Brancaster Village Hall

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December Newsletter

11th December 2024


December 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Storm Bert has been and gone - and seems to have left us largely unscathed....... And so our thoughts turn to goose fattening, wine mulling and reindeer grooming.

With our Christmas tree being delivered any day now, I write a little earlier than usual in order to deliver one final reminder of the major event in our winter calendar....

Brancaster Village Hall Winter Fair
Saturday 30th November
10.00am to 3.00pm

Our beloved Events Team has been hard at work for many months to create a fabulous day that will help you get into the Christmas spirit.
Over 20 stalls will be offering plenty of gift-buying opportunities.
Delicious cakes will be available for you to enjoy with your tea and coffees.
And 'Neil the Bar' will be open for business, if you feel the need for something stronger.
The Brancaster Community Choir will be singing carols at 2.00pm.
And there will be plenty more to enjoy.
We would love to see you on the day.

In the meantime, we would be especially grateful for the support of any bakers out there who would like to bake and donate a cake (or two) to help on the ever-popular cake stall. Surely, there are some of you that would be keen to show off your 'Show-Stopper' !!!

With the Winter Fair behind us, we will be moving into a full programme of Christmas events, anticipating a wild New Year's Eve party. Details are all below.

And thereafter, we will be doing it all over again - as your Committee is already hard at work creating a lively and varied programme of events for 2025.

For those of you that are not able to drop by, all of us involved with the running of your Village Hall would like to thank you for your support during 2024, to wish you a peaceful and joyful Christmas and to send best wishes for a prosperous New Year.

With kindest regards,

John Wareham
For the Brancaster Village Hall & Bar Committee


Regular Groups
The weekly programme of groups and clubs looks like this for the next few weeks.
Yoga on Monday evenings, 6.30pm to 8.00pm
Baby & Toddler Group on Tuesday mornings, 9.30am to 11.30am
Beginners Pilates with Sarah on Thursday afternoons, 12.30pm to 1.30pm
Scottish Dancing, Tuesday 17th December, 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Mobile Library Van, Thursday 12th December, 1.55pm to 2.30pm

Important Note
The Wednesday Coffee Morning Group, an important fixture in our weekly calendar, has decided to take a break over the winter - and will likely re-convene in the early part of March.
We would like to send a big thank you to Maureen Kimber for her running of this group over a long period.
Maureen is keen to expand the group in 2025. Spread the word !!

Events of the Month

After a busy November of horse racing, quizzing and currying, our December calendar is dominated by Christmas.


Carol Singing: Thursday 19th December, 6.00pm to 7.00pm
The Brancaster Community Choir will get the Holiday season well and truly started with their traditional, and always very wonderful, carol concert at BVH. Mince pies and mulled wine will be served - and this event is definitely not to be missed.

This is always a quite wonderful start to Christmas !!!

.
Children's Christmas and Karaoke: Saturday 21st December, 6.30pm to 8.00pm
Lots of fun for children of all ages. Christmas attire is optional (but encouraged !!) for children and parents alike !!

New Year's Eve: Tuesday 31st December, 5.00pm until Late
Bringing 2024 to a close, our NYE Party features a live set from the amazing Sidewalk from 9.00pm.
The Bar will be open until 1.00am.

Food Vans
Spud Bar: Friday 20th December, 5.00pm to 8.00pm
Serving all things jacket potato, the Spud Bar will be with us for the early part of the evening. Surely worth a try for all those who are feeling a little daunted by the upcoming catering marathon !!

Future Happenings: Dates for Your Diary

BVH Talk 'The Great English Golf Boom': Friday 17th January, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
We are delighted to welcome Michael Morrison, a local author who has written widely about the game of golf.

Mike will be talking us through the highlights of his fascinating book, 'The Great English Golf Boom', which charts and explains the rapid expansion of the game of golf in England during the decades leading up to the First World War. This story has especial relevance to golfers in the village, given that The Royal West Norfolk Golf Club was founded in 1892, and so forms a vital link to Mike's core narrative.

