BARN NEWS
BARN NEWS
DOWNEND FOLK HOUSE ASSOCIATION
Volume 55 Number 3
May - August 2025
Lincombe Barn, Overndale Road, Downend, Bristol BS16 2RW
Tel. 0117 956 2367
Visit our website at www.downendfolkhouse.org.uk
Facebook Lincombe Barn DFHA - @BarnDFHA
DOWNEND FOLK HOUSE ASSOCIATION
LINCOMBE BARN, OVERNDALE ROAD, DOWNEND,
BRISTOL. BS16 2RW
Registered Charity No. 1157237 Telephone 0117 9562367
May - August 2025
Volume 55 - Number 3
Office hours : Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 4.30 pm.
Office Manager : Zoe Tanner Deputy Manager : Martin Bailey enquiries.dfha@outlook.com
Office Support : Jane Faithfull, Derek Whitchurch & Melinda Gunnion
Office Volunteer : Janet Hanlon & Kathleen Dawkins.
Chairman’s Report
By the time you read this copy of Barn News Summer will be well on its way and hopefully we can look forward to more of the warm, sunny days that we have occasionally been enjoying.
Recently we have spent quite a lot of money improving the state of the Barn and we have tried to make the garden more attractive by planting more flowers. The Social & Fundraising Committee have also arranged some attractive visits this Summer. Members wishing to make payments to the Barn by credit card will be able to do so now, which should make things simpler.
Barn News: The Barn News usually consists of reports from the Chairman, Treasurer and Social & Fund Raising Committee. These reports are obviously not enough to fill Barn News so we rely on copy from various clubs to make it interesting. So please, if your club has anything interesting to tell the Barn membership, please contact Bruce Gibbs or Zoe with your contribution. All these articles are what make the Barn News so interesting!
By the time you read this edition the new Barn Prospectus may possibly not be available but details of events can be found on our new-look website.
It only remains for me to wish you all a very enjoyable Summer and I look forward to seeing you all in the new Barn year in September.
Eileen Bendrey,
Chairman
Office
The sun keeps giving! Let’s hope it continues.
The Maintenance team need volunteers for a Monday morning 9.30am-12.30pm if you can spare some of your time if you have had any experience in this field, we would look forward to seeing you. Please contact Zoe the office Manager for a brief chat and what your skills set is.
Barn Office 01179562367
See the Treasurers report for the cost of the repairs this period.
The Maintenance report is held with the Management minutes in the front foyer monthly.
Thank you for your continued support.
Zoe
Treasurer’s Report
Since the last “Barn News”, our reserves have again fallen – the actual figures are always recorded in the monthly Management Committee minutes, which are displayed within the Barn and on our web site. The anticipation is that with the introduction of the new pre-school group, in April, the finances will remain neutral for the rest of this Barn year (end August).
The Management Committee have agreed to a significant increase in the hiring rates from September 2025, which it is hoped will allow our reserves to grow. A smaller increase was also agreed for our membership and club fees
We have just had to spend over £4,000 repairing one side of the roof (next to Overndale Road) over the snooker room, and a further £5,000 has been identified as the repair work which will be needed to be carried out over the remainder of the snooker room roof. This additional work has been identified as not an immediate requirement so will be added to the identified work list, which will be carried out once funds are available.
Since the last Barn News, urgent work has also been carried out on:-
Emergency lighting refurbishment
Re-flooring part of Snooker Room (old tongue and grooved deteriorated)
Re-pointing of old external wall adjacent to maintenance area
Replacement of damaged slates/cleaning roof valleys and refitting lead
(All the above items, with their costs, are reported in the relevant Management Committee minutes)
BT upgrade
Due to the progressive moving away from copper wires to optical cables, the Barn now has a digital phone service. During this “simple” process the Barn’s phones were out of action for nearly three weeks! The reason this item is included within the treasurers report is that a lot of time and money has been expended in getting the “upgrade” to work. Martin Bailey has spent many hours working on this and it became so problematical with no BT support, an external IT company was brought in to help in sorting out what should have been a simple exercise. We intend to claim our costs back from BT, but this may well take some significant time.
NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
50TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING
Lincombe Barn Natural History Society celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a small party. Twelve members attended the celebration, Mary Lewis; Angie Flack; Maggie Fulcher; Dave Savory; Bruce Gibbs; Brenda Sheppard; Cynthia Powell; Ros Bradley; Pauline Robinson; Mervyn Slade and Carol Britain. Sadly, Pam our secretary of 49 of those years was absent as she was in Southmead hospital. However, Ray had been thoroughly briefed by Pam as to the conduct of the meeting. So, in the afternoon of the 20th January we sat together, arranged in a circle, in Jubilee Hall. Ray explained what Pam wanted to happen and we set about it with each member giving a short presentation on something they had brought along with them. Ray Gooding started the ball rolling with the 50th Anniversary folder he had prepared that contained information about how the society came into being and other data covering that 50-year period that he had collected. That was followed by Brenda Sheppard reading two poems, one about a flower and the other about a moth. Then Ros Bradley introduced us to her butterfly collection with an explanation about how and when she had collected them. She had also collected a list of butterflies that she had seen during lockdown. Carol Britain gave us a talk about Exmoor, particularly about the Exmoor ponies. She also had a book about part of Exmoor. Pauline Robinson then showed us a collection of photographs that she had arranged in large plastic display folders. That was followed by Cynthia Powell reading a poem by D.H. Laurence about a snake. Mervyn Slade did not bring anything so told us of his interests in natural history and his memories about the early days of the society, with particular reference to George Luff. Angie Flack had prepared a quiz, most of which someone managed to find the answer. Mary Lewis brought a book of hers about how 50 plants had changed history, both for the benefit of society and otherwise. E.g. the foolish use of tobacco in the past. The book also mentioned tea and chocolate among other items. Dave Savery amused us by reading a monologue by Stanley Holloway. Bruce took photos and a couple of videos during the gathering. Ray Gooding ended the session with an introduction to the fossil Gryphaea arcuata, a 150Ma extinct Oyster of the Jurassic Lower Lias formation exposed at Hock Cliff.
So, at 15.30 we all retired to the kitchen for tea and cake. Ray was given a card, brought by Angie Flack, and signed by all of those present, to give to Pam. All sent their best wishes to Pam and hoped to see her soon. Ray thanked everyone for their contributions and said that Pam would have been very pleased with the outcome.
20th January 2025
Barn Bells
A new year but unfortunately due to health problems and family commitments playing with limited numbers has been problematic. However, it has given some of us and opportunity to play in different places and to try new skills, such as four in hand. This is when playing two hand bells in each hand. Four-in-hand is a useful alternative to Shelley ringing for playing two bells an octave apart in each hand..
We’d like to thank Val for sorting through her music collection and sharing various pieces with us. Once we have mastered them, we will be able to include folk music, popular classics and some American tunes in our repertoire. Heather also found a couple of pieces from the Ensemble music.
Future events in our Barn Bell diary include :- playing at the Barn in June and much later in the year there will be an area at the regional bell rally to be held at Iron Acton Village Hall again.
It is the 50th anniversary for the South West Region Bells this year and they're having a large celebration in Somerset in June. There are two concerts by South West Ensemble in September and October one at Taunton the other at Honiton, so if you are in that area you may like to pop along!
We would welcome anyone interested in making music to join us on Thursday afternoons. The ability to read music is an advantage but definitely not a necessity.
April 2025
Lincombe Barn Family History Group
The group has enjoyed another varied and interesting term with our usual mixture of self - help sessions and a wide range of subjects by our speakers.
These included the interesting life of a Victorian vicar, a very informative and, sometimes, amusing history of Bristol Zoo and the move to its new and much better space for the animals. We also had a talk about Bristol’s Lost Cinemas which was accompanied by cries of “we used to go there!”.
Probably the most entertaining morning was when we had a quiz which was not “what you know” but “who you know” in which every member secretly wrote down a fact about themselves and the other members had to try to work out who had written it. The best fact was that one of our members had received communion from the Pope (and he wasn’t even a Catholic!)
The term ended with our now traditional, and much anticipated, quiz and buffet lunch.
Derek Whitchurch, Planning Committee.
P & Q Group
Hello readers. This is just a few lines about our P & Q Group. (Patchwork and Quilting). We meet on Tuesday mornings from 10 am till 12 noon at the Barn. There are thirteen of us. We are mature ladies but young at heart. We call this our therapy sessions as we sew and talk about all sorts of things, whatever you fancy.
We also sew all sorts of things from quilts, bed runners, bags and cushions, as long as you can sew by hand or machine; I’m sure you will enjoy it. We all help one another, if you are stuck with a project, there’s sure to be someone who can put you on the correct path.
At the present time, some of us are making things for Christmas, we know it is a long way off but we are not that quick and we usually have stall at the Barn’s Christmas market in November we also sew things for family and friends.
Here’s wishing you all well and look after one another.
You are welcome to join our waiting list.
Crafters Group
Our crafters group has been busy since January, with some of us taking time out for holidays - one member is currently in Australia.
