Quality music and a great atmosphere all evening. We drank mulled wine to the strains of Georgia on my Mind, The Girl from Ipanema, Cry me a River and Tin Roof Blues. We danced to La Mer and Mack the Knife.
Brilliant playing from Robin Bates (piano), Jonathon Coudrille (banjo, trumpet and vocals), Jonathan Fletcher (saxophone and vocals), Lee Clarke (bass and slide guitar), Keith Pope (drums), and vocalists Sarah Parnell, Ian Dunlop and Brian Jenkins.
Thanks also to the Friends of St Ruan & St Grade for providing the ‘front of house’.
A good time was had by all, and £544 was raised towards the Grade Roof Appeal.
All Photo’s were kindly donated and some grabbed from the featured video.
Please click on the photo’s below to enlarge:
It was a joyful candlelit afternoon service, the church was filled with happy excited children and family members.
The Christingle service included children playing the parts from the nativity scene,
Christmas carols were sung and a wonderful time was had by all.
Mince pies, mulled wine and soft drinks were served by
“The Friends of St Ruan and St Grade Historic Church Buildings.”
A huge thank you to Marea Downey for kindly taking photographs (which remain her property), to Claire at The Store for donating all the oranges, to the children of Grade Ruan School for decorating them so well
and to Rev. John Ough for standing in last minute as Rev. Deirdre was poorly.
Thank you for all donations amounting to £190, which were collected in aid of the Grade Church Roof Appeal.
All Photo’s were kindly taken by Marea Downey and remain her property.
Please click on the photo’s below to enlarge:
All Photo’s were kindly taken by Marea Downey and remain her property.
Please click on the photo’s below to enlarge:
It was a magical atmospheric evening with the Church full of flowers and candles. £750 was raised towards the roof appeal.
Thanks must go to The Cadgwith Singers , Ann’s pasties (who kindly donated all the pasties) & Claire & staff at R.M. Store & P. O. for selling the tickets and many others who made it such a memorable evening helped by a still night and a full moon.
Please click on the photo’s below to enlarge:
Great music was provided by Jonathan Coudrille with Dave Painter, Robin Bates and Lee Clarke, thank you.
Thank you to Claire Bollard and The Store for your continued support.
So many people helped in so many ways THANK YOU.
We raised £840, bringing us a step closer to our target for the roof restoration appeal.
18th March 2023
There is so much talent in our Parish and it was much in evidence back in March when the Friends of St Ruan and St Grade put on a musical evening in the Village Hall in aid of the Grade Roof appeal, It was advertised as an evening of jazz and there was certainly plenty of jazz, but also blues and soul, with a bit of rock thrown in for good measure.
A diverse group of musicians came together to perform an eclectic and varied programme. The setting was intimate and the musicians seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the audience was. At times, it felt as though we could have been in an old fashioned dimly lit nightclub, the sort you see in films about spies, all very atmospheric.
Robin Bates on keyboard was as versatile as ever, accompanying and adding interest to virtually every number. Jonathan Fletcher on sax and vocals put the swing into the evening. He gave a rousing rendition of Green Door which had everyone’s toes tapping (I hear one or two people were tempted to get up and dance a jive at that point). Brian Jenkins on harmonica and vocals showed his talent in very varied styles. With the lights turned down low, he struck a romantic tone with his rendition of La Mer in French which had everyone swaying along. Jonathon Coudrille’s exceptional musicality was on show as he played the trumpet, mandolin and guitar, as well as taking a turn with Robin on the keyboard. Dave Painter on drums kept an unobtrusive but constant rhythm going, while Lee Clarke on bass guitar added depth to the sound. Ian Dunlop made a short appearance, opening with an amusing monologue on the world of social media. He followed with a few songs, including Up the Lazy River and a Fats Waller number. Sarah Parnell was on fine form, giving a sultry nightclub feel to things and duetting with Brian on My Baby Just Cares for Me. She was especially applauded for her wonderful rendition of Summertime.
One tune I couldn’t quite place turned out to be the call holding music from our local GP surgery, nicely enhanced by Jonathan’s saxophone and given the title “No 6 in the Queue”.
The Friends organised a bar serving wine, beer, soft drinks, tea and coffee. They also provided a wonderful selection of snacks, and some excellent raffle prizes. All proceeds were donated to the Roof Appeal which is a most worthwhile cause raising funds to repair the Grade Church roof before it collapses.
You didn’t need to be a jazz fan to have a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Well done to all involved.
By Moira Hurst
19th & 20th December 2022
Three performances of Joe Carpenter by the Ruan Revellers on the 19th and 20th December transformed our Village Hall. People poured in to be entertained and transported to ? well – Ruan Minor and Cadgwith – to witness Graham Clarke’s enchanting Nativity Story.
The full list of everyone involved can be found at the end of this article but of course this was Angela Agutter’s finest hour from start to finish. The sets were fantastic and a huge thank you to Simon Bradley, Paul Collins and Frank Greorge. The costumes really were amazing and Wendy Elliott and Jean Trimble put a massive amount of effort into ensuring everyone looked their part and had all the props they needed. There was brilliant music, as we have come to expect, from our talented local musicians: Robin Bates, Jonathan Coudrille and Jeremy Wootliff. Between the three of them they managed to sound like a full blown orchestra!
