March 2023 NEWSLETTER
This week we complete our first 3 months at our new home venue – Compass Church in Finedon Road ,Wellingborough – and we have received so much positive feedback that we are literally “On Top of The World”..……… as is our favourite choreographer as we helped celebrate Grace’s birthday recently!
GENAERAL CHIT-CHAT
We have welcomed new friends over recent weeks including some wonderfully energetic volunteers such as Susan, Jenny and Lisiane. Our embracing of technology has sustained us during the darkest moments of lockdown as we would not have been able to continue our weekly contact without the Zoom facility so I suppose that an attempt to hack our website is a simple fact of modern life, especially for charities. Thankfully our professional experts have ensured that we are as well protected as possible so that no damage was done and our defences have been strengthened yet further as a result. And, of course, our developing dance routines have been elevated to a different level, led by the return of our very own incomparable Strictly star, Alan, whose choreography draws admiration from young and older alike.
FUNDRAISING
DSO like every other organisation has had to contend with increased financial costs in recent months. The obvious example of this has been the change to our hire cost base in moving to our new venue. We are currently in the process of Lottery funding application whilst at the same time seeing the fruits of our publicity labours in a whole host of avenues. We began the year with a donation from the wonderful Sylvia at Dukes Court Care Home where a Christmas raffle in our honour raised £106. We were also delighted and touched to be presented with a £300 cheque by Barton Seagrave Ladies Over 60s following a Trustee presentation recently. Similarly, Lisiane, one of our volunteers and also member of our sister choir Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir, floated her way serenely around the Cambridge Half Marathon in the course of which she boosted our funds by more than £300.
CURRENT VENUE
“Great new venue …….thank you for your help and kindness when we have visited you on Thursday mornings!” Jackie from Lancum House seemed to voice a consistent theme when we sought feedback. Although we loved our original home at Champions’ Church and were deeply saddened to leave there, The Compass Church has been praised almost universally. Most importantly, we have adequate space for “Love Train” but we may have to run a dedicated training course to ensure that every driver parks perfectly within the white lines.
REPERTOIRE
We are always seeking to educate Gareth in terms of our Thursday morning playlist and broaden his musical experience. As many of you know he came to John Denver later in life, The Tremeloes were a revelation to him and I believe that ‘Trailor For Sale or Rent’ has become a firm favourite in the Fuller household! In our quest to maintain freshness there has been an anonymous response to our most recent request for new material (well actually it was from the wonderful Michael) who has respectfully asked for an injection of Shirley Bassey and perhaps a medley of ‘Get This Party Started’, ‘Kiss Me Honey Honey, ‘Goldfinger’ and, of course, ‘Big Spender’………. well Gareth ??
FUTURE EVENTS
Thursday April 6th Safeguarding Training for volunteers with Becs Girling
Thursday June 8th visit by All Saints’ School Choir.
Ruth, Judith, Ian, Kathryn, Lucy, Cathie, Garry
(DSO Trustees).