Appearances - 2021

Were you there? - have you got any comments or pickies for any of the appearances below? if so, please 
​let us know

 23/10/21 Woodland View Care Home

We had a really enjoyable gig this afternoon at Woodland View Care Home in Droitwich for their open day. This is a brand new care home which has no residents so we had no audience as such, but played in the foyer for the people who were attending the open day. We even played for the Mayor of Droitwich who came to officially open the place! It was mine and Colin The Elder’s first attempt at leading a gig and it was made very easy by the great, enthusiastic, band which included four people from Droitwich Uke Club who thoroughly enjoyed themselves and really helped to swell the band. We had no bass player but we’re kept in perfect time by John He who did a fantastic job on his amplified uke. We had a lot of fun and the home managers were thrilled with what we had done. They gave us a very generous donation of £100 for our charity, some very nice tea and cake, and want us to go back once they have some people living there. All in all a great gig. Pattie

 20/10/21 Eastbank Court

Well, the lively band played `bassless` and managed to keep it all together despite risking all by playing `Keep on Running` which ran very well indeed! ..... A big thank you to all of you for your sterling efforts. We produced a good sound and took advantage of the presence of the female contingent to give a rousing rendition of `Happy Together`. A great little gig supported by some welcome refreshments and a total of £80 towards our charity funds! Cheers all.... Rob 

 14/10/21 Young At Heart Gig

Thank you to the mesmerising (!) band that turned out to St.Pauls in Worcester this lunchtime.
It was good to play for them again following the pandemic and we received a great welcome back with applause after each song and even a request for an encore so we did something right!
Good to see Laura out playing with us again and thanks to Geoff for playing Bass after solving one or two issues at the start! There was some great singing and some especially good harmonies and echoes! A great little gig and we raised £55 for our charity. Rob 

 4/10/21 Biddy's 103rd Birthday Party

On Tuesday, we had a splendid gig at KGV Community Centre to celebrate a 103rd Birthday. As you will probably have seen on Facebook or WhatsApp, it was Biddy's birthday and she came and sat with us to sing some songs. The Mayor was there to congratulate her and we all had tea and cakes. John H

3/10/21 Bands in the (Cripplegate) Park

Sunday saw us in Cripplegate Park. The sun was shining as we began and we had all the regular audience plus Chrisie and her friends playing spoons and singing along. All went well for the first half and Chrisie was handing out slices of a delicious cake she had made during the break. As soon as we started, down came the rain. We all scrambled to take shelter under the gazebo and our audience retreated beneath the canopy of trees but continued to sing and dance along with us. We played on and once again the sun came out until we played the last song. As soon as we finished, the rain returned and saw everyone scatter. A big thank you to everyone who played, to Geoff for playing bass and John He for the twiddly bits and to Elaine for her ever expanding array of sound effects. She can now add Dog Whisperer to her CV. Finally, a big thank you to Kate for rattling the buckets, she managed to collect £41:76 despite not many people passing by. John H

 18/09/21 Farmers Market - Malvern

Well what a lovely morning we had at Malvern, both the visitors and the market traders enjoyed our music and all gave generously to our collection. I have just had a count up and we collected £143-14 plus one 5p piece from 1975 that may no longer be legal currency. Someone must have been digging very deep to find us some cash. We had a great spot right in the middle of all the stands so we could catch visitors twice, going up and then coming back again.
 The band played brilliantly, it always gives me a huge buzz to play with you guys. We had lots of children stop and have a dance as they went past and several bunches of ladies too. Many were singing along and we had an audience of people sitting up on the bank enjoying the sun as well as the songs. A big thank you to Geoff for some great bass and a lightning battery change between songs and to Elaine for bringing her menagerie of bells and whistles. All in all, a very pleasant morning, thank you all, see you soon, John

 14/09/21 ​Odd Fellows - St Mark's Church Hall

Many thanks to the excellent band who played at the Odd Fellows gig yesterday. (For Odd Fellows see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_Fellows ). As previously, we were warmly welcomed by our hosts. We sang and played well and the audience sang along with us. Thanks again to Geoff on the bass and John Henley for instrumentals. We received a generous contribution to our charity from the raffle proceeds. After playing, we were given a splendid tea and numerous compliments about our performance. Thanks again to all the band. Allan.

12/09/21 ​Malvern Wells Fete

Thanks to all who played so well at the Malvern Wells Fete today. Slip ups were minimal, the singing and playing enthusiastic and we were worth every penny of the generous gig fee. We also collected £63.87 in the ARUK collection buckets. A big thank you to Phil on the bass, John He for uke instrumentals and to Bill for liaising with the Fete organisers. Well done everyone. Allan. 

