Hadleigh Salvation Army’s latest exercise craze celebrates first birthday

More than 200 people have had a go at The Salvation Army’s unique fusion of traditional tambourine playing and the contemporary dance exercise class since the Hadleigh Timbreltastic group launched in Essex in June last year.

To celebrate the first ‘birthday’, Timbreltasic leaders held a tea party at The Salvation Army’s Hub Café in Hadleigh Park on Saturday (17 June) for members, friends and special guests, including Rebecca Harris MP and the Castle Point Mayor (Councillor Brian Wood).

Founder of Timbreltastic, Zena Osterberg, is a member of Hadleigh Temple Salvation Army church and works at The Salvation Army’s Hadleigh Training Centre. She said:

“Here at The Salvation Army we really care about wellbeing – body, mind and spirit – and what better place to get fit, stay healthy and meet new friends than the beautiful Hadleigh Park.

It’s so important that people have a reason to get out of the house. My aim is to help people enjoy life to the full and leave with a smile on their face.

“When people ask me to describe what we do, I ask them to think of The Salvation Army’s traditional tambourine playing, mix it with Zumba and you’ve got Timbreltastic. During our first year we’ve met a fantastic mix of people and had a lot of fun. At our birthday party on Saturday more than 40 people picked up a tambourine and danced along to Jess Glynne’s ‘Hold My hand’, including our mayor, MP and visitors to Hadleigh Park.

“Timbreltastic is free and you can come along as and when you like. We meet fortnightly, usually on a Friday night and, although not working towards performance perfection, we have attended many events where the emphasis is always on encouraging others to join us and dance together.

“During our first year, we’ve performed at the Hadleigh Park International Mountain Bike event, Castle Point Mayor’s Prom night, Christmas carol services and many other events held at The Salvation Army’s Hadleigh Temple church. We have even joined the General of The Salvation Army, our international leader, at Poplar Salvation Army in East London to help them celebrate their 150th anniversary.

“Getting Timbreltasic off the ground has been a team effort and I’m especially grateful for the support of my family – my son Joe designed the logo and the pull-up banners and even my dogs have posed with tambourines in photos!”

The Salvation Army has been at the heart of Hadleigh for more than 125 years. In addition to their church and community centre on London Road, The Salvation Army manages Hadleigh Farm Estate which incorporates Hadleigh Training Centre for adults with additional support needs, Hadleigh Farm Tea Rooms and Rare Breeds Centre as well as a partnership with Essex County Council at The Hub in Hadleigh Park, the site of the London 2012 Olympic Mountain Biking event.

Zena added: “We can’t wait for another year of meeting new people so we’d love to see you. We usually meet every other Friday at The Hub Café - our next meeting will be Tuesday 27 June at 7.30 pm. Why not come along and give it a go – tambourines provided!”

For more information about Timbreltastic, please contact Zena on 07767 794383 or find Timbreltastic on Facebook.