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CARAVAN FOR SALE

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Miss C Arundell, Miss H Bridgett,   

Miss S Bullock, Mr A Chester,

Mr R Fruen,  Miss S Godridge.

Miss S Bullock, Mrs K Bullock,   

Miss A Charlotte, Miss E Charlotte,

Miss R Chester, Mr M Vaughan.

Mr R Beech

Mr J Gardner

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Mr L Chambers

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Tel: 01977 600200

Pantomime Eulogy

Barbara Arundell

Following her performances with the Players, Barbara joined the Society as a member of the Chorus in 1980, in 1981 she played the part of the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella and in 1983 the Society was in deadlock- with no Chairman and no one stepping forward to produce the next show so Wendy Underwood struck a deal with Barbara . . . . she would take the Chair if Barbara would Produce the pantomime!   

Her first production for us was Humpty Dumpty and her excellent organisational skills saw us through our Ruby, Golden and Diamond Anniversaries.  Barbara produced diverse shows from the traditional one’s like Snow White - which she felt was “Truly Magical” through to the more challenging, difficult shows like Dick Turpin and The Snow Queen.  No two shows were the same - her imagination seemed endless; She took Humpty Dumpty on a visit to the Druids, there was A Halloween Ball in Cinderella and Cowboys & Indians in Mother Hubbard.  

Through the magic of the proscenium arch Barbara transported Pontefract audiences to worlds far away where the problems of everyday life were forgotten whilst we fought giants, dragons and wicked spirits.  She trained pantomime cows, horses, ducks and cats and made sure every show included lots of laughs.

Barbara brought a huge amount of enthusiasm, commitment, dedication, vision and sheer hard work to the role.  

Retirement from the Civil Service didn’t mean a rest for Barbara, it just gave her more time to invest in the productions.  She took on more and more responsibility co-ordinating every aspect of the production and stretching the Cast and Production Team further and further with interesting scripts and technical challenges.  With a Cast and Crew of over 100 no one was ever in any doubt who was in charge.  We know it will be impossible to replace that commitment and the Society will never again be able to rely so completely on one person.

We share the sadness of Eric, Claire, Steven and Phil and their families and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for the support they gave Barbara in helping her produce the shows – we know they sacrificed many hours of family time with her so she could carry on with a hobby that was infact a full time occupation.

Barbara often said that although we were an Amateur Society we put on professional shows and this was all because she led us, supported us, encouraged us and stretched us.  

Barbara – we will be eternally grateful for everything you have done and we will carry on.  Sinbad was your choice for your 29th pantomime and we will work together to give you a show you would be proud of - We only wish you could be here to see it.

The Society will miss its longest ever serving Producer - we were honoured that you accepted Life Membership, but we will miss our friend forever.

In her Producers report to the AGM in April Barbara said “We must ensure that the empathy and team spirit which we are showing continues.  I know this is the secret of our success and we must never loose sight of it.  We must continue to work together as a family.”

How we behave as a Society, the friendships, the empathy and how we work together was as important to Barbara as our performance on stage.  The Society as a family is part of her legacy to us and we must never forget that.         

    Stephen Arundell’s JustGiving Facebook Page   http://apps.facebook.com/jgdonation/Barbara-Arundell/on-facebook

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Tel: 01977 600123