The February and March speaker mornings gave us a chance to sell cards to raise some funds for the barn, and also the attendees had an opportunity to see what we make.
At the moment, every one is working on different projects. A cardigan is coming along nicely, as is a crochet blanket. One lady has just completed a beaded clock picture - it looks very effective, and she has another in the pipeline.
As we head towards the last term before the summer break, another member is putting us all to shame by working on her Christmas cards!
If any of this sounds as though it might be of interest, why not come along and join us for a taster session - it's an opportunity to spend some time on a craft or try out something new, and the join in for a chat and drink afterwards.
Mary
LINCOMBE BARN CAMERA CLUB
Progress seems much as before with some new members and others departing for new challenges. One sad departure was that of former long-term club member and one time chairman, Maurice Filer who died, after illness in March. He will be much missed by those who knew him.
The first four months of the year have been the busiest of our calendar with three competitions as well as talks and presentations. This will continue into the summer with a competition on the subject of ‘Night Time’.
The summer programme will, as usual, involve outings, always weather dependent, with destinations currently in the process of discussion. We will then see the products of those outings over the course of next year as members produce them for competition.
Finally, the recent demolition of the Badminton Road motorway bridge gave club members an opportunity to practice their skills on a current news event.
THE CLEEVE SINGERS email: cleevesingers@gmail.com
Marysia Gorska-Saj joined us as our MD in January after a seven month struggle to find a replacement. She is a lovely person and has helped find music to suit at present, our all ladies choir. With so much music in our library for four part voices we are wishing to recruit people for all four departments. Do join us, you will be in for a treat.
As the one who was tasked with the job of getting a replacement Conductor, I didn’t think it would take so long. As a result I have been compiling a list of choirs in Bristol and near surrounding areas. When 60 was notched up and as a result of my attendance at a concert, suddenly the figure was 70 and with fewer available MD’s the battle was understandable. Somehow I feel 70 will not be the final total.
On the 29th March we held another Singing Workshop – the third. It was a beautiful day and everyone enjoyed the event. A daughter of a member really enjoyed the couple of hours and was sorry that she was working in London. She thought our conductor put you so at ease and was very relaxed. We also had a gentleman from Hong Kong who is eager to join us. The Workshop finished with Marysia receiving a bouquet.
Now we are having another drive to obtain the services of a pianist. Finding one is proving to be just as difficult and if you do, the answer seems to be always no. If someone has a talent, why hide it under a bush.
On a personal note, I joined Cleeve Singers in 1993 to enjoy singing as I had done prior to my marriage. It has seemingly kept me healthy, lifts me up when feeling sad and gives me a purpose in life. Another member just loves to sing, she is just happy doing that.
When Cleeve Singers was formed in 1986 through the amalgamation of Lincombe Singers and Fishponds Singers, the only fee was to join the ‘Class’ and pay a Barn Membership. 2011 saw a big change for Cleeve with the loss of Conductor, Pianist and Secretary and also saw the end of people generally giving of their time for free. The choir now had to charge, nevertheless we are still lower in price on a weekly basis than most choirs as many have become a living.
It has suddenly been found that Dementia sufferers benefit from singing and groups meet to do just that. Why not be uplifted from the drudgery of working, cooking and looking after the children or if retired, something to keep the brain active, vocal cords well oiled and give the Cleeve Singers a try, see how it can change how you feel. We allow two free rehearsals, and there are no auditions. As to repertoire, we sing music from the shows, folk songs and popular pieces from various periods.
People have so much choice now, the eating establishments always appear busy – excess not good for the body.
On that note – a word. Our Summer Concert is on Saturday, 12th July 2025 at the Barn as usual at 7.30 pm. Come and hear how we sound. Hope to see you there.
Patricia Holmes April 2025
Cross Stitch Club
Since the New Year, members attending the Wednesday Club have been see- sawing, some of whom have been having quite a rough time on the health front. Hopefully now the sun is out it will help to lift our ladies spirits. One can only say it was a good job the card making never stopped after the Christmas Fair.
We managed to have our ‘Christmas lunch’ on April 2nd at the Sandringham and it is intended to have another lunch in the Summer. We will have the usual chat, of course, as to which Wednesday we can all attend and which venue will have the pleasure of our business.
I cannot tell you what Speedy Ann has been up to as she decided this term she was taking a sabbatical. She won’t have stopped being busy though and we will hear her news on her return.
One of our ladies is to become a great grandma in May and is currently working against the clock on a birth picture. It has to be ready for the baby’s arrival although he is not her first great grandchild. She has worked a cross stitch picture for all of them.
