Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday July 3rd 2025

We welcomed two new and many familiar faces to another summer evening of song at the Barn.  With Emily leading us we launched with "On Sussex Hills", before continuing with a mix of songs  - old favourites, revivals and some most likely to be used at our summer events.  "Old Adam" was next, before "The Cuckoo" (using the additional fourth verse instead of repeating the first verse to finish).  Then "Hal an Tow", followed eagerly by "Three Drunken Maidens" (with some light-hearted talk of making this the tale of three maidens from Worthing - or Lewes or Chichester - on a visit to the Isle of Wight!)   With Worthing still in mind we revived the version of "The Turmut Grower" written by our own Barbara S -"The Worthing Grower" which proudly declares the enjoyment and value of compost and composting.

A break in proceedings for refreshments and chat also enabled sharing a few notices about summer events in the Worthing area.  Amongst these was news of a bellringing 'wagon' planned for the Seafront Fair on the Prom later this month (to invite folks to have a go and encourage them to join a team of bellringers - as with Morris dancing it seems new joiners are in very short supply!

Our singing resumed with "Halnaker Mill" - with due notice to bringing the mood and meaning of the words into our singing.  "Tommie" (about scrumping apples, and sung to the tune of Fathom the Bowl) was used next - new to many but sung quite easily.  A bigger tree was celebrated next in the beautiful "Oak Tree Song", always enjoyed for its imagery and sound.  From there "The Mermaid" took us out to sea with Michael and Steve W serving as our local crew and taking the lead on the verses.  Having survived a possible shipwreck, and even though now past midsummer, we sang "Summer is A'coming In Again", using our own Alan W's substitute verses to finish.  The "Smugglers Song" was the first of a few requests, after which the other two served to close the evening with "The Parting Song" and "Thousands or More". 

Thanks Emily and All.