About Us

Hornby is a village in North Lancashire. The village stands at the confluence of the Wenning and the Lune rivers 8½ miles NE by E of Lancaster, and commands beautiful scenery along the valleys. It is famed for its spectacular castle overlooking the village, which is now an imposing private residence. It is also fortunate in having a fine Village Institute which was originally given to the village by the Lord of the Manor, Colonel Foster in 1916, but then extended to give a bigger ballroom and a stage in 1956 with substantial help from the then Hornby Castle incumbent, Sir Harold Parkinson.

The Occasionals were formed in 1982 by Pamela Garnett to take part in the twenty fifth anniversary of the opening of Hornby Village Institute. We gave one performance of "Trial by Jury" on April 27th 1983, and then performed it again on Friday, 6th May as part of the Hornby Drama Festival, winning an A+ from the adjudicator, Mrs. Eliner Rutherford. It went down so well that in 1984 three performances of HMS Pinafore were given.

The name derives from the intention to perform occasionally, but since then the group has flourished, producing a well-received show every year. In that time we have covered the whole G & S canon. We always strive to stamp our own personality on each production. Most things used by the society are made by its members: most of the beautiful costumes, the outstanding scenery and the properties. All but two of the shows have been presented in the Institute; in 2005 and 2006 they took place in Hornby High School whilst the Institute was undergoing a £1.3million refurbishment and extension.

We are a very friendly group who welcome children as well as adults. We rehearse every Friday night and the occasional Saturday morning starting in mid September for performances shortly before Easter. Do come and join us for lots of fun through the winter months.