CHILDRENS CONCERTS
Over three nights in June over 800 local school children participated in the Mid Somerset Music Spectacular at Strode Theatre.
This event was organised jointly by Somerset Music and the Lions Clubs of Glastonbury and Street and the City of Wells.
Funds this year were being raised jointly for Somerset Music and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The spectrum of entertainment provided by the youngsters was vast and demonstrated the very significant skills of our local children. There is indeed a wealth of talent and congratulations must go to the pupils and their music teachers and no doubt some to the parents for providing the support, transport and cash!
This year the following schools and organisations participated:
Ashcott Primary School
Beckery Resource Centre, Glastonbury
Bishop Henderson C of E Primary School, Coleford
Brookside Community School, Street
Butleigh C of E School
Cheddar Valley Music Club
COSMIC
Coxley Primary School
Crispin School, Street
Hindhayes Infant School, Street
Meare Village School
Priddy Primary School
St Aldhelm's C of E Primary School, Doulting
St Benedict's Junior School, Glastonbury
St John's C of E Infants School, Glastonbury
Street Razzamataz Theatre School
The Blue C of E School, Wells
Wells Central Junior School
West Pennard C of E Primary School
Wookey Primary School
Plus various solo artists
The club would like to express their thanks to Liz Leyshon and her staff at Strode Theatre for their extensive help and support with the promotion of this event.
AVALON SCHOOL
The club invited pupils at Avalon School, Street to take part in our own peace poster competition this year. The school used it as an opportunity to get all pupils sharing their ideas and thoughts on peace in the world, including having a special assembly to promote the theme of "power of peace".
The President Rod Speed and youth officer Ian Kindon visited the school for an assembly to present certificates of appreciation to the youngsters who had participated.
PEACE POSTER COMPETITION
Lions Clubs International holds a Peace Poster Competition each year and for many years our club has participated. Young people aged between 11 and 13 in local schools are invited to submit a poster depicting a theme of peace and this year the title was The Power of Peace.
The entrants are firstly judged by school and then an independent judge chooses one poster from our area to go forward to the District competition which covers Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Our entrant to the District competition this year was Iona Clive who attends the Millfield Prep school in Glastonbury.
The Club is delighted that her poster, shown above, was chosen to represent the south-west in the national competition. However it did not succeed in winning that competition but Iona, which means peace in Scottish, will be attending the Convention of all Lions Clubs in the south west in Plymouth during March to receive her prize for representing the District.
The Club wishes to thank the pupils and staff of the four schools who took part in the local competition. The schools were Avalon School, Crispin, Millfield Prep and St Dunstans.
YOUTH FOOTBALL COMPETITION
This year we are once again sponsoring a team in the Lions Clubs International Youth Football Competition.
The competition covers all of Great Britain but initially there is a regional competition in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
The team that we are sponsoring is the Street Youth Football Club Under 14's.
The first round match took place at the Tanyard field under floodlights on Friday 6th November and the opposition were Axbridge Under 14's sponsored by Cheddar Vale Lions Club.
The match was played in mixed conditions but underfoot the pitch was in good condition and considering the amount of recent rain played exceptionally well.
Street went a goal up soon after the start and dominated much of the early play with one sensing that Axbridge were a little overawed, going in three down at the break.
Street scored a fourth early in the second half but Axbridge did not let their heads fall and equipped themselves very well in the fourth quarter but were unable to score against a well organised Street team. Street scored a fifth goal near the end to seal a good victory and to secure their place in the next round which will call for a trip to play Ilfracombe.
The Lions would like to thank both the team and their army of helpers and supporters for their hospitality on the evening.
See you in Ilfracombe!
PRESENTATION TO UPS AND DOWNS
The club together with the City of Wells Lions Club this week made a cheque presentation to Ups and Downs Southwest, a charity providing support and advice to those affected by Down Syndrome.