The Barn Social & Fund Raising Committee are hoping to arrange a Craft Exhibition at the Barn in June. Club members will enjoy showing their work beyond the Christmas Cards that are sold at the Barn’s Christmas Fair. Some pieces are a testament to their patience and skill and demonstrates the wide variety of designs. An Exhibition should hopefully encourage visitors to take up at least one hobby.
Easter will have come and gone before you read this article and the Cross Stitch members will still be working away through the Summer, apart from some taking a holiday here and there.
Friendly we are, so join our Club it is a satisfying and enjoyable hobby, ring 9562367 for more information. See you soon!
Irene
SUMMER CONCERT
With
THE CLEEVE SINGERS
OF DOWNEND
AT LINCOMBE BARN, OVERNDALE ROAD
DOWNEND, BS16 2RW
Saturday, 12th July 2025 at 7.30 pm £5.00
Tickets available from Monday, 9th JUNE 2025
at Downend Folk House, Lincombe Barn also Melanie’s Kitchen in Downend & On the Door
Speaker Morning Programme
Autumn 2025
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday 4th September 2025
New Zealand, North and South Islands
By Dave Hartnell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday 2nd October
Tim Mayo
Pantomime Dame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday 6th November
The Work of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau
By Chantal Watts, Chief Executive Officer,
South Glos. CAB.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday 4th December TBA
GROUPS MEETING AT DOWNEND FOLK HOUSE ASSOCIATION AT LINCOMBE BARN include :-
Art Groups
11 Plus Tutoring Academy
‘Barn Bells’ Hand Bell Ringers
Bridge Club
Bristol Lace Makers
Bristol Show Choir
Camera Club
Cleeve Singers
Crafters Club
Counted Cross Stitch Club
Counselling Groups
Family History Group
First Aid
Flower Arranging Society
Fun Fitness for the over 60’s
Fun with Fabrics
Hatha Yoga
Helen O’Grady Drama Group
Keep Fit
Kingswood Lace Makers
Lincombe Barn Book Reading group
Lush Tums
Natural History Society
Parkinson’s Tai Chi Class
Pilates
Scrabble Club
Snooker Club
The Patchwork & Quilting Club
The War Games Society
Tai Chi Classes
Tuesday Art Club
Tuneful Tigers
Writing Groups
Y’s Men’s Club of Kingswood
Yoga
HOW TO BOOK
Initial enquiries forms and booking forms may be obtained from the office or the web site. Contact the office for all enquiries.
Zoe Tanner (Office Manager)
Dfha_zoe@outlook.com
Martin Bailey (Deputy)
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
9.00 am - 4,00 pm
The Building is open from
8.00 am - 10.30 pm
Telephone 0117 956 2367
e-mail: enquiries.dfha@outlook.com
PREMISES FOR HIRE
Wedding Receptions
Christening Parties
Private Dinner Functions
Exhibitions
‘Hands on’ Workshops
Meetings
Children’s Parties
Etc.
CLUB TERM DATES 2025/6
Autumn Monday 1st September - Friday 19th December 2025
Spring Friday 2nd January - Friday 27th March 2026
Summer Monday 13th April - Friday 24th July 2025
HALLS AND ROOMS FOR HIRE
Approximate sizes In feet in metres Rates will rise in September
Ground Floor with Disabled access
Jubilee Hall 45 x 38 14 x 11 £30.25 Per Hour
Jubilee Small Partition £18.15 Per Hour
Jubilee Large Partition £23.00 Per Hour
Concorde Hall 40 x 23.5 12 x 7 £24.20 Per Hour
Page Room 25 x 15 7 x 4.5 £14.50 Per Hour
Grace Room 19 x 15 6 x 4.5 £9.70 Per Hour
First floor with no disabled access
Britannia Room 19 x 16.5 6 x 5 Not Available
Cleeve Room 14 x 14 4 x 4 Not Available
Cleeve Annex 8 x 11 2.5 x 3.5 Not Available
Heath Room 10.5 x 9 3 x 3 Not Available
Tables and Chairs provided
Charge for exclusive use of the kitchen £30.25
To check availability and to book, contact the office manager
Zoe Tanner e-mail enquiries.dfha@outlook.com Tel. 9562367
NEXT EDITION OF THE ‘BARN NEWS’
ISSUE AVAILABLE CUT-OFF DATE
August-December 2025 1st August 2025 11th July 2025
Contributions to the August edition of the ‘Barn News’ are very welcome. Please hand your entries in by the 11th July. Make a note in your diaries.