Mike has delivered this talk to an impressive range of Clubs and will be available to sign copies of his book after the talk.

As ever, our numbers will be limited and so an early booking is advised.
Tickets: £15 per head - to include a welcome glass of wine
Please contact us on bvhsetup@gmail.com

Italian Language Lessons: Dates/Times to be confirmed..........
Ciao a tutti !

My name is Graham Cochran, and I wanted to let you know that I am looking to start an Italian for beginners course (primi passi) at the Village Hall in early 2025.

I am a qualified teacher and lived and worked in Italy for over fifteen years. The classes will be interactive with a focus on speaking and listening skills, so that you can begin communicating quickly in Italian. We will also spend time exploring Italian culture, society and all that the bel paese has to offer.

To register your interest, or for further information, please email me at: ciaonorfolk@outlook.com. Alternatively, you can call or text me on 07470 117085.

Details of all events, clubs and food vans are posted in the 'What's On ?' section of our website and on our pages on Facebook and Instagram.

If you would like more information about any event in the calendar, please send us an email. Please also let us know if you would like to discuss booking a regular time for any new groups that would like to use the Hall.

Email: bvhsetup@gmail.com

As ever, we have a super-busy programme of bar-based events in December.

The schedule looks like this:
Wednesday 4th December: Pool Match, 8.00pm
Thursday 5th December: Skittles Night, 8.00pm
Friday 6th December: Winter Darts League, 8.00pm
Thursday 12th December: Quiz Night, 8.00pm NB: The last Bar71 Quiz of 2024 !!
Sunday 15th December: Norfolk Super League Darts, 6.00pm
Wednesday 18th December: Pool Match, 8.00pm
Thursday 19th December: Skittles Night, 8.00pm
Friday 20th December: Winter Darts League, 8.00pm
And finally, we are delighted to being you a special event:
Saturday 28th December: Bar 71 Darts Tournament ,10.00am to 10.00pm
This event will be open to all comers.
If you are interested to take part, please contact Neil the Bar

Opening Hours
Over the Holidays, our opening hours will be as follows:
Christmas Eve: Midday to 5.00pm
Christmas Day: Closed
Boxing Day: Midday to 5.00pm
Otherwise, our winter opening hours are now operational and are as follows:
Wednesday to Saturday: 5.00pm-10.00pm
Sunday: Midday to 5.00pm

Neil and the team send their thanks for your support and wish you a very Happy Christmas !!

Mark Eldridge very kindly writes this section for us:

Here comes Christmas!

We have new Christmas ranges in store for you to enjoy from luxury cheeses, crisps and perhaps something sparkly to help celebrate?!

Post Office news.
Here are a few details to help when thinking about when to send your letters and parcels….

So the fa-la-la-last posting dates are:
Second class - Wednesday 18th December
First class - Friday 20th December
Tracked 24 - Saturday 21st December
Special delivery - Monday 23rd December

In terms of international last posting dates the key ones are:
Friday 6th December for Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Spain
Tuesday 10th December for Canada, Ireland, USA

Finally, if you are interested in working at Brancaster Stores & Post Office then please send us an email on info@brancasterstores.co.uk

Happy Christmas from all the team at Brancaster Stores and Post Office


As ever, please get in touch if you would like to:

Rent the Hall for a private function - a party, a christening or a wedding.

Make a suggestion about new events, if you would like to start a new group or activity, join an existing group or even help with the running of BVH.

Apply for a job in Bar71 - for a large or a small number of shifts.

Website

For enquiries, please email us: bvhsetup@gmail.com

Find out more, visit our website: www.brancastervillagehall.communitybookings.co.uk

© 2021 Brancaster Village Hall, All rights reserved.
Registered Company: The Simms Reeve Institute Brancaster, Main Road, Brancaster, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE31 8AA
Company Number: 1180739 | VAT number: 309 4094 06

Our mailing address is:
Brancaster Village Hall
Brancaster Village Hall
Main Road, Brancaster
King's Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8AA
United Kingdom

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October Newsletter

2nd October 2024


October 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

I begin with some photographs of the Main Hall - which is looking absolutely fantastic after a lick of paint to the walls and panelling and the thorough refurbishment of the flooring

We are extremely grateful for the patience of our regular users, who decamped to other parts of the building for a couple of weeks - and especially to those of you that generously donated to our appeal for funding..... I hope you will see that it has all been worthwhile - and that the Hall is now ready for another few years of varied service to the community. Thank you !!

