News: March 2010

Maddy Prior & Nick Hennessy in Concert

The 'Next 900' team are proud to announce a concert in church with singers Maddy Prior (of Steeleye Span) and Nick Hennessy. Full details of this concert and tickets sales can be found here.

Pasta Night

On Saturday 20th March the 'Next 900' team are holding a Pasta Night in the Kepier Hall behind the church. Hot food, entertainment, music and dancing - all for £5 per person or £4 for concessions. See John Lambton in church for tickets or phone him on 07816122174.

60's/70's Night

On Saturday 20th February the 'Next 900' team ran a 60's - 70's night in the Kepier Hall for the good folk of Houghton. Many of them turned up in period dress, either proving the ladies had massive wardrobes, or the guys hadn't changed their styles in the past 40 years.

The evening opened with a couple of quiz's to see if the addage 'If you think you can remember the 60's you weren't really there' was correct. It appears this saying is partly right, the party goers remembered the songs, but when they heard them was a complete mystery. 6 out of 20 was the winning score, the DJ's job looks safe for the minute.

It was great to see so many folk right across the age range of the community enjoying themselves. The Golden Girls (their description, not mine) put the rest of us to shame and danced the evening away. I was seriously impressed they all made it to church the following morning. All in all, it was a wonderful night, good food, good music and a great social occasion; to add to it all we raised £372 towards the 'Next 900' funds.

New Years Eve Party

As a thank you to all those who have supported their events and fund raising over the past 2 years, the 'Next 900' team organized a New Year's Eve party on the last day of 2009. On a cold evening 80 brave souls trudged through the snow to enjoy an evening of games and entertainment put on by the team.

The main attraction for the evening was an 'X' factor type of talent competition that drew participants from a wide age range and over a broad spectrum of disciplines.

The judges agreed that Freddie Mercury's return to the stage was the winner and it was certainly one of the most memorable aspects of the evening.

Those of you with long memories may recall the Blues Brothers appeared at a Parish Party some years ago; the sole remaining Blues Brother conscripted 2 more brothers and a sister to revive the act performing a number from the musical 'Grease' to the mixed delight and laughter of the crowd. In a travesty of justice they were denied a top three placing but vowed to return; you have been warned!

At midnight those who had stayed the course of the night went outside to see the New Year heralded in with fireworks, a Chinese lantern was lit and set away drifting through the cold night to act as a homing beacon for UFO watchers across the North.

Our thanks to all involved in the evening; the quiz masters, the games organizers, the brave souls who went on stage and Lisa who compered the whole thing, as well as everyone who helped by joining in and making the entire night a success.

Archaeology

The work of the archaeologists finished in April and a brief summary of their findings can be found here.

Behind the scenes