ini M o t o r c l u b ' s s u c c e s s
GEOFF BROWN explains how Pendle District Motor Club has re-established, itself as a major, force on the-regional,. motorsport scene.
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IN 1987, a major change to the rally-regulations^ threatened to decimate club motorsport;-As, a result,,-, the past three years have been a little, traumatic for Pendle District Motor Club. „ ‘
on the stability of the club. Despite, setbacks to. the j^orte^.-d.ldw t k paint’s exclusion fromthe championship, but: the past, three years been the club’s top scorer, .his-auto- aimed at; re-establishing-the club a^^m^
or.lbrcpor^the.j.^ess^fort ^ j^ le p e r * event the generosity, proved a testing skills being exploitedto great effect. However,
The immediate effect of the changes was to cut the mem- ... „ MEMBERS of Pendle District Motor Club celebrating their success]. bership by-more than half, which had.far reac:
rung.euects....*1 ^
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regional motorsport scene, Pendle DMC has at last made, with ‘V P ? . s its mark as1 never before.
In the past the Lees for Tiles-sponsored inter-clubleague . No such mistakes were made in 1990. The club took,the . ;iDaci” crown and second in the individual (multi-discipline) has always been won by one of two clubs. The 1JJO, lead from the first event in February and was never over-.. championship.
nttie expensive. The league has-usually encompassed approximately, lb,’ , man at the awards presentation. ' : : - - .
championship has seen Pendle DMC break the stranglehola . . taken,-although Springhiil pulled back to within 40 points —Fifth and seventh in the individual table were_Alan Shaw of the dominant :Clitheroe ;and Springhiil (Accrington),. . at one’ stage.-; I suspect Pendle’s long-standing chainnan '■ anc] p otj Brereton: respectively." College , lecturer Alan, motor clubs. ;
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r Rod Brereton will be a very proud and, perhaps, emotional , from Barrowford, finished Second overall and first in class - . - jn the SD3-1 regional hillclimb championship with Rod, from
- a s s # s r s y p : s w Ifffly
clubs, but' Pendle has never finished outside the top five pend!e’sCereat strength has been not so much weight of . Bamoldswick, third in class. The two shared Rod’s Renault ndar has been tackled by renaie competitors oiv^V; ' w a s s t
due to a riile infringement by the organisers that resulted jewing capability and some notable maivmuai perio; i n n o P e n d l e members being at the event — because they mances within the series.
The eligibility, of an event early .in the:year,vras in doubt , v
missing top spot by a
slender.marpn tlwt:caused u s , . t o . ® regret an jeariy: season-:
uecusion..uy:w«,:*
‘ ir'&iU.uw' wio--* nwivSHW th* rlnh with a strornr noihtv^ 5 of events than any other club m the^league, emphasising - some notable’indfvfdim"Sperfor-i ithe fact that Pendle District Moto^Club is a very active d nQW successful oue-as well. D •
Wn^tackled bv Pendle competitors ori^imore competitors out on events and.ran a greater variety R id in g the club with a st SL point/'
of
events.than _any other
club.in y . /,'f Why area is no musical mecca i-.
“MAKING Music” magazine came o u t . with a 14-point plan to establish what an area needs to have a thriving local. .
music scene. I did laugh. Not that it wasn’t accurate,
: hysterical — the fact that it proved .
Lancashire. I don’t know which was the most.
because it probably was. What was s o , . . funny was checking off the items on the list against what we have here in East;
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conclusively that we haven’t got a musics scene worth a wombat’s savings account,:; or the fact that no-one givesadamn anyway. Both, I think. . Now, I live in East Lancashire and,
dammit, I like the place. ■ But to find that, in this day and age, we
are the proud residents of an area with . virtually no input into the vast maelstrom . of world music, and no interest in
: unmoved one way or the other. Which is crazy. ■.
can — and I hate to sound trite —keep kids off the streets. Better to be a guitar, player than a glue-sniffer, better to make ;•
musicians, it’s a fact that the music .. industry is now the biggest in Britain.-Yes it is, like it or not, and it’s bigger, in fact, than the food and
car.industries combined. And that means money.' Not only that, but a healthy music scene
Even if you don’t like music, or . . ■■■• , ■ ■ W m M i f«3 im
to be considered. Music can get you off i t . . •And a musician off the job queue leaves a...-, place for someone who really wants a day job. It makes sense. Perhaps that’s why,. .
music than trouble. And then there’s the good old dole queue
we’re not interested.
I also happen to think that a local band,. Uinp Vla1 n f A fflUn }llA whfllp •■
i UlaU l la j jp c i l (AS tmurv uuuu u iuvui wumu . <
achieving any, has got to make you giggle. Or burst into tears. Or at least it should. The trouble is, it leaves most people quite
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Ex-Rubette TONY THORPE looks at what-East Lancashire needs to do to develop a thriving music scene.