11/09/21 ​Bromyard Folk Festival

Hi all. Just to say thanks to all the WUCCIES who helped with the beginners workshop at the Bromyard Folk Festival and to thank John H for co-leading. As you can see from the photos kindly taken by Chrisie, there was a decent crowd. We got from the absolute basics to Teenager in Love in one hour (via Teddy Bear!). The students seemed very appreciative, so thanks again to everyone who helped. Best wishes, Allan.

05/09/21 ​Heartlands Hospital Cystic Fibrosis Unit gig - Worcester Maize Maze

Thanks to all who played today, especially for not getting lost in the maze.  We started with "At the hop(s)", so perhaps the wrong crop to begin with!  The venue was a bit challenging but we coped well in the hot conditions. Although we suspected that the acoustics were unforgiving, I was told by the Consultant of the Cystic Fibrosis Unit (and is there anyone more trustworthy than that) that she could hear us very well from her central position in the audience and indeed that we could be heard over a much greater distance than that. (BTW, she also said that she enjoyed what she heard!). Thanks very much to Phil for playing bass and to John He for putting the icing on the chords of the WUCCY cake. Best wishes, Allan.

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04/09/21 ​Peopleton Show

Thanks to the band that played at the Peopleton Show today. A good, "together" performance.  It was an unusual sight to see the "trainer" coming onto the "pitch" to administer aid to the injured Geoff H. Maybe it was something to do with the football chant during Sweet Caroline? Fortunately Geoff soon recovered to resume his welcome bass playing. Thanks also to John He for some excellent instrumentals, to Rob for leading the first set and to John H for sorting out the sound system. Also thanks to Trev for re-purposing  his uke case as a collection bucket for ARUK into which was deposited £15.74. This modest sum only reflects the fact that the show is held in aid of local charities, so our collection for ARUK was a bit of a side issue. Nevertheless, every penny counts and as the old saying goes, look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves! Best wishes and again, thanks to all who played. Allan. 

29/08/21 ​Sunshine Festival - Upton

We were scheduled to start at 12 o'clock but by 11:55 there was still not a soul in sight. We agreed to wait 10 minutes which is always frustrating when you are ready to go but it then transpired that they were not opening the gates until 12 so that explained the lack of a crowd. Suddenly there was a stream of people rushing through the gates and they made a bee line for our tent. Within a couple of minutes we had about 100 people seated and eagerly waiting for some entertainment so off we set. We burst into life like a rocket, we were so glad to have an audience after all that waiting around, it was difficult to contain our enthusiasm and I had to ask everyone to steady up and don't let the tempo run away with us - something I don't think I have ever had to ask before!  The audience were great, they sang along and the kids danced and apart from having to contend with some dance music being played in the marquee behind us which made it really difficult to count some songs in, the rest of our session was a blast.  A huge thank you to everyone there, you all played brilliantly. The audience loved it and we came off stage feeling like real rock stars (apart from the fact that we had to carry our own gear). Into hospitality for a post gig drink and then it was out to watch the Belly Dancers who were the following act. My goodness, that was a sight for sore eyes, phew.  Hope you all enjoyed it, I see there are some great pics on Facebook, see you all soon, John

29/08/21 ​Fundraiser for St Richards Hospice - Berkley Arms - Worcester

Hi Everyon, There was an abundance of Superheroes at the Berkeley Arms today but Spiderman was noticeable only by his absence until a stirring rendition of the song by the Wuccies. We were treated to a ‘so good, so good’ KaraUke rendition of Sweet Caroline followed shortly afterwards by a KaraUke / Superhero's conga rendition of Amarillo. The superheroes then all piled on to a bus taking them to the Sunshine Festival which left us with a severely reduced audience.  No matter, we took a well earned break and then resumed performing. We played a cracking version of Da Doo Ron Ron with a modified and much improved ending.  After footy game ended we were joined by the footy fans and birthday boy Justin. We then did a KaraUke version of Blue Suede shoes which confirmed that Elvis is alive and well and drinking at the Berkely Arms.  All in all we had a lovely afternoon and played and sang very well. Thanks to the Wuccie band that played at the Berkeley Arms today.  Colin

28/08/21 ​Inland Waterway Association Festival - Worcester

Well what a day we had, the crowd soon built up in the entertainment tent and joined in from the beginning. We played a great first session and had to play an encore. After a 2 hour break and some food and drink, we assembled back on stage for a second set. Once again we set off and the audience joined in. We played a great second set and finished with shouts of More! and a second encore. Thank you so much to everyone who played, you were awesome. Particular thanks to Geoff and John He for some great playing and to Trevor for keeping us together on the far side. See you at the next one,​ John

15/08/21 ​Pitchcroft Race Course - Worcester

Many thanks to the band who played in slightly challenging conditions on the racecourse today. We didn't have to contend with galloping horses but the linear venue and occasional gusts of wind added to the fun and to difficulties of communication between the 2 ends of the band. Mostly, we managed a tight finish but in 2 songs, the field became quite strung out and a re-run was required! Despite the technical difficulties, we had a good sing and play and the Parkinson's team felt that they had collected a lot (we don't know the amount exactly yet) in their collection buckets. They were extremely grateful for our efforts and complimentary too. Thanks as ever to Geoff for the bass and again thanks to all who took part including our old friend Kate who gamely participated in the bucket collection. Allan. 