The £1000 donation was part of the profit from the Mid Somerset Musical Spectacular, the annual event organised by the two Lions Clubs at Strode Theatre in Street and involving hundreds of young performers from local schools.
It is very appropriate to be giving some of the proceeds of the children’s concerts to this young person-based organisation Ups and Downs.
The clubs are delighted to support such an enthusiastic organisation which gives help to children with Down Syndrome, together with their families and cares.
LIONS YOUNG MUSICIAN COMPETITION
At the September meeting of Glastonbury and Street Lions Club a presentation was made to trombonist Stephen Sykes by Past President Lion Peter Warburton and Past District Governor Lion Graham Lang.
Stephen, from Shepton Mallet, was one of three local musicians sponsored by the club to enter the Lions Young Musician of the Year competition for which the instrument for 2009 was the trombone.
Members of Glastonbury and Street Lions Club and southwest Past District Governor Lion Graham Lang (second from right) congratulate Stephen Sykes and wish him luck as he competes to be named Lions European Young Musician 2009.
Having won the South West competition held in Okehampton in Devon, Stephen then went on to win the national final at the Birmingham Conservatoire. His outstanding performances won him the right to represent Lions from Britain and Ireland in the Lions European Music Competition, which was held in Tampere, Finland during September. Although Stephen did not win he came a very creditable fourth and we congratulate him on this outcome.
Stephen, a former pupil at Chetham School of Music in Manchester, has just finished studying at Strode College in Street and is soon to begin studying the trombone at university in Cardiff.
The chosen instrument for the 2010 Young Musician competition is the classical guitar. The club welcomes candidates, who will be required to play two pieces, one imposed and the other from a selected list.
Interested musicians can obtain further information from Lion Ian Kindon by emailing him at ianandmargaretkindon@hotmail.com.
The Mid Somerset Musical Spectacular, held at Strode Theatre in Street, enabled almost 8 perform live on stage to sell out crowds over three nights during June.
For many of the children it was their first experience of performing on a large stage but nerves didn’t stop them putting on a fine show.
The annual event, presented by Somerset Music and the Lions Clubs of Glastonbury and Street and the City of Wells, was also raising money for charity, including Ups and Downs Southwest, a Down Syndrome support group.
The number of performers crossing the stage this year far exceeded the previous record, with many schools bringing whole classes.
Each night also featured a guest trombone soloist. Stephen Sykes, Mark Goddard and Andrew Savill were all sponsored by Glastonbury and Street Lions Club to take part in the Lions Clubs Young Musician of the Year 2009 competition. Stephen won both the Southwest heats and the National finals and he will now compete in the grand final in Finland later this year.
From choirs to orchestras and dance acts to a rock group this year’s Musical Spectacular was a chance to celebrate the talents of mid Somerset’s young performers.
Spokesman for the Lions Chris Ford praised all the children who took part.
“Each child has contributed to the success of the spectacular and as always they have been greatly supported by their teachers behind stage and their families in the audience,” he said. “We have yet to reach a final figure but believe we have raised in the region of £3,000, a great achievement.
The Lions and Somerset Music would like to thank Glastonbury Festivals Limited for sponsoring the event and Strode Theatre staff for their assistance.”
LIONS YOUNG MUSICIAN COMPETITION
This year the Club has sponsored three entrants in the Young Musician Competition held in District 105SW - Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. The competition took place on Saturday 17th January 2009 in Okehampton and the club's entrants took the first three places.
The competitors were Mark Goddard, Andrew Saville and Stephen Sykes. The chosen instrument this year was the trombone and all three young musicians performed both the set piece and their own choice of music from a set list in the most accomplished manner.
The winner was Stephen Sykes who will now represent the south west in the national final to be held at the Birmingham Conservatoire on 4th April 2009.
The winner of that competition will go on to represent Great Britain and Ireland in the European competition in Finland in September.
The club wishes to thank each young man for entering the competition and wish Stephen every success in the next stage.
