The AWARD WINNING Poppyland Songs: Life On A Cliff Edge Bertie has embarked on a journey celebrating the lives and telling the stories of those who’ve lived and died in Poppyland. Through song and storytelling she explores life, past and present on a cliff edge in North Norfolk. Poppyland Songs was inspired by journals belonging to her great great aunt, Kit Hood, that were found in the house where Bertie grew up in Sidestrand and that document the rural lives of Kit’s neighbours over 100 years ago. The lives of people who would otherwise have been invisible have been captured in stories, local lore and song all in their own words spanning over 150 years. Part concert, part social history, Poppyland Songs is a heart warming, soulful musical journey into the history of ordinary people living along a short stretch of cliff in North Norfolk. Poppyland Songs won the music award at The EDP Norfolk Arts Award! For live concerts, more info and Poppyland Songs Podcast please visit www.bertiebow.com Bertie Anderson Haggart is an award winning musician, composer and lyricist born and bred in North Norfolk. For the past ten years her work has been with The BeauBowBelles, an alternative swing folk band and Bowjangles, the theatrical comedy string quartet with whom she has performed internationally in Portugal, China and New York as well as all around the UK including at Glastonbury Festival and Edinburgh Fringe where they won the Spirit of the Fringe award 2018 for ‘Excalibow.’ Bowjangles have also been featured on CBeebies ‘Yolanda’s Band Jam’ and were nominated for Rural Touring Awards Best Practise 2019 and are currently touring their self penned comedy musical 'Dracula In Space' which Bertie composed the score for. Her original music has been featured on BBC 6 Introducing, BBC Wales, BBC Radio Norfolk and BBC Radio London. The past 6 months she has been researching, composing, and recording Poppyland Song Cycle and Poppyland Songs Podcast. A project celebrating life past and present in Poppyland, North Norfolk through music, song and storytelling. Poppyland Songs Podcast is currently being aired on BBC Radio Norfolk. www.bertiebow.com "Beautiful, can't stop singing it" (When The Skies Are Weeping) Kirsteen Thorne BBC Norfolk "A Beautiful Podcast" Sophie Little BBC Norfolk "'Poppyland Songs' cycle is a magical collection, drawn from the Cromer and Overstrand district.. Poignant and moving." David Auckland - Outline Magazine "A Thoroughly enjoyable eveningEveryone loved her music and equally Bertie herself. She is a rare music professional who communicates effectively before, arrives on time and presents a well polished and enjoyable programme. I heartily recommend her." Marian Abramovitch Music in Thorpe (Director)

A song celebrating winter. not the human world bit but Mother Earth and her quiet beauty. Originally written and recorded for A Musical Advent, the online musical advent calendar 2021.

