Sunday Night Jazz returns on 12 February at 8pm with Swingtet.  Members free, non-members £1.  

The WHCA Social Club is continuing to offer a programme of guest real ales this year, with the emphasis on quality and value for money. Currently on offer is Bristol Brewery Co.’s ’7′, a premium English bitter with a well-balanced, toffee-malt character, to be followed by Tower Brewery’s ‘Winter Spirit’: a deep brown, full-bodied winter brew at 5% ABV – guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart!

We are delighted to announce two new dance classes at WHCA: Adult Jazz dance on Mondays 7.45-8.45pm, and Adult Ballet (beginner) on Mondays 8.45-9.45pm. Classes start from 16th January and are the perfect way to learn a new skill, keep in touch with your creative side and shake off those winter blues! For further information see our ‘What’s On’ page.

Windmill Hill Community Association Social Club will be hosting monthly jazz evenings in 2012, starting Sunday 15th January.  All welcome, non-members £1. Sunday 15th January will feature Swingtet with Cas Levett on vocals. Nice!

The Social Club has updated its Real Ale offerings: currently on sale are St Austell Brewery’s Premium Cornish Ale (4.2% vol) and Tetley’s delicious Christmas Cracker (4.3% vol), both a snip at £2.50/pint.  Do come and try!

The Social Club has a new real ale on offer: Butcombe Gold (4.4%ABV). This is a refeshing golden bitter brimming with character, not to mention citrus hops and fruit. Made with 100% Maris Otter malt, and brewed using a single variety hop, English Fuggles. A malty fresh vitality gives way to a full bittersweet finish – pure Gold!

The WHCA SOCIAL CLUB AGM took place on MONDAY 26th September.
The accounts for the two previous years were reviewed. A small profit for the last year was shown which was good, in a year when cellar cooling was purchased, and valuable contributions were made to the CA. Also the loan to the CA for the building was reduced by a further 11%. We need to encourage more people through the door to partake of the excellent products dispensed by the cheery bar staff!
Next year the AGM, dealing with accounts to the end of May 2012, should return to being held in June or July.
It was noted that we need to find another independent (and unpaid) accountant to review next year’s accounts.
Steve Verrall took the chair and thanked the committee for their work for the Social Club. Nominations for officers made in advance were read out and agreed unanimously:
Chairman: Simon Haywood
Treasurer: Steve Gillen
Simon Haywood took the chair again and thanked Steve Verrall for all his voluntary work in keeping the bar going for us all and for the various events this year.
The Chairman asked for volunteers for the Social Club Committee. The following put their names forward and were agreed unanimously: Rupert Jeffery, Martin Howe, Fay Kelly, Elizabeth Jeffery, Tony Kelly.

Friday 23rd September sees the return of WHCA’s popular quiz evening. Both members and non-members are welcome. Entrance is £2.50 per person, with a maximum of four in a team. A curry supper is served, the competition can be fierce and this is always an enjoyable evening – do come along!

The WHCA Social Club has recently added real ales to the range of refreshments available.
Currently on offer is the popular Butcombe Bitter at a very reasonable £2.50/pint. At 4% by volume it is a well-balanced, hoppy beer which “evokes a summer evening in Somerset”, as one happy customer said.
See the Social Club page for opening times.

The year began with the first fund-raising, via a table top sale, towards achieving the much needed refurbishment of the ladies’ loos. Later in the year a successful application to the Neighbourhood Partnership meant that this project would become a reality. The Neighbourhood Partnership (NP), part of a Bristol City-wide scheme, links Windmill Hill Ward with Knowle West and Filwood. Funds are made available annually for the benefit of these communities. We were very pleased to gain additional funding from the NP which enabled us to buy the notice board for outside the building. This displays information about other groups as well as our own.

Inside the building we now have a computer, wireless internet access plus a projector and large screen which enable images to be projected for meetings and we can show films and sporting events. Another improvement is the renewal of fluorescent lighting in the small hall. Installing a cistern miser in the gents’ toilet has reduced the water bill considerably. Most importantly, after a period of concentrated effort the heating in the small hall was repaired and worked efficiently in time for Christmas and the very cold weather.

The flat roof at the back of the building was repaired which meant an end to mopping up in that part of the corridor. The lower part of the garden area was re surfaced with paving slabs after the wooden decking had become too weak. But the upper area and steps have to be renewed before it can be made into a garden again.

Many classes and events have continued through the whole year (apart from cancellations caused by the severe weather conditions). These include Yoga, Hooping, Fitness training and Pilates. Aerobics classes were held for half the year, some Zumba dance classes were enjoyed and a singing group recently began weekly sessions here. Other regular activities have been the Memories Club, Ballroom and Sequence Dancing, Youth group, Woodcraft Folk (a group for children) and the Book group.

The hall has been hired for rehearsals for dancing, circus, story-telling and music practice. Two professional theatre groups rehearsed plays for touring to UK Schools. In addition Community Police meetings have been held here, particularly to discuss schemes for ‘alley gate’ security. A residents group and a planning group have met here but perhaps the most entertaining day was a ‘Bee Study’ day held last April. (Visitors welcomed by people in Bee costumes, with Bee bunting, delicious honey cakes, various stalls, activities for children, plus serious talks.)

‘Art on the Hill’ weekend in early October again brought many people into the building and included art activity sessions, an evening for local musicians and ended with a children’s outdoor parade.

The committee meets once a month to discuss what needs to be done and it was a pity that last year we had no-one with responsibility for publicity. For a time there were concerns about money going missing. Steps were taken to put in place procedures to see that this would not continue. We have been very fortunate that committee volunteers were able to donate their professional skills and expertise to assist with this.

Social activities like discos, raffles, skittles, Quiz Nights, pool, and cards continue and these include some fund raising. From time to time the halls are hired for family celebrations and children’s parties. We are aware that another job to be taken in hand soon is to improve the floor of the small hall.

Much of the work done on improving the building has relied on a small number of volunteers and we give them our sincere thanks. We would like to attract more members and volunteers. We want to finish the repairs and refurbishment of the building and also look forward to increasing what is available here at the heart of the community. C.H.