January 2025 Hello Everyone A happy New Year to you all, I hope you had a good Christmas and we look forward to a healthy and interesting year ahead of us. Just to confirm we are not having anymore meetings in January. The weather conditions and dark evenings in January are not the best for members to go out in and also long journeys for speakers is not the best at this time. There will be the normal Sprachcafe at Christchurch next Tuesday 14th January, 12.30 - 14.00hrs. The "Milk and Honey" cafe is open as normal ready to serve you hot drinks and food. Come and join us and practise your German, you do not have to be fluent, and enjoy a good social time with us. Hope to see you there next Tuesday All the best Peter Hattam
December 2024 Hello Everyone Just a quick note to remind you Sprachcafe is on tomorrow(10th December 2024) at Christchurch,12.30 -14.00 hrs. Grab yourselves a coffee and something to eat and maybe we can discuss the German Christmas traditions and other Christmas tales. Friday is our monthly meeting 7.00 for 7.15pm start. It was suggested that anyone coming to the meeting should bring a few festive nibbles to pass around There may be a festive quiz, and also I have been asked to talk about the 35th celebrations last June. Monika and myself can speak about the Christmas markets we have just visited in Aachen, Cologne and Duesseldorf Hope to see you all this week sometime All the best Peter
November 2024 Good morning everyone I hope you are all keeping well. Our next meeting is this coming Friday, 8th Nov, 7.00pm for starting at 7.15pm This month is our AGM, so this is a time to recollect all that has happened this last year, discuss what programme we can organise for the next year We are always looking for volunteers to help out on the committee. The existing members have been on the committee for a long time and new blood and ideas are always welcome. Following the AGM I will recount our visit to Herten in June to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the twinning with Herten 12th Nov is Sprachcafe at Christchurch, 12.30 -14.00 hrs. Come and have a coffee or lunch at the Milk and Honey Cafe, And practice your German. You do not need to be fluent. Hope to see as many of you as possible Friday. All the best Peter Hattam
October 2024 Good morning everyone, I hope you are all keeping well. Our next meeting is next Friday 11th October 24, 7.00pm for a start at 7.15pm. This month Janet will be talking to us about her recent visit to Uzbekistan This is quite an unknown region for a lot of people but a very interesting area at the same time. Next Tuesday, 8th October 24, 12.30 -14.00 hrs is our monthly Sprachcafe at Christchurch. Come and practise your German, no matter what your standard is, and have a coffee or lunch from the "Milk and Honey" cafe in the church. Hope to see as many of you as possible next Tuesday and Friday All the best Peter Hattam
September 2024 Hello everyone I hope everyone is well and have had a good summer break. Our first meeting of the season is, lucky for some, next Friday 13th Sept., 7.00pm for starting at 7.15pm. We will be having a quiz evening, the main subject being Austria, which Richenda enjoyed at another club evening, This will also give a chance for everyone to catch up with each other and learn a little of Austria. Next Tuesday 10th Sept, is Sprachcafe, 12.30 -14.00 hrs at Christchurch. Come and have a coffee or lunch at the Milk and Honey cafe, and practise your German. This is a very informal and enjoyable hour and a half. Hope to see as many of you who can make it next week. All the best Peter Hattam
August 2024 Hello Everyone Hope everyone is well and enjoying the holiday period. Just to remind everyone that the Sprachcafe is still running this month and we will be meeting at Christchurch At 12.30 and running to 14.00 hrs come along and grab yourselves a coffee or some lunch from the Milk and Honey cafe and try out your German. You do not have to be fluent to partake. Hope to see you there All the best Peter Hattam
July 2024 Good morning everyone, I hope you are all keeping well. Although there are no meetings July and August, we are still carrying on with our monthly Sprachcafe. This is held at Christchurch next Tuesday 9th July 12.30 to 14.00 hrs. The Milk and Honey cafe is serving plenty to eat and drink so treat yourselves and practise your German. As a side note Heather and Roy Harris, Monika and myself have just returned from a trip to Herten to celebrate 35 years of twinning with them. It was also to celebrate 40years with Arras France, and 15years with Szczytno Poland. As usual Herten put on a good celebration and the remaining time we were looked after by our friends in the Doncaster Freundeskreis It had also been organised for a youth team from each town to have a mini Euro competition which went very well last Saturday afternoon. A memorable few days climaxing on our return home, three of us went down with covid, I suppose one has to have a little bad with all the good we had All the best Peter Hattam
June 2024 Good evening everyone, I hope you are all keeping well Tomorrow(Tuesday 11th June) lunchtime is Sprachcafe at Christchurch, 12.30 to14.00hrs. Get yourself coffee and/or lunch and practise your German. we are all different standards so come and give it a go. Friday 14th is our last meeting until September. We have decided a games evening would be a nice social event to end this term. Also Mike will be showing a couple of short films which I think everyone should find quite funny. If you have any particular games you wish to play then bring them along with you, there is no set programme We have received from Brigitte giving us a bit of news and also inviting two or three of the club to Herten 28th June for the 35th celebrations I know this is quite short notice, but if anyone is interested let me know and I will bring copies of her e-mail for everyone Friday
