The group meets on the first and third Friday of each month at Bowburn Community Centre, 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. There is a fee of £2 to cover room hire and refreshments.

Dates for the next three months are :-

• April 3rd
• April 17th
• May 1st
• May 15th
• June 5th
• June 19th

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Session Blogs

The last four session blogs will appear below. All previous session blogs can be viewed here.

March 2026, 6th & 20th

February 2026, 6th & 20th

January 2026, 2nd & 16th

December 8th & 22nd

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Events

Some of our group members are taking part in the Northumbria Region u3a Fun,Music & Learning Event. This is being held at Ushaw Historic House & Gardens May 12th, 2026. See here for more information.

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Gallery

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Current Playbook (as of December 2025)

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Archived Blogs

February 7th, 2025

24 members attended today's session, our largest for quite some time. Rather than have our songs chose at random, we sang several numbers from our playbook that hadn't been sung for a few sessions.

We also tried out three new songs:- Singin' the Blues (sung by Guy Mitchell), Whole World in his Hands (traditional African-American Spiritual) and Run for Home (Lindisfarne).

Of the three, only Run for Home was selected to go in the playbook. After singing it straight through once, we had a go at performing it more like the original recording, with a cappella choruses and the last verse sung over a counterpoint of the chorus.

February 21st, 2025

This session matched our record, with 25 members attending, including one member new to our group.

A quick rendition of Doe, a Deer, a Female Deer (Sound of Music) got everyone's vocal chords in to shape and it was back to randomly chosen members selecting the songs:- Both Sides Now, Wild Rover, Sweet Caroline and others.

Carrying on from our previous session, we rehearsed Run For Home, attempting to replicate the arrangement used by Lindisfarne on the recording. There still need to be a bit of work put in to this number.

March 7th, 2025

20 members made it for todays session.

Songs chosen by the random selector included Top of the World, Meet Me on the Corner and Eight Days a Week.

Two new songs were trialled, Dylan's "Last Thing on my Mind" and "Build Me Up, Buttercup" sung by the Foundations. When the vote came, Dylan's number was rejected and the other added to our playbook.

The members that had volunteered for the Regional Music event decided on the two songs to choose for the performance on 5th June.

And a dress code was agreed. A report and images of the event will be added in due course.

March 21st, 2025

Today’s session started half an hour early.  Eleven of the members who have volunteered for the Northumbria Region Music Event came for a rehearsal of the two songs chosen, Wild Rover and Those Were the Days.  We also had a run through of Yellow Submarine which the event organiser wishes all performers to sing.

22 members attended for the normal Singing for Fun session and, amongst the songs chosen, were Super Trouper, Meet Me on the Corner and a very hopeful We’re All Going on a Summer Holiday.

Two new songs were tried out: - Waterloo Sunset recorded by the Kinks, When You Walk in the Room, written by Jackie De Shannon and recorded by, amongst others, The Searchers.

It was decided that any new song would be tried a couple of times before members voted to add to the playlist or not.

Our next session, on 4^th April will be our First Anniversary and we will review how the year has gone.

April 4th, 2025

At the AGM on 27^th Mach, group leaders were given the chance to promote their group to the 50+ members who were present.  Group leader Mike Forrest took the opportunity to provide a little sing song along with those members of the S for F in attendance.  A verse and chorus of Abba’s “I Have A Dream”  put a smile on everyone’s face.

Friday 4^th April was the Singing for Fun group’s first anniversary. The 21 members who attended celebrated with a birthday cake, lovingly baked and decorated courtesy of Tesco’s (other supermarkets are available).

The new songs introduced at the last session, Waterloo Sunset  &  Every Time That You Walk In The Room were given a reprise and then voted on.  Waterloo Sunset was rejected but Walk In The Room becomes song No. 29.

During the break, members reviewed the songs already in the playbook and three songs were voted off.  They will remain until three new replacements are found.

The next session of S for F is on 18^th April, which is Good Friday.  It will go ahead as there are sufficient members who are willing to attend and the Community Centre will be open.

April 18th

Despite it being a Bank Holiday weekend, 17 members attended the session on Good Friday.

We got off to a good start with "Country Roads" and "Amarillo" as members chose what to sing.

Two new songs were tried: "To Know Him Is To Love Him" (recorded by The Paris Sisters and also by Bobbie Vinton) and Roger Miller's "King of the Road". For first attempts, the rendition was excellent.

Jim, our bass player, excelled himself with doing the outro for "King of the Road" even though he'd only got the music at the session.

