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.

Unfortunately, due to government restrictions, the hall will be closed from Thursday 5th November. The board will review the situation at the end of the month

Some good news!        It’s the Hall’s 10th anniversary this weekend.
​Unfortunately we can’t hold the party we had planned to thank all the friends & volunteers who helped to put the new hall in place and who keep it up & running and safe.
We will be marking the occasion though, with a tree planting event this weekend, so next time you are at the Hall, look out for the new crab apple tree in the garden.
This needs to be a strictly invitation only event as we are restricted to 6 max, but we hope to share some photos here soon.

​We plan to hold the village hall AGM virtually on 26th October at 7.30pm. This will provide an opportunity to let everyone know what is going on and how we plan to move forward given the current challenges.
 
Fortunately the hall is in a good place; it is financially healthy and functioning again - for the moment at least!
 
The meeting is for members but anyone who resides in Helsington Parish can be a member for the princely sum of £1. If you contact me by email - villagehall.brigsteer@gmail.com - I will happily set up membership and give you the details for joining the meeting.
 
We are aware that there have been a number of newcomers to the village whom we would have met at social events in normal circumstances and we would have invited them to join us. If you know of such people please forward this to them. Let’s hope there are some new faces to join us on 26th October.
 
Best wishes to you all,
 
Richard Bryan
Chair

​We have posted the NHS track & trace QR code on the door of the hall for those who have downloaded and are using the app.

The Village Hall will reopen on 8th September

The Village Hall Trustees are pleased to announce that the hall is now reopen after implementing government regulations on the safe working of multi-use halls, consulting users and taking advice from other hall managers.
 
To maintain the highest level of Covid19 safety requires the co-operation of all users. Masks must be worn - except during exercise - and social distancing maintained. We are fortunate that the hall can be kept well ventilated. The kitchen and its facilities are currently not in use.
 
A maximum of 25 people can use the hall but some activities are restricted to 12. All hirers will be asked to signup to an enhanced level of operating to make sure that everybody stays safe.
 
If you wish to hire the hall, booking is through HallMaster via the village hall website. This will take you through the process of booking and working in a Covid19 compliant way.
 
We look forward to welcoming everyone back!
 
Richard Bryan on behalf of the Trustees

Village Hall - June update 
​
The Village Hall is currently closed and will remain so until the end of July. Whilst halls are now allowed to reopen we are still waiting for detailed guidance particularly in relation to the many physical activities that are provided (such as pilates and yoga) as they are currently excluded from this permission. We will not open until the trustees are confident that the hall is Covid-19 compliant and safe to use.

The Annual General Meeting has been postponed until it becomes practicable to hold one. A copy of the accounts and an update on current issues will be circulated to all members early in July.

We hope to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the opening of the hall in October - please note the 10th and 24th October as possible dates in your diary. It would be good for us all to get together if at all possible after a difficult year.

Best wishes to you all

Richard Bryan 

​We look forward to celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Village Hall opening in October. Just how we will do this is another matter but it is nice to have something to look forward too!

Wishing you all well,

Richard Bryan
On behalf of the trustees

We are sorry to inform you that the above production has been cancelled.
It has been cancelled by  Highlights Rural Touring Scheme who have pulled all productions for the foreseeable future. Everyone who has paid for their tickets will be refunded in the next few days.
 
Richard Griffiths