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All@C
Bude’s Ukulele All Stars Band of rocking pensioners (supporting the wonderful Air Ambulance in the South West)

To wander through our site just scroll down to find out more about us and what we do, or contact us if you think you might like to join. Or else, if you’d like us to entertain your friends, residents or organisation, contact gigs@all-at-c.rocks in the first instance.

Goodness, we could never afford them! do I hear you cry?  But don’t worry – we don’t charge a fee to perform, we simply invite you to put as handsome a donation as you can in our Air Ambulance collecting bucket… and gradually just look what happens.

Morwenna from HQ says thank you!

Lovely Morwenna from the Air Ambulance fundraising HQ came to meet the band and announce the total raised so far, well on track for our target of £10,000 in ten years.  Quite an ambitious donation total to be raised by a band of elderly amateurs, from audiences large, small, and not at all, in performances indoors and out, including in years when we weren’t allowed to perform under any circumstances.  Morwenna  told us that with each mission costing around £5000, we would be able to claim in all seriousness to have potentially saved two lives, something we can all feel pretty pleased about.  Here’s a picture of us feeling pretty pleased.

But really, why do we do it?

Just two of the 2016 founding group of six knew a few chords, the rest simply wanted to try a new hobby.  Over time we grew into a band, and now there are nearly forty of us, strangers-turned-friends, rehearsing every week, with a full diary of bookings and performance.

We quickly discovered the very real and immediate mental and physical benefits of making music, which is why we encourage audiences to join in and even dance when we play – it’s good for all of us, it spreads happiness and it’s fun.  We have an an ever more ambitious repertoire of songs to appeal to all ages  and suit most occasions.

What sort of occasions?

Louise and Neil happened to have their wedding on a sunny summer Thursday and spotted us on the bandstand in the Castle grounds, so graced our regular outdoor practice busk with their first dance – and second, and third!  We can be found there on most fine Thursdays, with our bucket of course, and visiting strummers are welcome to join us at their own risk (of jollity…)

You always remember the first…

All@C remains the first and only dedicated Bude Ukulele Band, but we are proud to have spawned other smaller groups of our members who play their own programme of music and can be available for occasional  bookings – they also collect for our charity. 

St Anne’s, Whitstone – Jan 2025 – 200th Gig!!!

…and a larger than usual turnout for the milestone gig at this favourite venue where we were told we were ‘better than last time’!  The support from the residents was off the scale – lots of singing, quite a bit of beating time and some seriously committed armchair exercise, with near 100% of legs kicking up for ‘doing the Lambeth walk… OI !!’

We were able also to lead a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday for our founder member Eve Tilsely who, at age 91, now lives happily at St Anne’s.

All@C, and any smaller group of its members, are covered by Private Liability Insurance to perform and practise in any public space, on the basis that they will comply with Social Distancing and all Covid-19 regulations generally.</div;

About

In autumn 2016 a tiny group of pensioners decided, with some trepidation but inspired by the U3A ethos of ‘lifelong learning’, to learn to play a new musical instrument. Today, just a very few years later, All@C have become, if not a global then certainly a local phenomenon, with a repertoire of over two hundred well loved songs and a track record of performance at street festivals, the Memory Café, nursing homes and the theatre stage.

Without question it’s been ‘a journey’! and one of wonderful discoveries – joyful music, new friendships and un-dreamed of fun – but the best one is that singing along with this little instrument makes us feel great, and does the same for our audience.

We perform always in aid of the fantastic, invaluable Cornwall Air Ambulance, and instead of a fee we invite your generous donations in our trusty bucket to help support this most deserving of charities, so vital to all of us who live in the West Country.  Up until Covid-19 first struck we had already raised over £2500… while we were just having fun!  This was our first certificate:

If you’d like to find out more, come along to a rehearsal and say hello.  You will need to have your own ukulele – we don’t offer lessons – also an idea of some basic chords which you can find in an array of ukulele tutorials online.  Loads of enthusiasm will carry you far!  Decent instruments can be obtained for as little as £15; you can spend much more, or borrow a small child’s. See the ukulele page for more information.

After a couple of visits practising with us you can progress to full membership, if you and we decide that we can’t be without each other.  Until then we would ask that you make a contribution of £2 a week towards the hire of our rehearsal space.  See our treasurer Alastair when you come.

 

Rehearsals – in normal times we meet for rehearsals every Wednesday morning at Launcells parish hall in the village of Grimscott, from 10.30 till 12 o’clock.  Distancing is observed when required and we keep the hall very well ventilated throughout.

Gigs – are mostly in the Bude area, and mostly during the day. To arrange a gig, why not pop along to a rehearsal and meet one of the directors to have a chat and ensure availability.

Membership – There is an annual fee, currently £30, which covers our costs including hire of rehearsal space. There is nothing further to pay except travelling costs to gigs. There is no uniform to buy, although a hat or anything with red sequins is always desirable, not to mention a Hawaiian shirt (I said not to mention a Hawaiian shirt…)

 

So, whether you already play like a pro or want to play better, or possibly even move to the ukulele from the guitar or mandolin, why not come along to a rehearsal and see if you might enjoy our kind of music? We all find it rewarding, great fun and amazingly good for both physical and mental health, so you probably will too. Contact us now!

Events

All@C Events in 2026


For the moment, for technical reasons, we are unable to publish details of the (many) Gigs we have booked in 2026.

All@C, and any smaller group of its members, are covered by Private Liability Insurance to perform and practise in any public space.

About Ukuleles


One of our most experienced members has written an excellent piece about the types of ukulele (ukes) and buying, learning and playing them. See it here or download a pdf version. For a quick read, see below with links to the original.

Types – ukes come in many sizes, from the ‘normal’ smallish soprano to the large bass, with many between; they vary in playability (think pudgy fingers) and tone, also some have different tuning. They can cost as little as £15 up to a few hundred (with esoterica costing £1000s). Most of our members buy at the bottom end of that range, although – like wine – paying a little more than the minimum pays great dividends! For more.

Playing – the uke is easier to learn than the guitar (smaller, lighter, four strings vs six, normally) and you can get by with just three chords. Most models can be strung right handed or left handed. Although simple to start with, this is a real musical instrument that can produce sophisticated sounds in the right hands! To download a chord_chart (new version – July 2021). For more.

Choosing – working out what to want is confusing, there is an enormous variety of online advice sites, sometimes conflicting. Facebook searches can be brilliant. Try www.gotaukulele.com or For more

Learning – many of our members started from scratch. All of our members are delighted to help newcomers;  sadly we can’t offer lessons but you can of course buy a book or look online, where there are some great tutors e.g. www.youtube.com/user/TheUkuleleTeacher. For more

Buying – the normal choice between buying in a shop or online – with the inevitable balance between price, choice and advice. For ukes the situation is a little more complex – buying from a shop (or an online specialist) will also bring you an instrument that has been checked, adjusted and tuned. Musicroom in Exeter has the widest choice locally, but there are also music shops in Barnstaple, Bodmin, Truro etc. Southern Ukulele Stores in Bournemouth have a great bricks and online shop. For more

So, choose, buy, learn, come along and have great fun!

Contact Us

For More Information
To discuss joining or popping into a rehearsal:
contact Lindsey at 07827 813085 or md@all-at-c.rocks.
To arrange a Gig: please contact our Gigmeister, John, at gigs@all-at-c.rocks.