The
Society of Recorder
Players, Beds. &
| Please note that due to a major computer "glitch" we are currently unable to access some of our older email address lists. If we normally keep you informed of our monthly meetings but you have not heard from us in 2024, please email bedsnherts@srp.org.uk to be put back on our list! |
The Society of Recorder Players (or SRP for short), founded in 1937, is a Registered Charity (numbers 282751 and SC038422) which aims to promote the recorder and its music.
There are around
fifty branches of the SRP
covering various areas of the
Although our
main catchment
area consists of Bedfordshire, North Hertfordshire and
| The following meeting dates have now been fixed, but details such as timings when we have a visiting conductor may be amended as further arrangements are made. Visiting players are always welcome, but we ask that if you are not a member of the branch, you contact us in advance to let us know that you would like to attend on a particular date. Thank you for your cooperation. |
| 21 Sep 2024 |
Bedford (Putnoe Heights) |
| 19 Oct 2024 |
Hitchin (Walsworth Road) |
| 16 Nov 2024 |
Bedford
(Putnoe Heights) Includes our AGM |
| 14 Dec 2024 |
Hitchin (Walsworth Road) |
| 18 Jan 2025 |
Bedford (Putnoe Heights) |
| 15 Feb 2025 |
Hitchin (Walsworth Road) |
| 22 Mar 2025 |
Bedford
(Putnoe Heights) Playing Day 10:00 - 17:00 [times TBC] with bring-and-share buffet lunch Conductor: Steve Marshall Additional charge TBC |
| 12 Apr 2025 |
Hitchin (Walsworth Road) |
| 10 May 2025 |
Bedford (Putnoe Heights) |
| 14 Jun 2025 |
Hitchin (Walsworth Road) |
| 19 Jul 2025 |
Bedford (Putnoe Heights) |
Meeting
times are currently 2:30 pm until
5:00 pm unless otherwise stated above.
Please check near the day for any updates, especially when we are
expecting a visiting conductor.
Hitchin meetings
are currently held at Walsworth
Road Baptist Church Hall (SG4 9SP), which is by
the roundabout at the junction of
Maps & directions (click here)
How much will it cost?
Unlike many
branches, we make no charge at
all for your first meeting (except for
Playing Days); you are
welcomed as a guest to see how you
get on.
Thereafter, the cost depends on whether or not you become a member, but
in
either case our policy is to keep the charges as low as possible.
As a member, you would pay an annual subscription which is renewable in the autumn. This brings you the professionally-produced quarterly magazine, The Recorder, and various other benefits. Annual membership for 2024/5 is £55.00 for an adult, £18.00 for a student, or £80.00 for a household. For those who have already joined the SRP via another branch there is the option of associate membership (Adult £25, Student £8); and for those joining the Society for the very first time after January 1st there is a discount on your initial subscription (the subscription year runs from the beginning of September to the end of August). Membership of the branch covers all standard meeting costs, but we reserve the right to make an additional charge for Playing Days.
We have reintroduced the provision of refreshments in the
break,
but you are also welcome to bring your own drink (note that alcohol is
not
permitted at either of our venues).
As a non-member, you pay only a fee at each meeting you attend (adults currently £6.50, students £4), as we would not receive a contribution from a subscription. This helps cover the cost of room hire, music and other expenses. A higher charge may apply when we have a visiting conductor. Non-members do not receive the magazine etc.
Who
is it for?
At the moment,
unfortunately, we don’t have
the facilities to cope with complete beginners – though we may be
able
to help by
suggesting a teacher for you. However if you can play the basic notes,
read music,
and sight-read to a basic level, then why not come along and see how
you get
on? Players from intermediate standard upwards will almost certainly
find
something to suit them, as we try to have a good mix of music from the
renaissance through to contemporary pieces at each meeting.
An associated
group, the Peregrine Recorder Orchestra, is always on the
lookout for competent,
reliable players and meets
fortnightly in Ickwell,
near Biggleswade,
in rural Bedfordshire. The PRO is dedicated to raising money for other
charities, and normally gives around three concerts per year as well as
making
occasional school visits.
What
do we bring?
Any sizes of
recorder which you play, and a
music stand. For the moment, sharing of music stands etc is not encouraged due to social distancing measures.
Other
help needed?
We will try to answer any questions you have concerning the recorder, or put you in touch with someone else who can help. However, please remember that all the Branch Officers are doing this unpaid in their "spare" time, so the answers may not be instantaneous!
| Recorder teachers If you are a recorder teacher taking private pupils and based in Bedfordshire, North Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire or the Milton Keynes area, please email us your details - we often get enquiries, and can then put prospective students in touch with you! |
Access
for the disabled
Both our normal venues now
have ramp/level
access and toilet facilities for the disabled. However please check
just prior to Hitchin meetings as, just occasionally, we may be
relocated to the upper hall which does not have such access.
Parking
At Bedford (Putnoe) the few spaces in front of the church are now reserved for disabled drivers, but there is a small car park at the rear accessed via a driveway down the right-hand side of the church. This should be adequate for us unless the large hall or the church itself is in use, in which case you can park on the road (no restrictions, but please park thoughtfully as there are many driveways and bends) or use the public car park a little way along the road (to the left if facing the church). This is limited to 4 hours, but is free.
At Hitchin there should be enough parking spaces for us on site; but just in case there is no space there, drive up Highbury Road and take the second left, The Avenue. Parking here, within a couple of minutes walk, is free and unrestricted on Saturdays. In the last resort, there is a public car park just along Walsworth Road in the other direction (towards the town centre), at Woodside (the Queen Mother Theatre) - see North Herts District Council website for charges. Please DO NOT use the Hitchin Youth Trust car park which is just to the right of the church.
Contact
us
Beds & North Herts Branch Officers:
Chair: Gill Mitchell
Secretary: Glynne Parry bedsnherts@srp.org.uk
Treasurer: Stephen MarloweOfficers / Trustees of the central organisation:
please see main website
Download our Branch Rules
Website updated 29/08/2024
