East Garston

2011

Our third outing of the month was also a repeat of 2010 when we danced outside The Queen’s Arms at lunchtime on Boxing Day. Fortunately there was no snow this year so it was much less hazardous and we had an appreciative group of spectators. Our thanks to everyone who came along to watch and gave so generously to our collection. We raised a total of £120 for Sense and will be looking out for Ben at the London Marathon next April.

Leather Badges

We have recently taken delivery of our own Garston Gallopers leather badges which we all wear with pride. Carefully made by George Butterworth in Scotland, they feature our fairground galloper with lettering in a choice of black, purple or green. The badges cost £1.50 each (+p &p at cost). For more information please contact jackie@garstongallopers.co.uk.

Hungerford Twinning Association's Family Fun Day

We were invited to perform at this event on 13th August, at the Hungerford Croft Field Centre. It was a fundraising event to raise money towards reciprocal visits with people from Ligueil in France. There was a good atmosphere with musicians from the Hungerford Jazz Forum playing between our dancing spots.

Some of us took advantage of the Face Painting stall for a little additional decoration in the colour of our dancing outfits. We had plenty of participation from the public when invited to join in our final dance. One person enjoyed it so much that she has joined us at our regular practices.

photo : Alan Breadmore

2010

The Plough Inn at Eastbury.

The Garston Gallopers Morris Side had two enjoyable outings over the festive period.

The first was to celebrate the Winter Solstice on 21st December, dancing outside The Plough at Eastbury on an extremely cold evening. A patch of tarmac had fortunately been cleared of ice and snow in advance. An appreciative audience of friends and family braved the elements and an impromptu collection in the bar raised approximately £20 for the Cancer charity supported by The Plough. Afterwards we went inside for an excellent supper of Pie and Pud. Our thanks go to the management of The Plough for allowing us to dance.

The Hare at West Hendred and The Plough at East Hendred.

We have recently thoroughly enjoyed two evening dance sessions with different local Morris sides. On Wednesday 28th July we visited The Hare at West Hendred, followed by The Plough at East Hendred at the invitation of The Icknield Way Morris Men from the Wantage area. Also dancing were Kintbury Morris and Lumbawakk from the Didcot area. Although initially nervous of dancing for experienced sides, we found them a very encouraging audience.

We enjoyed watching the other dancers and were able to pick up some ideas for our own repertoire, but have decided not to go for Lumbawakk’s rapper swords just yet! You can spot us in a few photos on Lumbawakk’s website, http://www.lumbawakk.org.uk. Joanne even gets a special mention!

The Harrow at West Ilsley

Our second outing was to The Harrow at West Ilsley on Thursday 5th August, a dance-out organised by the entertaining Kennet Morris Men from Reading. Also present were Kintbury Morris and Old Speckled Hen, a clog dancing side from Oxfordshire. Once again, watching other dancers was fascinating, seeing different styles and ‘tools’. We danced confidently and for the first time Robert, our newest male dancer, joined us.

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