1 30 I CUTHEROEADVERTISERSTIMES wwwclithoroeadvertiser.co.uk Thursday,April30,20l5' Thursday,April30,2015 www.clitherosadvartiser.couk -> . VALLEY ENTERTAINMENT . John’s timeless views 11: £1£i5 to**-. -'is p m m m • t V V #<■- season looms for RATS sW;: 'I ;


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AuthorandphotographerJohnToms with oneoftheviews from his book, showing Swanside Bridge, nearDownham


By D u n c a n S m i t h duncan.smith®jpress.co.uk ©clilhadvertiser


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Rimington resident John Toms is celebrating thesixth anniversary of the publishing of his book of colour photos entitled “The Ribble Valley in a New Light", containing scenes takenthroughouttheyear fromaroundthe Ribble Valley.


The idea for the book started by chance when John decid­ ed he had enough photos of the area, taken over several years, to produce an As book


r--» t! A musical extravaganza


I-I T (


0 Padiham Unitarian Church will host the final concert of its nth series of Musical Ex­ travaganza event on Saturday May 9th when the acclaimed Rossendale Male Voice Choir will perform. It has a long and prestig-


„ ious tradition of choral sing- ingin the North of England. Established in 1924, the choir celebrated its goth anniver­ sary in 2014 and put together


® a programme of concert and special events to mark the oc­ casion.


• It With some 45 singers, the


choir is made qp of local men who share a common love of music and a wish to share their enthusiasm with a wide range of audiences, ably led by musical director. Kate Ship- way. . ...


i ,


The Rossendale Male Voice Choir The choir hasrhad a brace


of successes at the Llangol­ len Festival and is still aiming for new heights. A twining arrangement exists with Bo- cholt in Germany and the choir has visited the continent on numeipus occasions.;.. ’ ” The concerts"at Pacliham


always attract a good number


. oftheiraudiencefromtheRib- . ble Valley. It starts at 7-30 pm . . and admission is is £8 on the; door, including refreshments, with proceeds split between the North West Air Ambu- lqnce, The Children^.,Heart ’ Surge'17 Fundarid the Church.


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of 50 pages of colour land­ scapes and rural activities in this beautiful valley. Production was rapid, tak­


ing only three weeks to design and print in March 2009, since when the book has been re­ printed due to its great suc­ cess. To date,John has sold


approaching 3,500 copies through various outlets across • the Ribble valley, including ClitheroeTourist Information Centre, The Inn at Whitewell, Number 51 Whalley, Whalley Post Office, Roy Porter Butch­ ers in Chatburn, Pendle Her­ itage Centre, Delicious Deli Gisburn and Bashall Barn..


Due to its handy size and


affordable price the book has also been sent to many parts of the world and the UK as a gift to relatives and friends who may have happy memo­ ries of the Ribble valley, or to others who have never been here but are fascinated to see a snapshot of the Lancashire countryside through the eyes of a resident. John is pleased .to report


that demand for his book is still strong, which means he is able to erijoy drivingaround this picturesque area on a reg­ ular basis visiting his regular customers, thus combining business with pleasure!


As May approaches fast, the impending election isn’t the only drama in the Ribble Val­ ley as Ribchester Amateur Theatrical Societies prepare for their latest production. RATS final production of


the 2014/15 season is Den­ nis Potter’s muchloved and critically acclaimed “Blue . Remembered Hills”. It is notable for the fact that the characters, all ofwhom chil­ dren, are played by adults. This rendition o f the


highly regarded BBC’s “Play for Today”, which starred Helen Mirren, is directed by RATS’chairperson and regu­ lar David Procter. “Blue Remembered Hills”


stars John Royle as Willy, Tony Woolmington as Peter and debutante Susie Lam- burn as Audrey. Also return-


ing to the stage are RATS’ treasurer Peter Kenrick; Ja- nine Shaw and, fresh from the pantomime, Emily Watts. Additionally, Toni Robinson is to make her stage debut as Angela, the role played by Helen Mirren in the 1979 TV play. . Presented in the round,


the play focuses around a group of seven-year-olds and their exploits on one hot summer’s day in 1943. • Producer William Tho­


mas said: “It’s a very exciting production, the staging is quite creative and hopefully makes for an intense, inti­ mate and immersive theatre experience.” RATS haven’t presented


anything in the round since Bryony Frost directed “Alice in Wonderland” in 2006. AS


such, it should be noted that tickets are very limited, only 60 for each performance as opposed to the usual 100 odd seats. As ‘Blue Remembered


