By: HAA Admin
MINUTES OF THE QUARTERLY MEETING OF HILLINGDON ARTS ASSOCIATION
15th January 2024
1.PRESENT
Lydia Holland, Trustee, Chair H.A.A, Hillingdon Philharmonic Orchestra
Jenny Thorne, Trustee, Hillingdon & Harrow Embroiderers
Sheila Scoates, Trustee, Hillingdon U3A Singers
Richard Fremantle, Treasurer
Sheena Rosser Hillingdon Artists
Angela Strach – Uxbridge Choral Society
Michelle Needleman, Uxbridge Choral Society, Sine Nomine Singers
Barbara Porkett – Society of Ruislip Artists
Joyce Carpenter – Society of Ruislip Artists
Iain Kane – Society of Ruislip Artists
Zoe Iggulden – Ruislip Dramatic Society
Gaye Russell, Free and Easel
Peter Russel, Middx. Woodturners
Gaynor Lasch, Ickenham, Art Society
Wolf Lasch, Ickenham Art Society
Tricia Kirkham, Uxbridge and Ickenham Floral Art Society
2. APOLOGIES
Sylvia Taylor, Trustee, Acting Minute Secretary, Argosy Players
Fred Davis, Trustee, Web Master and Membership Secretary
Jan Scurr, Harefield Amateur Dramatic Society
Maggie Warren, Pastiche Musical Theatre
Lynn Jackson, Ruislip Operatic Society
Leslie Dearlove, Ruislip Operatic Society
Christine Terry, Sine Nomine
Gerri Green, Argosy
Pam Currin, Eastcote and Ruislip Choral Society
Eirwen Smith, Hillingdon Choral Society
Paul Austin , Southlands
Paul Burke, Middlesez Woodturners
Richard Nokes – Phrasewriters
Ron Webb, Voices in Accord
Gloria Webb, Voices in Accord
Lyn Kauffman, Ruislip Lions
Judy Kelly, Ruislip Dramatic Society
Vicky Yeung, Encore
Sital Punja, Hillingdon Labour Councillor
3. MINUTES OF LAST QUARTERLY IN OCTOBER and MATTERS ARISING
The minutes of the Quarterly Meeting held on 17th October were accepted as a true record, with two errors: the spelling of “choral” (again – this has now been corrected) and the accidental omission of Marion Chamberlain from Proscenium’s name on the list of Apologies.
4. MATTERS ARISING
There was discussion about various development works that appeared to have stalled. Michele mentioned the event organised by Helen Denby-Knight for St Modwen at St Andrews Park in Uxbridge on the 21st October. Last year several HAA societies were able to contribute to a similar event. The purpose of the event was to stir up interest in St Modwen and their developments. However, it has been noticed that work has ceased on the high rise blocks to the north end of St Andrews Park. A separate source advises that this is because Sadiq Khan has decided that outer London flats developments no longer need parking space – so builders are often stalling in the hope they will be able to squeeze more units in uner the new rules. There was no further news on St Medwen’s plans for the Old Cinema.
Work has also stalled on the so-called Platinum Jubilee leisure centre next door to the community centre in West Drayton; and there appears to be no further progress on plans for Yiewsley Library.
Lydia said that the community group convened to discuss redevelopment of Uxbridge Town Centre had not met since August last year. This together with the extraordinary new plans for Uxbridge library simply illustrate the “cost of living crisis” at the wider level of business and local government, affecting both investment and current account spending.
5. TREASURER’ S REPORT
There was no change from the previous report. Richard Fremantle said that he had emailed everyone who has paid subs, either as an individual or for a society. To repeat, the annual subscription for a Society is £20, for an individual it is £12. There had been discussion about the subs process, with a request invoices could be sent out, or an email stating exactly what the subs are for and the dates of membership covered. Richard had agreed.
6. UXBRIDGE LIBRARY
The LBH plan to move Uxbridge Library from its present position the the High Street to take over the 1st floor rooms occupied by the Middlesex Suite in the Civic Centre was discussed at length and the HAA recorded their dismay at the details revealed so far, which are heavy on artist impression images and short on facts, suchas measures. Petitiona against the move were heard by Cllr Lavery on 23rd November. When very powerful arguments against the move were read out. Two are gorwarded with these notes.The subject will be discussed at cabinet on 15th February when an equality and Human Rights report by council officers will be considered. `we will return to this subject in march.
7. HAA WEBSITE MANAGEMENT
Lydia had not yet made contact with Sital Punja as was recorded as an action in October.
8. SAINT ANDREWS DEVELOPMENT
Already discussed.
9. NEWS FROM THE SOCIETIES – some from attendees, some submitted by email
Hillingdon Artists – Sheena Rosser
Hillingdon Artists still have a shop in Uxbridge Pavilions, next to Holland & Barrett, but as the Pavilions has now been sold, we are not sure how much longer the new landlord will allow us to stay.
