Cheltenham u3a Folk Band --- Welcome

Thank you for your interest in Cheltenham u3a Folk Band. We meet at Southam Village Hall (https://www.southamtoday.org.uk/about) on the 1^st and 3^rd Wednesdays of each month between 14:00 and 16:00 with a short break for refreshments using the hall facilities.  You are welcome to join us (no charge for trial meeting), bring your instrument or just come along.

We play and sing as a band, covering both traditional and contemporary folk songs. We formed in 2023/24 and now have about 15 members, instruments including guitars, ukuleles, recorders, clarinet, banjo, mandolin and very occasionally a bowed psaltery and Celtic spoons.

New members are welcome to play or sing, their first meeting is free. The hall costs £30 per meeting, total £60 per month. We each pay £10 into a kitty about every couple of months or so (when the kitty runs dry). We considered paying per meeting attended, but this would be expensive if only a few members could attend on a given date. Normally 10-12 attend. If the kitty has sufficient surplus, we take a temporary payment holiday. Very occasional ad hoc visitor attendance would be £3 per meeting. The hall is large and we could probably double in group size. The hall has a large car park, and is near the Cheltenham-Winchcombe bus route (make sure you go the short way round the circular route). The u3a National Advisor for Folk Music runs a u3a Gloucester Folk Band. We meet occasionally for joint music sessions.

We share music via google drive and a playlist of songs is issued before each meeting so that we can practice. We use Whatsapp and email to communicate. If you wish, I will give you read-access to the GDRIVE so that you can see the range of music. If you join, you are welcome to be added to the email BCC distribution list and to the Whatsapp group (mobile number needed, only if you wish to be added).

If you join, I will need your u3a number to register you as a group member. Under reciprocal membership, members of a u3a may join one group outside their home u3a. We have one member from Evesham, another from Stroud.

I look forward to meeting you

Slainte

Tony Moran

20 Aug 2025