Our Evening of Poetry and Music for SHARE

For the last week, since our ‘Evening of Poetry & Music’ at The Lock Keeper, Chester, on 24^th May, I’ve been going around humming and whistling classic folk songs, those sung by our singer/songwriter friend who performed two brilliant sets on guitar, and the 17^th century ballad ‘Lavender’s Blue’, part of the mouth organ medley played by Maureen after we’d read our humorous somonka, opening the Second Half.

And what a lively night it was! What a friendly, uplifting, inspiring night, with our two Guest Poets, Morelle Smith and Aled Lewis Evans, performing wonderfully, as did each and every one of our other ten amazing Invited Poets – Margaret Holbrook, David J. Costello, Jan Hedger, Ian Malcolm Parr, Edwin Stockdale, Kemal Houghton, Pat Edwards, David Subacchi, Helen Hill and Mike Penney.

Maureen’s recitation of her lovely poem ‘Midnight Robin’, accompanied by Mike Penney on guitar, brought the proceedings to a perfect close.

Maureen has organised and compèred poetry events before, but this was my first time. And, Gosh, how exciting it was, after all the hard preparatory work, seeing how, as it unfolded, the evening took on a character of its own, a happy, generous character, becoming an event that will surely live long in the memories of all present – performers, helpers and audience.

A success indeed, with a grand sum of £113 made for our chosen charity, SHARE (Supporting Homeless Assisting Refugees Everywhere).

On Tuesday this week (following the Bank Holiday weekend), Maureen and I called at the SHARE Shop in Chester and handed the manager a cheque for this amount. She thanked us very much on behalf of the charity.  At our request, £56 will go towards supporting homeless people on the streets of Chester, and the balance of £57 towards supporting refugees abroad.

A homeless man, who happened to be at the counter, thanked us profusely on behalf of people on the street like him, and shook my hand warmly.

Afterwards, with it being such a fine sunny day, we popped down to The Groves for a celebratory ice cream each, sitting beside the River Dee, watching small motorboats puttering downstream as a juvenile herring gull snatched a fish from the rippling flow…

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Our heartfelt thanks go to all who performed and assisted at our event, to Kemal Houghton for recording it for Vintage Radio, and to the management and staff of the Lock Keeper for free use of their Function Room and making us so welcome.

Much appreciated.

 

Copyright © Paul Beech 2018