GREENFIELD Ukulele Group is certainly strumming all the right notes as it has flourished over the last seven years.
And the group, which meets at the Satellite Centre on Wellington Road, thanked Reg Guerin for his pivotal role as he stepped down after five years as leader.
A card, featuring a cartoon by group member Cllr Rob Knotts, and gift voucher was presented to Reg to show their appreciation, before he performed a solo and his own poem as part of their regular get-together.
Reg, who is continuing as a member of the group, said: “I get a lot of pleasure from helping other people to play music. I do not look for things like this but thank you very much.”
Thanking Reg for his contribution over the years, Jack Wild, one of the original members, said:
“Reg has great attributes – he is calm, patient and versatile. He makes playing so easy for us with a brilliant selection of tunes.
“When Covid hit Reg grasped the changes with both hands and soon we were playing on Zoom. It was a learning curve for us all but we soon got a handle on it and there was no stopping us.”
The group started with just a couple of members, Lily and Sue, who found Reg to teach them how to play.
Soon, more players joined their ranks, meeting in people’s front rooms to practice together until their numbers swelled to about 10 and they began to look for a proper meeting space.
Now, about 20 men and women come together at the Satellite Centre on Monday mornings to play and sing popular songs and classics, and they have even added a small percussion section.
The sessions give players of all abilities a warm welcome and a chance to play together, and they also perform small concerts and gigs on request.
Would love to join this group I’m a beginner but want to learn
Same Sharon! We can go as ‘newbies’ if you want? I can strum a few basic shorts but class myself as a beginner. I’m going to go down and join the group asap.