Folk music has played, and continues to play, a positive part in the lives of ordinary people. Folk music, often very simply played or sung, has helped people to bear hardship or loss, to toil at work, express the need for and provoke social or political change, celebrate success, record history etc.
The aim of our group is to enjoy ourselves! Depending on our talents, we arrange, sing, play and listen to folk songs that are selected by the group, and learn something of their origins and the life and times of the people who may have written or performed them.
We welcome anyone who wishes to contribute musically to the Group, and are accepting of our range of talents, needs, interests and diversity. Most members either have a talent for singing, or would like to develop their confidence in singing. Some of us read music fluently whilst others learn totally "by ear", others are somewhere in between, but all fit in well! Several of us have some competence in playing a suitable (=non electric) musical instrument, such as the acoustic guitar, flute, accordion, recorder, fiddle, mandolin, mouth organ, ukelele, tambourine, whistle, Kazoo..... or whatever!
We mainly sing "to ourselves", but many of us volunteer to sing to the wider u3a group for Christmas (see photo below) and in local care homes.
"Post-Covid" our numbers have increased rapidly, with over two dozen of us at most meetings. We now meet once per month, usually on the 4th or 5th Tuesday, at 2:30pm in the Village Hall at Bleasby.
Click here to listen to a song written by our Ken, our group leader, or see the folk song on YouTube
Pair of photos below: Singing & playing at our monthly meeting, February 2023, about to sing "Keep Hauling" from the wonderful Cornish "Fisherman's Friends" Click to listen to us
Playing for the Coronation Event at Bleasby, May 2023:
Click on any of the thumbnails below to view, or wait to see them pop up every few seconds. Click here to see a list of our recent repertoire and view more pictures.
Think you might be interested in joining this group?
1. If you are not already a member of Southwell U3A but are interested in finding out more about this group and/or would like to attend one of their group meetings please click on the Contact Us link and let us know. We will arrange for the Group Leader to get in touch with you as soon as possible.
2. If you are already a member of Southwell U3A and are interested in joining this group you can contact the Group Leader directly. Their details are in the Group Leaderspage in our Membership Area of the website. As a Southwell U3A member you will have received the password for the Members Area pages in Newsline. If you have forgotten the password please use the Contact Usfacility on this website to request the password
Archive Photos from the "early days" when we fitted into a lounge!