DOWNEND FOLK HOUSE ASSOCIATION
Volume 55 Number 3
May - August 2025
Lincombe Barn, Overndale Road, Downend, Bristol BS16 2RW
Tel. 0117 956 2367
Visit our website at www.downendfolkhouse.org.uk
Facebook Lincombe Barn DFHA - @BarnDFHA
DOWNEND FOLK HOUSE ASSOCIATION
LINCOMBE BARN, OVERNDALE ROAD, DOWNEND,
BRISTOL. BS16 2RW
Registered Charity No. 1157237 Telephone 0117 9562367
May - August 2025
Volume 55 - Number 3
Office hours : Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 4.30 pm.
Office Manager : Zoe Tanner Deputy Manager : Martin Bailey enquiries.dfha@outlook.com
Office Support : Jane Faithfull, Derek Whitchurch & Melinda Gunnion
Office Volunteer : Janet Hanlon & Kathleen Dawkins.
Chairman’s Report
By the time you read this copy of Barn News Summer will be well on its way and hopefully we can look forward to more of the warm, sunny days that we have occasionally been enjoying.
Recently we have spent quite a lot of money improving the state of the Barn and we have tried to make the garden more attractive by planting more flowers. The Social & Fundraising Committee have also arranged some attractive visits this Summer. Members wishing to make payments to the Barn by credit card will be able to do so now, which should make things simpler.
Barn News: The Barn News usually consists of reports from the Chairman, Treasurer and Social & Fund Raising Committee. These reports are obviously not enough to fill Barn News so we rely on copy from various clubs to make it interesting. So please, if your club has anything interesting to tell the Barn membership, please contact Bruce Gibbs or Zoe with your contribution. All these articles are what make the Barn News so interesting!
By the time you read this edition the new Barn Prospectus may possibly not be available but details of events can be found on our new-look website.
It only remains for me to wish you all a very enjoyable Summer and I look forward to seeing you all in the new Barn year in September.
Eileen Bendrey,
Chairman
Office
The sun keeps giving! Let’s hope it continues.
The Maintenance team need volunteers for a Monday morning 9.30am-12.30pm if you can spare some of your time if you have had any experience in this field, we would look forward to seeing you. Please contact Zoe the office Manager for a brief chat and what your skills set is.
Barn Office 01179562367
See the Treasurers report for the cost of the repairs this period.
The Maintenance report is held with the Management minutes in the front foyer monthly.
Thank you for your continued support.
Zoe
Treasurer’s Report
Since the last “Barn News”, our reserves have again fallen – the actual figures are always recorded in the monthly Management Committee minutes, which are displayed within the Barn and on our web site. The anticipation is that with the introduction of the new pre-school group, in April, the finances will remain neutral for the rest of this Barn year (end August).
The Management Committee have agreed to a significant increase in the hiring rates from September 2025, which it is hoped will allow our reserves to grow. A smaller increase was also agreed for our membership and club fees
We have just had to spend over £4,000 repairing one side of the roof (next to Overndale Road) over the snooker room, and a further £5,000 has been identified as the repair work which will be needed to be carried out over the remainder of the snooker room roof. This additional work has been identified as not an immediate requirement so will be added to the identified work list, which will be carried out once funds are available.
Since the last Barn News, urgent work has also been carried out on:-
Emergency lighting refurbishment
Re-flooring part of Snooker Room (old tongue and grooved deteriorated)
Re-pointing of old external wall adjacent to maintenance area
Replacement of damaged slates/cleaning roof valleys and refitting lead
(All the above items, with their costs, are reported in the relevant Management Committee minutes)
BT upgrade
Due to the progressive moving away from copper wires to optical cables, the Barn now has a digital phone service. During this “simple” process the Barn’s phones were out of action for nearly three weeks! The reason this item is included within the treasurers report is that a lot of time and money has been expended in getting the “upgrade” to work. Martin Bailey has spent many hours working on this and it became so problematical with no BT support, an external IT company was brought in to help in sorting out what should have been a simple exercise. We intend to claim our costs back from BT, but this may well take some significant time.
NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
50TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING
Lincombe Barn Natural History Society celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a small party. Twelve members attended the celebration, Mary Lewis; Angie Flack; Maggie Fulcher; Dave Savory; Bruce Gibbs; Brenda Sheppard; Cynthia Powell; Ros Bradley; Pauline Robinson; Mervyn Slade and Carol Britain. Sadly, Pam our secretary of 49 of those years was absent as she was in Southmead hospital. However, Ray had been thoroughly briefed by Pam as to the conduct of the meeting. So, in the afternoon of the 20th January we sat together, arranged in a circle, in Jubilee Hall. Ray explained what Pam wanted to happen and we set about it with each member giving a short presentation on something they had brought along with them. Ray Gooding started the ball rolling with the 50th Anniversary folder he had prepared that contained information about how the society came into being and other data covering that 50-year period that he had collected. That was followed by Brenda Sheppard reading two poems, one about a flower and the other about a moth. Then Ros Bradley introduced us to her butterfly collection with an explanation about how and when she had collected them. She had also collected a list of butterflies that she had seen during lockdown. Carol Britain gave us a talk about Exmoor, particularly about the Exmoor ponies. She also had a book about part of Exmoor. Pauline Robinson then showed us a collection of photographs that she had arranged in large plastic display folders. That was followed by Cynthia Powell reading a poem by D.H. Laurence about a snake. Mervyn Slade did not bring anything so told us of his interests in natural history and his memories about the early days of the society, with particular reference to George Luff. Angie Flack had prepared a quiz, most of which someone managed to find the answer. Mary Lewis brought a book of hers about how 50 plants had changed history, both for the benefit of society and otherwise. E.g. the foolish use of tobacco in the past. The book also mentioned tea and chocolate among other items. Dave Savery amused us by reading a monologue by Stanley Holloway. Bruce took photos and a couple of videos during the gathering. Ray Gooding ended the session with an introduction to the fossil Gryphaea arcuata, a 150Ma extinct Oyster of the Jurassic Lower Lias formation exposed at Hock Cliff.
So, at 15.30 we all retired to the kitchen for tea and cake. Ray was given a card, brought by Angie Flack, and signed by all of those present, to give to Pam. All sent their best wishes to Pam and hoped to see her soon. Ray thanked everyone for their contributions and said that Pam would have been very pleased with the outcome.
20th January 2025
Barn Bells
A new year but unfortunately due to health problems and family commitments playing with limited numbers has been problematic. However, it has given some of us and opportunity to play in different places and to try new skills, such as four in hand. This is when playing two hand bells in each hand. Four-in-hand is a useful alternative to Shelley ringing for playing two bells an octave apart in each hand..
We’d like to thank Val for sorting through her music collection and sharing various pieces with us. Once we have mastered them, we will be able to include folk music, popular classics and some American tunes in our repertoire. Heather also found a couple of pieces from the Ensemble music.
Future events in our Barn Bell diary include :- playing at the Barn in June and much later in the year there will be an area at the regional bell rally to be held at Iron Acton Village Hall again.
It is the 50th anniversary for the South West Region Bells this year and they're having a large celebration in Somerset in June. There are two concerts by South West Ensemble in September and October one at Taunton the other at Honiton, so if you are in that area you may like to pop along!
We would welcome anyone interested in making music to join us on Thursday afternoons. The ability to read music is an advantage but definitely not a necessity.
April 2025
Lincombe Barn Family History Group
The group has enjoyed another varied and interesting term with our usual mixture of self - help sessions and a wide range of subjects by our speakers.
These included the interesting life of a Victorian vicar, a very informative and, sometimes, amusing history of Bristol Zoo and the move to its new and much better space for the animals. We also had a talk about Bristol’s Lost Cinemas which was accompanied by cries of “we used to go there!”.
Probably the most entertaining morning was when we had a quiz which was not “what you know” but “who you know” in which every member secretly wrote down a fact about themselves and the other members had to try to work out who had written it. The best fact was that one of our members had received communion from the Pope (and he wasn’t even a Catholic!)
The term ended with our now traditional, and much anticipated, quiz and buffet lunch.
Derek Whitchurch, Planning Committee.
P & Q Group
Hello readers. This is just a few lines about our P & Q Group. (Patchwork and Quilting). We meet on Tuesday mornings from 10 am till 12 noon at the Barn. There are thirteen of us. We are mature ladies but young at heart. We call this our therapy sessions as we sew and talk about all sorts of things, whatever you fancy.
We also sew all sorts of things from quilts, bed runners, bags and cushions, as long as you can sew by hand or machine; I’m sure you will enjoy it. We all help one another, if you are stuck with a project, there’s sure to be someone who can put you on the correct path.
At the present time, some of us are making things for Christmas, we know it is a long way off but we are not that quick and we usually have stall at the Barn’s Christmas market in November we also sew things for family and friends.
Here’s wishing you all well and look after one another.
You are welcome to join our waiting list.
Crafters Group
Our crafters group has been busy since January, with some of us taking time out for holidays - one member is currently in Australia.