On the subject of making investments in our infrastructure (in order to protect the future of the building and to better serve the village), you may be interested to learn about a couple of ongoing projects. We are currently investigating the installation of PV panels on the south-facing side of our southern roof - along with the possibility of securing some grant funding from Community Action Norfolk. If successful, this project will help to reduce our carbon footprint and save us a fortune on our electricity bills. We have also been in discussion with the Parish Council about making the currently rather 'informal' extension of the car park into something more permanent. This will ease parking congestion at busy times - which do seem to be coming around more and more frequently. We are hopeful of being able to bring you positive news on both projects over the coming few months.

Elsewhere, there is simply masses to report: the return of HotSpot lunches and Scottish Dancing, a Curry Night and a Race Night, quizzes galore - and the early signs of Christmas.... Read on, dear reader. Read on..................

With kindest regards,

John Wareham
For the Brancaster Village Hall & Bar Committee


Regular Groups
The weekly programme of groups and clubs looks like this for the next few weeks.
Yoga on Monday evenings, 6.30pm to 8.00pm
Baby & Toddler Group on Tuesday mornings, 9.30am to 11.30am
Coffee Morning on Wednesday mornings,10.30am to 11.45am
Beginners Pilates with Sarah on Thursday afternoons, 12.30pm to 1.30pm
Scottish Dancing, Tuesday 8th October, 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Mobile Library Van, Thursday 17th October, 1.55pm to 2.30pm

Events of the Month
Concert at St Mary's Church: Saturday 5th October, 7.30pm
Not a BVH event, but you may be interested to attend the latest concert being hosted by 'Music in the Burnhams'.

Joo Yeon Sir (violin) and Irina Andrievsky (piano) combine to bring you a performance of music by Gershwin, Grieg and Schumann. Tickets are £20 each.

For more details, see www.musicintheburnhams.com - or call 07989-177079.

Scottish Dancing: Tuesday 8th October: 6.00pm to 8.00pm
It's back !! Your monthly opportunity to Strip the Willow and meet a Dashing White Sergeant is back for its 2024/25 season !!

Each session costs £2.50 per person - and the Bar is open for interval drinks. Your dates are as follows:
- Tuesday 8th October
- Tuesday 5th November
- Tuesday 17th December
- Tuesday 21st January
- Tuesday 25th February
- Tuesday 18th March

For any enquiries, please write to lucinda.mackworth.young@gmail.com

HotSpot Lunch: Friday 18th October: 12.00 noon to 3.00pm
The return of our HotSpot lunches is a huge relief.

Your 2024 dates are Friday 18th October and Friday 6th December, and you will be served with hot soup, a selection of sandwiches, cold buffet, dessert, coffee/tea and biscuits.

We ask for a suggested donation of £5 per person (cash only, please) and look forward to welcoming you to Brancaster Village Hall whether on your own or with others.

Please book by Wednesday 16th October for the October lunch by ringing Babs Wade on 01485-522273 or email hotspotlunches@gmail.com.

Halloween Party: Saturday 26th October: 5.00pm to 8.00pm
We will be offering all of the usual Halloween frivolities for the children: a monster exhibition, scary face-painting, a children's disco in the bar from 6.00pm. This is sure to be lots of fun for the entire family.

Bordolli's Pizza Van will be serving from 5.00pm until 8.00pm

Dates for Your Diary
We have a number of other happenings for you to enjoy over the next couple of months.

