Last Sunday, we held a fantastic, fundraising event at the Shul. One of our members, Andy Gilbert, performs in an exciting, five-piece band called Crossroots, so called because its members come from diverse walks of life. They have been performing together in and around the Milton Keynes area since 2016, including at Campbell Park’s World Picnic and some of Stony Stratford’s renowned music venues, such as the Fox and Hounds, The Vaults and Yorkie Fest (York House). They have also performed at several multicultural events, such as One World Club, the One Voice event and Truby’s Gardens, based at Christ the Cornerstone Church.
On Sunday, MKDRS was treated to an exclusive performance of sixties and seventies live music and it was a huge success! The shul was packed, the atmosphere was amazing and Crossroots got everyone up on their feet dancing – the ideal way to spend a wintery Sunday afternoon. With songs such as ‘Hit The Road Jack’, ‘That’ll Be The Day’, ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ and ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ performed, everyone agreed that it had been a fabulous and highly entertaining afternoon.
They even performed ‘Hava Nagila’ to our delighted audience, and you may ask how it could possibly be considered relevant for a sixties / seventies music event. Well, Hava Nagila was, in fact, a hit for the Spotniks in 1963, so it earned a legitimate place on the playlist. They always say you learn a new thing each day!
As with all of our events, there was an abundance of food available to replenish all of those calories burned off while dancing! We are very grateful to those who helped organise the event, set up, served drinks and brought the wonderful cakes and refreshments that contributed to making our event such a success.
Priscilla Dorrance, Chair of MKDRS, said:
“The concert was a great success, attracting lots of members as well as people from the wider community. The band was fantastic and I, like many others in the audience, was on my feet dancing! Thanks to Crossroots offering to play for free, we raised over £330 which will go towards improving the Shul’s facilities for members and other hall users.”
Andy was also thrilled with the success of the event, saying:
“After the performance last Sunday, the band agreed that it was the most enjoyable gig we’d ever done. The audience were incredibly friendly and responsive, and so many came up to us afterwards with compliments and words of encouragement that we didn’t want to go home!
We were happy to play without payment; the superb refreshments laid on by members of the community were more than payment enough. I rarely get any kind of dessert, being dairy free, but the cakes were all clearly labelled and there was so much wonderful food I could enjoy, I felt like I was at a Bar Mitzvah!
The icing on the cake was the incredibly efficient organisation and hard work of the team. At midday, while we were setting up the sound system, the planning committee were there in full strength, doing all the donkey work that the audience are normally unaware of, but the event can’t take place without. Working as part of a team transforms an event like this from hard graft to a labour of love! Rock on, MKDRS!”
Unfortunately, Crossroots’s amazing lead singer, Sheniah, is leaving the band shortly to make a new life in Australia. Therefore, the band is taking a break from performing for three months, in order to rehearse with their new lead singer, Sofia Galu.
If you weren’t able to make our event and would like to see Crossroots in action, they will be performing for one last time with Sheniah, to raise funds for the local food bank. Details are as follows:
Date: Sunday 26th January 2019
Time: 8.00pm till late.
Venue: Christ The Cornerstone Church, 300 Saxon Gate, Milton Keynes, MK9 2ES
There are no tickets or pre-bookable places for the event and entrance is completely free! However, donations to the food bank will be gratefully received.
So, what’s next for MKDRS?
We have an exciting schedule of events and social activities planned over the coming year, including our Chavurah Supper on Friday 25th January and our fantastic Purim Party on Sunday 17th March. It’s a great way for you to meet new people from the surrounding areas and reconnect with old friends, so please do come and join us!
If you’d like to find out about our future events, visit our website at https://www.mkdrs.org.uk/whats-on/ or join our facebook group ‘MKDRS Members and Friends’.
Connect with us
There are several ways to get in touch with us and we’d love to hear from you! To find out more about MKDRS and how you can benefit from joining us, please get in touch:
‘Like’ our facebook page: ‘Milton Keynes Synagogue’
Join our facebook group: ‘MKDRS Members and Friends’
Visit our website: www.mkdrs.org.uk
Call: 01908 617790
Email: info@mkdrs.org.uk