Previous Newsletters
April 2011
‘Reliving the Sixties’ in the Village Hall, on the night of
Saturday 26th March, provided the opportunity all those Cople
swingers of yesteryear were waiting for – on their own
admission many were in short trousers, or even nappies, at the
time but this in no way dimmed their enthusiasm nor innovative
skill when it came to attire. John Lennon, Mary Quant, Flower
People, or Greenham Common demonstrators, not only strutted
their stuff but took to the floor and – mostly in time with the
wide range of nostalgic music supplied by Jim Moore –
expended energy they did not know they had. Although fewer
in number than usual they more than compensated if the
volume of noise was anything to go by and managed to raise
over £600 for our very worthy cause.
The evening kicked off with a delicious themed dinner of
Prawn Cocktail, Chicken Marengo, Black Forest Gateau and
Sherry Trifle and we have to give credit to our cooks who
scoured the attic to find those dog-eared recipes, so lovingly
and enthusiastically followed in their halcyon days. Sincere
thanks go to all those who played a part: those who decorated
the hall, manned the bar, served the food, donated raffle prizes,
set the quiz ……but most of all to Jim, who maintained the
momentum throughout the entire evening and ensured that a
memorable time was had by all.
Our next event is the Hog Roast and Barn Dance at Oak Farm
on Saturday July 16th Tickets will be available shortly from the
usual sources (838714, 838763, 838467, 838683 or anyone on
the committee).We look forward to seeing you there.
Vaughan Southgate
February 2011
The Safari Supper in mid-January was enjoyed by a lively
group of people who proved themselves very adept in
navigating their way around the village, and once again the
Church provided an excellent venue to start and end the
evening. Sincere thanks go to the organisers and to all those
villagers who kindly opened their houses and
provided delicious cuisine. Through their
generosity, and that of all participants, a splendid
profit of just over £1,150 was generated. I was
especially pleased to see newcomers to Cople
taking part in this event, it really is a great way to
meet new people and catch up with old friends.
The Sixties Evening will now take place in the
Village Hall on Saturday March 26th. If you are
so inclined you can dig out some of those old clothes and take
to the floor to 1960s music selected by our own DJ, Jim Moore,
or just sit and listen. Tickets for this event will include supper
and are now available from all of the usual sources (838714,
838763, 838467 and 838683) at a cost of £12.50
Looking further ahead the Barn Dance and Hog Roast at Oak
Farm will take place on July 16th. There
will be a full bar, music provided by
Kelly’s Eye, mouth watering salads to
accompany the roast pork, and first class
desserts. Make a note in your diary now!
Vaughan Southgate
November 2010
The recent Iberian Evening in the Village Hall proved to be
great fun, with a wonderful mix of Toreadors, Flamenco
dancers and the odd Explorer thrown in for good measure,
whilst partaking of delicious Portuguese and Spanish Cuisine.
Quizzes on assorted topics did little to stifle conversation, and
certainly kept the grey cells working. A dead heat between two
tables was only finally resolved by a ‘dance off’, presenting a
difficult decision for the judge but providing the rest of us
with unexpected entertainment.
Thanks must go to those on the committee who
yet again showed their versatility in providing an
array of tapas, mouth-watering Spanish chicken
and authentic desserts; to our sommelier for his
choice of Iberian wines, to all those who worked
hard to decorate the village hall, to everyone who
provided raffle prizes, and of course to all of
those who bought tickets and came in such high
spirits and contributed to the success of the event.
I am delighted to report that the profit in excess
of £850 has helped swell our funds, as has a
cheque for £100 very kindly donated by the
Musical Festival organisers. With extensive work
being done in the vestry, as well as various other
maintenance jobs, we are pleased to boost our
fund to be in a position of offering help in
meeting costly bills.
Our next event is the Celebration of
Christmas on MONDAY December
20th in Cople Church at 7.30pm. This is
always very popular so it is important
to arrive early to bag a good seat. As
usual, mulled wine and mince pies will
be served during the interval. Tickets
are not required but there will be a retiring collection which
will be shared between the Church and a local charity.
Soon after Christmas and New Year celebrations we will
be holding a Safari Supper in the Village on Saturday,
January 15th. This event requires the support of about 20
households in the village so if you feel you could help by
providing either a starter or main course (for which you
will be reimbursed) please let us know as soon as
possible. Until we know how many participants we have, we
cannot tell how many tickets will be available, but we hope to
have them on sale soon after Christmas.