BVH Race Night: Saturday 2nd November, 6.00pm to 9.00pm
Back by popular demand, the BVH Race Night Team will be laying on another exciting evening of races over the sticks and on the flat. This is one of our major fundraising events each year - and we would love to see you all sponsoring races, buying horses and coming along on the night itself. Your involvement will help us to fund your Village Hall..... Thank you !!!

We are looking for race sponsors (it costs £50 plus a prize donation to sponsor a race) and we would like to invite you to buy a horse or two in one of six races to be shown. Buying a horse costs £10 - and each race winner will receive a super prize, donated by the sponsor.

Please ask behind the Bar for more details - and see the blackboard in Bar71 for the Race Card
.

Curry Night: Saturday 15th November
Following on from the stunning success of Thai Night in May, we are delighted to bring you our second food night - this time featuring traditional Indian cuisine from the very wonderful Currylicious. See: www.currylicious.co.uk

As before, we will be taking bookings for tables of six - and full details will be released soon. Any early-bird table reservations can be made via email to bvhsetup@gmail.com

Winter Fair: Saturday 30th November, 10.00am to 3.00pm
Bigger and better every year, planning for the 2024 BVH Winter Fair is well under way.

We will be offering you lots of great gift ideas for Christmas - from a wide range of stalls including Ceramics, Art, Crafts and much more. Plus a Cake Stall, a Bottle Tombola and a performance at 2.00pm from the Community Choir.

Brancaster Community Choir
Our fabulous Brancaster Community Choir is preparing its programme for the coming year - and inevitably, it begins with carols for Christmas.

The Choir will be singing at the Winter Fair (see above) and then performing at BVH at 6.00pm on Thursday 19th December.

Choir rehearsals will be starting soon - held at BVH from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. You are all welcome to join.

Your rehearsal dates are as follows:
- Thursday 8th November
- Thursday 14th November
- Friday 22nd November
- Friday 29th November
- Friday13th December

Please contact lucinda.mackworth.young@gmail.com for more details.

Details of all events, clubs and food vans are posted in the 'What's On ?' section of our website and on our pages on Facebook and Instagram.

If you would like more information about any event in the calendar, please send us an email. Please also let us know if you would like to discuss booking a regular time for any new groups that would like to use the Hall.

NOTE: We can now be reached on the following email: bvhsetup@gmail.com

We start by welcoming Lillian, who has recently joined the Bar71 team. Regular customers will have noted that Lillian also co-runs the Art Studio at the rear of the building.

The month's programme of events looks like this:
Thursday 3rd October: Quiz Night, 8.00pm
Friday 4th October: Darts Match, 8.00pm
Wednesday 9th October: Pool League, 8.00pm
Thursday 10th October: Skittles Night, 8.00pm
Thursday 17th October: Quiz Night, 8.00pm
Sunday 20th October: Norfolk Super League Darts, 6.00pm
Thursday 24th October: Skittles Night, 8.00pm
Wednesday 30th October: Pool League, 8.00pm
Thursday 31st October: Quiz Night, 8.00pm

Beery News
This month's new offering is Moongazer Brewery's 'Beat the Pad' - which is 5% abv single hop American-style IPA. It offers characteristic notes of pine, citrus, blueberry, mango and passionfruit - and will be on tap from 7th October. Sounds scrummy !!

Opening Hours

Wednesday to Saturday: 5.00pm-10.00pm
Sunday: Midday to 5pm

As ever, we thank you for your enthusiastic and thirsty support and look forward to seeing you very soon !!!

Mark Eldridge very kindly writes this section for us:

Warm greetings from BVS,

Your Post Office branch continues to go from strength to strength - and we are are enormously grateful for your support. I therefore thought that it might be useful for me to summarise all of the services that we can now offer.

Banking
Cash withdrawals
Cash deposits
Cheque deposits
Balance enquiries

Mailing Services
Royal Mail including tracked 24 and 48 hour services with / without a signature
Parcel Force express and worldwide
'Drop and Go'. If you send parcels and other mail items often, this service allows you drop them off with us and go. No waiting at the counter, scanning, weighing or adding postage labels.

