(Photo Credits: CWH Media)

A Coronation Weekend To Remember

Following a weekend of ceremony, tradition and jubilation across the nation, on Monday 8th May 2023, Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall rounded off the coronation celebrations in the town with an afternoon tea fit for a King!

Guests from the local community were warmly welcomed through the doors to see the hall awash with bunting and rows of tables decorated for an historic occasion.

A highly-acclaimed trio of jazz musicians treated everyone to toe-tapping entertainment throughout the afternoon as a delicious menu of coronation chicken sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, bottomless tea and coffee and glasses of fizz, was served. With arts and crafts activities for the children, a quiz for all and selfies with the King, the event was topped off with a rousing, flag-waving rendition of the National Anthem before everyone left with big smiles on their faces and a specially-designed commemorative mug.

The event was planned as part of the weekend’s ‘Big Help Out’ , a national campaign showcasing how volunteering benefits both communities and the people who take part, long beyond the King’s Coronation.

The celebration was a right-royal success, thanks to a terrific group of volunteers who gave their time in both the run up to the event and on the day itself. It simply would not have been possible without them all. Likewise, the generous support of event sponsors, local businesses and individuals, was so enabling.

Aldeburgh is a very special place to a great many and the trustees of Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall were enormously proud that the town’s historic community venue was able to host a memorable and triumphant celebration for all ages. Heartfelt thanks go to everyone involved and…GOD SAVE THE KING!

 

(Photo Credits: CWH Media)

The Big Help Out – Celebrating King Charles III Coronation

As part of a weekend of celebrations to mark King Charles’ coronation, a national volunteering initiative has been announced and we would be delighted to hear from volunteers who would like to help us organise a wonderful community event in Aldeburgh.

On Monday 8^th May, people up and down the country will roll up their sleeves and do their bit, creating a legacy of better-connected communities long beyond the Coronation itself. Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall will be one of many thousands of local and national charities signing up to make ‘The Big Help Out’ the start of the biggest volunteering effort in our country’s history.

We are looking for a team of enthusiastic volunteers who can support us in laying on a perfectly royal coronation afternoon tea, with particular expertise in the following areas:

• Graphic design
• Interior design
• Event management
• Volunteer Management
• Audio Visual
• Catering

Whether it’s support in the lead up to the event, serving guests on the day, or helping with the clear up, we would love to hear from folk who have the time and skills to help create a memorable occasion.

If you would like to get involved please email Ann Barkway at manager@aldeburghjubileehall.co.uk with details of how you can help support this historic event.

Please note the first Coronation planning meeting is taking place at Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall, 10am on Thursday 16^th March.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Photo below: Celebration of the coronation of George VI at Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall, May 1937

Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall is a much-loved community arts venue on the Suffolk coast, making music, theatre and the wider arts central to Aldeburgh and the surrounding area. The Hall has been an important part of Aldeburgh’s social fabric since 1887 when it was built to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.

We are currently seeking new Trustees to join our Board of Trustees who will help us build on our local reputation, champion our work, be ‘hands on’, and who can appreciate the importance of the legacy of this historic venue.

If you are interested in an opportunity to get involved in an engaging, decision-making role, that is at the heart of the local community it serves, please click on the link HERE to find out more.

When visiting Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall you may well have met Jane. She would often be sitting by a small table at the top of the entrance hall stairs, checking tickets and selling programmes. In later life, the Jubilee Hall was her passion and she devoted an enormous amount of time and energy to encouraging theatre companies, musicians and others to perform at the Hall, issuing the necessary contracts of hire, operating the box office, being there to welcome artistes and ensuring their time at the Hall was enjoyable, organising front of house helpers, shopping for and serving interval refreshments, as well as seeing to the other necessary tasks for the smooth running of the Hall. Jane started the popular biannual Aldeburgh Craft Fair and was an important contributor to the success of Aldeburgh Summer Theatre for many years. She was also a very loyal supporter of Jubilee Opera and gave a lot of her time and expertise in promoting their productions.

Who would have thought this very busy person had another life too!

For many years she was the Administrator at Aldeburgh Parish Church and Secretary to the Parochial Church Council. In addition, she would be working one day each week in an office at Portcullis House, opposite the Houses of Parliament, as Secretary of The Parliament Choir, organising several concerts a year at premier London venues, as well as dealing with membership and other enquiries from the MPs and Members of the House of Lords who sang in the choir. Sir Bernard Jenkin MP remarks “She was the rock of the Parliament Choir for quite a period of time.”

Jane enjoyed a fascinating life and career. Her Godmother was Jennifer Vyvyan, the British soprano, who was also godmother to Charlotte Rampling. Jane’s early years were spent in London where, as a teenager, she was a babysitter for Vanessa Redgrave and, as a student, shared a flat with Jessie Norman, then a violinist before later embarking on her career as a singer.

Jane’s parents rented a house in Thorpeness each summer and, if you visit Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel, you’ll see Jane’s name on the Honours Board for winning a ladies’ golf tournament. It was during these summer visits that Jane fell in love with Aldeburgh and its Festival. She was fortunate enough to be accepted as an Aldeburgh Festival Hesse student and so helped at pre-concert receptions, page-turning for rehearsals and concerts, programme selling and also assisting with some office duties. Later, she assisted Imogen Holst during a number of festivals, as driver and P.A. Jane was an accomplished photographer; she gave a fascinating collection of her photographs of concerts and rehearsals from the 1970s to the Red House.

