As part of our commitment to inform, entertain and educate our members about the wide range of arts and leisure activities taking place at LALG or more widely, we will promote occasional features. This will include information about our groups' interests, activities taking place locally and online and articles that we hope will amuse you or provide an enjoyable break from the norm. The information will be shown as Articles below.
Contributions will be welcomed from any member of LALG; you do not have to be a member of our features team.
If you would like to contribute, send your item to the Features Editor using the address given in the Contact Details box.
Group Articles
On Sunday October 24th Robert Hyman will be in the Broadway gallery as their new ‘composer in residence’. Robert is a composer and lyricist from a background in musical theatre. He will sit in the exhibition space all day responding to Abi Spendlove’s exhibition. In the afternoon he is inviting any musicians from the area to come down and, essentially, have a jam session with him as he composes a new work. Any and all instruments welcome including your own voice!
Letchworth Music Club may be one of Letchworth’s best kept secrets, with origins going back to the International Club which was formed during WW2 for refugees from Europe.
The Club met at Howgills in South View, offering English and shorthand lessons, lectures and concerts. Over time, the Club lost its international aspect and activities reduced to an annual series of concerts.
In 1949 it was reconstituted as the Letchworth Music Club and its first season comprised nine concerts with annual subs of 10s 6d, (52.5p).
Sunday 14 November, 1pm; Tea at 2.30pm
The manager is conducting guided tours for up to 25 people (socially distanced as much as possible), followed by a substantial afternoon tea. The cost is £10 for the guided tour only, or £24 for the tour followed by afternoon tea. If you would like to take part please book your place at: thecloistersletchworth.co.uk/history
Silver Sunday, held on the first Sunday of October, is a national day for older people. To support it, those aged 60 and over are invited to Standalone Farm for free on Sunday 3 October.
Letchworth District Gardeners Assoc has arranged a coach trip to Bury St Edmunds and Fullers Mill Garden and is opening it to LALG members.
The Royston Arts Society Autumn Exhibition will take place in Royston Town Hall on the weekend of 25th to 26th September 2021. As usual this exhibition will form a major part of the Royston Arts Festival. Artists who are not RAS members can enter up to three framed and four unframed paintings plus a set of up to 25 greetings cards. This year they will also be running an optional online exhibition. This will start on 1st October and run through to 1st December 2021. Non-members can enter some or all of their paintings. Full details can be fou
The Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation have launched a survey to capture the views and ideas of local people about the Garden City Greenway.
What does being an LALG member mean to you? Meeting new people; having fun; trying new activities?
Members who volunteer to help run activities or work behind the scenes of LALG get so much more!
Graham: “Editing the newsletter is a chance to use and build on my IT skills. And running the computer group is so rewarding; helping others to get more out of their computers and understand safe working.”
Leon and Aliki first joined LALG around 15 years ago to go on a walking holiday. Now, many walks later, Aliki has joined the Daytime German group and the Easy Riders cycling group. She also volunteered Leon as an editor for this newsletter! He produced the May 2021 edition and plans to do more. Leon said: “Doing the newsletter, I was really impressed how many good people offer their time to LALG.“
As the evenings are getting longer (and hopefully warmer) and lockdown measures begin to ease in line with the government’s roadmap, we have been thinking about what LALG can offer going forward.
I appreciate that everyone will have their own comfort zone. Some members will still be cautious about mixing whilst others will be raring to get out and about again and to see people for real, not just on Zoom.
There was such an outcry when we said Lockdown Quizzes would end in May that we have decided to restart them in the Autumn, with a new name.
Lockdown quizzes came about by chance when the 2020 Annual Quiz had to be moved online by the organisers, Ann and Andrew. “We did not dream it would be so successful or become a monthly event.” said Ann. “The emphasis was on breaking down social isolation. Only text questions were used, no pictures, so people could join by phone if they weren’t online.”
We recently had an excellent talk about Citizens Advice Bureau with particular reference to North Herts.
The Citizens Advice North Hertfordshire 'slogan' is: Free support and advice when you need it
Its promise is : Local charity, available to all, offering free confidential help and support
All Things Feathered Poultry Society
Chickens make such lovely companions, especially in a time of isolation.
The All Things Feathered Poultry Society have been keeping in touch over lockdown via WhatsApp, Zoom and email.
Most of the web pages for LALG’s 100+ groups are being edited by the web editing team. But more and more groups are taking control themselves. Around a third of groups have a ‘content editor’ from within their group. And we hope more will follow.
Have you seen this box? Who put it there? And what is it for?
An LALG member has asked us to help him find out about this intriguing mystery box, which he spotted on the Greenway. The mystery has been solved - see end of article
A list of some cafés, some not so well known, compiled by Sheila George when out and about on her bike.
Sheila welcomes any suggestions to add to the list for future publication.
Please email Sheila sheila_g120@hotmail.co.uk.
The Broadway Gallery launched the Letchworth Open Exhibition on 9 January 2021. The recent Covid-19 restrictions mean the gallery cannot yet welcome visitors, but the exhibition has been brought to life online. Celebrating the rich creative community in Letchworth Garden City. Click to take a virtual 360 degree tour of their latest exhibition.
At LALG we love to celebrate the creativity of our members.
A treasured member of our Nordic Walking Group, Karsi, has taken lockdown as an opportunity to return to her creative writing, and has penned this cheerful poem which is certain to make everyone smile - I'm sure we can all relate!
She looked every inch an excited bride-to-be as she collected a wedding form. A couple of days later, the completed form was returned.
What a wedding it would be. The groom was the son of the commanding officer at RAF Bassingbourn, his bride the Letchworth girl who had filled in the form. Innumerable bigwigs were coming: bishops, an air vice-marshal or two, and so on. The camp chaplain was to officiate, and there was to be a very exotic honeymoon.
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Sunday 14 November, 1pm; Tea at 2.30pm
Letchworth District Gardeners Assoc has arranged a coach trip to Bury St Edmunds and Fullers Mill Garden and is opening it to LALG members.
The Broadway Gallery launched the Letchworth Open Exhibition on 9 January 2021. The recent Covid-19 restrictions mean the gallery cannot yet welcome visitors, but the exhibition has been brought to life online. Celebrating the rich creative community in Letchworth Garden City. 
At LALG we love to celebrate the creativity of our members.