Bill Payments
Gas, electric and water
Broadband and mobile top ups
Council tax, housing and rent

Travel Money
Pre-order in branch or online and collect from us
Or perhaps use a travel money card
Spend abroad with no charges in any of the supported currencies
Make contactless, Apple Pay and Google pay payments
Manage your account, top up or freeze your card in our travel app

Thank you for supporting your local post office

Kind regards,

Mark and all of the team at Brancaster Stores


As ever, please get in touch if you would like to:

Rent the Hall for a private function - a party, a christening or a wedding.

Make a suggestion about new events, if you would like to start a new group or activity, join an existing group or even help with the running of BVH.

Apply for a job in Bar71 - for a large or a small number of shifts.

Website

For enquiries, please email us: bvhsetup@gmail.com

Find out more, visit our website: brancastervillagehall.communitybookings.co.uk

© 2021 Brancaster Village Hall, All rights reserved.
Registered Company: The Simms Reeve Institute Brancaster, Main Road, Brancaster, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE31 8AA
Company Number: 1180739 | VAT number: 309 4094 06

Our mailing address is:
Brancaster Village Hall
Brancaster Village Hall
Main Road, Brancaster
King's Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8AA
United Kingdom

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July Newsletter

5th July 2024


July 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

At last !!

After countless weeks of cold, windy and rainy weather, summer finally arrived last week. And what a relief: the sunny terraces at Bar71 were soon doing brisk business, the village was immediately alive to the sound of barbeques being cleaned and the air was promptly thick with the acrid smell of sausages being burned. It is the soundtrack of an English summer.

For those of us involved with running BVH, it has been a busy and rewarding few weeks. We were delighted to act as a host for the village's D-Day splendid commemorations and we welcomed a hungry crowd to an absolutely fantastic Thai Food Night. We have been screening the Euros and enjoying the sparkling displays of attractive free-flowing football by the England team. We have filled the place with another darts competition and we have hosted a terrific 18th birthday party. And, being always on the look-out for new ways to serve, we have opened our meeting room (at the rear of the building) to two local artists who will be 'in residence' for the next few weeks, running their own Open Studio !

My own highlight was not a BVH event at all - but a profound expression of community nonetheless. The beacon lighting event on the evening of the D-Day anniversary was truly magical: people gathered in friendship, our village choir sang beautifully and our Parish Council Chair spoke most wonderfully about the men that left our village in 1940, some to return in 1945 to their ordinary lives, and some......... Times will change and the challenges we face will come and go - but I have rarely felt as fortunate to live in our blissfully, timelessly peaceful corner of England as I did on that beautiful sunlit evening.

How blessed we are !

With kindest regards,

John Wareham
For the Brancaster Village Hall & Bar Committee

Regular Groups
The weekly programme of groups and clubs looks like this for the next few weeks.
Yoga on Monday evenings, 6.30pm to 8.00pm
Baby & Toddler Group on Tuesday mornings, 9.30am to 11.30am
Coffee Morning on Wednesday mornings,10.30am to 11.45am
Mobile Library Van, Thursday 27th July, 1.55pm to 2.30pm

And elsewhere....
A couple of other happenings for you to enjoy......

Open Studio / Artists' Residency: 1st July to 31st July. Open every day.
Held in the meeting room at the back of the Hall, Lillian (LHS Art) and AJ (AJ’s Original Art) will be displaying and selling their contemporary original art for the month of July. Let's show our support by visiting and browsing their paintings, textile art, drawings and much more. Everyone is very welcome - so please drop by to take a look.

Martin's Cash Bingo: Saturday 20th July, 7.30opm to 10.30pm
This popular evening, ideal for those that like their bingo a little spicier, has become a regular monthly event.

Dates for Your Diary
Once again, all eyes are on the major social event of the year

Brancaster Summer Party: Saturday 3rd August
Preparations continue and we are now delighted to confirm that the day's festivities will include a CAKE COMPETITION !!!! And not just any old cake competition - but an Olympic-themed cake competition !!
Adults are invited to make an 8 inch cake of any flavour.
Children (up to the age of 14 years) are invited to make 4 cupcakes
All cakes must be decorated in an Olympics theme
Entry is free - so please bring your cakes to the Hall between 3.00pm and 4.00pm - where they will be judged, before being sold at the end of the day.