We'll give both songs another go at the next session, Friday 18th, and then vote as to whether they are added to the playbook.

May 2nd

We had our largest session yet with 27 members, two of which were newbies, Jean & Peter.

Everyone was in fine voice as we sang Matchstalk Men, What a wonderful World, Wild Rover and others.

Two songs that we had sung for the first time at our previous session, I Love How You Love Me & King of the Road were reprised and then voted on.   Both were accepted to be added to our playbook, which now has 31 entries.

No new songs had been prepared for this session but there will be some next time.

The next session will be on Friday 16^th May.  There will be one more rehearsal, starting at 10.00 am for the volunteers taking part in the Regional Music Event in June. The regular session will commence at 10.30 am as usual.

May 16th

We had the last rehearsal of the volunteers singing at the Northumbria u3a Regional Music Event on Thusday, 5th June. All those that attended practised the clap-clap-clap-clap for Wild Rover to get it on beat.

Once the regular session started, we had 19 singers including one new member, Boyd.

The random Number generator selected Top of the World, When You Walk in the Room and Wild Mountain Thyme and others.

Just the one new song to try, this session. It was Sloop John B as recorded by The Beach Boys. We will give it another airing next session before deciding if it's to be added to the playbook.

The next session is on Friday 6th June, 1030 am start, at Bowburn Community Centre.

June 6th

Several of our regular members had indicated that, for a variety of reasons, they wouldn’t make todays session but 16 members turned up and enjoyed themselves.

Mike and others who took part in the Northumbria u3a Regional Musical Event on 5^th June related how the afternoon had gone and photos of it were shown. (See here)

Despite the lower than usual numbers, we enthusiastically sang Sloop John B, a new song getting its second airing.  Normally we would have voted on its retention / rejection but it was agreed that, with so many regulars missing, to hold the vote over for next time.

That didn’t stop us trying another new song, Poetry in Motion, and it was given a couple of run throughs.  It will be improved on, with a bass guitar part when Jim gets back from holiday.

More song suggestions were made, some because of last week’s visit by Hartlepool Male Voice Choir to our monthly meeting, and others as an outcome of the regional music event.  At the moment there is no shortage of songs we could try in the future.

The next Singing for Fun session is Friday 20^th June.

June 5th - Northumbria u3a Regional Music Event

On the afternoon of 5^th June, Northumbria u3a Region held its second Musical Event with invitations going to all u3a’s from Berwick on Tweed down to Northallerton, Seaham Harbour across to Prudhoe to partake.

Durham & District u3a’s Singing for Fun group provided eleven members to sing two songs (that’s all we were allowed).  The members chose to sing The Wild Rover & Those were the Days.

There were groups, solo instrumentalists, a classical trio and two “choirs”, Prudhoe and Durham and District.  Both group leaders emphasised we were not “choirs” but Singing for Fun groups, the emphasis on Fun.

The audience enthusiastically joined in with the performers in songs such as When I’m 64, Sweet Caroline & When you walk in the Room.

The social club was an excellent choice, with ample sound equipment being provided and plenty of space for the participants and spectators.  The bar was open for all alcoholic / non alcoholic beverages and there was a restaurant from which meals could be ordered and brought to your table.

The MC for the event was Bob Pullen, a member of the Regional Events Committee.

With the programme running quite smoothly, our allotted performance time was brought forward from 4.45 pm to just after 4.00 pm.  But our members were not phased by this change, other than one having to eat her chips quickly.

The songs chosen by our group allowed for audience participation, which they did with gusto.  The singers did our u3a proud and all of them appeared to have enjoyed the chance to perform in public and demonstrate the enthusiasm they show every Singing for Fun session.

The afternoon event ended with all performers, singers and musicians, in a rendition of Yellow Submarine.

We will wait to see if another event is organised for next year.

In the meantime, if you would like to come along and enjoy singing, we meet on the first and third Fridays of the month at Bowburn Community Centre, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm.

June 20th

There was a change of venue for today's Singing for Fun session.

The main hall and adjacent room, the coffee bar, were being used by a charity for the deaf, so they wouldn't here the dulcet tones of the 18 group members who attended, including one new member.

We were given one of the games rooms at the top of the main corridor and the session was the usual mix of fun, conversation, oh, and a bit of singing. We managed to go through twelve songs from our playbook and we added two new numbers to our repertoire, Sloop John B and Poetry in Motion.