May 2024 Good morning Everyone At last the sun is shining and it is nice and warm The next meeting is Friday 10th May 24 7.00pm for a start at 7.15pm. Jeremy is giving a talk on a lady called Christabel Bielenberg who was married and lived in Germany during the 2nd WW. This a story of how a family was brought up in these traumatic times and how she volunteered to be interviewed by the Gestapo among many other interesting during this time. I know there is the Ukranian Quiz evening happening at the same time, but we have decided to carry on with our meeting and perhaps we can have a collection to pass on to help the funds for Ukraine Sprachcafe will be onTuesday 14th May 12.30- 1400hrs. Grab a coffee or some lunch and try out your german with us. Hope to see everyone Friday10th All the best Peter Hattam
April 2024 Good afternoon Everyone I hope you all had a nice Easter. Our next meeting will be next Friday 12th April 7.00pm to start at 7.15pm. This month there will be three people coming to talk to us about the town partnership between Barnsley and Swaebisch Gmund. This is a partnership that has been running a long time and from what I understand still have a lot of things happening between the two towns Next Tuesday 9th April is Sprachcafe, 12.30 -14.00 hrs at Christchurch. There is the Milk and Honey cafe providing good snacks and meals, and it gives everyone the chance to practise their German conversation. It does not matter whether you can speak a little or a lot, just give it a go. So, I hope as many of you can make it Friday for the talk and hope too see you at Sprachcafe also All the best Peter Hattam
March 2024 Good evening everyone, I hope you are all keeping well Our next meeting is this coming Friday 8th March 24, 7.00pm for start at 7.15pm. This month Janet and friend will be talking to us about their work in adoption- research and reunion This is a subject shown a number of times on television so I expect this will be a very interesting evening. Next Tuesday 12th March is Sprachcafe, 12.30 - 14.00 hrs at Christchurch. Grab a coffee or lunch and practice your German with a nice friendly group. Hope to see as many of you as possible at the meetings All the best Peter Hattam
February 2024 Good afternoon everyone, I hope you are all keeping well. I cannot believe we are already in February. Next Friday 9th February, 7.00 for 7.15pm will be our first meeting of the year. The evening will start with waffles and hot cherries with cream. Following this for the rest of the evening we suggested people would talk about their German experiences. This has proved very successful in the past and has been very enjoyable. Tuesday 13th February is our monthly Sprachcafe at Christchurch, 12.30 to 14.00pm. Get yourself a drink and/or meal from the Milk and Honey cafe and come and practise your German. Hope to see you all at the meetings. All the best Peter Hattam
January 2024 Good Evening Everyone Happy New Year to you all. I hope everyone had a good Christmas and brought the New Year in well. As stated in my last e-mails there is no meeting this month. The first meeting will be 9th February when we will be fed with waffles, hot cherries and cream. At the same time we could get together and talk about our experiences in Germany. The previous times we have done this has proved very interesting and at the same time helps to get to know each other a little more. There will be a Sprach cafe next Tuesday 9th January,12.30 to 14.00hrs, so come along have a coffee and maybe lunch and practise your German. Hope to see you then All the best Peter Hattam
December 2023 Good evening everyone I hope you are all well and getting ready for Christmas. Our next meeting is Friday 8th December, at the Ukrainian Centre on Beckett Road, 7.00pm for start at 7.15pm. We have Judith from Guiseley to speak to us, a talk titled "The Little Suitcase" There will a short film with the talk and time for plenty of questions and general conversation. We will be serving a few Christmas nibbles as well during the evening. Tuesday 12th December 12.30-14.00pm is Sprachcafe at the 'Milk and Honey' Cafe in Christchurch. This a good time to enjoy a coffee and snack or meal from the cafe and practise your German. Just to remind everyone, there will not be a meeting in January 2024. I hope as many of you as possible can make the meeting, Judith is travelling quite a distance to talk to us. It just leaves me to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. All the best Peter Hattam
November 2023 Good evening everyone, I hope you are all keeping well. Our next club meeting will be Friday 10th Nov.23 at 7.00pm for a start 7.15pm. This month is our AGM, with the normal annual revue and Treasurer's report. Also we will be discussing what everyone would like to see for the future of the club and if there are any changes you would like to see. We are always looking for volunteers to help out on the committee. This is a position that requires the minimum of attention, but it would be nice to see a new face and maybe give one of the longer standing members a break. Once the AGM business is complete, I will be showing and speaking about our time in Iran and tell you about the life and culture that existed before the revolution there. Tuesday 14th Nov. 23 is Sprachcafe at Christchurch anytime between 12.30 - 14.00 pm. Get yourself a coffee or some lunch and practise your German. As we are not going to provide food at anymore events as previously, a number of kitchen items are surplus to requirements. Please contact me for details. Any items are available to any members and whatever is left will be given to charity. Hope to see as many of you as possible next Friday All the best Peter Hattam