Hills’ is also a standard GCSE drama text, RATS have made the decision to offer a cheap­ er ticket to under 16s priced at £4. However, due to the content of the play, profan­ ity and trauma, it is suggest­ ed that this isn’t suitable for under 12s. Adult tickets are the standard £6. Dennis Potter’s “Blue


Remembered Hills” is on at Ribchester Village Hall on Thursday May 14th, Friday May 15th and Saturday May 16th. Doors open at 7 pm and the show starts at 7-45 pm prompt. To order tickets call 01254878530.


m /j 1 1 Siv mm rM (jjg »i;5 f CUTHEROEADVERnSER&TlMES I 31 VALLEY ENTERTAINMENT


b y J u l i e M a g e e julie.magee@jpress.co.uk Twitter @clithadvertiser


The picturesque village of Downham is back on our tel­ evision screens once again as popular re-runs of the hit fam­ ily drama “Born and Bred” find a new audience.


New exhibition on hit BBC drama MY; BELOVED


'DOWNHAM' A CHILDHOOD MEMORY


The drama, which consists of 36 episodes filmed between April 2002 and August 2005,


• is now playing on ITV player channel 20, Sky drama 158 and Freeview ITV channel 20. The popular series is the


story of a GP and his son. It is based in the fictional village of Ormstdnin the 1950s and stars “Likely Lad” James Bolam and former EastEnder Michael French. A host of guest stars include Roger Lloyd Pack and Denise Welch. The drama attracted be­


tween seven and eight mil­ lion viewers an episode when it was screened on a Sunday night and proved a real boost for local tourism. And now a display showing


some of the press attention the TV series attracted has been erected in Clitheroe’s Platform Gallery, Hudson’s Ic­ es at Chatburn and Downham Icecreams by local author Mrs Anne Musson to coincide with the re-runs of the drama. Anne, who was born and


brought up in Downham, published her book, “My Be­ loved Downham: A Child­ hood Memory”, just as the BBC started to film “Born and


Bred”. Each time the drama is re­


run on TV is an added bonus for the village and the Ribble Valley as it is for sales of Anne’s book. During filming, sales of


Anne’s book rocketed with actor Michael French and numerous crew members al­ so buying a copy. Anne is no stranger to the


film cameras though as she re­ members “Whistle Down the


Wind” being made when she was a child. Filmed in the spring of


1961 in Downham and the surrounding area it tells the captivating story of school children who mistook an es­ caped convictfor Jesus Christ. Copies of Anne’s book will


be on sale alongside the exhi­ bition priced at £7-50. Alternatively buy a copy


directly from Anne on 01200 425681.


BY : ANNE MUSSON . ThefrontcoverofAnneMusson’sbook'MyBelovedDownham’


Fabulous folk event a treat for audience


Review: The Tom McCon- ville Trio, at Grindleton Pa­ vilion.


Rock, rap and just about eve- ■ ryothermusicalgenrewillbe


■ represented in a Bank Holi­ day charity music and beer festival in Mellor this Sunday (May3rd). From 12-30 pm onwards,


bands and vocalists will take to a lorry trailer stage in the beer garden of The Traders Arms. After 9-30 pm, per- formerswilltransferindoors for acoustic sets, all of them donating their time and tal­ ent to raise money for Rose- mere Cancer Foundation. The event has been or­ ganised by the pub’s manag-


• er Pete Foster, who has also arranged for the bar to serve two additional guest real ales and foodfrom an outdoorbar- becue.Petesaid:“Rosemereis a charity close to many of our


• • hearts here at the Traders Arms. “We have at least nine local acts signedup to appear inour festival, as well as some -


hearts out for Rosemere m


TheTradersArmsatMellor


.'great beers and food so we’re hoping we will be well sup­


ported. Even if the weather is less than kind and it rains, we have two marquees to keep everyonedry.We’reanticipat- ing selling around 400 ticket sales, which should make for a good atmosphere for the performers and a good Bank Holiday for Rosemere." . Tickets costs £4 in ad­


vance or £5 on the day. Ad­ vance tickets are available from The Traders Arms, as well as those in the festival . line-up, which include the Wagon Wheels, Slydes, Remi (, Suspex, Wagon Train, Roo-


sevelt Room Alex Johnson and Chris Byrne. 'Rosemere fundraises


to bring world class cancer treatment and services to lo­ cal cancer patients via their local hospital and the region’s specialist Rosemere Cancer Centre in Preston by buying vital equipment and funding research and training that the NHS is unable to fund. It also works to provide free access to complementary therapies for all those going through treatmentandmake the surroundings in which treatment is given more pa­ tient-friendly.