We will be exhibiting at the Cow Byre from 21st April to 4th May, at Uxbridge Expo at Brunel on 23rd May, with Combined Arts 24th to 31st May, Uxbridge Library from 31st May to 14th June, Eastcote House Gardens 1st June, Ickenham Gala Day 15th June.
We also have a small permanent exhibition in the bistro area of the Compass theatre in Ickenham.
Uxbridge and Ickenham Floral Art Society – Tricia Kirkham
We face an ever decreasing membership (and therefore committee members) and we are more and more realising the importance of the Grant that has now been discontinued! So we are doing much more fund raising such as Workshops where people can learn and have a go at arranging flowers, so far this has been very successful!
Our next meeting will be on Thursday 14th March when we celebrate our 67th anniversary (with cake!) We have got a National Demonstrator, Pam Lewis with the title ‘The World Awakes to the Sound of Spring.’ Should be interesting as she’s really good and entertaining! Visitors £13.00
Uxbridge Choral Society – Angela Strach
Uxchor news was that our Christmas Music concert on 16th December had gone very well, with a much larger audience than expected. Our next is 23rd March, when we will be performing Fauré’s Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine, along with other ‘Classical favourites’. It will be at 7.30 at St Andrew’s Church, Uxbridge, tickets £15 to include refreshments, children under 16 free.To book, go to https://www.uxbridgechoralsociety.org.uk or buy on the door.
If anyone is interested in joining, we meet every Wednesday 7.30-9.30 term time, no auditions nor requirement to read music. If interested please contact astrach62@gmail.com.
Sine Nomine – Michelle Needleman
Sine Nomine Singers held their Christmas concert on 2nd Dec at St Leonards Church in Eastcote, performing Haydn’s Creation and a selection of carols for choir and audience. The event was well attended, so it is likely that future concerts will take place at this venue, rather than at All Saints Church in Hillingdon. The choir is currently focussing on increasing its membership to make up for declining numbers. Repertoire for the spring and summer terms is already finalised and proving popular. Spring term rehearsals have already got off to a flying start. Dates for our next 2 concerts are Sat 16th March and Sat 29th June. Our current music director of 8 years will sadly be leaving us after the summer concert, but we already have 2 candidates lined up to replace him. We are also considering changing the choir’s name to something easier for people to find when searching for a local choir to join, for example ‘Hillingdon Chamber Choir’, however we will retain our current name for official purposes.
Jenny Thorne
Same report as in October Jenny spoke about Townswomen’s Guilds. They are opening up to occasional husbands and the membership is climbing again. They are getting members from Women’s Institutes! There are now 6 Guilds in the Federation and all meetings are now held in daytime, with sandwiches and tea. Meetings in North Harrow and at St Lawrence’s Eastcote.
U3A Singers – Sheila Scoates
The U3A Singers will be putting on a combined concert with the U3A Ukulele and Guitar groups on Sunday 24 March at Christchurch, Redford Way, Uxbridge,
from 5 – 7pm.
Ruislip Dramatic Society and 100th Anniversary – Zoe Iggulden
Our November production was Alan Bennett’s “Habeas Corpus” which played to packed houses at the Compass theatre. Final figures are not yet available but it is hoped that they will be favourable
bearing in mind the recent 30% rise in the cost of hiring the theatre. This was a low budget production which utilised lighting and a suggested set to offset the costs of a full set which worked very well and which many theatres use these days.
2024 however is the 100th Anniversary of Ruislip Dramatic Society and a larger scale production is planned as we present Alan Ayckbourn’s ” Chorus of Disapproval”, a play with music from 12th -15th June as our first major production of the year.
A sneak preview of the synopsis of “Chorus of Disapproval”…
A shy widower, Guy Jones, decides to join his local operatic society in a bid to beat his loneliness. But his inability to say no soon has him rising from a one-line part to the lead!
The drama onstage is nothing compared to that behind the scenes in this riotous comedy presented by Ruislip Dramatic Society. Can Guy negotiate dodgy business deals, love
interests plus a madcap director and survive to opening night?
Cost: £14 / Over-60s (Wednesday and Thursday only) £13
Book: www.hillingdontheatres.uk / 01895 250615 / 01895 632300
NEW: Curtain Up! Theatre Play Reading group:
From February 2024, Compass Theatre will be hosting Curtain-Up, monthly play-reading sessions, on the first Tuesday in the month, from 2.15pm until 4.45pm.
You are invited to to come along and enjoy the opportunity to read a character, or just listen as the group brings a play to life. No experience needed.