October 2023 Good afternoon everyone I hope you are all keeping well. I cannot believe it is Autumn already, especially as one or two of my Spring flowers are blooming already. The weather is very confusing This Tuesday 10th October is Sprachcafe, 12.30pm at Christchurch. Join us for a coffee or lunch from the" Milk and Honey" cafe and practise your German. Friday 13th October we are pleased to have Marilyn Heron, from the Wharfdale German Circle, to speak to us. Her subject is about a twentieth century Austrian Architect and Artist called Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He was a person who did not believe in straight lines and standardisation, and also supported environmental protection. He sounds a little eccentric, but very interesting at the same time. I hope you will all try to attend the meeting - at the Ukrainian Centre on Beckett Road from 7.15pm - so as to give Marilyn a warm welcome and make her long journey worthwhile. Hope to see you all there. All the best Peter Hattam
September 2023 Hello Everyone I hope you have all had a nice summer break, though July was a bit of a wash out Our next meeting is this Friday 8th September 23, 7.00 pm for start at 7.15 pm Our speaker for this meeting is Kirstin Charlseworth, who is going to talk about Kitty Wilkinson who started up the first public laundry in UK Kirstin has given a number of talks to us and they have always been good fun and very interesting. Hopefully as many of you as possible can make it, not only for an interesting evening, but to make the journey from Huddersfield area worth it for her. Tuesday 12th September is our Sprachcafe at Christchurch, 12.30 to 14.00pm. Grab yourself a snack and coffee at the Milk and Honey cafe and join the general conversation and hopefully learn some German Hope to see you all there All the best Peter Hattam
June/July 2023 Morning Everyone I hope you are all ready for the heat wave. Next Tuesday 13th June is Sprachcafe at Christchurch. Come and practice your German and enjoy a snack or meal at the Milk and Honey cafe. We had an interesting games evening last night, more of an odd trivia evening instead of games but still enjoyable. This was our last meeting until September, There will be a club barbeque 8th of July, this year for members and family, at our house as Janet is unable to organise this year. If everyone who thinks they will be coming along could let Monika and myself know then it gives us an idea what quantities of side dishes/salads to make and a couple of cakes. Just bring yourselves along with the meat of your choice and just hope the weather will be as good as it is now. Looking forward to seeing you soon All the best Monika and Peter Hattam
June 2023 Hello Everyone I hope you are all enjoying the fine weather The next meeting will be 9th June 2023 7.00pm to start 7.15pm As we are unable to find a speaker this month, it seems a good chance to have a games evening, which everyone has enjoyed before. I can provide a certain amount of games but if members would like to bring along any of their favourites then we should have a good amount to choose from Hope to see you all there All the best
Peter Hattam
May 2023 Hello Everyone I hope you are all keeping well The next meeting will be Friday 12th May 2023 at 7.00pm for a start at 7.15pm. Janet will be giving us a talk on her experiences at Sarajevo, hopefully she has recovered from covid and is raring to go. I would like once again to thank John and Roy for filling in last month, Their favourite places in Germany proved to be very interesting. There will "not" be any Sprachcafe next Tuesday due to the Cafe being closed for holidays. June will continue as normal. Enjoy the Coronation and Celebrations tomorrow whichever way you are doing it. All the best Peter Hattam
April 2023 Hello everyone Happy Easter to you all, at least the weather is holding up for you. The next meeting will be this next Friday 14th April at 7.00pm for starting at 7.15pm. in the upstairs room of the Ukrainian Centre on Beckett Road. This month Janet Smaje is going to talk to us about Sarajevo and the time she spent there. This Tuesday 11th April is Sprachcafe at Christchurch. Join us any time between 12.30 -14.00hrs, practice your German and have a nice snack at the Milk and Honey cafe. Hope to see as many of you as possible at the meetings All the best Peter Hattam
March 2023 Hello Everyone Our next meeting is this coming Friday 10th March starting at 7.00pm Our speaker for the evening is Kirstin Charlesworth from the Wharfdale German circle. She will be talking to us about '' The Cragg Vale Coiners ", a tale of counterfeiting in the Yorkshire Dales. Anyone who has attended other talks by Kirstin know we are in for a very interesting evening. I hope as many of you as possible can attend so as to make the trip from Wharfdale worth while. Tuesday 14th March is Sprachcafe at Christchurch. Come along and try out your German and enjoy a snack from the "Milk and Honey " cafe in the church. I have sent a copy of the Wharfdale German Circle newsletter. We are beginning to have more contact with them, either with their Zoom Kaffee and Kucken meetings every fortnight Mike, Monika and myself attended their February meeting when I gave them a talk about Herten. They are a very friendly group who make you very welcome, and would be very pleased to any of our members at their meetings. Looking forward to seeing everyone on Friday All the best Peter Hattam
February 2023 Our next meeting will be 10th February starting at 7.15pm at the Ukranian Centre. February is always our waffles, hot cherries and cream event so everyone needs to have a good appetite. After everyone is full we would just like members to sit together and talk about their favourite moments when visiting Germany. Sprachcafe will be on Tuesday 14th February at 12.30 till 14.00. This takes place at Christchurch where the Milk and Honey cafe is there to provide drinks or snacks as required.
