The Society of M.I.C.E.

The Society of M.I.C.E. is a charitable organisation founded in 1961, by a group of dedicated entertainers in Kingston upon Hull.

The Society was the idea of Al Gillyon, who first proposed the idea.

Based on the Grand Order of Water Rats, MICE is an acronym for "Men in Charitable Endeavour".

The society's membership is made up exclusively of men, although the members wives, partners and friends are also often able to help out in varying capacities.

The Beginning

It has been said that great achievements develop from simple ideas

As far back as 1960, Al Gillyon told of his idea that an organisation similar to the Grand Order of Water Rats could be formed in Kingston upon Hull

Everyone was busy on the clubland scene and the idea was talked about in clubs, at shows, even in people's front rooms after a show. But in the words of Al Gillyon "We cannot hold a first meeting until permission has been obtained from the Variety Artist Association" of which all were loyal members.

To get things started seemed to take a long time but permission was given and the first ever meeting was held at the Windmill Hotel, Witham, Kingston upon Hull on the 13th Day of February 1961

Thirteen entertainers were invited. Ten were able to attend. It was agreed that the group be known as "The Society of MICE". Officers were elected.

The aims of "Fellowship", "Benevolence" and "Charity" were paramount and this has been the guiding principle to the present time.

Founder Members

The following are considered to be the founder members of the society. All were either present at the very first meeting of the society, are offered their apologies for absence, which was held on February 13 1961, at the Windmill Hotel, Hull

Al Gillyon
Harry Hemingway
Clive Hunter
Terry Matsell
Jimmy Welsh
Jack Wilkinson
Brian Winchester

From these members, the first KING MOUSE was Al Gillyon,
the first PRINCE MOUSE was Jack Wilkinson,
the first SCRIBE MOUSE was Terry Matsell
and The first TRAP GUARD was Jimmy Welsh, who at the time was also the Vice Chairman of the Variety Artists Association.

Today

The Society's aim is to raise funds for local good causes and charities, by means of live concert shows and other fund raising events, for example:- the society hold tombola & raffle stalls at various outdoor events throughout the summer.

The society holds meetings every fortnight, to discuss future concerts and other matters regarding fund raising for the community. The meeting venue has changed several times over the years, and is referred to by members as the MOUSE HOLE.

Concerts are usually twice monthly, and are in and around the Kingston upon Hull area.
Venues vary from clubs to residential homes.

The Offices of the Society

The Society has the usual committee structure, with a President and Vice-president elected annually, chosen singly by the outgoing President and announced at the annual dinner, which is held in Mid February. There are also positions for Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and the Steward to the Elders. The only difference is the title of these positions, all of which are extremely fitting:-

President = KING MOUSE
Vice President = PRINCE MOUSE
Chairman = TRAP GUARD
Secretary = SCRIBE MOUSE
Treasurer = KEEPER OF THE CHEESE
Steward to the Elders = PILOT MOUSE

There are other positions within the society, including the CONCERT MOUSE, who organises the concerts.

The Society is currently made up of Singers & Entertainers, mainly from the Kingston upon Hull area, along with many other members who perform equally as important roles behind the scenes. Members of the 'Old Flames' (Retired members of Humberside fire brigade) have also joined the society" and Stars in Their Eyes" champion Ian Moor is a member and former holder of the office of Prince Mouse.

The MICE Singers

in 1996, the society added an extra act to the concerts, in the form of a choir, made up of several of the society's members. The choir was initially called "The Bolder Boys" named after Harry Bolder whose idea it was to form the choir, and who conducted the choir in their early years. Today they are known as "The MICE Singers" and as well as regular appearances at the society's concerts, perform at many other venues throughout the year, and are now in great demand, with appearances at weddings, residential homes, harvest festivals, schools, and other events.

The King's Special Project

Each year the elected King Mouse chooses a charity or organisation that will benefit the most from the years fundraising efforts. Specific concerts and events are chosen to raise funds purely for this purpose, and a cheque for the grand total raised is then usually presented to a representative from the charity or organisation at the annual "special Presentation Evening", which is normally held at the end of January, shortly before the annual dinner. A list of the special projects can be found below in the table of the past Kings and Princes.

The Society's Anthem

The Society has an anthem, with lyrics written by one of the founder members, Clive Hunter, who adapted the words to the tune of Three Blind Mice The anthem is sung at all concerts, and at the annual dinner, and is sung by all the members who are present.

"
"We are mice,
Men and mice,
Working as one,
Daunted by none,
Take note others and mark that we,
the gentlemen of variety,
are brothers all in society,
We are mice,
We are mice,
Men and mice,
But let not our style,
Cause you to smile,
We're brothers all in the showman's art,
Our cue is need as we play our part,
We'll show each mouse has a lion's heart,
We are mice."
"

Former King & Prince Mouse

External links

* [http://beehive.thisishull.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=4803 The Society's Home Page]
* [http://www.frederickholmesschool.co.uk/ Frederick Holmes special school - King's Special Project 2007]
* [http://www.cftrust.org.uk/ Cystic Fibrosis Trust - King's Special Project 2007]
* [http://www.cfww.org/?gclid=CI-PlqnL44oCFSOUEAodLRywvw Cystic Fibrosis Worldwide - King's Special Project 2007]
* [http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=118 Cystic Fibrosis on NHS Direct - King's Special Project 2007]
* [http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j4/dannaeil/MICE%20Pics/ Online Photo Galleries]