Brigsteer WI's first meeting of the New Year is on Wednesday 12 January.
We are most fortunate to have David Hall, Manager of Blackwell Sailing, to launch our Speakers Programme for 2022. He has been directing this local charity for many years and will be retiring at the end of this month. Blackwell Sailing was established in 1993 to enable local people with disabilities to enjoy sailing on Windermere. David's illustrated talk will include the history and work of the charity and the many participants including volunteers for the past three decades.
This will be an Open Meeting, when visitors are welcome to attend the talk at 8pm at the Village Hall. Donations £3 appreciated.

The Brigsteer WI 2022 programme is now available to view here

​Sadly, not enough people have expressed interest in attending the ceilidh to make it a worthwhile event, and because of that, and the seemingly worsening covid situation, we have regretfully decided to cancel it. 

I would be interested to hear from people who have attended previous ceilidhs as to why they were not interested in this one, and whether they might be interested in future.

Dear all, we have had greetings cards made picturing the wall hanging in the village hall. 
There are two slightly different designs, both blank inside. Size is 14.5 x 10.5 cm with envelopes.
They are for sale individually at £2.50 or five cards for £10. They could be used as  Christmas cards.  
If you would like to buy, message me on 
07849 916167 & we can sort out delivery & payment.
​Shelly

Tickets have sold well but we still have some availability for this excellent Highlights Christmas show on Friday 10 December at the village hall. 
Please come along if you can. If you’d like to come you need to book in advance and you can do so via the    Highlights North website  (their preferred option) or email me, Shelley, to:    Savyshells@gmail.com
We are licensed for this show, and we’ll be offering a table service with a  smile. (cash only). 
Hope you can make it.

Brigsteer WI cordially invites non-members of the village to a talk by Jane Cooper about her childhood in the village during the 60s & 70s, including anecdotes about people, places and events and illustrated with a power point presentation including some of her father's film footage. The talk is due to commence at 8.00pm following our monthly meeting and promises to be a most interesting evening for everyone, especially recent residents in the village. We look forward to welcoming visitors. Refreshments will be provided. Donations (recommended £3) much appreciated.

We still have tickets for the excellent theatre performance by the Elysium Theatre Group entitled ‘Hello & Goodbye’. This is at the hall on Sunday, 7th November so not long to go. If you are free that evening pls come along & support both the hall & the arts. Tickets can be booked through the Highlights website, which is:
https://highlightsnorth.co.uk/
Go to the What’s On section & select Hello & Goodbye & then select the Brigsteer Hall booking button.
Contact us if you’re having trouble booking!

Hi
If you’re a Fan of the Highlights events we regularly put on at the hall, you’ll love the two we have lined up for this winter…..
On November 7th we have the Elysium theatre group & the production is ‘Hello and Goodbye’ and then on 10 December we have The Opera Dudes & their show ‘Swing Song Merrily On High’ which will put you in the mood for Christmas!
Both shows can now be booked via the Highlights webpage. The link is:
https://highlightsnorth.co.uk

The village hall AGM is to be held on 13th September - you are all invited.
The meeting is late this year due to Covid restrictions on the use of the hall and our wish to hold this meeting in person and not via zoom! The meeting will review the challenges presented to us in 2020 and look forward to the coming year. The background papers are attached.
As ever, we will be electing trustees and would welcome anyone who wishes to get involved in the hall to do so - just contact me through the village hall website and I will give you more details.
The meeting will not be long but there will be light refreshments after to give newcomers to the village a chance to meet, to become members and get as involved as they would wish.
See you on the 13th
Richard Bryan
Chair

On Wednesday 8th September Brigsteer WI will hold their first meeting in the Village Hall since March 2020 and would like to make this meeting open to visitors.
Our speaker for the evening, Robert Moser, will give a talk entitled "The Surgeon, the Barmaid and the Banker" and hopes to prompt the audience into a lively discussion about critical, life-changing decisions by telling three stories from his past that still resonate today.
Any non-WI members from our community are cordially invited to come along for the presentation, arriving in sufficient time for a prompt start at 8pm (donations for WI funds appreciated).
The usual COVID precautions of sanitising, ventilation, spacing, etc, will be observed. However, whilst in true WI style we usually offer refreshments after the talk, we hope you understand that at the present time we are unable to do so.
Dorothy Smithson
Brigsteer WI Secretary

​Can you believe it!
Table tennis is starting up again.
First session will be on Tuesday 14th September from 7.30pm. Equipment is available but if you have your own trusty (& probably dusty) bats, bring them along.
Cost held at pre-Covid fee of £2.20 per person per session (pls bring right change if poss).
All welcome…….

The Brigsteer band are planning a summer social event this August on Saturday 21st from 6.00 p.m until 9.00 p.m. It will take the form of an informal cheese and wine evening with occasional music.
The Brigsteer Band will perform a short set of summer music, we will enjoy a plate of French bread and cheeses and then our new musical talent in the village, Richard and friends, will close out with a performance of their own.
To make things easy, we will ask you to bring your own wine, but we will supply the bread and cheese and will organise a retiring collection to cover the costs of the food and hire of the hall. Any excess will be sent to the Air Ambulance charity.
We are hoping for a nice evening, and further details will be circulated nearer the date, but for now, it’s a date for the diary.
​It would be helpful to judge the likely attendance at the evening, so a comment to the band at brigsteerband@gmail.com would be great. Also, any offers of help on the day would be welcome too!
With best wishes from The Brigsteer Band

"SOLD"
Kuumba Nia Arts
A forgotten story giving one woman's first-hand account of brutality at the height of the slave trade. Powerful and entertaining, this Edinburgh award-winning show is based on the true story of the enslaved Mary Prince, told with traditional African Griot storytelling fused with theatre, singing, live drumming, poetry and dance. Winner of Best Ensemble Edinburgh Fringe 2019.
‘Every so often there is a piece that touches the soul. SOLD is one such show’ *****  Music Theatre Review
https://kuumbaniaarts.com/  for more information.

Dispatches on the Red Dress

Rowan Rheingan
​Adventurous new writing meets the warmth of a folk gig in this heartfelt and personal one-woman show, uniquely weaving immersive storytelling with live fiddle, banjo and original songs taken from Rowan’s genre-melding debut solo album The Lines We Draw Together.

Unravelling the joy and pain from the story of her grandmother’s youth in 1940s Germany, Rowan celebrates small acts of resistance and boldly asks a troubling question for our times: can hope for our future be found in the very darkest pockets of our history?
‘Sublime – a narrative stitched with the subtlety of an expert dressmaker celebrates family, nature and the ties that bind’ **** The Guardian Folk Album of the Month
https://www.rowanrheingans.co.uk/ for more information.