January 2023 Hello Everyone A Happy New Year to you all and I hope you had a very nice Christmas as well The first meeting of the New Year is next Friday 13th Jan at 7.00pm (The Sprachcafe will take place in the cafe inside Christchurch on Tuesday 10th January from 12.30pm until 2pm) We have a philatelist, Bruce Milligan, coming to show us some of his collection He has recently acquired various items from Germany, not only stamps but POW mail, postcards etc. some items going back to the early 1800s. I understand his speciality is the Zeppelin so I am hoping he can give a little of the history of this. I hope you are all surviving the latest cold, Flu and Covid illnesses and hope to see as many of you as possible and make Bruce welcome. All the best
Peter Hattam
November/December 2022 Hello Everyone A couple of notices for everyone if you are interested. 3rd December 2022 there will be the Christmas Extravaganza at the Ukranian Club. This year there will be two slots with the Ukranian singers from Stockport, always a hit with everyone. We will be doing our little pantomime which Mike is working on now. There will be music from a Ukelele band, a raffle with proceeds going to the Ukranian fund. We will be doing a tombola and there will be food provided by local Ukranian guests at a small charge if anyone is interested. Reference the Tombola if anyone has any articles suitable for it could they please let me know and I can arrange to pick them up. We need them by 26th Nov. at the latest. The start time for this evening I need to find out then let all of you know.
The second event is for our own Christmas event. Instead of meeting at the club I would like to invite everyone to our house on Sunday 11th Dec. from 11.00am onwards. It is open house so come when you wish. We hope to be baking some Christmas biscuits during the day and I am sure Monika will be baking a cake. If people who are coming could bring along some Christmas nibbles as well, not too many, then we can put on Christmas music, maybe sing along, but generally just have a nice time together. Could members who are coming please let me know, obviously partners as well, just to give us an idea of numbers
If you want any more information just let me know
All the best
Monika and Peter Hattam
October 2022 Doncaster-Herten German Society Hello Everyone Friday 14th October 2022 is our next meeting in the upstairs room of the Ukrainian Centre. Following the September cancellation, fortunately the speakers Max and Sheana Dudley are able to come for our October meeting. They will be talking about their experiences in Korea and I understand will have various items to show us as well. I hope as many of you as possible can attend and give them a good show. Tuesday 11th Oct is Sprachcafe in Christ Church for anyone who fancies brushing up on their German. It is always a chance to catch up on things and there is a good atmosphere there.
Hope to see all of you next week
Peter Hattam
September 2022
Hello Everyone
I hope everyone is well and have had a good Summer break.
Our next meeting will be Friday 9th September 7.00pm for 7.15 pm start.
We have arranged for speakers, Max and Sheana Dudley(chair of the Leeds Anglo-German Society) to talk about South Korea. They have family living over there and so obviously have a good knowledge of their way of life and traditions. Apparently Richenda has heard their talks a couple of times and and they are really worth listening to, Please let us try and have a full house and make their trip worth while.
Future programme events are proposed as follows:-
October 5th. Oktoberfest evening run by the Gastrick Band with Andrew as main singer. The band is organizing this themselves and, as all their evenings, they are very entertaining and a good excuse for a sing song. Details to follow.
October 14th. Our normal club meeting. I hope to be talking to you about the history and experiences with Herten. Although some off the club have experienced the exchanges I do not think many will know how the Twinning started.
November 11th. This will be our AGM. We are always looking for volunteers to join our committee. Also ideas for future meetings. Please put your thinking caps on.
December 3rd (Saturday) should be the Christmas Extravaganza with the Ukranian club. We have no details at the moment but it always a good evening.