Bertie Anderson Haggart performs a selection of songs from the award winning Poppyland Songs; Life On A Cliff Edge, live at Sidestrand church. St Michael’s and All Angles is at the heart of the Poppyland Songs story. The church once stood several 100 metres north and was moved by the villagers 200 years ago as it was about to fall off the cliff. The tower was left on the cliff top and was the spot discovered in 1883 by Clement Scott, the poet & journalist who would compose a poem about the ‘Garden Of Sleep’ and go on to bestow the area with the name ‘Poppy Land’ in The Daily Telegraph and subsequently turning North Norfolk into a fashionable and popular holiday destination. www.bertiebow.com *****Poppyland Songs Podcast is now available where you stream your podcasts***** *****Poppyland Songs; Life On A Cliff Edge album is now available to download and stream from all the usual places***** The AWARD WINNING Poppyland Songs: Life On A Cliff Edge Bertie has embarked on a journey celebrating the lives and telling the stories of those who’ve lived and died in Poppyland. Through song and storytelling she explores life, past and present on a cliff edge in North Norfolk. Poppyland Songs was inspired by journals belonging to her great great aunt, Kit Hood, that were found in the house where Bertie grew up in Sidestrand and that document the rural lives of Kit’s neighbours over 100 years ago. The lives of people who would otherwise have been invisible have been captured in stories, local lore and song all in their own words spanning over 150 years. Part concert, part social history, Poppyland Songs is a heart warming, soulful musical journey into the history of ordinary people living along a short stretch of cliff in North Norfolk. Poppyland Songs won the music award at The EDP Norfolk Arts Award! For live concerts, more info and Poppyland Songs Podcast please visit www.bertiebow.com Bertie Anderson Haggart is an award winning musician, composer and lyricist born and bred in North Norfolk. For the past ten years her work has been with The BeauBowBelles, an alternative swing folk band and Bowjangles, the theatrical comedy string quartet with whom she has performed internationally in Portugal, China and New York as well as all around the UK including at Glastonbury Festival and Edinburgh Fringe where they won the Spirit of the Fringe award 2018 for ‘Excalibow.’ Bowjangles have also been featured on CBeebies ‘Yolanda’s Band Jam’ and were nominated for Rural Touring Awards Best Practise 2019 and are currently touring their self penned comedy musical 'Dracula In Space' which Bertie composed the score for. Her original music has been featured on BBC 6 Introducing, BBC Wales, BBC Radio Norfolk and BBC Radio London. The past 6 months she has been researching, composing, and recording Poppyland Song Cycle and Poppyland Songs Podcast. A project celebrating life past and present in Poppyland, North Norfolk through music, song and storytelling. Poppyland Songs Podcast is currently being aired on BBC Radio Norfolk. www.bertiebow.com "Beautiful, can't stop singing it" (When The Skies Are Weeping) Kirsteen Thorne BBC Norfolk "A Beautiful Podcast" Sophie Little BBC Norfolk "'Poppyland Songs' cycle is a magical collection, drawn from the Cromer and Overstrand district.. Poignant and moving." David Auckland - Outline Magazine "A Thoroughly enjoyable eveningEveryone loved her music and equally Bertie herself. She is a rare music professional who communicates effectively before, arrives on time and presents a well polished and enjoyable programme. I heartily recommend her." Marian Abramovitch Music in Thorpe (Director)

I created this animated film for the Musical Advent Calendar in 2020. The song I wrote a few years ago. I found the lyrics in some journals written by my Great Great Aunt Kit. They are attributed to a Mrs Cowie though I couldn’t find any more about them or her online so decided to put them to music. The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen was a story that I found uncomfortable as a child and still do today. To buy the song or hear other songs inspired by the the journals or to find out more about me and my music then please visit my website www.Bertiebow.com I have never made an animated film before. I didn’t really plan it either! I just sat down and started drawing thinking I would just use a still image. But then I fed it into the app Videoleap on my iPhone 11 and started playing around and before I knew it I had created this little film. I really hope to do more in this area in particular for other songs and stories inspired by the journals and local lore of Poppy land in North Norfolk.

First Walk is one of the compositions making up the song cycle Poppyland Songs.

A song cycle written about the area in North Norfolk known as Poppyland where I grew up. Sidestrand, Overstrand and Cromer. It is a collection of original songs and music combined with poems written by myself and other local folk about the area. My dad found some notebook written by my great aunt Kit Hood. She had taken notes about the land and people around 1910, stories, lyrics field names. The lyrics for Good Matches I found in one of the note books transcribed from a Mrs Cowie. I could not find reference to these lyrics anywhere so I wrote my own melody for them. I was also shown a poem by a local sheperd about the tiny local River Mun written around the same time as Kit's notes so I set this to music too. Dubbed as Poppyland by the travel writer Clement Scott, the area became fashionable as a destination for Londoners in the Victorian times.

One of the first songs I wrote for the Poppyland Song Cycle. For more info on Poppyland Songs or for the Poppyland Songs Podcast please visit my website www.bertiebow.com

Let no one steal your thyme- words found in Kits journal from 1912, told to her by John Grey, a local retired farmer. Good Matches- lyrics found in Kit’s journal, no melody discovered yet so I composed a new one. Sally Bean. A song Composed telling the true history of some North Norfolk Smugglers, Ted Summers and Sally Bean. Winding Fallant- Kit carefully listed the names of the many small fields or Londs and Pightles that no longer exist. My father turned these lists into a poem which I set to music. Life On A Cliff Edge- This song shares memories from 3 different current Poppyland residents told to me in Winter 2022. Southrepps Jig- Given to me by a local musician Southrepps is a village in Poppyland and this is a trad jig.