A packed house at Grindleton Pavilion were treated to an ex­ cellent concert from the Tom McConvilleTrio. Tom is an internationally


renowned singer and fiddle player who comes from the North East, but his family comes from Ireland Donegal, and from a small town on the shores of Loch Swilly, called Buncrana. I say this because I know


Buncrana, having lived in the vicinity many years ago. Tom is an exceedingly ac­


complished performer. His- dexterity on the fiddle is im­ pressive and he had our toes tapping within minutes. He is also very skilled at


creating a rapport with the audience with his humorous comments between num­ bers. He tried to get us to sing


some choruses, but I don’t think we were up to scratch I His choice of numbers gave us a wide range of music from' Geordie Land, to Ireland ar. i Scotland and with some local Lancashire elements.


» -He was accompanied by ..iXa-j’.ir.WlTTiit li


Phil Waites on guitar. Phil is a great guitarist. His part in Tom’s songs added much and he had his opportunity for a solo, playing American folk music, a delightful contrast. Phil’s wife Jane completed


the trio. She was amazing, a skilled fiddle player who could also play the flute. She is most memorable for her clog danc­ ing. She is a champion.' I wondered how clog danc­


ing would fit in to a musical evening. I was blown awayl Her intricate and masterly steps formed an wonderful complement to themusic, like


astrongbeat. I .".WilSVV X.Vi'iOC -ill


I admired her adroit foot­


work, never missing a step. The trio are well worth


catching. They are being sup­ ported by Spot On who e n - ' ' courage musical groups to ' perform in local venues. The Tom McConville Trio


are appearing as part of the Lancashire Rural Touring Groups. I think we should support


such enterprises. As a friend said: “It’s good when so many larger venues are closing that we should welcome good mu­ sic close to home”. I agree wholeheartedly.


PippaMunroHebden TfA-iJ-j.-M .


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Ensemble De Luz’s Ribble Valley date


Next month sees the return to the borough of “Ensemble De Luz” following their sell out performance at Whalley Abbey in February. The ensemble with Mar­


tin Hoffman on the flute, Gaynor Sutcliffe, violin, Aimee Johnson, viola and Graham Morris, cello, will appear on Thursday May 7th asoneofthepopular Knowle Green Village Hall Luncheon Concerts. The ensemble is made up


of some of the country’s most polished musicians both so- loisticly and orchestrally. All four studied at the


prestigious Royal Northern College of Music and perform regularly with some of the finest orchestras including the Halle, BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata. As the name suggests,-


“Ensemble of Light” in the Spanish language, the pro­ gramme is light-hearted and fun with great variety. Although the focus is still


on the classical repertoire they want to create a highly polished concert with a less formal approach. Combining virtuosity,


• personality anSvibrancy the sruttann nwntic ssc


four musicians er\joy to play1 together just as much as the audience love to watch and listen. Sit back and relax as “En­


semble De Luz” entertain with best loved classics, tan- gos and a whole host of other styles with a few useless snip­ pets of information thrown in to boot. The diverse programme


is to include “Flute Quartet” by Mozart, “La Cumparisita”, “Sway”, “FlightoftheBumble Bee”, the theme from “The


Godfather” and a whole lot rtrhes ii.&IZ-JtiV'J i>:11 ■ -


more...with not a politician insight. Arrive for cake and coffee


from 11-30 am, the concert is'' from 12 until 1 pm. There is a two-course lunch of pie and seasonal vegetables plus a dessert.- ' It will be served at 1 pm fol­


lowing on from the concert! The cost is £15 for the concert'


andmealor£iofortheconcert only. Call 01200 425629 any


time up u n t i l 5-30 pm Wednesday May 6th to re­ serve a p la c e .-------------


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