Sessions are free to attend, when booked in advance. Book in advance online by clicking on the ‘Book Now’ button, below.For more information, or to book offline, contact boxoffice@hgfl.org.uk01895 250615
http://www.hillingdontheatres.uk/index.php/events/curtain-up/
Ruislip Lions – Lyne Kauffman
No report this time.
Eascote and Ruislip Choral Society
Together with Eastcote Chamber Orchestra will perform Vivaldi’s Gloria, “Spring” from the Four Seasons, Bizet’s Te deum and “L’Arlésienne” Suite No. I on Saturday 16th March at 7.30 pm in Ickenham United Reformed Church. (Taken from Facebook.)
Uxbridge and Ickenham Floral Art Society – Patricia Kirkham
We face an ever decreasing membership (and therefore committee members) and we are more and more realising the importance of the Grant that has now been discontinued! So we are doing much more fund raising such as Workshops where people can learn and have a go at arranging flowers, so far this has been very successful!
Our next meeting will be on Thursday 14th March when we celebrate our 67th anniversary (with cake!) We have got a National Demonstrator, Pam Lewis with the title ‘The World Awakes to the Sound of Spring.’ Should be interesting as she’s really good and entertaining! Visitors £13.00
Harefield Amateur Dramatic Society – Jan Scurr
Performed 1940-That Glorious Summer which has been written by HADS members on 11- 13 January 2024. This depicts the events leading up to the Battle of Britain and the roles played by the RAF, women and Polish airmen during the conflict, with awesome sound and special effects. Tickets from janscurr@hotmail.com. From website
Argosy Players – Gerri Green
Fresh on the heels of the ruby slippers in Wizard Of Oz, Argosy Players were back in January with their annual pantomime for 2024 – Cinderella.
Argosy are excited to announce that our next show will be Agatha Christie’s ” And Then There Were None at Compass Theatre 22nd – 25th May 2024
Southlands – Paul Austin
Southlands will host an Easter Craft Market Cafe with stalls, Easter egg hunt and art and crafts for all ages 11 am to 4pm
Pastiche Musical Theatre – Maggie Warren
Pastiche return to the Compass with a production of Eric Idle and John Du Prez’s Spamalot, based on the classic Monty Python film ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ on 20th-23rd March.
As King Arthur and his knights of the round table go on a quest to find the ultimate relic, the Holy Grail, they encounter the beautiful (and feisty) Lady of the Lake, knights who say “Ni”, a truly terrifying bunny rabbit, coconuts a-plenty and a whole manner of other things all Python.
Featuring an original score of catchy, funny songs, including the songs written by the Pythons for the original film (not to mention the classic ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’) Spamalot is a show not to be missed.
Winner of three Tony awards and having had multiple successful runs both in New York and London, Pastiche are thrilled to be staging this truly hysterical musical. An absolute must for fans not just of Monty Python, but for everyone who wants to look on the ‘bright side of life’ and enjoy this wonderful musical comedy.
Pastiche will be raising money for Thames Hospice.
Ickenham Art society – Gaynor Lasch
Ickenham Art Soc. is moving to a new venue on 1st February 2024. Our existing meeting place, 2nd Ickenham Scout hut is being demolished and a new one being erected (but no time specified for completion), so we have moved to the Guide Hut, still in Community Close, but right by the Ickenham Library car park, much more convenient ! This may also help with attracting more members, as we are in a more prominent position.
Free and Easel – Gaye Russell
No new report
Combined Art Exhibition – Gaye Russell
the combined arts exhibition. The exhibition has taken place for many many years, (Fred can tell you exactly how many), Hillingdon council kindly let us have the Great Barn in Ruislip for one week rent free. It is held during the May bank holiday week. Nearly all the art societies and craft groups in the borough get together to exhibit their work to the public. We also invite children from local schools and clubs,(brownies, cubs,etc) to join us to show what they have been painting and crafting. We hold workshops and have demos for adults and children, and a preview on the first Friday, opened by the mayor. It’s also a chance for all the groups to hopefully enrol new members.
Ruislip Operatic Society – Lynn Jackson and Leslie Dearlove
Our next production is the spectacular musical comedy Made In Dagenham, playing at the Winston Churchill Theatre on 24th to 27th April 2024.
Hillingdon Choral Society – Eirwen Smith
We had a very successful Christmas concert – Messiah Part 1 and carols for both choir and audience. We had a capacity audience at the URC. We had our problems with one soloist getting a contract elsewhere, her replacement getting Covid and the next replacement being contacted the day before the concert and another soloist waking up on concert morning with little to no voice – her replacement coming just hours before concert. However, both ladies were amazing and gave excellent performances.
As part of the festive season several members of the choir sang carols in the URC as part of the Ickenham Festival – it was a lovely evening with many festival visitors calling in the Church coffee bar, but staying to listen to and join in the carols. Several HCS members also joined the URC Church choir for their candlelight carol service and a small group visited Poplars Care Home in Ruislip, singing carols with the residents.