I should like to thank most sincerely the Friends’ committee
which has worked tirelessly in contributing to the success of
our events over the last year, and to our loyal band of
supporters. May I wish you all a Happy Christmas and
successful New Year
Vaughan Southgate
August 2010
Once again the garden of Glebe House provided the ideal setting for the
Barbecue on Sunday, August 1st when about 70 people gathered on the front
lawn. Although there were one or two ominous clouds, the rain obediently
kept away and the sun managed to peep out at us from time to time. The
bar, expertly manned by Jim Moore and Jon Bayliss, did a roaring trade in
Pimm’s, wine and draught beer and the participants lingered long over their
lunch whilst the music from Saxophrenia drifted across, providing a
splendid accompaniment and completing the list of ingredients for a perfect
Sunday afternoon. As always this was an excellent team effort, from the
moment of erecting the marquee in the morning to dismantling it again in
the early evening. Thanks go to all those who played a part, especially
Judith who so generously allowed the invasion of her garden, the ladies
who provided salads and mouth-watering desserts, the chefs and the bar
staff, to those who so kindly donated raffle prizes, and, not least, all those
who came along and generally supported the raison d’être of the Friends of
Cople Church.
The event generated a profit of about £850, which helps to replenish the
Church fabric fund. We have recently spent in excess of £5,000 on the
renovation of the bars protecting the Church windows and replacement
stonework. Soon a further £2,500 will be used for joinery work in the
vestry.
Our next fund-raising event will be a 1960s evening, with dinner and
dancing, in the Village Hall on November 6th. [Change to programme, the
60’s Dance has been postponed until Spring, we now have an Iberian
evening, same date] Make a note of the date and start searching in the attic
for the winkle-pickers and dusting off the moth from those bell-bottom
trousers and psychedelic mini-skirts. Come along, leave your Vespa in the
car park, and swing along to all the songs we enjoyed then, many of which
we still enjoy today.
The annual concert, A Celebration of Christmas, will take place in the
Church on December 21st, and the Safari Supper will be on January 15th
2011.
We welcome you, newcomers or old friends, to all of our events.
Vaughan Southgate
May 2010
The recent race night in Cople Village Hall proved to be great fun. Thanks go to Mary
and David Whitehead for supplying the horses, marking out the track, and for running the
tote. Each race, apart from the last one, had a sponsor and thanks go to all sponsors
who so generously supported the event, to Andrew Duthie who auctioned the horses for
the last race and to those who so freely entered the bidding. Claire Boardman was
successful in getting the best runner. She very generously donated part of her winnings
to the charity. We are indebted to our cooks who, as always, provided fine cuisine, to
John Bayliss who kept everyone supplied with liquid refreshment and to everyone who
helped on the evening. The event generated a worthwhile sum of £625.
A Hog Roast and Barn Dance will be hosted by Paul and Heather Walsh at Oak Farm on
Saturday July 10th, and the profit for this event will be donated to St John’s Hospice,
Moggerhanger. Kelly’s Eye will be providing the music as usual and there will be a bar to
provide beer, wine and soft drinks. This is not a Friends of Cople Church event as such,
but members of our committee will lend their help and it is hoped that our loyal band of
supporters will be there again this year to make the event go with its usual swing.
Heather’s mother died in St John’s last year and Paul and Heather are keen to hold a
Barn Dance to support the work done by this very special place. Tickets at £12.50 a
head are now available on 01767 627233 or 01234 838714.
The Friends will be holding a barbecue later in the summer. More details to follow.
Vaughan Southgate
February 2010
There was a record turnout for the Safari Supper in the village at the end of
January. The Church provided an excellent venue for the start and finish of the
evening and 18 generous people opened up their homes and provided delicious
fare for the intervening courses.
Producing a meal for 8-10 people when the chef is wandering about the village
takes a bit of juggling, but somehow the evening never fails, and it is a good way of
meeting new folk and old friends.
Our sincere thanks go to all the hosts, to those who contributed to the vast array of
desserts, and to the many people in the village who donated splendid raffle prizes.
I am not sure of the exact figures but it is likely that the profit for the evening was in
the region of £900-£1,000: I will report the sum when the figures become available.
Vaughan Southgate
January 2010
The Church was completely full, despite the snowfall, for the Celebration of
Christmas on December 21st. Thanks go to everyone who took part: readers,
singers, instrumentalists, and all those members of the committee who provided
mince pies and mulled wine. The retiring collection was just over £300, half of
which was donated to Bechar, a Charity which cares for the homeless in Bedford,
and half to the PCC for Church funds.
At the time of writing the snow has disappeared and it has become considerably
warmer. This could just mean that progress around the village for the 70 people
booked in for the Safari Supper at the end of the month might be a bit easier – we
hold our breath.
Looking further ahead we will be having a Race Night in the Village Hall on March
20th, so do make a note of that in your diary.
With all best wishes for a Happy New Year.
Vaughan Southgate
Friends of Cople Church fund raising
