THE NETOA ‘NEW VIC WURLITZER 90th’ PRIZE DRAW: A big Thank You to everyone who supported the Prize Draw and raised almost £600 after costs towards NETOA funds in a year when we have been only able to run one copncert!  Big thanks also to Graeme Scarlett for playing the Wurlitzer for a few minutes (to prove that it still works after all these months!!) during our live streaming of the draw proceedings on .

Despite the miserable start to March weather-wise at Howden le Wear (and everywhere else), the snow, wind and freezing conditions were gone by the weekend of the 10th and 11th and the two enthusiastic audiences who came along to see  MICHAEL WOOLDRIDGE on his tenth visit to the New Victoria Centre were rewarded with one of the best and most varied musical programmes we have enjoyed for a long time!  Michael’s superb musicianship was .

The last weekend of October 2018 marked the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the NETOA by Eric Lee, James Alderson and Jack Temple back in 1968 and the actual anniversary was marked by a celebration dinner at Whitworth Hall attended by an enthusiatic group of Friends on the Friday 26th. We were pleased to welcome our President, Nigel Ogden, who opened the organ in 1986, to play the Wurlitzer in front of a .

The ‘All Stars’ Annual Awards Concert held on Thursday 16th November proved an enjoyable and successful musical evening.  Friends of the NETOA provided the music at the Wurlitzer with guest singer Nicola Wright accompanied by her husband, NETOA Hon. Secretary, David. Other players included Chris Rae, Lewis Scott, Ian Bowman, Fred Thompson, Barry Raine, John Robinson and Stuart Wright, who was also our M.C. for the evening. Awards voted for by the Friends went .

The NETOA featured on almost all of page 3 in the Northern Echo (fully clothed you will be pleased to hear!) when a grant of £1,500 was presented by Stan Hunter on behalf of Durham Benevolence – the charitable arm of the Masonic Province of Durham – to the Association to help with the cost of improving the TV system at the New Victoria Centre. The formal presentation took place at John Mann’s concert .

A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who helped out at the NETOA Annual Fete on Saturday 27th May and to all of the ‘Friends’ and visitors who came along and helped us to raise the magnificent sum of £1,077 whilst enjoying some music, food and a cuppa! As a Charity we rely heavily on various fundraising efforts and a huge amount of effort went into the preparation of the building and the various stalls .

The weather outside was sunny and the atmosphere inside was pretty hot too, as Britain’s Got Talent star Jean Martyn made her second visit to play the New Victoria Centre Wurlitzer on Sunday 14th May. With hardly an empty seat in the house, the audience enjoyed a diet of classics, jazz and favourites old and new, finishing with a rocking ‘BGT’ medley.  Something for everyone in fact and everyone left asking for more as .