September to December

Here are our offerings for September through December. If you have a suggestion, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

September/October/November - Theatre and Film at Theatr Clwyd

Barbara would like to attend a few events at the theatre in the next fews months. She has made some suggestions and some possible dates (see below). If you would like to go along, please contact her to arrange to meet, and book your tickets directly through the theatre.

• 'Ghosts' by Ibsen which is on from 25th September to 18th October:  Barbara S can go on Friday and Saturdays 10th and 11th Oct, and 17th and 18th October.
• Mr Turner' the film about the life of the painter Turner:  Barbara S can go on 21st November at 8 pm and 26th Nov. at 2 pm or 8 pm.

December 17th, 12:30 - Christmas Lunch, West Cheshire College, Ellesmere Port Campus

We have reserved a table for lunch at the West Cheshire College, Ellesmere Port Campus Off Sutton Way, Ellesmere Port CH65 7BF on Wednesday 17 December 2014. Lynda has sent out the lunch menu which is on offer for the day. This lunch will take the place of the December Coffee Morning at the Cheshire Cat. The cost of the three course lunch will be £12.95. The College will require payment by early October and they would like us to give the order for courses upfront nearer to the time.

August Revels

Here are our offerings for August. If you have a suggestion, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

July/August, 7:30pm - Chester Open Air Theatre

This year the open air theatre is performing two Shakespeare plays - "Macbeth" and "Comedy of Errors," and an adaption of "The Secret Garden." There is also Moonlight Flicks in the Roman Garden to enjoy. Simon is going to see several performances, so please  book your tickets for the following dates, then contact Simon to meet at the venue. If you plan to go to any performances other than those listed below, please send the details to Jacqui to add to this list:

• July 25th, Vertigo, Moonlight Flicks
• August 1st, Comedy of Errors

August 20th, 12:30 - Annual Lunch, Royal Oak, Kinnerton 

As you know, we do not have a coffee morning for our August meeting, but instead meet for lunch. This year we have a table for 10 booked at the Royal Oak. Please let Barbara George know by Friday 15th August as to whether you will be joining us.

July Offerings

Here are our offerings for July. If you have a suggestion, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

July 6th, 12:30 - Sunday Lunch at Chester Golf Club

Why not enjoy the summer by spending a lovely few hours with Newcomers over Sunday Lunch? Those who have been before will know that the Golf Club food is excellent and the setting just gorgeous. The booking has been made initially for 10 people, and we will meet at 12-30pm for a 1-00pm meal. Please do bring guests if you have someone visiting you. You can have either 2 or 3 courses with coffee....£10:95 for 2 courses or £11:95 for 3 courses, and can decide when you get there. I hope that we can get a good number able to come as it is always nice to have a good get together and catch-up. Please let Barbara George know by Friday 4th July as to whether you will be joining us.

July 19th, 8:00pm - Chester Cathedral

You are warmly invited to a very special concert, the final act of this year’s Music Festival in Chester Cathedral. This will be one hundred years to the day after Austria took the fateful decision to invade Serbia, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand three weeks earlier. Over the following weeks these fateful happenings led to the outbreak of the First World War, bringing Russia, Germany, France and Britain into a conflict whose momentous events still shape our world.
In one of the most important concerts in the region this year the Chester Festival Chorus will combine with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the rising young conductor, James Burton, and the wonderful soloists Judith Howarth and William Dazeley, to perform pieces of music by two of Britain’s finest composers, Edward Elgar and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The programme comprises:

• Elgar – Sospiri 
• Elgar – Spirit of England 
• Vaughan Williams – Dona Nobis Pacem 

Elgar’s Spirit of England, written in 1915, is a setting of three poems by Laurence Binyon which include ‘For the Fallen’ with its words ‘...at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them’. Ralph Vaughan Williams, who served on the Western Front, wrote ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’ in 1936 and it paints a picture of war and a prayer for peace.
The concert will begin with Elgar’s ‘Sospiri’. You’ll find booking details on the website http://chesterfestivalchorus.org.uk/ under ‘This year’ but David Pawson could buy tickets for you at a performers’ discount of 15%.

July 21st, 7:30 - Nantwich Civic Hall

Tim and Lui have tickets to see Sue Townsend's Bazaar and Rummage performed by The Nantwich Players on the 21st. If anyone would like to join them, their seats are G3 and G4. The play is directed by Jo McDonald. In 'Bazaar and Rummage' Sue Townsend takes an hilarious view at the politics of self-help groups.... Tickets are available from Nantwich Civic Hall from 9am or ring 01270 600 727. 