The next session is on Friday 4th July 10.30 am - 12.30 pm, Bowburn Community Centre, when e will be ck in our usual room, the Coffee Bar.

July 4th

Today, we were back in our usual room at Bowburn Community Centre.

And it was a very popular session with 24 members, including one new member. Jim, our bassist, was back from a break and Mike, our guitarist, "did a Dylan" and used his electric guitar for a change.

The first part of the session, members chose from our existing play list but after the refreshments we excelled ourselves trying out three new songs.

All were suggestions from the group and highlighted how versatile we can be.

First up was the Bill Withers song, "Lean On Me" including an instrumental intro and the group humming. Our arrangments are getting more adventurous.

Next up was a classic by the Everley Brothers, "Walk Right Back".

Last but not least was "Leaning on a Lamppost" by George Formby. We don't have any ukulele players coming forward yet but, for a first attempt, the rendition was quite successful.

All three will be sung again at the next session, Friday 18th July, and then voted on for inclusion on our playlist.

July 18th

Our session today had 19 members attending. Musical accompaniment was the standard acoustic guitar and electric bass.

Th three songs tried out at the last session were once more performed and all three were voted by the members to be included in our playbook.

So, Walk Right Back (Everley Brothers), Lean On Me (Bill Withers) & Leaning on a Lamp Post (George Formby) are now part of our repertoire.

Who knows what will be tried out at our next session, Friday August 3rd.

August, 1st & 15th

This blog covers the two sessions we had in August. The 1st August session had 24 members and one guest attend. The guest, Ray, heard about our group by talking with someone in a supermarket. The best advert for u3a is by talking about it so make sure friends, acquaintances and even a few enemies know about us. All are welcome.

At both our August sessions, no new songs were introduced (even though I had promised one). We spent the singing favourites from our ever expanding play book now containing 35 songs.

At the second session of the month, the 20 members who attended were informed of two Northumbria Region events that they might like to partake in.

The first is on Tuesday, 12th May 2026 when the Northumbria Region u3a is holding a Festival of Fun, Music & Learning. This event is being held in Ushaw Historic house, Gardens and Chapel.

The second event is the annual Reginal Music Event. A provisional date of Thursday, June 4th 2026 has been given. This will be in the same format as this year and again will be at Biddick Social Club, Washington.

The general consensus of the group was that we should take part. Volunteers will be asked for at the next session which s on Friday 5th September.

September, 5th & 19th

The first session of September saw 50 members of our group attend. The session started with a request for volunteers for two musical events being arranged by Northumbria Region u3a. (See previous blog)

Sixteen of our members volunteered for both events. Our song selection will take place nearer the dates.

It was also suggested that some of our members could provide some Musical entertainment for residents of a residential home and suggestions as to which venue we should approach was asked for.

The session continued with songs from our playbook and one new number was tried out, "Daydream Believer" sung by the Monkees.

At the second September session, more members signed up for next year's musical events. It is possible that a choir master may be willing to teach us at least one song in harmony.

Andrew is also liaising with staff at St Margaret's Residential Home to see if they would like us to perform, closer to Christmas.

We reprised "Daydream Believer" and it was voted on to our playbook.

October 3rd & 17th

October's first session had 22 members sign in, two of which were guests. They were given an update on the Northumbria Regional events that we were going to partake.

We are no further forward in getting a reply from St Margaret's Residential Home and Andrew was not at todays session so the matter was put back to the next session.

Our random number generator selected who was going to choose from our expanding playlist. Two new songs were tried out: Concrete and Clay (recorded by Unit 4+2), and Fly Me to the Moon (recorded by Frank Sinatra and others). Early positive feedback indicated the first of those was a popular choice but the final decision only gets made after two renditions.

The October 17th session had 26 members, our second highest total. One new non-u3a attendee had seen our web pages and had come along to try it out. At the end of the session she remarked how much fun it had been and how friendly our group is.

The Northumbria Region have, for the time being, cancelled the Afternoon of Live Music event at Biddick Club as it was too near to the Ushaw House Event in May. It's possible they may run it later in the year.

Jim, our bassist, was back from holiday and songs such as 8 Days a Week, I Have a Dream and Sound of Silence were chosen.

We had time to do the second airing of Concrete and Clay and, to some surprise, this was voted NOT to be included in our playlist. Democracy at work.

November 7th & 21st

For the first session of November I was unavailable but our bassist, Jim, kindly step in to provide guitar accompaniment.