“this dump”, but it’s not surprising when - . feature some good, international jazz. Nei- you think about it. But then, we don’t,
rfnw»
thriving local music scene would be of . inestimable, value to this town.. And the list
in “Making Music” makes it very plain we. ain’t got one in Bumlnv — and Pendle ain’t exactly LA either../,
SAacujr u n cwiwi a
with me on a trip down melancholy lane, : and we’ll go, one by one, through the ^ things “Making Music”, says an area needs
Those of you who are interested, come;-
for a thriving local music scene. 1. An already-succesoful local band. ■. ' Well, we have a more-than-passing,, ollies.
connection with the Hollies‘..But they are, to all intents and purposes, a 1960s success
n
he regarded as “local”. 2. A local recording studio that offers-
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ther. isi the. Muni, at Colne big enough to bring the really big names.
interested in art, money, identity, youth ; • .Well, yes, wq have those. Not that opportunity, or just plain old morale, a , . ^ontempoi^ music plays irnyp^ m
or shall I?
into account, we do have a fair number. . But clubs don’t want creative music, as
7. A large number of local gigs. Well now, I suppose taking the clubs and pubs .
6. A local record label. Will you say it, ,
der if that o ts.
play. As for. pubs, well most of those are ., just soul-destroying, with the floating
story- And since
only.one of thfem still lives 50 to ui.e. JIa.’rdly a breeding ground for
cheap rates. Well, we haven’t got one, cheap or otherwise.’Not as far,as I am aware, anyway. There have been a few ; attempts to establish such a facility, but
' they have floundered in a sea of apathy and inexperience.
featuring local music. Does that sound like • that’s about
the.bestlpc^ shop. .Myself, I , Radio Lancashire? Not to me it doesn’t,
3. A local radio station with a policy of q A In'fil radio station with a policy ot . and Red Rose is even worse. Of course, it
completes the circle, doesn’t it .■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ' 4. Alarg|( local venue.-The Mechanics?
"f 8tar
could be that they don’t consider any local music worth playing, but that just -..
area^s'ense of Mentity)it h^lacked'shice ' Not rcalTy0
find theflea marketstallsmuchmore, .. spiring. - ,
ins
meet, drink and chat. Well, first of all. • there isn’t one that I know of, and how;- many musicians can afford to drink ’.
l l . A local club where musicians can -- .
And, more to the point, are they, any .‘good?.;ASifi;’’
9. A local fanzine. Stop laughing. • . - v
;■ io. A good local record shop.' .Well, w e ;' have Our Price, but
you.try. to'get any- ... ; thing remotely unusual in it. Check the. y jazz or blues stock for top guitarists, for :;s .; instance. Over-comprehensive it isn’t. And
anyone who ever tried to give them it will know to their cost. Clubs want what clubs, want, and it ain’t.what most bands want to
. drinkers ° ^ numbenng the listener about
within 200 miles of here,-they can hardly, ■ the arts, Ireckqn._ _........ ......... 8. Plenty of local bands. Well; are there?
■ The fact is that, whether you are , T . „ 5. Local colleges of f^ h e r education..
them mind you, but we do have them. woonnaeru matcuunusi........ .
14! Because it’s POVERTY! Ah, thank -; i God! At last something we’ve got plenty ofi In fact, we could export some of ours to LA and still have plenty left..... ’ . Now,' I don’t know how you rate East , Lancashire against that list, but it doesn’t rate too well to me. I wouldn’t even give , us one out of 10 for effort. But some of the ■ blame really does lie with the local musicians themselves.. .. • First of all, they accept things as they
the better, apparently. Now we’re coming into our own — better than Brentwood, not as good as Aberdeen. I don’t know ., what else to say really, r i . ‘ ; ^ • But we really make it big with number
are. Secondly, they often do_their best to : scupper themselves. And thirdly, they, Have a tendency to think they already -
know it all, and that they are fated to be stars whatever happens due to their . ..
enormous natural genius. In fact; one way and another, you could.
say that our area is to music what Cyril : Smith is to Weightwatchers. You may say “So what? Who cares?” But I repeat what :
I said at the beginning: music means money, music means jobs, music means ; employment opportunities. . And music can
help forge a'sense of identity, and supply a much-needed feeling of optimism too. But
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only if it’s seen as a valuable asset to L , be nurtured, and not as a vice to be.
' we do have a great natural resource we’re ' not just ignoring but treating with contempt— talented kids! Isn’t it about : time we sunk a few exploratory bore holes
•and investigated that? ,• .. Or are we not interested in dragging
regular local gig of any size. Now , E^t Lan^Wro,‘‘kicWng i id ^ro^iing, ,7
> punished or a menace to be exterminated. . Music isn’t just spotty-faced adolescents plonking banjos. It isn’t something lazy. \ people do instead of getting a real job. It never was. But these days that’s even less true; We don’t have many mills left, we no longer dig coal, we never had any oil, but
. t o13. Distance from London. The further , , maa ftaAm T A n ^A n I 'l 'k o . * - ~ .« ~ ---- , ^ ----- ... ... ... ■ v.-' tTip dub’s committee elected not'to '• Ian Winstanley.’of Slack Laithe Farm, Trawden, has for
contesting production car trials, hillclimbs-and rallies put him way out in front as usual, netting him the regional “off
------Outlook ____
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