Hi all (again), despite the difficult going at the racecourse, you'll be pleased to hear that Parkinsons collected £175.66 in the course of our performance. Altogether in the day they raised £302.01. Well done everyone and thanks again for your efforts. Allan. 

15/08/21 ​Bands in the Park

Hi All, A huge thank you to all who played at Cripplegate Park this afternoon. The audience enjoyed what we played and clapped enthusiastically. The band played with a huge amount of enthusiasm considering that it was the 4th session of the weekend for many. A big shout out to Elaine who never ceases to amaze me with what she brings with her, the bells and whistles were fantastic. She had rattles, spoons and even bubbles in that bag and goodness only knows what else that we didn't see. Honourable mentions go to John He for a great bit of noodling and to Geoff for his bass, I bet he's got serious grooves in his fingers after playing all sessions this weekend. Well done both of you. Thanks also to Colin for watching me like a hawk from the far side of the ensemble making sure that we kept everyone in time, which can be really difficult when we are so spread out. Everyone played so well this afternoon, you make the job of leading a huge pleasure. Thank you all so much. See you all at the next one, John Hi

14/08/21 ​Worcester Festival - Guildhall

Well done all who sang and played today. We raised a total of £377.64p from the audience who seemed to be well entertained. There was dancing, singing along and a first for WUC, snogging in time with the music (according to Geoff). We alternated with the excellent jazz band Worcester Sauce  who kindly continued our collection during their set, so many thanks to them as well. While I'm on the subject of thanks, thanks to Bev and Rob who put the gig together, Elaine and Trev who shared the leading, Alan N and his dog Lillie who went round the audience with the collection bucket, Geoff for his excellent bass and to all those who sang and played. The mayor put in an appearance and posed with a uke during our first number. Did anyone take a photo? Another busy day tomorrow! Allan.

08/08/21 ​Farmer's Market - Talbot Inn Knightwick

That was really, really, really, really good ( I counted the "reallys") said an audience member after the gig today. The gig organiser said it was "lovely". So somewhere between really good x 4 and lovely. So really x4 well done everyone. We sang and played with great spirit. The organiser also said that we looked as if we were thoroughly enjoying ourselves, so marks for artistic impression there as well! A special mention to Steve V. making his debut on the bass uke. Steve, you played and looked the part! As well as the £50 gig fee, the audience dropped £55 and 67p (+one Kuna) into the ARUK buckets. (Mr Google tells me that the Kuna is Croatian currency). A very successful morning. Thanks to all. Allan. 

05/08/21 ​WI Worcester Cocktail and Music - Worcester Cricket Club

The ladies and one or two gentleman sipped their cocktails and the laughter got louder as the best Ukulele band to play in Worcester tonight launched into their first number - 5ft Two medley. The band was held together by some great bass from Geoff with lots of lovely twiddly bits from John He....what a difference it makes to the overall sound. Everyone sang their hearts out and we all noticed the difference as this was the first indoor gig since March 2020!!! But how refreshing to play a real proper gig again. We were well received by the assembled company who were keen to have us back in the future. In addition to a substantial gig fee we received some donations too so making over £100 for our charity.
Thank you to everyone who played really well particularly the two new numbers that we have only ever played on our Zoom nights. A great gig and a great band. Cheers, Rob

01/08/21 ​The Bridge Inn Tibberton

We had a welcome attendance of Tom W who is a founding member, it was Eirlys’ first Gig since lockdown. Pattie and Chrisie joined her in enjoying like our 3 degrees.
Rob got his Harmonica a few time which was well received. And Allan bravely opened “come on over to Ben’s Place” Ben is the Landlord and loved that. Great support from DUC from David S, Steve S, Trevor A, as well as Pattie. Nick W managed a gig. Pete L was there as always and did some health and safety along with David S spotting the mornings rain in the tent before it came down on the electric stuff. John H gave the bouncy a miss in case the Health & Safety was no better. Phil enjoyed the Bass but was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t included “Keep on Running” but John He and Tom W gave him a blast and he was as good as gold after that. Meanwhile Colin the Elder kept me in line some of the time! Thanks Everyone. Jerry