We had twenty members attend, including three new ones. I'm told that the session went well and a big thanks to Jim for stepping in.

Any other members who have any musical ability are free to step in and provide more accompaniment.

On the 21st, we had our largest number of singers yet, twenty-eight. Our average attendance, since we began in April 2024 is 20. There is room for a few more if anyone would like to join the fun.

Having taken part in some vocal workshops while on a recent cruise, I introduced some warm up exercises used on board. As well as gently loosening up the vocal cords, they provided a bit more fun.

No new songs were trialled but we managed to get through quite a bit of our repertoire.

We are not going to miss any of our scheduled sessions over the Christmas Period, check the dates listed above, or find them in our u3a newsletter, Drumbeat.

December 8th & 22nd

December 8th session had 27 members attending, our 2nd highest.

As usual, the bingo app on my tablet selected an attendee and they then chose from the song book.

We tried out two new songs this session; "I See the Moon", recorded by various artists including Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson, and "Mama Mia", recorded by Abba. This one needs a bit more practice as the accompanist, me, lost track at the end. We'll give both songs one more try before we vote.

Our last session of the year was on 22nd December and 20 people dragged themselves away from Christmas preparations for our own festive spread. Members had been asked to bring along some special eats, for the refreshment break, and they did not disappoint.

The seasonal food was accompanied by some seasonal songs, "I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday", "Last Christmas", as well as favourites from the songbook.

The group ends the year with a regular average attendance of 22 since April 2025. Next year we have a visit from Jess Liversidge, a choir leader, to look forward to and an appearance at the Regional u3a Festival of Fun, Music and Learning at Ushaw Historic House and Gardens in May 2026.

January 2026, 2nd & 16th

So soon after the new year but we still had 29 members come together for the first session of 2026. One guest attended and is looking forward to joining the Durham & District u3a. Under the present constitution, a non member can attend two group or monthly meeting sessions before being required to join.

No new songs were tried out. After the seasonal songs of the previous two sessions, members chose from our current songbook.

For the 16th January session, we had 3a members, including one u3a member new to our group. We go from strength to strength and there is room for a few more.

In anticipation of a choir leader, Jessa Liversidge, attending a session in February to teach us some harmony, we practiced the Bill Withers song "Lean On Me" a couple of times. This is the number suggested by Jessa that we will rehearse and include in our presentation at the Northumbria Region u3a event on May 12th at Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens.

Members have been asked to vote for ten songs from our repertoire to perform at Ushaw. We'll see which songs are the most popular.

February 2026, 6th & 20th

The session on the 6th February was very different. A professional choral leader, Jessa Liversidge, came to teach the group some harmony. As mentioned in a previous blog, we were going to sing "Lean On Me" at the Regional event in May. Jessa started the session with some breathing, vocal and diction exercises as well as singing in rounds, getting us used to singing in parts.

After a fun warm up, we then were split in to three groups, Melody, High Harmony and Low Harmony. Over the next hour the two harmony groups learnt and practiced their part and sang it along with the Melody group.

After tea, we had some more practice before singing all three parts together. Some members were moved to tears, whether through joy or agony I don't know.

Jessa then finished the session with more fun songs, giving us some ideas that we could try out in the future.

At the end of the session the consensus was that inviting Jessa had been very worthwhile. It was a pleasure to have such an accomplished vocal teacher give our members the confidence to try harmony. What she achieved in the two hours with us was very remarkable and I hope we do her justice at the May event.

We hope to be seeing Jessa at the Durham Fringe in July 2026.

The session on 20th February started with a rerun of "Lean On Me". I had sent all members a sound file of the High and Low harmonies and it was apparent that most had listened to it and practiced their part. We also rehearsed the whole song, with members making various suggestions as to its arrangement.

After the break, we returned to our normal format, selecting songs from our playbook and singing just for fun.

At our next session, 6th march, we will start choosing all the other songs we will be performing at Ushaw Historic Gardens in May.

March 2026, 6th & 20th

At the session on the 6th, the selection of songs for the Ushaw event were decided. Eighteen songs were chosen, although we may no need that many. The group leader will decide on the running order.

After the refreshment break, we rehearsed Lean On Me again and it is still fresh in members minds.

Our next session, on 20th March, had the regular format of group members choosing what to sing. Their selection did include several of the songs chosen for Ushaw.

Starting in April, the members will hear, via Spotify, songs that have been suggested and can chose whether they are worth trying. There will still be the vote for a two thirds majority before it is finally accepted for inclusion in the song book.