The February and March speaker mornings gave us a chance to sell cards to raise some funds for the barn, and also the attendees had an opportunity to see what we make.
At the moment, every one is working on different projects. A cardigan is coming along nicely, as is a crochet blanket. One lady has just completed a beaded clock picture - it looks very effective, and she has another in the pipeline.
As we head towards the last term before the summer break, another member is putting us all to shame by working on her Christmas cards!
If any of this sounds as though it might be of interest, why not come along and join us for a taster session - it's an opportunity to spend some time on a craft or try out something new, and the join in for a chat and drink afterwards.
Mary
LINCOMBE BARN CAMERA CLUB
Progress seems much as before with some new members and others departing for new challenges. One sad departure was that of former long-term club member and one time chairman, Maurice Filer who died, after illness in March. He will be much missed by those who knew him.
The first four months of the year have been the busiest of our calendar with three competitions as well as talks and presentations. This will continue into the summer with a competition on the subject of ‘Night Time’.
The summer programme will, as usual, involve outings, always weather dependent, with destinations currently in the process of discussion. We will then see the products of those outings over the course of next year as members produce them for competition.
Finally, the recent demolition of the Badminton Road motorway bridge gave club members an opportunity to practice their skills on a current news event.
THE CLEEVE SINGERS email: cleevesingers@gmail.com
Marysia Gorska-Saj joined us as our MD in January after a seven month struggle to find a replacement. She is a lovely person and has helped find music to suit at present, our all ladies choir. With so much music in our library for four part voices we are wishing to recruit people for all four departments. Do join us, you will be in for a treat.
As the one who was tasked with the job of getting a replacement Conductor, I didn’t think it would take so long. As a result I have been compiling a list of choirs in Bristol and near surrounding areas. When 60 was notched up and as a result of my attendance at a concert, suddenly the figure was 70 and with fewer available MD’s the battle was understandable. Somehow I feel 70 will not be the final total.
On the 29th March we held another Singing Workshop – the third. It was a beautiful day and everyone enjoyed the event. A daughter of a member really enjoyed the couple of hours and was sorry that she was working in London. She thought our conductor put you so at ease and was very relaxed. We also had a gentleman from Hong Kong who is eager to join us. The Workshop finished with Marysia receiving a bouquet.
Now we are having another drive to obtain the services of a pianist. Finding one is proving to be just as difficult and if you do, the answer seems to be always no. If someone has a talent, why hide it under a bush.
On a personal note, I joined Cleeve Singers in 1993 to enjoy singing as I had done prior to my marriage. It has seemingly kept me healthy, lifts me up when feeling sad and gives me a purpose in life. Another member just loves to sing, she is just happy doing that.
When Cleeve Singers was formed in 1986 through the amalgamation of Lincombe Singers and Fishponds Singers, the only fee was to join the ‘Class’ and pay a Barn Membership. 2011 saw a big change for Cleeve with the loss of Conductor, Pianist and Secretary and also saw the end of people generally giving of their time for free. The choir now had to charge, nevertheless we are still lower in price on a weekly basis than most choirs as many have become a living.
It has suddenly been found that Dementia sufferers benefit from singing and groups meet to do just that. Why not be uplifted from the drudgery of working, cooking and looking after the children or if retired, something to keep the brain active, vocal cords well oiled and give the Cleeve Singers a try, see how it can change how you feel. We allow two free rehearsals, and there are no auditions. As to repertoire, we sing music from the shows, folk songs and popular pieces from various periods.
People have so much choice now, the eating establishments always appear busy – excess not good for the body.
On that note – a word. Our Summer Concert is on Saturday, 12th July 2025 at the Barn as usual at 7.30 pm. Come and hear how we sound. Hope to see you there.
Patricia Holmes April 2025
Cross Stitch Club
Since the New Year, members attending the Wednesday Club have been see- sawing, some of whom have been having quite a rough time on the health front. Hopefully now the sun is out it will help to lift our ladies spirits. One can only say it was a good job the card making never stopped after the Christmas Fair.
We managed to have our ‘Christmas lunch’ on April 2nd at the Sandringham and it is intended to have another lunch in the Summer. We will have the usual chat, of course, as to which Wednesday we can all attend and which venue will have the pleasure of our business.
I cannot tell you what Speedy Ann has been up to as she decided this term she was taking a sabbatical. She won’t have stopped being busy though and we will hear her news on her return.
One of our ladies is to become a great grandma in May and is currently working against the clock on a birth picture. It has to be ready for the baby’s arrival although he is not her first great grandchild. She has worked a cross stitch picture for all of them.
