Welcome to the Good Vibrations Watford Christmas newsletter. First of all let me wish each of you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. The past year has been a great one for the group. We have gained additional space, started new learning initiatives and attended events as well as maintaining our regular Friday sessions. This has allowed us to reach more people than ever before. This newsletter will be a brief look back at 2025 and some of the many highlights of the year for Good Vibrations Watford.
One of the tasks that we carry out is receiving and distributing donated instruments and this year we have been inundated with kind offers. From drums, guitars and electric pianos to ukuleles, trumpets and violins. We have seen it all. We are incredibly grateful for every donation we receive and we will always get the most out of every one. These donations have allowed us to give the gift of music to so many people and bring them into a space where they can feel free to express themselves regardless of skill level. We have given out more than 40 instruments this year alone which is incredible. The knowledge shared between members has also allowed us to learn together with several different instruments being taught and learned between us in a regular Friday group. On top of learning together we have also managed to recruit Ashley, a professional guitar and drum instructor, who is available to book. You will find more information about him later in the newsletter. If you or anyone you know would like to try any instrument at all then get in contact. We will always do our best to obtain the tools and knowledge you need to get started.
Croxley Unit
This year we have been blessed with an additional premises which we have used to expand our reach within the community. We have held regular Pulling Strings with Paul workshops. These are held on the last Monday of every month and aim to teach you about maintenance and repair of stringed instruments, particularly guitars. These workshops are open to everyone and you can find out more information about them on our Facebook group or website.
The summer also saw our first Harp to Handle workshop where attendees decorated and built their own 7 string lyre harp. This was a wonderful experience bringing together music and mindfulness in a serene setting. If you are interested in this then keep an eye out for harp and ukulele making events in the future.
The Croxley Unit has also given us practice space. This has been instrumental (see what i did there?) in being able to offer a space for people to jam out in a more private, band practice type of environment without the hustle and bustle of a group setting. Being able to offer a range of different spaces at little notice has also made a difference to some members who may not be comfortable in larger crowds but want to get involved.
Donations and Volunteers
This year has been a bumper year for musical generosity. We have received instruments and musical equipment from so many people that it is often difficult to keep tabs. Along side these donations is a small team of volunteers who use their own time and resources to collect donations and ferry them around for us. These magical music pixies are rarely seen but they are there and they are vital to our mission. To them and all the other people who give their time, instruments and financial donations to help others, thank you with all our heart. We have also been working closely with the Digital Inclusion Team providing laptops and tablets to those in need. This has allowed us to connect people, help people to access information and pay bills online. We hope to explore ways of combining this with digital music creation in the future.
Events
We have managed to attend several events this year to spread the word and raise awareness of our community project. Shortly after obtaining the Croxley Unit we were invited to a small gathering of charities. We enjoyed networking and meeting some of our new neighbours as well as showing them a little bit of what we do.
Once summer rolled in, we started working towards attending the Watford Community Family Fun Day. We had a wonderful day where we enjoyed the atmosphere, the music and the food. We had visitors from every corner of the community and made some new friends along the way. This was the first public community event that we attended so we learned a lot for the future. Most of all, we learned that we really enjoy and appreciate being out in the community bringing people together. The next event was Unity in the Community at the Grove. This was a networking event in Watford and we put our best foot forward. We had a lot of interest and made some promising connections that will help us grow and keep doing what we do best. On November 4th we represented GVW on Rickmansworth High Street in aid of Purple Tuesday. This event raises awareness for the importance of accessibility for disabled people. We joined Three Rivers District Council and officers from Hertfordshire police and had a brilliant time sharing music and laughs with the public.
2026
Looking to the future, our main goal is to continue to reach people in the community. To use music and friendship to give a space where everyone is welcome and feels free to express themselves through sounds. We have several events to attend as well as the ongoing fundraising necessary for a group like ours to move forward. We hope to bring more music lessons and group sessions to our members, run more workshops and instrument making events as well as trying to give you all something new along the way. As always, you can stay up to date with all of our events by visiting the Facebook group or visiting us at goodvibrationswatford.uk.
If you would like to make a donation then thank you. Without your generosity we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. If you have an instrument to donate then please contact Ryan and we can make all of the arrangements for you. If you would like to make a financial donation then please visit our fundraising page by scanning the QR code or contact Ryan directly. Every single donation makes a huge difference to the community.
A Message from Ryan
As the year draws to a close I want to say a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful volunteers and donors. You have given your time, energy and resources so selflessly to help us achieve our shared vision, and because of you we have been able to bring people together and make a real difference.
It fills me with pride and joy to be able to share musical skills and experiences with the community I love so much, and to see how much it means to the people around us.
Looking ahead I feel full of optimism for the coming year. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful Christmas and a bright and prosperous New Year.
Ryan - Good Vibrations Watford
Special Thanks
We are so thankful to each and every one of you. There are too many names to mention but if you are seeing this newsletter then please know that you are a much appreciated part of the Good Vibrations family. There are some people who have gone above and beyond for us since starting a little under 2 years ago. Below is a list of kind volunteers and organisations that have really made an impact.
Sonia and W3RT
Three Rivers District Council
Hollie from the Digital Inclusion Team
Asda Watford
Co-op
Carpenders Park Community Hall
Paul
Ashley
Shivani
Ian
Toby
and all of our volunteers and donors. There are far too many of you to name individually but each and every one of you are vital to the group.
I just wanted to say how much it means having people like Refna and Daniel by my side. When things get a bit much, it is their quiet support, kindness and belief in what we are doing that keeps me going. They don’t shout about what they do, but so much of what happens at Good Vibrations is possible because of them being there in the background, helping, listening and caring.
Because of that support, this little idea has grown into something stronger and more welcoming than I ever imagined. It means a lot to know I am not doing this on my own, and that others care just as much about keeping the community together and making people feel part of something. I am really grateful to both of them. - Ryan
Good Vibrations Watford is held at Carpenders Park Community Hall on the first, second and third Friday every month between 3pm and 6pm and hold regular events at our Croxley site. For more information contact Ryan on 07565 341393 or Email at goodvibrationswatford@gmail.com