December 9th will be our Christmas evening. Details to follow.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible next Friday
All the best
Peter Hattam
June 2022 Hello Everyone I hope you have all had a nice Platinum Jubilee celebration. The weather was not the best for June but I do not think it stopped people celebrating. This coming Friday, 10th June 7.00pm to start 7.15pm is our next meeting, in the upstairs room of the Ukrainian Centre. We will be hosting our next speaker, Mike Obst, who will be talking about Thuringia. He will be travelling down by train to give his presentation so I am hoping everyone will be able to attend to give him a warm welcome and learn about a very interesting area in Germany. The 14th June is our Sprachcafe at Christchurh, 12.30 – 1400 hrs. Come and grab yourselves a nice snack/meal from the cafe and practice your German. Hopefully we may also be able to speak to some of our friends in Herten Hope to see as many as possible on Friday All the best Peter Hattam
May 2022 Hello Everyone I hope you are all well and enjoying the warmth and sunshine This coming Friday 13th at 7.00pm is our next meeting. We will be hosting our speaker for the evening, Kirstin Charlesworth,a member of the Calderdale German Circle. She will speaking on an adventure from Bradford to the slopes of Mount Everest entitled “Die Motte und der Berg. I hope to see as many of you Friday evening and to give Kirstin a warm welcome. All the best Peter Hattam
April 2022 Hello Everyone Just a reminder the next meeting is this Friday 8th April at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Ukrainian Centre on Beckett Road. We intend to celebrate Easter a little. There will be cake and goodies to taste. There will be a tree to decorate and we will be looking at the various German traditions there are over the Easter period. Lets make it a nice sociable evening Next Tuesday 12th April is Sprachcafe at Christchurch Have a nice snack or meal and join in some good German conversation also hopefully with friends from Herten if they connect with us. Hope to see everyone at one or both occasions. All the best Peter Hattam
March 2022 Hello all The next meeting of the Doncaster-Herten German Society will take place on Friday 11th March 2022 in the upstairs room of the Ukrainian Centre on Beckett Road starting at 7.15pm. We will have a presentation by Lisa Shepherd about how she set up Bloom Bakers in Leeds. The presentation will be delivered using 'Zoom' for anybody, who wishes to see this talk but is unable to attend in person. I hope to see you on Friday. Best wishes, Mike Gallafent
February 2022 Hello Everyone I hope you are all keeping well. It is February already and the next meetings are upon us. Next Tuesday 8th February 12.30 to 1400 hrs is Sprachkafe at The Daily Bread café in Christchurch. Come along and grab yourselves a coffee and maybe some lunch and practice your German for a while. It is totally informal and no one has to be fluent to join in. There are a number of people to help anyone along. Friday 11th February, 7.00pm, is our monthly meeting, which will take place in the upstairs room in the Ukrainian Centre on Beckett Road. It is the time of year for Waffles, hot cherries and cream. As we try and relate this time to Carnival then, if all is working with the WiFi we are hoping to be able to look at the various traditions that are organized at this time. Looking forward to seeing everyone there All the Best Peter Hattam
January 2022 Good Evening Everyone A Happy New Year to you all and here’s to a much better 2022 and hopefully back to some normality again. This Friday 14th is our first meeting of the New Year, at the Ukrainian Centre on Beckett Road opening at 7.00pm for a start at 7.15 pm. Mike Gallafent has offered to give us a talk on Schwaben (Swabia) where he spent some time teaching and I believe still has contacts in the area now Tomorrow (Tuesday 11th January) is Sprachcafe at Christchurch where all who wish can practise their German and also get a very good meal as well from The Daily Bread café inside the church. It is worth going just for the food. The meeting runs from 12.30 to 1400 hrs. Hope to see as many of you as possible at one or both meeting. All the best Peter Hattam
December 2021 Hello Everyone I hope you are all keeping safe and well, and getting yourselves ready for Christmas. As there is no Christmas Extravaganza this year, we are arranging a get together on the 10th Dec. instead. We will be having Christmas nibbles, gluehwein(non alcoholic), raffle, quiz and carol singing. As we can get Wifi now then we are hoping to invite our friends in Herten to join us so we can pass on our good wishes to them for Christmas and the New Year. Also we are hoping to look at some Christmas markets and then have the music and backing for some carols to sing. Hoping to see you next Friday at 7pm to start at 7.15pm. For anyone that cannot make it on Friday ,on behalf of the club, I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and health and happiness for the New Year.
All the best
Peter Hattam
November 2021 Hello Everyone I hope you are all keeping well. The next meeting will be our AGM on the 12th November. The room will be open at 7.00pm for a start 7.15pm. As we are losing one or two committee members we will be looking for volunteers to make up the numbers, so please if anyone can spare a little time to help the club it would be appreciated. Monika and myself went to the opening of the refurbished Ukranian Centre last Saturday. It was a very nice friendly evening and the refurbishment in the main hall really brightens up the room. One benefit from the refurbishment is that the centre now has wifi. This, we are hoping, if it works upstairs could benefit the group with possibilities for zoom speakers and possible connections to our friends in Herten at some of our meetings. We will try it out next Friday. Next Tuesday the 9th November, 12.30 to 14.00pm is our Sprachcafe ,now held in the lobby of Christchurch.We are able to connect to their Wifi and at the last meeting were able to talk with Brigitte in Herten, among other conversations. Also there is a very nice café there where you can get very good food. While on the subject of Brigitte we have heard the bad news that she has had a bad fall in their garden and has been hospitalized with a broken thigh. I will be sending all our best wishes from the club and we can all sign a card for her next Friday and send it off to her. For the rest of the news about the club, future programmes, speakers etc we will cover at the AGM. Hope to see everyone next week. All the best Peter Hattam
January 2021
Dear Members and Friends
I hope this message finds you well. I suspect few of us are sorry to see the back of 2020, and whilst things remain very difficult for many people at present, I think thereare reasons to be hopeful of better times as the year progresses.