June Jewels

Here are our offerings for June. If you have a suggestion, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

June 26, June 28 - Music Exchange Concerts

Len and Betty are members of People to People International, which promotes cross-cultural communication within and across nations. They are currently hosting the student who is on the Music Exchange Scholarship within the program. She is a talented violinist and will be giving performances in the Chester area in June and July. The dates are:
June 26, Nantwich Church at 12:30
June 28, Wesley Chapel, Chester, 12:45
July 1st, Eaton Hall, 7pm. Tickets for this event are £10 and must be purchased beforehand from Betty)

Other items of interest 

You may enjoy attending one of these other events that have been suggested by our members:

• May 31  - June 15, Chester Music Festival, Chester Racecourse. Created and staged by the performers themselves and uniquely billed as the ‘musicians’ festival’, the MBNA Chester Music Festival sees the city sing to the tune of some of the world’s greatest music. This year’s festival will mark the centenary of the start of WW1 and the loss of our ‘Age of Innocence’ with a series of themed concerts; world-class tenor James Gilchrist will perform Vaughan Williams’ rarely-heard On Wenlock Edge with Chester’s own Ensemble Deva before paying tribute to composer George Butterworth with his setting of A Shropshire Lad. The Ensemble will also play a haunting version of Messaien’s Quartet for the End of Time, a piece that truly embodies the transcendent power of great music Check their website for all the details.

May Moments

Here are our offerings for May. If you have a suggestion, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

May 22 - 7pm Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, Vue Cinema, Cheshire Oaks

Mark Haddon’s celebrated, multi-award-winning novel is beautifully and imaginatively adapted into a stage play for the first time. Christopher, fifteen years old, stands beside Mrs Shears’ dead dog, Wellington. It has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in his book to solve the mystery. He has an extraordinary brain, exceptional at maths but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched and he distrusts strangers. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world. Go to the website to book your seat, then meet in the Foyer at 6:45pm. 

April Activities

Here are our offerings for April. If you have a suggestion, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

April 14 - 7:45pm Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog, Theatre Clwyd

A theatrical journey through the prose writing of Dylan Thomas. Barbara Shapton has a ticket for Monday night in the Gallery area (unreserved seating). The cost is £9.50 concessions or £11.50 for you young folk. See www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk for more info and to book. Let her know if you're coming and she will meet you in the bar beforehand.

April 24 - 7pm Vikings Live from the British Museum, Vue Cinema, Cheshire Oaks

Broadcast directly from the British Museum comes this cinematic event. Showcasing the British Museum’s new, major exhibition Vikings: Live from the British Museum invites you to see behind the scenes of this exciting new exhibition. With an introduction from Michael Wood and Exhibition Curator Gareth Williams you’ll experience the magic of this fascinating exhibition from the comfort of Vue cinemas! Go to the website to book your seat, then meet in the Foyer at 6:45pm. 

Other items of interest 

You may enjoy attending one of these other events that have been suggested by our members:

• April 19-21, Chester Food, Drink and Lifestyle Festival, Chester Racecourse. With over 25,000 people expected this Easter on the Chester Racecourse, right in the heart of the city, he Chester Food Drink & Lifestyle Festival is the biggest event of its type to take place anywhere in the UK this Easter. Over 150 exhibitors highlight the best the county, region and country has to offer and means that for your, the visitor it is simply a wonderful culinary experience. See more on the website.
• April 14-20, National Gardening Week, Ness Botanic Gardens. A week long programme of events, talks, demonstrations and activities for all the family. Check their website for all the details.

Mix it up in March

Here are our offerings for March. If you have a suggestion, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

March 22 - 7pm "Field Notes" music and art, Bickerton Village Hall.
Tim and Lui are going to this musical evening and thought other members may be interested. Bickerton Village Hall is the first venue in Cheshire to host an evening of creative magic with internationally renowned artists,'Field Notes' is a unique collaboration that proves it's the unfamiliar creative experiences which are often the most memorable and intense. Using old county maps and graphic scores as common starting points, composer Howard Skempton and artist Matthew Harris have each created a brand new work for this performance. Harris' freestanding textile artwork of old maps will transform our village hall into a gallery and a concert hall as four of BCMG perform Skempton's new piece 'Field Notes'. Skempton's joyous, sparse enigmatic music has featured at the BBC Proms and has been widely performed by many of the UK's top orchestras and ensembles. Doors open at 7pm and the show begins at 8pm. Tickets are £8 and include a Ploughman's, and there will be a bar. Ring Carol Shadbolt at 01829 782392 or email her at shadboltcarol@gmail.com for tickets.

