Slough

The Slough u3a ukulele group now known as the Herschel Ukes continues to meet every fortnight, or more often if we have a performance coming up.

New u3a members are very welcome to come along and join in one of our sessions.

HerschelUukes

Well, who’d have thought after starting up Slough U3A’s very own ukulele group around 7 years ago (and which we somehow managed to continue through lockdown) that we’d be going strong and have so many members? 20 at the last count. And with our very own snazzy red Herschel ukes T-shirts, as you can see from the pictures.

Why Herschel ukes I hear you ask? Well, it’s because we rehearse in the Bentley Centre in the grounds of the NFER next to Herschel Park…we are there on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 1.30 to 3.15pm.  We are a little constrained by the size of the room we play in, so I think we will soon have to start a waiting list for U3A members interested in joining our group.  

It’s sometimes easy to forget how far we’ve come in terms of performing confidence and abilities, considering that most of us were absolute beginners to any form of music when we first got together.  Luckily the ability to read music isn’t needed to play a ukulele, just enthusiasm and a willingness to try out different songs. 

And it’s also easy to forget just how many performances we gave last year –  11 in total – to charities, care homes and community groups in the Slough area. What was especially nice about these performances was that quite a few of them were “repeat bookings”- nice to know  we’re asked back so we must have done something right!

For the first time as well Herschel ukes took part last year in a brilliant local  “mini- uke festival” in Wexham golf club, together with the Windsor and Maidenhead U3A uke groups, involving open-mic and group performances, and finishing it with an all group mash up. Great fun which we are hoping to repeat this year.  It took a lot of effort and organisation, but it was well worth it.

So far this year, we have performances arranged for a community club in March (the day before St Patrick’s day, (so we’re busy rehearsing some Irish favourites), a sight impaired charity in April and another community club in May.

<- On the left we have a screenshot from Facebook, showing a post from the local newspaper featuring some of our members,

Sadly, members were not given advance notice of this public performance by the Slough u3a Ukulele Group so most of us were unable to support them.

It seems that the performance was an important part of this event in Slough

I understand it went very well and the group enjoyed themselves.

Well done everyone!
Source: Slough Observer
https://share.google/RWaeW7Uxy00yzXzZ0 (Better photo below)

Updates and details of future events are to follow.

For further information please contact the Groups Coordinator and ask to be put in touch with this groups convenor.