Last week, we had our first video committee meeting of 2021 and have decided to trial some virtual meetings with the wider membership, starting in February on our usual dates (second Tuesday and second Friday of the month):
Tuesday February 9th, Sprachcafé on Zoom, from 12.45pm
Friday February 12th, Presentation by Peter Hattam, on Zoom, from 7.15pm
Mike or I will send out more details about how to participate a little nearer the time. We realise this won't be possible for everyone, but if you would like to give it a try please do. If you need some help or advice, please get in touch as soon as possible. Most of us are still quite new to Zoom ourselves, but we will certainly try to help if we can.
Looking forwards to the rest of the season, we hope to continue with the virtual chat and presentations every month from here on, until we are able to meet together in person once again. I'll let you know what to look out for in March next time, but our intention is to stick to the second Tuesday and second Friday date pattern.
Now, some overdue catching up.
After sharing our Summer video with you, I promised you the feedback we had from our friends in Herten. My apologies, I had forgotten about this, so better late than never I hope, I have copied them at the end of this e-mail, along with my attempt at a translation.
Since then, we have also sent them our Christmas message. If you wish to see this please e-mail Mike or Rachel on the DHGS e-mail address. Thank you so much to everyone who sent a contribution, and again to Mike for putting it all together. I will pass on the responses in a separate e-mail shortly.
I will also be forwarding Brigitte's recent communication separately, for those who don't already receive it directly.
I'll leave it there for the moment. I hope you are managing to stay safe, healthy (and sane!) and send you all good wishes for the year to come.
Alles Gute bis zum nächsten Mal
Rachel
October 2020. Mike wrote to Brigitte and the Herten Friends:- Hallo Brigitte Ich hoffe, dass es dir und Heinrich in diesen merkwuerdigen Zeiten noch gut geht. Es ist ja schon lange her, seitdem wir einander sahen. Deswegen haben Mitglieder der Doncaster-Herten Deutschen Gesellschaft dieses Video gedreht - wir haben ja auch unter uns andere Mitglieder nicht sehen koennen und haben das durch 'WhatsApp' machen muessen. Wir hoffen, dass es euch gefaellt. Koenntest du es bitte an alle andere Mitglieder des Doncaster Freundeskreises senden. Hello Brigitte I hope that you and Heinrich are still doing well in these strange times. It's been a long time since we saw each other. That's why members of the Doncaster-Herten German Society have made this video - our members haven’t been able to see one another either and had to do it through 'WhatsApp'. We hope you like it. Could you please send it to all the other members of the Doncaster Circle of Friends? Responses received:- Brigitte Bischoff-Doll das war im letzten Jahrzehnt oder länger die schönste, bewegendste und kreativste Mail, die in meinem Postfach gelandet ist! Danke Dir und allen, die mitgewirkt haben, für dieses beglückende Zeichen eurer Freundschaft und den Beweis, dass es euch gut geht. Angesichts der täglichen Horrormeldungen und drakonischen Pandemie-Verordnungen und -drohungen beruhigend. Morgen schreibe ich an euch alle und mich im Namen unseres Vereins (es erreichen mich schon begeisterte Rückmeldungen!) zu bedanken. Nochmals 1000 Dank!
that was the most beautiful, moving and creative email that landed in my mailbox in the last decade or more! Thank you and everyone who worked together on this happy sign of your friendship and proof that you are well. Reassuring given the daily horror reports and draconian pandemic regulations and threats. Tomorrow I will write to all of you and thank you on behalf of our Club (I have already received enthusiastic feedback!). Once again, a thousand thanks! Klaus Preusser Sowohl erstaunt als auch erfreut bin ich darüber, von dir zu hören. Es sind in der Tat merkwürdige Zeiten. Die Corona-Krise bringt vieles durcheinander, auch entfremdet sie die Menschen. Man muß und man wird vorsichtiger. Ein Beispiel: unsere Basketball-Saison hat begonnen. Es durften bisher nur ca. 190 Zuschauer kommen. Diese mußten sich zuvor per Email namentlich anmelden. Der Zugang zur Halle war vorgeschrieben, der Platz natürlich auch. Lautes Zurufen war nicht gewünscht. Nach dem Spiel wurde man aufgefordert, die Halle zügig zu verlassen. Der Erfolg ist, daß ich am kommenden Samstag nicht zum Spiel gehen werde. Es wird unpersönlich und skurril. Des gleichen werde ich auch am Freitag nicht zu meinem vertrauten Fotoverein gehen. Bisher trafen wir und an jedem Freitag. Es gibt Freunde, die z.B. aus Herne kommen, wo noch mehr Personen angesteckt sind, und die aus