December is always a special time for The Ridgeway Singers & Band. They’re inviting everyone to come along for a cosy evening filled with traditional Dorset carols, lively folksongs, music that’ll have your feet tapping, and charming local poems and stories to mark the arrival of winter.
The group, which was started by Artsreach a decade ago as a part of the South Dorset Ridgeway project, loves to perform the classic carols that Thomas Hardy made popular in his book ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’. Accompanied by nine musicians with their strings and wind instruments, their concerts are a throwback to the community-driven Christmases of old, full of joy, camaraderie, and homemade entertainment. They’re led by Phil Humphries, an expert serpent player (a historical wind instrument) and member of the Mellstock Band, and actor and folk musician Tim Laycock, who is also the artistic director of the New Hardy Players.
This year, they’re kicking things off at the parish church in Abbotsbury, where they had one of their very first concerts, on the 8th December. Then there’s an afternoon show in Wareham on the 10th of December. Their final performance will be at the Dorford Centre in Dorchester on Wednesday the 20th of December.
Tickets: £12 adults / £6 u18s, and are available online here or by calling 01305 262159.