The Barn Social & Fund Raising Committee are hoping to arrange a Craft Exhibition at the Barn in June. Club members will enjoy showing their work beyond the Christmas Cards that are sold at the Barn’s Christmas Fair. Some pieces are a testament to their patience and skill and demonstrates the wide variety of designs. An Exhibition should hopefully encourage visitors to take up at least one hobby.
Easter will have come and gone before you read this article and the Cross Stitch members will still be working away through the Summer, apart from some taking a holiday here and there.
Friendly we are, so join our Club it is a satisfying and enjoyable hobby, ring 9562367 for more information. See you soon!
Irene
SUMMER CONCERT
With
THE CLEEVE SINGERS
OF DOWNEND
AT LINCOMBE BARN, OVERNDALE ROAD
DOWNEND, BS16 2RW
Saturday, 12th July 2025 at 7.30 pm £5.00
Tickets available from Monday, 9th JUNE 2025
at Downend Folk House, Lincombe Barn also Melanie’s Kitchen in Downend & On the Door
Speaker Morning Programme
Autumn 2025
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday 4th September 2025
New Zealand, North and South Islands
By Dave Hartnell
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Thursday 2nd October
Tim Mayo
Pantomime Dame
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Thursday 6th November
The Work of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau
By Chantal Watts, Chief Executive Officer,
South Glos. CAB.
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Thursday 4th December TBA
GROUPS MEETING AT DOWNEND FOLK HOUSE ASSOCIATION AT LINCOMBE BARN include :-
Art Groups
11 Plus Tutoring Academy
‘Barn Bells’ Hand Bell Ringers
Bridge Club
Bristol Lace Makers
Bristol Show Choir
Camera Club
Cleeve Singers
Crafters Club
Counted Cross Stitch Club
Counselling Groups
Family History Group
First Aid
Flower Arranging Society
Fun Fitness for the over 60’s
Fun with Fabrics
Hatha Yoga
Helen O’Grady Drama Group
Keep Fit
Kingswood Lace Makers
Lincombe Barn Book Reading group
Lush Tums
Natural History Society
Parkinson’s Tai Chi Class
Pilates
Scrabble Club
Snooker Club
The Patchwork & Quilting Club
The War Games Society
Tai Chi Classes
Tuesday Art Club
Tuneful Tigers
Writing Groups
Y’s Men’s Club of Kingswood
Yoga
HOW TO BOOK
Initial enquiries forms and booking forms may be obtained from the office or the web site. Contact the office for all enquiries.
Zoe Tanner (Office Manager)
Dfha_zoe@outlook.com
Martin Bailey (Deputy)
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
9.00 am - 4,00 pm
The Building is open from
8.00 am - 10.30 pm
Telephone 0117 956 2367
e-mail: enquiries.dfha@outlook.com
PREMISES FOR HIRE
Wedding Receptions
Christening Parties
Private Dinner Functions
Exhibitions
‘Hands on’ Workshops
Meetings
Children’s Parties
Etc.
CLUB TERM DATES 2025/6
Autumn Monday 1st September - Friday 19th December 2025
Spring Friday 2nd January - Friday 27th March 2026
Summer Monday 13th April - Friday 24th July 2025
HALLS AND ROOMS FOR HIRE
Approximate sizes In feet in metres Rates will rise in September
Ground Floor with Disabled access
Jubilee Hall 45 x 38 14 x 11 £30.25 Per Hour
Jubilee Small Partition £18.15 Per Hour
Jubilee Large Partition £23.00 Per Hour
Concorde Hall 40 x 23.5 12 x 7 £24.20 Per Hour
Page Room 25 x 15 7 x 4.5 £14.50 Per Hour
Grace Room 19 x 15 6 x 4.5 £9.70 Per Hour
First floor with no disabled access
Britannia Room 19 x 16.5 6 x 5 Not Available
Cleeve Room 14 x 14 4 x 4 Not Available
Cleeve Annex 8 x 11 2.5 x 3.5 Not Available
Heath Room 10.5 x 9 3 x 3 Not Available
Tables and Chairs provided
Charge for exclusive use of the kitchen £30.25
To check availability and to book, contact the office manager
Zoe Tanner e-mail enquiries.dfha@outlook.com Tel. 9562367
NEXT EDITION OF THE ‘BARN NEWS’
ISSUE AVAILABLE CUT-OFF DATE
August-December 2025 1st August 2025 11th July 2025
Contributions to the August edition of the ‘Barn News’ are very welcome. Please hand your entries in by the 11th July. Make a note in your diaries.