diesem Grund nicht kommen. So igelt man sich quasi ein. Zum Glück liegt es mir, mich persönlich viel per PC und entsprechender Software zu beschäftigen. Es hilft nichts, wir müssen Masken tragen und Aktivitäten zurücksetzen. Bleib gesund und grüße alle Freund I am both amazed and delighted to hear from you These are strange times indeed. The Corona crisis is disrupting so much and isolating people too. You must and you do become more careful. An example: our basketball season has started. So far, only about 190 spectators have been allowed to come. They had to pre-register their names by email. Entry to the hall was by prescribed route and of course seats were assigned. Loud shouting was discouraged. After the game you were asked to leave the hall quickly. As a result, I won't be going to the game next Saturday. It becomes impersonal and bizarre. Likewise, I won't be going to my usual photo club on Friday either. Previously we met every Friday. There are friends who, for example, come from Herne, where even more people are infected, and for that reason they do not come. So you sort of curl up like a hedgehog. Fortunately for me, I’m ok keeping busy via the PC and the relevant software. It doesn't help that we have to wear masks and put off activities. Stay healthy and give my greetings to all friends Ruth und Heinrich Liebe Freundinnen und Freunde , heute haben wir endlich Euer herrliches Video angesehen. Ein dickes Dankeschön für diese tolle Überraschung. Ihr habt uns ein kleines Filmkunstwerk geschickt. Es war sicher sehr viel Arbeit. Und mit jeder Person im Video kommt die Erinnerungen an Situationen. Wie schön, dass wir uns kennen. Ihr Lieben in England, wir grüßen Euch ganz herzlich und schicken viele gute Wünsche aus Herten.
Dear Friends, Today we finally watched your wonderful video. A huge thank you for this fantastic surprise. You have sent us a little piece of cinematic art. It must have been a lot of work. And with each person in the video come the memories of occasions. How lovely that we know each other. Dear ones in England, we greet you very warmly and send many good wishes from Herten.
Willi Bruckmann meinen herzlichen Dank für dieses witzige, berührende und freundliche Video. Es ist schön Euch alle zumindest auf dem Bildschirm zusehen. Ihr habt Euch so viel Mühe gemacht habt und soviele spaßige Ideen in dieses Video eingebaut und das Ganze mit schönen Melodien untermalt. Es wäre so schön gewesen, wenn wir Euch in diesem Jahr in Doncaster besuchen hätten können.Aber leider ist dieses in diesen Crazy Times nicht möglich. Soweit ich weiß, sind bisher alle Hertener Freunde von Covid19 verschont geblieben. Euch allen Danke für dieses schöne Video. Ich werde you all health and keep strong. Herzliche Grüsse thank you very much for this funny, touching and friendly video. It's nice to see you all on screen at least. You have made so much effort and put so many fun ideas into this video and given the whole thing lovely background music. It would have been so nice if we could have visited you in Doncaster this year. But this is unfortunately not possible in these Crazy Times. As far as I know, all the Herten friends have remained untouched by Covid19 so far. Thank you all for this beautiful video. I wish you all health and keep strong. Warmest Greetings Reinildis Cornelia und Willi haben mir euer schönes Video mit den vielen lieben Grüßen aus Doncaster zugesandt, und ich bin ganz begeistert! Ich habe es mir dreimal angeschaut! Was für eine Mühe habt ihr euch gemacht!! Ja, ich hoffe auch, dass irgendwann wieder normale Zeiten kommen und wir uns wieder besuchen können. Aber wir werden noch viel Geduld brauchen. Das Einzige, was wir jetzt tun können, ist, so vorsichtig wir möglich zu leben - damit wir überleben! Das ist furchtbar langweilig, aber es geht nicht anders. Im Anhang schicke ich euch ein Foto vor mir mit Mundschutz: Und weil ich früher Lehrerin war, habe ich mir einen Mundschutz mit den Zeichnungen vieler Kinder genäht. Das sieht zumindest witzig aus!! Auch und allen friends liebe Grüße und beste Wünsche. Bleibt gesund! Cornelia and Willi sent me your beautiful video with all the lovely greetings from Doncaster, and I am absolutely thrilled! I've watched it three times! What an effort you have all made!! Yes, I too hope that normal times will eventually return and that we can visit each other again. But we will still need to have great patience. The only thing we can do now is live as carefully as possible - so that we survive! It's terribly boring, but there is no other way. I am attaching a photo of me wearing a face mask. And because I used to be a teacher, I made a face mask covered in children’s drawings. At least it looks funny!! Warmest greetings and best wishes to you and all friends. Stay healthy!
