall tunes into our gig repertoire, culminating in a full Music Hall gig at The Lindens Stoke Hammond in November.

At the gig everyone made an amazing effort with the Victorian attire, and Jean must get a special mention for her incredible dress & hat. Although the gig was experimental and to a rather sedate audience, it was very enjoyable with a few fab zimmer frame dancers, and will be offered as an alternative for repeat bookings, adding a bit of variety to our performances.

Another gig highlight was the again experimental 'BIG LUNCH' in June.  Despite the absolutely appalling June weather of high winds and heavy rain it still went ahead, and under such difficult conditions LotSU was sensational.  So much so we were re-booked straight away for next year !

Also in June a few LotSU members attended the Hospice at Home Volunteers AGM, and presented them with the mid-year donations earned so far by your fab efforts entertaining and gigging around the counties.  Unfortunately the news was that the NHS had pulled their £9000 funding, and the accounts showed that Hospice at Home Volunteers had about 18months before they had to close.  This was very grim news indeed, and made our efforts even more essential to help them out.

The LotSU Pirates mad a few appearances over the year.  Each time we looked more & more Piratey (not sure if that's a word)... as the costumes got more fab, and Yvonne gets a special mention in this department for her very last minute risque number provided by Jim Lad (he was very disappointed it was too small for him)

September saw us once again kicking off 'Studhambury Music Festival', this time doing it acoustically which worked very well despite again the  unseasonable weather of gusting wind & showers.

A first for LotSU was the 'Rita Hicks Wake' gig in October.  With much trepidation we trod the fine line of respect & fun entertainment.  But everyone did a really great job and according to Rita's son and friends it was just the way Rita would have wanted it.

So our wonderful LotSU year came to mad and very busy end starting with a ram jam packed Christmas gathering & dinner at The Red Lion Studham.  Everyone was in the mood for the silly season and made the afternoon festively bonkers and very enjoyable.  Thank you again to everyone that donated to the musical instrument auction, it was once again a great success raising £232 for HAHV.

The Red Lion did us proud and served up 32 really delicious 3 course festive dinners, after which we made the 2017 LotSU Awards.

Awards went to Yvonne, Sally, Alice & Sue, John, Jeremy, Peter & Nigel, and the 'Bring Me Sunshine' Award to our Keith for his much appreciated dedication, art work and building & maintaining the LotSU Blog website. Thanks Keith.

The 1st week in December was our busiest gig week ever. With 3 gigs around the Christmas Studham gathering, undoubtedly the best being the Luton Dementia Cafe' gig.  In nobody's wild imagination would we have thought so many people would get up and dance !  It was fabulous to see and another first for LotSU.

Seeing as we didn't really start gigging until April, LotSU have gathered 41 times, performing 18 gigs and 23 times at the pubs. Raising £2232 for Hospice at Home Volunteers.

We have to say a very big Thank You to Garry & staff at The Red Lion and Roger, Soo & staff at the Rose & Crown for making us so very welcome over the past year.  They have always been very helpful and accommodating to LotSU.

So looking forward to 2018...

We will be starting our new LotSU year by gathering ourselves up with that little 4 stringed wonder.  Maureen was there to receive the final donation from us, before we pick our chosen charity for 2018. So if you would like LotSU to support a charity, as always the 2 main criteria are #1 Small & #2 Local.

So thanks to you folks for your unwavering support, filling up the pubs at every gathering and with 9 gigs already booked, LotSU is in great shape going into 2018.

WISHING YOU ALL A HEALTHY & HAPPY STRUM-A-SING-A-LONG NEW YEAR X       

the management

handover of 2017's proceeds to Hospice at Home Volunteers

Jim officiated as Stephen was poorly.  

The total proceeds from gigs etc for 2017 totalled a marvellous £2232.  Which was gratefully recieved by Hospice at Home Volunteers.   

Well done the stalwart strummers of LotSU.