The Thamesgate Traditional Arts Association

NEXT SPRINGFIELD SESSION AT WESTCLIFF - Monday 1st September - at Trinity Methodist Church Hall, corner London Road and Argyll Road, Westcliff on Sea. NEXT YARDARM SESSION AT OLD LEIGH - Monday 8th September at 7.15pm sharp for reduced tempo Session and 8pm for the main Session . A series of workshops, involving music, dance and song, will start late in October- on Monday nights (not Session nights) at the Trinity Methodist Church Hall, Westcliff on Sea. See below or contact us for more info. Development of the newly formed Yardarm Orchetra is going ahead with about 30 interested members. There is much work to be done and more members and supporters are welcome. Contact us.

The Thamesgate Traditional Arts Association

Promoting and encouraging interest, education and participation in all forms of traditional folk art, in Southern Essex.

Please use the scrolling banner above, and the menu on the left to have a look around the site. New members always welcome. Membership for 2008 is £1 and newsletters are published monthly. To join, email us at thettaa@live.co.uk or use the ‘enquiry’ page link on the left or see the ‘people’ page link for other contacts. Or come to Leigh Sailing Club, High Street, Old Leigh, Leigh on Sea, Essex, SS9 2EP, when we hold the "Yardarm Session" on the evening of the 2nd Monday each month. The 'main' Session commences at 8pm (£1) and the 'reduced tempo' Session, for those who are learning new tunes or who need practice, will commence at 7.15pm (£1) The emphasis is on British folk music (acoustic), but we include some song, poetry and storytelling - all welcome. With a regular attendance of around 50 people, this is a very successful Session.

The Club is located in the Old Leigh railway station at the eastern end of the High Street in Old Leigh, almost opposite The Olde Smack Inn. The Session is held in a licensed bar. To help you find it, there are photographs of the building in the 'Gallery' - use the menu to the left of this page.

We present the Springfield Session on the first Monday of each month at 7.45pm til 10pm in Westcliff on Sea. The venue for the Springfield Session is the Trinity Methodist Church hall on the corner of Argyll Road and London Road, Westcliff on Sea. A £2 donation will help cover the cost of hall hire and will include free tea and coffee. See the scrolling banner above for next date. The Yardarm Session continues as usual. Please email us at thettaa@live.co.uk or phone 01702 303138 for information.

****From August 2008 the monthly Newsletter will not be posted on this site. This has been decided to keep things simpler and to minimise the workload***

Note that the YARDARM SESSION at Old Leigh remains unaffected by the following arrangements.

Training, learning and development
Following an evening to discuss it on Monday August 25th - 7.45 pm til 10.00 pm , it has been decided that we shall go ahead with a series of folk music workshops. They will commence in late October on Monday nights (not Session nights). Watch for new information or contact us if you are interested. We are devising a program(s) to suit everyone. We have negotiated the supply of some musical material at a very reasonable price and we expect to be able to fund this material without cost to participants or at a reduced cost for those who wish to purchase it. The venue will be Trinity Methodist Church Hall - see below - and it is likely that the only fixed cost to participants will be £2 for each 2-hours 'class'.

Trinity Methodist Church Hall
This is an excellent, centrally located venue with plenty of space and kitchen facilities. It is located at the corner of Argyll Road and London Road (A13), Westcliff on Sea and the entrance to the hall is via the glass porch actually facing onto London Road. It is on the south ( Thames ) side of London Road

about 150 yards past the Palace Theatre and The Plough - towards Southend. If necessary, on arrival ring the bottom one of the three bell push buttons on the wall to the left of the door. There is very limited parking on the premises but there will be spaces on the opposite side of London Road and in Argyll Road. If all else fails, there is a public car park about 200 yards away on the corner of Hamlet Court Road. To cover hire costs we will ask all participants to make a £2 donation for each and every 'routine' activity and this will include free tea/coffee.

If you have any questions about all this, then please Email us or telephone Malcolm on 01702 303138. To assist our planning, you may like to let me know if you will be attending or have an interest in any of these new activities.

Once again, THE YARDARM SESSION ON THE 2ND MONDAY IS NOT AFFECTED BY ANY OF THESE CHANGES.

The Yardarm Orchestra

Following the success of its inaugural performance on 3rd August (I am still getting positive feedback) we have been ambitious and decided to call this recently formed group of musicians an 'Orchestra' rather than a 'Band' because of the large number of players who are involved and the plans that we have in store. If you are interested in joining this Orchestra 'on the ground floor', then please get in touch. All welcome - any instrument. The development of the Orchestra was discussed by about 25 members (with 6 apologies for absence) at the meeting on 25th August. Thanks to all who attended and for your comments, advice, etc.

There is work to be done and you can be assured that much is being developed behind the scenes by a sub-committee. We invite your input if you feel you have skills or thoughts to offer. We are building from 'scratch' and will cater for ALL levels of ability - this will be an all-inclusive group , where nobody need feel that they are inadequate or excluded. We hope that experienced players will give the benefit of that invaluable experience to others - as many, thankfully, already have. An Orchestra does not simply materialise overnight! Our overall aim, as always, is that you enjoy your playing and have fun with it without getting bogged down in technicalities - THAT is what traditional folk music is all about and we are here to preserve the traditions, NOT to change them.

It is anticipated that smaller groups will form naturally from the full Orchestra so that we can provide music at events where the full number of players would be not necessary. Such groups would be complementary to, and under the auspices of, the Orchestra; they should be open to anyone and should not be seen as elitist. Even if you are not a musician, there may be other ways in which you can support this project. Watch for more information or contact us.