In her working life Jane was P.A. to Joan Bakewell and for several years worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company at The Barbican Centre. It was there that she met Derek Jacobi, amongst other notable actors, and Jane went on to work with him as Production Assistant for several films and TV programmes. A lovely story Jane recounted was when Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen were performing with the RSC at The Barbican. It was before the days of video recorders and so they asked Jane if she would arrange for a television to be brought into the wings so that when they were off stage, they could watch parts of the latest episode of ‘Dynasty’. They were avid fans and so Jane wrote to Aaron Spelling (its American TV producer) asking if the RSC might form a Dynasty fan club! He was thrilled with the idea and sent Jane a parcel of T-shirts, printed with the slogan “Royal Shakespeare Company Dynasty Fan Club”. The following year, when the RSC was touring America, Aaron Spelling invited them to a reception at his ranch, where they were greeted by the cast members of Dynasty!

We were indeed fortunate when Jane decided to live in Aldeburgh for, without her enthusiasm, commitment and sheer hard work, the Jubilee Hall wouldn’t be the place it is today; it may well have closed altogether. Modest to the point of self-deprecating, a private person in some ways, Jane quietly just got on with things. I only saw her lose her composure in public once, when a rather demanding visitor to the Hall exclaimed to Jane “I’ll have you know I’m a member of MENSA.”, to which Jane replied, “So what? So am I”. 

Jane’s varied career gave her a deep knowledge and insight into the whole spectrum of the performing arts. She knew so much about it, and her experience and advice were invaluable. She was truly a lovely lady, kind and warm-hearted, who will be missed, not just by her family and friends but by so many others, very much indeed. 

Written by David Briggs, chair of Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall until May 2017.

We are delighted to announce that Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall has been awarded £61,000 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure that we have a sustainable future.

Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall is one of 588 cultural and creative organisations across the country to have received urgently needed support and we are hugely grateful to Arts Council England, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and HM Treasury for the grant awarded to us.

Culture is an essential part of life across the country, helping to support people’s wellbeing through creativity and self-expression, bringing communities together and fuelling our world-class creative industries. These awards build on the UK Government’s commitment to be there for culture in every part of the country.

We know that Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall has held a very special place in the hearts of the local community and visitors to the town for over 100 years. These crucial funds will allow us to plan a varied programme of events between December and March 2021 which will not only entertain our audiences but also support performers and our partners working in the arts industry.

We will be announcing further details shortly and look forward to safely reopening the doors of Jubilee Hall to you later this year.

At the beginning of 1887, the people of every town and village across the country were putting their heads together to decide how best to commemorate the joyful occasion of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Aldeburgh was no exception and Amanda Davies’ book, A Room Worthy of the Town, chronicles Jubilee Hall’s story over the last 130 years.

Enjoy a unique step back in time as you read about the grand opening, the influence WWI had on the events held at Jubilee Hall, and how a young composer named Benjamin Britten moving to Aldeburgh in 1947 resulted in the town being never quite the same again!

Copies of this special book are available to purchase for £10 each, including postage and packing. You can order in a number of ways. Either:

1. Send an email to manager@aldeburghjubileehall.co.uk with your name and the address the book should be sent to. We will then provide you with our bank details to make the payment to.
2. Make payment via our Support Us page HERE (no Gift Aid will be eligible as this is not a donation) and email manager@aldeburghjubileehall.co.uk to advise you would like to receive a copy of the book.
3. If you wish to pay by cheque please email manager@aldeburghjubileehall.co.uk in advance as the hall is currently closed and we will need to ensure the post is collected. Please provide your name, address and telephone number and the delivery address for the book to be sent.

Thank you for your support.

12th June 2020

Please join us on our website at 7pm on Thursday 25th June as we bring you a very special online event to celebrate Independent Bookshop Week. Nina Nannar, Arts Editor of ITV News, will be interviewing acclaimed author Meg Rosoff, about her new book The Great Godden.

“The Great Godden arose from the memory of one childhood summer that seemed to last for years and that – only in retrospect – announced that childhood was over.” – Meg Rosoff

Signed copies of The Great Godden are available from Thursday 18th June from The Aldeburgh Bookshop so you have a week to read the book before watching the interview. Order now and get a free exclusive The Great Godden tote bag.  There are early copies, weeks before the chain bookshops and other online retailers, so reserve your copy @ £12.99 by:

• Telephone: 07855 680911
• Emailing your order to johnandmary@aldeburghbookshop.co.uk

2nd June 2020

Lyrical Lockdown with Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall

How Does It Work?

We know it’s been a tough few months for everyone and whilst here at Jubilee Hall we cannot reopen our doors just yet, we would love to hear from you all with a creative, musical compilation that we can share with our audiences.

That’s why we are asking you to gather safely as a group of friends or family, colleagues or classmates, to create and record you all performing a piece of music together – something that has lifted spirits and brought joy, during the pandemic lockdown.

There is no limit to the number of people who can perform in your group, nor their ages, so anyone and everyone can get involved in your Lyrical Lockdown. Please keep your production to less than 4 minutes long.

Did we mention the winning production will receive a generously donated voucher from Aldeburgh Fish & Chips?!

How To Enter

Please submit your recording by email to: manager@aldeburghjubileehall.co.uk Please also tag us on social media if you are uploading and posting your production on your own social pages:

• Facebook: @AldeburghJubileeHall
• Twitter: @AldeJubileeHall
• Instagram: AldeburghJubileeHall_

The closing date for entries is 5pm on Tuesday 23^th June.

Good luck and here is some beautiful inspiration to get you going:

Terms & Conditions

Any entries deemed inappropriate or offensive will be removed and reported. Judges will pick a winner on 24^th June. The submitter of the winning entry will be notified by email. The judges’ decision is final. The winning entry will be shared on Jubilee Hall’s website, social media and may be used in other marketing material in the future.