Our next concert will be Faure Requiem with orchestral accompaniment on 27th April. We will also performing this concert in and around Ghent, Belgium at the end of May.
Proscenium – Marion Chamberlain
Michael Williams was appointed our new Chair at Proscenium’s 2023 AGM on 18th October following the sudden death of David Pearson. All future contact with the society by HAA remains via the Secretary – Marion Chamberlain marionje.chamberlain@gmail.com
Our 2023/24 season started with Ladies’ Day by Amanda Whittington at the Compass in November. The play was very well received with nearly 400 tickets sold over 4 performances. Rehearsals are well underway for our second production, Julius Caesar in March at HAC, and our third, Speaking in Tongues at the Compass, has already been cast. We will provide an update on our experience of the Boiler House, a new performance space at HAC, for the next HAA meeting.
Ahead of rehearsals starting for Julius Caesar, the cast and Proscenium members were lucky enough to have an opportunity to discuss the play, and performing Shakespeare in general, with Robert Glenister who had played Brutus in a production for the BBC in 2016.
The preparations for our 2024 centenary celebrations are well underway with an exhibition running for 7 weeks from 13th February at the Tithe Barn Museum, Headstone Manor. There is still time for anyone to lend materials which they think would be of interest and we hope to see many friends from other societies at the exhibition.
Lastly I’m pleased to report some new members have joined Proscenium after watching Ladies’ Day but with sadness we lost another previous member at the start of 2024 – Kathleen Jones, who was the creative hub of Proscenium for many years.
Hillingdon Philharmonic Orchestra – Lydia Holland
The orchestra’s next concert will be at Winston Churchill Theatre on Sunday 3rd March. This will be a one hour long concert oF Family Film Favourites, including the music from Beauty and the Beast,The Greatest Showman, Star wars, Frozen, Wicked and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Society of Ruislip Artists – Joyce Carpenter
Our Society has quite a lot organised for the coming months. Firstly we will be holding a Painting Afternoon for our members and visitors in the Kings College Playing Fields Hall in Ruislip on Wednesday, 17th January and have two further ones booked for 21st February and 20th March.
We also have smaller painting afternoons booked just for up to eight of our members in Ruislip Manor Library on Tuesdays, 13th February and 12th March.
On Saturday, 27th January, we will be holding a Workshop from 2.00-4.00 pm, again in Ruislip Manor Library from 2.00-4.00 pm. The theme is the work of Van Gogh and we will be painting or drawing in his style. We are hoping for visitors to come along and have a go and some of our artists will be there to offer tips and support. After the success of our Christmas workshop, we felt we would like to do this monthly as it was great fun and so enjoyable to see so many people, young and old, having a go and enjoying themselves. We will be having further workshops on Saturdays, 24th February and 30th March, themes to be decided.
We will be holding our monthly meeting on Tuesday, 30th January in The Woodman, Joel Street, Eastcote. Curtis Tappenden will be giving a Zoom demonstration on Figures. We felt that holding Zoom meetings in January and February was a good idea as some of our older members don’t like to go out at night in the winter so this gives them the opportunity to join in the meeting from home while the rest of us can still meet up. On 27th February our Zoom demonstration will be on Pastels by Joel Wareing at The Woodman and on 26th March Iain Kane will be doing an Artist’s Choice demonstration (in person – not Zoom!), again at The Woodman.
We have our Spring Exhibition booked in The Cow Byre, Manor Farm Complex from 10th to 23rd March, we will be joining The Combined Arts Exhibition in The Great Barn from 24th to 30th May and taking part in The Eastcote House Gardens Summer Picnic on Saturday, 1st June.
Last but not least, we still have our ongoing exhibition in Vito’s Cafe, 151 High Street, Ruislip. We change the paintings every two months and are due to refresh our paintings on 5th February. We are still very happy there as not only is it a nice little place to exhibit, the food is lovely and it has helped attract a few new members from there and also from our website.
We thought we were going to have a quieter year this year but luckily we have a lot to look forward to.
Voices in Accord – Gloria and Ron Webb
We are back to rehearsing and have 3 Charity Events confirmed.
Brain Tumour Group-July&December
Flower Festival, Hayes-July
Save the Children-December
Two further Events are to be confirmed
Encore – Vicky Yeung
News from Encore is the forthcoming Juniors production of School of Rock which will be coming to the Winston Churchill in July.
7. DATES OF NEXT MEETINGS All meetings in the Civic Centre Uxbridge. If you require a parking space in the Civic Centre please send your request with registration number to Sheila at least 2 days before the meeting. scoates.sheila@yahoo.com
10th April in room 4 & 4a
Wednesday 10th July in Room 5
Tuesday 8th October in room 5