Argarmeles team in 1977
At Sidmouth International Folk Festival in 1976 Trudie Smith and Hilda Charlton, whilst watching women's teams dancing (a fairly new innovation into the then male morris dancing) decided the time was right to think about forming a team ourselves. Janet Lamb and Cath Stoker were also at the festival and when asked were fully in agreement and a meeting was arranged at Janet's house on our return home.
10-9-76 1st Meeting with the above named also Sue Cooper, Haidee Hurst, Sue Barker, Cynthia May(then Hearing), Judy Cope.
22-9-76 2nd Meeting we added Janet Warnick and Trina Koller. Ray Cope came along as an adviser and Haidee brought photocopies of the dance notations which Trudie had obtained from the Womens Morris Federation (then in it's infancy).
28-9-76 1st Dance practice at The Blundell Arms in Southport (home then as now to the Bothy Folk Club). 'Ashton was walked through from the notation.
5-10-76 Ann Mawdsley joined us making 12 members Pete Rowley played his melodeon so we could tape him for future practices and Jeff Stoker played a couple of tunes for us.
12-10-76 Louise Raffo joined making 13 members we then practised 'Ashton' and then 'Peover'. At the second meeting, we had elected the following officers.......
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Kit was navy skirts, Red, White and Blue broken striped blouses with Mutton Chop sleeves and White socks with Black Clogs. (Cath's friend was married to a Wigan man who ran a shoe shop & who used to make clogs: - He made our first clogs specially as he no longer made them for business. |
April 1977 our first public appearance, to great applause, was at the Bothy Folk Club Ceilidh at the Queens Hotel, Southport. Stan Ambrose played whistle and joined by Jim Burns on drums when we danced at Liverpool Beer Festival. Later Ian Goodier travelled frequently from Cheshire so we could have live music for practice and when we first took frequent public bookings Ken Dunlop on fiddle and Keith Pryce on melodeon were our regular musicians, followed eventually by Will Wale, Jeff Stoker and Trudie Smith. Will and Jeff going on to join Southport Sword musician Pete Rowley when Trudie Smith became sole musician for many years prior to the present band of musicians.
February 1978 Merseyside Beer Festival.
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