Note: This year, please could somebody remember to buy Patric's Cake ? His entry attracted no interest at all last year - and it remains a source of great sadness to our good friend. So, this year please could one kind person buy it. It won't be a very nice cake, but you will be performing an act of great kindness. (In event of there being significant interest in Patric's Cake, we will hold an impromptu auction, where the cake will go to the highest bidder).

Details of all events, clubs and food vans are posted in the 'What's On ?' section of our website and on our pages on Facebook and Instagram.

If you would like more information about any event in the calendar, please send us an email. Please also let us know if you would like to discuss booking a regular time for any new groups that would like to use the Hall.

NOTE: We can now be reached on the following email: bvhsetup@gmail.com

Once again, we look forward to a busy timetable of events in Bar71 coming up - with excitement already at fever pitch about England's exciting run to victory in the UEFA European Football Championship. It's definitely, definitely, definitely coming home (maybe !).

Neil the Bar and his excellent team are keen to see as many of you as possible.....
Thursday 4th July: Skittles 8.00pm
Friday 5th July: Euros Quarter Finals KO 5.00pm and 8.00pm
Friday 5th July: Darts Match 8.00pm
Sat 6th July: Euros Quarter Finals KO 5.00pm and 8.00pm
Tuesday 9th July: Euros Semi Final KO 8.00pm
Wednesday 10th July: Euros Semi Final KO 8.00pm
Thursday 11th July: Quiz Night 8.00pm
Saturday 13th July: Private Party 2.00pm-7.00pm
Sunday 14th July: Euros Final KO 8.00pm
Thu 18th July: Skittles 8.00pm
Friday 19th July: Darts Match 8.00pm
Thursday 25th July: Quiz Night 8.00pm

New Beers for July
We will be refreshing our wine list in the next few weeks, but for the time being, you will be interested to know that Neil has arranged some new beers for your enjoyment.
From Moongazer: Euro 2024 special, limited edition, ‘SKIPPER’ a 4.4% abv mid strength session beer for those who like an IPA or a pale ale.
From Greene King: New Craft IPA ‘Hazy Day’. A 4.3% abv, fresh, smooth, slightly cloudy and fruity pale ale with orange and citrus tropical flavours. Perfect for hot, sunny days.

Opening Hours
Normal hours 5.00pm-10.00pm Wednesday to Saturday and from Midday to 5.00pm on Sunday.

We will open at 4.00pm for all Euro Football games kicking off at 5.00pm.

As ever, we thank you for your thirsty support and look forward to seeing you very soon !!!

Mark Eldridge normally writes this section - but he is taking a few days off and very well-deserved they are !!

So, perhaps this month's 'News from the Shop' section should come from me (on our collective behalf) and take the form of an open letter of thanks to Mark and his team for the truly fantastic venue that our village shop has become.

The range of goods is amazing, the friendliness of the service is unfailing, the Post Office is more accessible.

The village is very grateful to you, Mark. Thanks to you and the entire team !!


As ever, please get in touch if you would like to:

Rent the Hall for a private function - a party, a christening or a wedding.

Make a suggestion about new events, if you would like to start a new group or activity, join an existing group or even help with the running of BVH.

Apply for a job in Bar71 - for a large or a small number of shifts.

For enquiries, please email us: bvhsetup@gmail.com

Find out more, visit our website: www.brancastervillagehall.communitybookings.co.uk

© 2021 Brancaster Village Hall, All rights reserved.
Registered Company: The Simms Reeve Institute Brancaster, Main Road, Brancaster, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE31 8AA
Company Number: 1180739 | VAT number: 309 4094 06

Our mailing address is:
Brancaster Village Hall
Brancaster Village Hall
Main Road, Brancaster
King's Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8AA
United Kingdom

Read More