TOM LONG'S POST Spring is here! - Stroud District Community ...

Tom Long’s PostCommunity News and Views2nd Minchinhampton YoungMusicians Festival, Sat 19thMarch - The FriendlyFestival892010 MYM Junior WinnersFollowing on the great success of lastyear's event, Minchinhampton'ssecond Music Festival - or MYM forshort, which will be taking place onSaturday 19th March inMinchinhampton School from 9.30am until the finals are completedaround 7pm. We hope that it willencourage young musicians andsingers to show off their hard-earnedskills in front of a friendly andappreciative audience and alsoreceive advice and encouragementfrom our adjudicators, all of whom arevery experienced in working withyoung people through instrumentaland vocal teaching.Strings and Piano sections are from9.30am to 12.15pm, followed byVocal 12.30pm and Woodwind at1.30pm.Show Songs are from 3.00pm to3.45pm , Brass and Percussion from4.00pm, with the finals starting atabout 5.30pm until the adjudicationsare completed. All times areapproximate.There are two age groups, Under 13and Over 13 and we are opening theFestival up to all young musiciansand singers in the Stroud area - andbeyond if they wish to perform. Thesections are Strings, Woodwind,Brass, Piano, Songs From theShows, Songs Not From Shows,Percussion and a non-competitivesection Two or More Generations(any combination of instrumentand/or voice -e.g. grandfather andgrand-daughter, mother and son etc).Cups, generously donated by manylocal organisations and businesseslast year, are awarded to the winnersof each section and the winners thencompete in the early evening for thetwo major trophies (Junior andSenior) plus the prizes of £25 and £50.Last year we had a large and veryappreciative audience throughout theday who gave every encouragementto the young performers and we lookforward to seeing many moreinstrumentalists and singers takingpart this year. I think everyone whotook part last year thought it was amost friendly event and so if you areable to encourage any young peopleyou know to take part, please do yourbest to get them involved !!Everyone, young and not so young,is welcome to join the audience andentry is free so please come along atany time during the Festival to givethe performers your support andencouragement. You can come andgo as you please during the day andlight refreshments will be available.Entry forms and information areavailable from Festival SecretaryKathy Hurst, tel. 882960,email: kathy@63windmillroad.co.ukor contact David Homer, 882993,email: hypernotes1666@yahoo.co.ukor from Minchinhampton SchoolOffice.Looking forward to see you there !David HomerMinchinhamptonChurchBaptistThe coming year is a big one forMinchinhampton resident, SimonShepherd. At the end of last yearSimon decided to give up the pursuitof his 20 year career in commerceand he stepped out in faith to applyfor the new position of full timeAssociate Minister atMinchinhampton Baptist Church(MBC) and Minister of StonehouseBaptist Church (SBC) on a sharedbasis.His appointment represents thefulfilment of a long held calling toserve full time in Christian ministry.Simon and his wife Anita havealways been very active, on avoluntary basis, in the variouschurches they have attended asSimon's career has moved himaround the country. It was 7 yearsago that Simon's job prompted amove to Minchinhampton andSimon and Anita soon settled in andstarted to attend MBC. It was notlong before Simon was welcomedinto the leadership team at MBC andAnita was employing her talents inthe children's work.Over time and assisted byprompting from friends andcolleagues Simon felt that the timehad come to take the leap into fulltime ministry and when the newposition of Associate Ministerwas instituted he appliedsuccessfully and was commissionedat both churches on 9th and 16thJanuary, 2011 with the full supportof the congregations of SBC andMBC.Simon, 43, is a graduate of LeedsMetropolitan University and hasspent his 20 years in the world ofcommerce as an IT professional.Simon and Anita have been marriedfor 16 years and have three children:Zac, Ella and Sophie, who all attendschool and playgroups in the locality.Simon's family roots are inNottingham and he is a proudsupporter of Nottingham Forest.Ian WattsSimon and Anita Shepherd