All the details about what’s happening in St Swithun’s Church, Retford from 12noon – 9pm, Thursday 18th November 2021:
- 12 noon – 12.15pm John Coates and the bellringers will ring the church bells
- 12.30pm – 1.30pm Stephen Carey will play five organ pieces specially composed for the Mayflower Pilgrims commemorations, with an introduction and supporting narratives by Isabelle Richards, Heritage Engagement Officer, Pilgrims Gallery:
- Introduction
- Plymouth Soundings by Carson Cooman
- Four Mayflower Portraits by Clive Jenkins
- Martial Music for Myles Standish
- Lullaby for Peregrine White
- Ballad for Priscilla Mullins
- Toccata for John Howland
- Additional organ pieces:
- Gavotte by Padre Martini
- Toccata in D Minor by Gaston Belier
- 1.30pm – 2.30pm The Elizabethan Academy Choir
- 2.30pm – 3pm Doncaster Waites (popular music at the time of the Pilgrims)
- 3pm – 3.45pm U3A Recorder Consort
- 4.00pm – 4.30pm Doncaster Waites (return)
- 4.30pm – 5.30pm Pilgrim Churches + Videos on screen – sit back and take a tour around local historic locations linked to the Separatists
- 5.30pm – 6.30pm Interval
- 6.30pm – 7.30pm Adrian Gray – ‘Thanksgiving and other meals’ (talk)
- 7.30pm – 8.30pm Emma Spencer & David Warren (singing)
- 8.30pm – 9pm Jessica Mary Brett (singing)
- 9pm Thanks and Close
Revd Mark Cantrill will MC the event and provide further pieces of interesting information throughout the day.
Donations of cans for the Bassetlaw Foodbank will be accepted throughout the event – please bring as many as you ‘can’ and help us raise 4800 cans – one for every month since the first Thanksgiving meal in America, four hundred years ago.
About the Performers
U3A Recorder Consort Retford
The recorder group has continued to grow and now has about 28 active members with around 20 attending most playing sessions. They are very grateful to their musical director, Janet Lewis, for providing them with a wide variety of music to enjoy. The group includes members with varying playing abilities from beginners to quite experienced players. Those new to the recorder have welcomed being given some one-to-one support by Janet to help develop their confidence. Between them they play most sizes of recorder (sopranino, descant, treble, tenor, bass and contrabass). Those who have been in the group from the beginning have noted how the overall standard of playing has improved so they can now play, reasonably well, pieces which they struggled with a few years ago.
The Doncaster Waites
A group of local musicians who have a passionate interest in music and history. Their interests have led them to perform early music on copies of original instruments and to wear clothes appropriate to the time of the music. Theirs is not the music of the courts and the aristocracy but the music of the common people. The waites were the original town band and played for civic events, feasts, weddings and in the streets. Doncaster had a band of waites from 1457 to 1832 and it is the spirit of these musicians that they try to re-create.
The Doncaster Waites are:-
- Andrea Offord – bagpipes, recorders, pipe & tabor, rauschpfeife
- Lynn Harvey – shawm, bagpipes, pipe & tabor, recorders
- Norma Sharp – shawm, recorders, tabor pipe
- Ray Harvey – sackbut, recorders
- Roger Offord – shawm, hurdy-gurdy, curtal, recorders
The present group has been playing together now for over 12 years, but most of them have been playing together for a lot longer than that! The Doncaster Waites are members of The International Guild of Town Pipers.
Adrian Gray
Adrian Gray was born in Grantham and now lives at Laneham, Notts. He graduated in history from Cambridge and is the author of twenty-five history books including several in Nottinghamshire. His books cover a range of historical topics including folk tales, crime and railway history, as well as titles of regional interest. He also contributes regularly to a number of magazines. After a career in education, Adrian now combines his writing and historical interests with a role as a national and international education consultant. He is also historical advisor to Bassetlaw Christian Heritage and is a director of Pilgrims & Prophets Christian Heritage Tours, which helps people get to know the secrets and treasures of Bassetlaw.
Emma Spencer
Emma has been singing and dancing since she was a little girl. She has always had a passion for all things musical theatre. Emma graduated from The University Of Central Lancashire in 2019 with a BA Hons degree in music theatre. More recently, Emma has qualified as a primary school teacher, working at a local primary school. Emma wants to stay linked with the theatre industry and definitely doesn’t want to give up singing. She loves it too much.
David Warren
David is originally from Southport, where he was heavily involved with the theatre from a very young age. David graduated from The University of Central Lancashire in 2019 with a BA Hons degree in music theatre. More recently, David has qualified as a music secondary school teacher, working at a local secondary school.
Jessica Mary Brett
Jessica is a lady who has been singing since she was just 12 years old and now sings professionally across the country. Jessica takes her role in community seriously and recently set up a brand new Community Interest Company with her Business partner Vicky Waring. Let’s for the Community has an objective is to generate projects to help the socially isolated, vulnerable, and multigenerational community. Creating groups and activities to breakdown inequalities within communities, keep the community active, provide music and song and focus on positive mental and physical well-being.
JMBSINGER – 07867430104 https://m.facebook.com/JMBSINGER/
LET’S SING – https://m.facebook.com/letssingcommunity/
Bassetlaw Christian Heritage 