By Noelle Williamson
St Peter’s Church in Bramley celebrated its newly upgraded facilities with an Autumn Festival – and it was lovely: busy, relaxed, entertaining and superbly organised.
There was an outdoor stall near the entrance, which a warmly dressed team had spread with an interesting range of indoor and outdoor plants.
Inside, families roamed from room to room, checking out the tombola, toys, nibbles and handknits in the Bede Room.
They had coffee and cake to live music in the church; looked at the drawings by children from St Peter’s Primary School and Whitecote Primary School, or headed downstairs to the St Margaret’s Room where there was pizza to be had, fresh from the new kitchen.
Several of the community groups who meet, or hire space, at St Peter’s Church were represented.
Leeds North and West Foodbank is usually at St Peter’s Church on Tuesday mornings from 10.30am to 12.30pm for the Bramley foodbank, but yesterday (Saturday, 9 November) they were offering homemade cupcakes and flapjacks to all comers.
Tutti! Community Concert Band, who began the live entertainment this morning, practise at St Peter’s from 10.15am to 11.45am every Saturday in term time. For musicians out there, they have vacancies for all instruments, especially horns and trombones, as well as drums and percussion.
Prima Beginners’ Band, who followed, also rehearse at St Peter’s on Mondays at 7pm. Some of the members who played so beautifully today joined Prima fresh from a six-week Beginners’ Instrument Course for would-be brass and woodwind players. Again, for details about joining Prima, or the next beginners’ course, find details on the website.
The day ended with songs from Class Act Youth Theatre’s forthcoming Christmas show and recorder music and songs from members of Bramley Parish Theatre Players, who were taking time out from rehearsals for Puss in Boots (February 19-21, at Leeds West Academy, for your diaries).
For a tantalising moment it appeared that Julia Wilkins, the Rector, might close the event with a song but, having announced the winner of the Name the Teddy competition, she passed the microphone to Dean Patrick, who had been doing sound for everyone else up to that point.
So it was that this Autumn Festival at St Peter’s Church ended with a medley of Neil Diamond songs and a lung-expanding, arm-waving chorus of Sweet Caroline (Da Da Daaah!) from the audience. The upgrade worked a treat and a good time was had by all.
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