Worthing Local Group Report - (belated from) Thursday January 4th 2024

We welcomed some new faces in the happy band of 29 singers opening our new year at the Barn.  With the waining festive season and current Wassails in mind, Emily set the scene and we began with a favourite, “Pentonville", before moving on to a selection of wassail songs - for the pleasure of singing them, and to confirm choices for our contribution to the Tarring Village Wassail with Sompting Morris the following evening.  Selected verses from the "Gloucestershire Wassail” were sung with gusto before the “Apple Tree Wassail”, "Sugar Wassail”, “Here We Come a-Wassailing” and the “Silver Wassail”.  Last but not least, before a well earned break, was the round “Wassail All Your Apple Trees”, in two then in three parts.

The second half of the evening gave us a chance to sing some more favourites plus a few of our newer songs from this Christmas season's repertoire, before future sessions take us forward into the spring and through the rest of the year.  “Ideo”; "Boar’s Head Carol”; “Gaudete”; “Sweet Chiming Bells”; “Holly Bears a Berry”; “Hark the Herald Angels”  and “The Holly and The Ivy” each had their enjoyable turn, as did another lovely round which began our look forward to the return of spring: “I Heard a Bird Sing”.

To end this seasonal session on a South Downs note, we concluded with a rousing rendition of the “Sussex Carol" - and, with new year resolution, we confirmed plans for the Tarring Wassail on January 5th and to gathering again at the Barn for our next Worthing session on February 1st.  (Feb 2nd. is "Candlemas", by which date, as tradition has it, any remnants of Christmas greenery in our homes should be removed - and  there is even a Candlemas song, perhaps we'll have a chance to hear or sing it).

H.

Another Jolly Wassail in Tarring on January 5th

Thank you to all our singers who came along to sing with us and enjoy this seasonal event - and thanks also to Sompting Village Morris for inviting us to contribute to the fun - we look forward to joining you again for the next one on January 5th 2024.

Here's a message from Lyn (also one of our singers) and Sompting Village Morris.

"To Emily and all the singers

Very many thanks from Sompting Village Morris dancers to the South Downs Folk singers for coming along to sing Wassail  songs on Friday night, at our Wassail event in Tarring.

A number of people, both dancers and bystanders, commented on how lovely the singing sounded; - "it get's better every  year" was the remark from one onlooker.

There seemed to be more singers attending, and also (as Emily said) all the people attending are getting to know the words!  The singing adds so much to the atmosphere, and it is great to have you there.

We all had a marvellous evening, and thank you again for coming along.
I hope you will put the date in the SDFS diary again for next year, which will be Sunday 5 Jan 2025.

Lyn Thomas
(Bag) Sompting Village Morris"