Dore to Door internet edition

Local organisations - Summer 2003

Ladies of Dore - Dore Male Voice Choir - Beauchief Ladies Group - Sheffield Folk Chorale - The Experience Corps

Ladies of Dore

Abbeydale park bowling club is a crown green bowling club, situated at the top end of the Abbeydale Sports Club ground. It now has open membership to include lady and junior members.

The ethos of the club is to create sportsmanship and friendship whilst at the same time encouraging the skill of members.

During the season which runs from April to October, friendly matches are played against other clubs such as Worksop, Chatsworth, Darley Dale, Hallam Grange and Fulwood, and run in conjunction with the annual singles, doubles and handicap events of the club.

The green and pavilion are well maintained and offer the normal facilities. They are open every day in the mornings from 10am and in the afternoons from 2pm extending into the evening.

New members are most welcome, no previous experience is required, existing members are ready to advise and where needed the club has woods available to allow prospective members the chance to get the feel of the game.

The point of contact is the secretary David Reeves on telephone 0114 236 2368

Dore Male Voice Choir

The Choir attended the Mexborough and District Music Festival in March. This is a prestigious festival that has been run annually since 1912. The Choir entered the Male Voice Choir section of the Festival and won first prize. The cup was very acceptable, but the barrel of beer was even more so!

On llth March the Choir was honoured to present a concert for the Lord Mayor at Sheffield Cathedral. The Sheffield Young Person’s Chair were our guests and the proceeds went to the Archer Project, the Lord Mayor’s charity.

On 7th May the Macmillan Centre at the Northern General were celebrating the first anniversary of the opening, and asked the Choir to provide the entertainment for the event.

The Choir is enjoying a very busy programme of concerts and will next be in Dore at St John's Church on Saturday 21st June, and then again at the Dore Festival when we will be joined by the Dore and Totley Townswomen's Guild Choir on Thursday 10th July (see the Programme of Events for details).

David Heslop

Beauchief Ladies Group

The Beauchief Ladies Group was formed by ladies from Beauchief and Totley in 1983 who quickly realised the valued assistance of their menfolk!

Over the years the group has raised £77,000 for Weston Park Hospital. This has been achieved by holding Coffee Mornings and Afternoon Markets, and donations have been received in lieu of funeral flowers etc. St. Gabriel's Dance Class and many individuals support the group.

Last year they bought for the hospital a Volumetric Pump, special cushions for use in wheel chairs and the new Tympanic thermometers at a total cost of £3,379. Funding has always been given to purchase items of equipment which will benefit cancer patients - nine Clinirest Electronic Bed Systems for gravely ill patients have been purchased, Syringe Drivers etc.

Their next fund raising event will be a Coffee Morning at the Beauchief Hotel from 9.30am to 11.30am on Wednesday 11th June 2003. Admission 80p includes coffee and biscuits and there will be stalls of cakes, bric-a-brac, craft goods, jewellery and a raffle. The group is indebted to the Beauchief Hotel for their help with this.

Sheffield Folk Chorale

Our choir was formed in 2001 to put on a Christmas concert of some arrangements I’d made of "uncommon" winter songs and carols. Audience enthusiasm and the choir’s own enjoyment of public performance made it certain that more would follow! The choir boasts 70 members and has recently issued its first CD "SpiteWinter!" featuring the songs performed at that debut concert in Sheffield Cathedral.

The choir is proud of the folk element in its repertoire. While not focusing exclusively on traditional song, much of the material is inspired or influenced by folk music from Britain and beyond. Recent concerts have featured melodies from France, the USA, Poland, and the Czech and Slovak Republics - with new English lyrics where relevant.

I research, write and arrange the material as well as conduct the choir. My wife, Eileen, is featured as a soloist on several songs. Eileen and I are established performers on the traditional music circuit.

Sheffield Folk Chorale is keen to present material which is distinctive - yet very accessible. Although standards are high, the atmosphere is relaxed, with informal background introductions to each song. Our summer concert series - Bach to Barleycorn - includes the following local venues. (All tickets available from (0114) 236 1213 at £4 - or £5 on the day; profits go to local charities and to cover choir expenses.) Concerts start at 7.30 pm

St Andrews, Psalter Lane - Sat 28 June

Ecclesall Church - Sat 27 Sept

We are also available for annual, commemorative or other special events - including weddings (choir size can be tailored to circumstances - from 25 to 60). Our fee is reasonable and negotiable depending on event, venue and distance. Profits go towards the further development of the choir, with a significant percentage donated to local and national charities.

Graham Pratt

Ed. If you need more information, you can contact Graham on 236 1213 or by email on: g_pratt2001@yahoo.co.uk (web site: www.sheffield-folk-chorale.org.uk)

The Experience Corps - Armchair Action

The Experience Corps is calling for people over 50 to pick up their knitting needles and make a difference in their community. There are hundreds of organisations, charities and local initiatives that need knitters and The Experience Corps, through its new scheme Armchair Action, has some suggestions of how you can help.

If you are too busy to spend time helping at a local organisation or maybe you are not as active as you once were, this is your chance to help from the comfort of your own armchair.

The Experience Corps has put together an information pack, complete with knitting patterns, with details of where your knitting skills can make a difference. Wool manufacturers, Sirdar, have donated 24 kilos of assorted wool to the Armchair Action scheme, which will be distributed to the volunteer knitters.

There are hundreds of outlets for knitting skills for example: local hospitals around the country need bed jackets and socks for elderly patients; premature baby units in all areas are also looking for cardigans, hats, bootees and ventilator bonnets for tiny premature babies; the Canine Defence League and the Battersea Dogs Home also need dog jackets and blankets their homeless hounds, and a number of children’s charities that would like hats, gloves and scarves.

For your free Armchair Action knitting pack and ideas of how you can help, call The Experience Corps on 01422 207 183. Once you have received your pack a local advisor will contact you to let you know where the knitted garments could be used in your area and to arrange collection and delivery.

Knitting is just the start of the Armchair Action scheme and it is hoped to role out more projects that can be done from home throughout the year. Other ideas started include taking part in the world’s largest climate change survey – run by the Woodland Trust, doing bird surveys in your gardens and teaming up with Plantlife who would like people to record where/when bluebells grow.

Everyone who undertakes something through the Experience Corps and has registered their details has access to our online shopping mall offering various discounts. These include Boots, Majestic Wines, Dixons, Argos, Linguaphone, John Lewis. People can either take the discount or donate it to charity. Majestic Wines usually proves very popular!

Ed. The Experience Corps fully recognises the fantastic voluntary work that many people already do from home but wants to encourage even more people over 50 to offer their skills, experience and some of their time to actively benefit their local communities. Currently they have over 400,000 exciting volunteer opportunities to suit all kinds of skills and experience. To join The Experience Corps ring 0800 10 60 80 or log on to www.experiencecorps.co.uk.