Play Master Jonathan Fletcher kept the whole show on course and with so much happening that was quite a task. Frank George and Jan Halliday as Joseph and Mary did a grand job and delicately got across the irony of their predicament! Jean Trimble as the Angel Gabriel/local postman, managed to ‘deliver’ an outstanding performance whilst manhandling a bicycle at the same time, no mean feat!
The real show stealers were the enchanting, heavenly host of angels: Isla and Genevieve Bosustow, Hazel Strickland and Summer-Rose Pollard, see the photo in the gallery below. In the theatrical world they say you shouldn’t work with children or animals, no such problems for Joe. The children were brilliant and the animals stuffed! The women bore the brunt, Mary Keeley as Jill Shepherd had a splendid sheep, however the star was undoubtedly Humphrey the Camel who gave Janet Gascgoine a hard time, but she dealt with him admirably – well done Debra Katz!
James Bosustow and Nicky Jose as Landlord and Landlady kept the tempo going with great drinking songs and merriment making even the offer of stable accommodation inviting. See the colour photo in the gallery below.
The Three Kings were very noble and their costumes splendid. It was a surprise to find out that one came from Birmingham, one from Wales and that the other was in fact King Charles III – perhaps a part of his new role he wasn’t expecting! What can’t be denied is how richly they sang together, well done to L-R above, Anthony Richards, Paul Collins and Brian Jenkins.
Magic isn’t what you normally expect in a nativity play but Simon Bradley literally pulled it out of the box. He never disappoints and it really was an hysterical interlude – he was ably assisted by his very Glamorous Assistant Jill Thomas.
Special thanks to Claire Bollard in The Store who was not only the ticket office but also donated the ice cream served in the interval.
It was very special to have a Christmas Production in our Village Hall in the close run up to the festive season. It was a truly enchanting production which captured the essence of the Nativity story, and so much more, in verse and song. There were well known Christmas Carols for everyone to join in with as well as other songs, all accompanied beautifully by the musicians. ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas” – or thirteen in this case – was never sung so quickly and who knew there were all those actions to go with it – you learn something every day! It was a fantastic finale. The costumes, props and attention to detail really were remarkable. It was extremely funny when it needed to be but there were also poignant moments – such as ‘Oh Holy Night’ sung by Anthony Richards as Old Jack Shepherd, very special.
There have been rumours that this was going to be Angela’s last production. After such a success – Never Say Never!
Playmaster Jonathan Fletcher, Old Jack Shepherd/Balthazar Anthony Richards, Jill Shepherd Mary Keeley, Landlord James Bosustow,
Landlady Nicky Jose. Joseph Frank George, Mary Jan Halliday, Gabriel Jean Trimble, Caspar Paul Collins, Melchior/Tom Tinker Brian Jenkins, Camel Driver Janet Gascoigne, King Herod Simon Bradley, Herod’s Glamorous Assistant Jill Thomas, Angels Hazel Strickland, Isla Bosustow, Genevieve Bosustow, Summer-Rose Pollard, Villagers Richard Curnow, Mark Outten, Anthony Richards, Paul Collins, Frank George,
Jan Halliday, Jean Trimble, Simon Bradley, Jill Thomas, Janet Gascoigne, Brian Jenkins, Mary Keeley, Angela Agutter, And Humphrey the Camel,
Director Angela Agutter, Music Director Robin Bates, Music Robin Bates, Jonathan Coudrille, Jeremy Wootliff
Lighting Ian While, Stage Manager Richard Curnow, Set Simon Bradley, Paul Collins, Frank George, Costume/Props Wendy Elliott and Jean Trimble
Front of House The Friends of St Ruan and St Grade Historic-Church Buildings
Many Thanks to: Fishermen’s Mission, Rozen Furniture, Ruan Minor Methodist Chapel, Sally Ellis, Derek Harding, Tony Halliday,
Ruan Minor Post Office and Stores Claire Bollard, Debra Katz, Ruan Minor Village Hall, Chris Hunt, Ron Ward, Graham Clarke.
19th November 2022
Many thanks to the band for their wonderful renditions, and for creating a fabulous atmosphere. Also a big thank you to Ian Dunlop and Angela Agutter for their amazing performances.
Thanks to all the wonderful helpers and volunteers, we couldn’t have done it without you.
The evening raised approximately £405.00
A great result and lots of fun
28th August
Thank you to all bidders, the artists and donors of the artworks and to those who helped in any way.
Special thanks to Michael Gary Pollard and Claire Louise Bollard for making this event possible.
The auction raised £1224
The cakes £276 (Thank you to the cake makers and helpers)
The raffle £235 (Thank you to those who gave gifts and those who bought a ticket – all prizes claimed)
2nd – 5th June
Many people completed the trail over the four days, and all commented on the lovely flower arrangements decorating all the Churches and Well.
Please click on the gallery photos below to view full size.
4th June
Recreation Ground
4th June
Recreation Ground
The slate signings where a great success money was raised and everyone enjoyed the day.
5th June Review
Street Party Ruan Minor
A lovely day was had by all, a true community event!
Video footage of the Ruan Minor jubilee street celebrations
Credit: andrewonline
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