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January 2024 January 2024
SPOTLIGHT ON ……..
including my own grandchildren! Apart from a break during COVID, we have
done two productions every year ever since.
Our very first one was the “Pop In Palladium”. We needed some entertainment for … the Pop In Performers
a Christmas party and so we decided to do something home grown. I remember By our roving reporter Janey Gordon
we all had boaters on!
In the parishes of Bere Regis and Affpuddle with
Gradually we have got more ambitious. The group has always been a mix of Turnerspuddle, and the villages these parishes
children and adults. In our up-coming production of “Robin Hood”, we have include, there are a number of people who give
performers between 6 and 75 years old. Although not all the adults are on stage, their time and energies to support and enrich the local communities and
some do prompt, sound, lighting, costumes and props and of course some are individuals who live here. They contribute freely to the villages either as individuals
chaperones for the children. All the adults are DBS checked. or as groups and teams.
Janey: Julie, what do you get out of the Pop In Players? The parish magazine is running a series to “Spotlight” some of these, and this
Julie: The group is very friendly and supportive. For some volunteers there is a very month we are featuring the Pop In Performers, a group of children and adults,
positive impact on their own health and well-being. Everyone, adults and who usually do two shows a year at the Village Hall. You may have seen their last
children, can come along and for a couple of hours be silly and laugh and sing one, “The Jungle King” and their next show, coming up in January 2024, is “Robin
and dance. We make sure the evening is sociable, fun and creative, and we are Hood and the Sherwood Performers”.
also working up to a show. We use recent, contemporary music that the children I went along after rehearsal one Thursday to speak to a few of the members,
all know and they enjoy performing for their families, friends and neighbours. Alison Bennett, who is the leader of the group; Julie Lye, assistant leader and Liz
Alison: Each production we do, also supports a charity. We’ve raised around Gale who does some of the stage management.
£80,000 over the years for local things like the Poole Hospital Scanner, the Air I began by speaking with Jordan Hughes.
Ambulance or a local child with particular needs. We have also supported
charities from further afield, such as the Rivers of Living Water Organisation, which Janey: Jordan, when did you start getting involved with the Pop In Players?
works in Zimbabwe to supply clean water to communities. The charities will often
come and talk to us about what they do, and it helps the children see that life Jordan: I was four years old when I started. It was a variety show and I was in a
can be very different for some people. group number. I can’t remember what we did but I do remember that we were
the ‘cool’ group wearing leather jackets as our costumes. Since then, I have only
Julie: “Robin Hood” is our first pantomime we have done since we lost Pastor Jim missed one show, I’ve been in every production.
Morris. He was so good at writing them, it was a high standard to live up to. Alison
and I wrote it together. I kept on throwing away pages because I thought they Janey: Which was one of the most memorable?
were not up to Pastor Jim’s standard! We want the audience to come along for a Jordan: I think probably, Aladdin? I sung “A Whole new World” as a duet. I have
couple of hours and laugh, have fun, and enjoy themselves! also enjoyed the variety shows when I have sung and started to have solos. I got

Alison: After Robin Hood, we will be recruiting new members for our summer into performance from being part of the Pop In Players. In year 9 at school, I
production of “The Magic of the Musicals”. Often children join us and then their started doing Drama and school productions and then went on to Weymouth
parents come along to help out. Newcomers are always welcome! College studying Performing Arts. I am in my level 3 final year now.
The Pop In Performers meet on the first, third and fourth Thursdays of the month Pop In Performers certainly helped me with my confidence in singing and
and the second Wednesday. The group meet in the Bere Regis Village Hall in performing. I have made lots of friends over the years and now I am an adult
North Street between 6.00pm and 8.00pm volunteer for the group. I help out with the technical work and backstage as well
as taking part. I play the part of Robin Hood in the next production.
Adult Volunteers include: Alison Bennett, Julie Lye, Liz Gale, Jordan Hughes, Dave
Hart, Gill Hart, Ruth Hughes, Maureen Warr, Maria Critchell, Kayleigh Forkin, Lisa Janey: Alison, when did the Pop In Players start?
Bennett, Katie Long, Bob Cowley, Peter Gordon, Paul Bennett, Rod Osmond, Jo Alison: We started in 1996, so we have been going for 27 years. Some of the
Syrett, Claire Alexander-Brown, Pam Byrne. original children have grown up and we now have their children coming along,

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