25/07/21 ​Newton Green Community Group

Hi Everyone, A huge thank you to everyone who played at Ronkswood today, we had a great time. The weather held off and was ideal, not too hot and no rain. We had a good crowd who sang along and enjoyed themselves, they brought their kids and their grannies and they all joined in. We were live streamed as part of the "Bands in the Park", I think that was on Facebook. Elaine grabbed one of the young ladies who came up to put some money in the buckets and together you collected £52.04. Brilliant, thank you for that inspired move, you came armed with your Wizzer and Kazoo - fantastic, shame about the church bells in Amarillo, more like a dying cop siren  (only joking). Geoff played brilliantly this afternoon, just what was needed, thank you Geoff. Thanks also to David, his first gig with us. He has been waiting since last March to do it, I hope it was worth the wait. To the rest of the crew, fantastic, you make the leader's job so easy. One last thing, when Jenny came up to pay our fee, she insisted on giving us more so we got £100 instead of the  £75  I had agreed with her. Stay safe and see you soon, John

22/07/21 ​Joyce and the Librarians

Not sure where this was - but it's a damned good photo - well done to Joyce and the Librarians!

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20/07/21 ​Elaine and Geoff's Caravan

Hi All, Welcome to the crazy unorganised world of Recovery and our part in it. I don’t really know what to say other than Thank you for turning up and putting up with my mad idea of playing round the trailer and choosing your own song. We managed to collect £13.17, from a very small crowd who mostly didn’t have money on them. What more is there to say? Thanks Elaine

20/07/21 ​Worcester Community Trust

Thanks to the band who celebrated the ending of lockdown restrictions by performing at Worcester Community Trust gig tonight. Conditions were a bit challenging (we were outside, not inside as we had been told) and the audience got a bit sparse after the food was eaten. For those that remained however, we sang and played well, had some dancing from some children and had compliments on our performance.  We raised £27.26 in the ARUK charity bucket. So well done all, on a very warm evening. Allan. 

Really enjoyed listening to you all. Hope you enjoyed the food - Phil F

18/07/21 ​Colwall Park Hotel​

Well done everyone on such a hot day! X - Pattie L

Dear CPH players, A bit thank you to all who turned up yesterday to play at the hotel. We had a grand time and we’re much appreciated by the unsuspecting audience.
The bride to be and her party said we had provided a lovely backdrop to their afternoon. Yvonne said that every table made a donation, we collected £82.52. You should all be very proud of yourselves. Thanks again to Jean for sorting getting the list to you before the day and for co hosting on the day. I have a feeling we will be asked back again. Elaine

30/05/21 ​Berkeley Arms - Gig no. 1

Trevor was very pleased yesterday, with the Wuccies first gig in about 15 months -
"A huge thank you and well done to the socially-distanced fourteen who this afternoon went to the Berkeley Arms to play in our first gig since March 2020. We had a sizeable and receptive audience who were obviously enjoying sitting out in the glorious sunshine of a May Bank Holiday Sunday (how unusual is that?!), sipping a pint, chewing the fat and tapping their feet to the music of the ukulele! I will admit to having been a little nervous about this first gig, with little or no recent practice, but thanks in no small part to John's great leadership and his virtuoso performance on the bass, it was as if we'd never been away. We were tight and together, (musically!) with only one minor hiccup when some of us took the wrong turning on the road to Amarillo!. There were two birthdays going on at the pub, and we duly sang Happy Birthday to both. Perhaps the high-spot of the afternoon was right at the end, when we cajoled Nathan, the birthday boy, into taking the mike and singing Sweet Caroline - ukulareoke style - helped by a family member and the 14 of us. Had we been inside, it would probably have brought the house down!
A great afternoon! We left them wanting more, and hopefully a nice sum of money will have been collected for the pub's charity - St Richards Hospice. Thanks again, everyone! "

21/05/21 ​The First Gathering of WUCCIES in a Year! 

Hi all you who braved the vile weather to play at the Bell today. Fortunately the proprietor saw that the marquee without sides might just be too windswept to be compatible with survival and she put us in an open air part of the pub with a roof. This sheltered us from the worst of the storm. Those closest to the great outdoors donned sou'westers etc. and managed to stay reasonably dry.
Thanks very much to Colin for leading and putting the song pack together.
In the end, we had 18 members and raised £36. We gave £15 to the pub for which they were very grateful and the £21 will go to ARUK. In addition, the golfing arm of the club in the form of Brian Charles, finally managed to have the long awaited game of golf on Upper Sapey Golf course (for which the club had been given a voucher   -long story). This generated a further £40 for ARUK.
Best wishes, Allan.