DONCASTER UKRAINIAN CENTRE NEWSLETTER Date: August 2020 Edition: INTRODUCTION Hello Everyone We hope that you are all managing to stay healthy and sane in the current unusual climate we all find ourselves. So, what is this Newsletter all about? A fair question. The Ukrainian Centre Committee feels that it is probably a useful time to issue an update on all matters to do with the Centre, not just for the wider family of Ukrainians, but also for the loyal and diverse User Groups that make regular use of the Centre and its facilities . We have toyed with the idea of a periodic Newsletter in the past, but now there feels to be a greater need than ever, given the complete lack of face- to-face interaction and with the Centre being dormant. Also, despite our temporary on-going closure, we have not had the luxury of being idle in the months since Lockdown began. WIDER INVOLVEMENT REQUIRED However, the year obviously started before all things Coronavirus, so let us look back at developments that began on 19th January i.e. 2 months BC. We had long realised that continuing to run year to year with essentially the same committee, however dedicated and capable, was simply not sustainable in the longer term. Especially as no one was getting any younger. So, before we travelled any further down that “longer term” we felt it fair and sensible to invite members of the wider Ukrainian community especially the 2 younger generation, or Gen 3 as we now call them, to an open forum in order to have a say in the Centre’s future and the way it is run. Overall it proved a very positive session, and a number of the Gen 3 members said that they would be happy to be more involved and take on some of the existing duties, as well as come forward with fresh ideas as to how the Centre may be managed and possibly developed. This could include updating systems and procedures whilst ensuring that it retains its essential positive qualities, character, and spirit. As a result, the Committee now has 2 members that are from the 3rd generation, and there is a Gen 3 sub-committee that they also sit on. This meets separately and reports back to the main Committee, and its members are free to join the monthly video Committee meeting as part of the larger virtual team. WHO ARE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ? The two full Committee members are William Rysak, - son of Mick Rysak, the Treasurer, and nephew of Eugene Bilous. Bryn Iwanyckyj, - son of Paul Iwanyckyj, the Chairman. The Gen 3 Committee consists of: The two gentlemen above, plus, Alexia Rysak – sister of William, and daughter of Mick Laura Iwanyckyj – sister of Bryn and daughter of Paul David Iwanyckyj – son of Steve Iwanyckyj – Committee member Lewis Barber – partner of Alexia Cara Lawson – partner of William It is a very heartening development to see not only a strong female representation but also the further presence of partners. All to the good. INITIAL TASKS An element of “getting to know” obviously took place and could be said to be on-going; but examples of other tasks that they have undertaken thus far include: - better understanding the running of and roles undertaken by the Committee, and especially the many tasks undertaken by the Centre Secretary and lynchpin Eugene. - Investigate which tasks can be taken on by Gen-3 members o immediately o over time - Socially distanced cross-skilling, especially cellar and stock duties by Eugene - Learn about the various User Groups and their typical booking schedules - Investigating consistency and viability of the overall booking’s profile - Looking at the Centre’s social media profile - Considering any technology changes e.g. contactless payment - Investigating key maintenance tasks & major expense – e.g. the overall state of the Centre’s main and peripheral roofs. An area that the whole Committee is naturally focused on. OTHER TASKS FOR BOTH COMMITTEES Considering the Centre is currently closed there has still been plenty to discuss each month. As well as the tasks above we have focused on: - ensuring that the 2 main bar staff were correctly furloughed during the initial government furlough scheme. - applying for any appropriate financial assistance during our close-down - monitoring month to month the changes in Government Covid policy, what other performance centres were doing locally, what other Branches/Centres were doing. - considering at each stage what steps we would have to put in place and their viability. - assessing things with our parent organisation the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB), their recommendations and plans. - disposal of excess aging stock to foodbanks and other routes. WHERE ARE WE HEADING? Well, Covid apart, we are potentially engaged in an exciting phase of the Centre’s journey. After celebrating its 40th year last year, the Centre is in a situation where at least one member of the original generation that arrived on these shores has lived to see her grand-daughter and grandson get actively involved in ensuring the Centre lives on. A situation I am sure many at the time probably found hard to envisage. We are all aware however that this will not be plain sailing, and it will need everyone involved with the committees, the User Groups and the wider community to help ensure the Centre remains successful, viable and relevant to anyone in Doncaster that needs to use it. As well as an historic document of a post-war Doncaster community, it is a unique venue for the town and its people. WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? The roof remains a major concern and there is active work on-going looking at costs, availability of grants/loans, business cases etc. - Roots Music Group, with the Committee’s approval and support, will be holding a non-attended, Covid-compliant concert in September that will be streamed from the Centre. The aim being to remind people that Roots is still around, as is the Centre. - A User Group video call is proposed where up to 2 representatives (for manageability) from each User Group will be invited. It will be the opportunity to - tell Committee members what thoughts they have about the current situation, and their future requirements and plans beyond. - ask any questions they might have of the Committee. - hear from some of the Gen 3 team their thoughts - answer any questions Gen 3 might have for the User Groups - set-up any follow-on discussions with individual groups if needed. So, there you have it. You now know what we know. We hope that you find the information useful, and we look forward to trying to get back to something approaching normal service sometime soon. Stay Safe in the meantime. The Ukrainian Centre Committee