March 27 - 7pm AGM and Dinner at the Cheshire Cat 

This year we are going to hold the AGM as an evening event, rather than have it as part of our monthly coffee morning, so that more of you can join us. We will have the AGM first at 7pm, then those who would like to can stay on for dinner. It will be at the Cheshire Cat in Christelton, please add the date to your calendar so you don't forget.

Other items of interest 
You may enjoy attending one of these other events that have been suggested by our members:

• Various dates, Everyman and Playhouse Theatres. Simon is looking for members who may be going with him to a variety of different plays that will be on in Liverpool during March, April, May, June and July. Sample offerings are Twelfth Night, This May Hurt a Bit, and Spring Awakening. Please contact him directly if you are interested.
• March 8th, Hoole Community Centre, International Women's Day. Each year around the world, International Women's Day is celebrated on 8 March.  Hundreds of events are held not just on this date but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Activities arranged included, music and dance performances, market stalls, displays and information, tombola, raffle, and cafe.

Fun in February

Here are our offerings for February. If you have a suggestion, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

February 4 - "12 Years a Slave" at the Vue Cinema in Cheshire Oaks 

A few members are going to see the 19:15 showing of this film, if you are interested contact Renee. She will be at the cinema around 19:10, at at Frankie & Benny's from 18:45 if you want to meet for a drink first. If you sign up for Super Tuesday you can get reduced price tickets whenever you go on a Tuesday. If you cannot make Tuesdays and you have an Orange (EE) phone, you also have Orange Wednesdays! There are some good movies on at the moment, and coming up in the next few weeks, so we hope to have a few more outings to the cinema. Don't forget you can also book tickets for Live Feed events (opera, ballet, theatre) at the Vue Cinemas so checkout what they are offering and let the other members know if you are interesting in attending any of them. These are really good, they give you an opportunity to see something you would otherwise miss.

February 13 (or 15) - "Useless Beauty" at the Forum Theatre in Chester 

Tickets are only £7, and Viv is planning on going either on the 13th or 15th, depending on who wants to go along and when. Book now for this exciting new play or call the Box Office on 01244 341296, then let Viv know when you are going.

February 20 - 7:30 Dinner at the Cock O Barton, Malpas 

It has been a while since we have all been together for dinner, and at this time of year we really need something to look forward to. Lynda has bagged us a 50% off voucher at the Cock O Barton, so this will be a really good deal. We have booked a table for 12, but we could squeeze in a couple more. If you would like to join us, please email Barbara G. 

PLANNING AHEAD
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March 27 - Don't forget to put the Newcomers AGM into your calendar

This year we are going to hold the AGM as an evening event, rather than have it as part of our monthly coffee morning, so that more of you can join us. We will have the AGM first at 7pm, then those who would like to can stay on for dinner. It will be at the Cheshire Cat in Christelton, please add the date to your calendar so you don't forget.

Happy 2014!

To all our members, let's hope this year is healthy, happy and harmonious! We are trying to come up with an interesting mix of events for this year, if you have any suggestions we are always open to new ideas.  Don't forget, if you are going to an event and you would like some company, you can always send an invite the group. 

We hope this year sees a growth in our membership so we can enjoy the company of new and exciting members who will encourage us to venture out of our safety zones. We had some flyers made up last year - if anyone would like to take a few to hand out to people you would like to invite to join the group, please let us know. 

For now, here are some ideas of what we would like to add to our  schedule over the next few months:

• Arley Hall & Gardens, Northwich
• Hilbre Island, Wirral
• Puffin Island and walk around the Great Orm, Llandudno
• more Sunday lunches, pub nights, film nights, etc.

January events

Here are a few things that our members are attending this month. If you would like to join them, please contact the appropriate members:

• Michaela & Paul are going to see Swanlake at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on Tuesday 28th January.
  They are in seats F14 and 15. Tickets are £22 (no concessions). Book your tickets and meet them in the foyer before the show.
• Debra is going to see Giselle at the Vue Cinemas at Cheshire Oaks on January 27th. Book your ticket and meet her there.

Other notable events

At this time there are no other members attending these events, but you could start a trend!

• 21st January - Deer Walk and Lunch at Tatton Hall.
• 22nd January - Tour of Pre-Raphaelite Paintings at Lady Lever Art Gallery
• 25th January - The Battle of Nantwich
• 30th January - Coriolanus at Vue Cinemas. 

Newcomers AGM March 20

This year we are going to hold the AGM as an evening event, rather than have it as part of our monthly coffee morning, so that more of you can join us. We will have the AGM first, then those who would like to can stay on for dinner. It will be at the Cheshire Cat in Christleton, please add the date to your calendar so you don't forget.