GOOD TURNOUT FOR CLAYTON SUMMER PARTY

Around 45 people enjoyed the Clayton-le-Moors Library Summer Party. The party has been an annual event for the past four years instigated by the Clayton Writers Group coordinator Charlotte Youds and library manager Patrick Jenkinson. As with previous years it took place in the Lecture Theatre at Accrington Library.

The event is the summer equivalent of the Oswaldtwistle Writers Christmas Party run by Oswaldtwistle Writers coordinator Peter Jones and both libraries pitch in and attend each other’s event.

When Clayton saw that Oswaldtwistle library ran a successful writers group, which started in 2010, Patrick and Charlotte approached them for advice on how to get one started in Clayton library, and since then both groups have prospered. They both took part in a poetry contest in 2015, organised by Langtec Limited, an international company based at Altham, to find a poem that would be featured on their website to promote the company, and Charlotte won that and was presented with a plaque and a cheque at a Clayton Writers meeting with members of Oswaldtwistle Writers present.

Both libraries are under threat of closure at the moment and all this camaraderie and community spirit, a feature of all the libraries in this area, would be a great loss should they close. One can only hope that Lancashire County Council finds a way to keep them both open.

These annual parties always feature a quiz entailing picture rounds and general knowledge as well as specialist categories such as current affairs, history and music to name but a smattering and they are always keenly contested. This year, first prize went to the Clitheroeans by a half point from in second Pigeon on the Stairs and Clayton Wonders were third by virtue of a tie-break, both teams having finished on the same points. All the teams were only separated by seven points so it was a close-run thing.

Entertainment took the form of two-piece band The Librarians Shhh consisting of Patrick Jenkinson and Nick Pamphlett who performed all their own compositions (links at the bottom of the page).

Patrick who, as stated earlier, is library manager at Clayton has written songs for many years now and was formerly a member of The Dirty Hands and The Dirty Hearts Club, both punk/new wave bands who played original material, Shadowplay, an acoustic band again with original sounds but who also did covers, and Swampdog, a covers band performing blues, heavy metal and classic rock and are still playing today. He plays guitar and bass guitar and also piano, but the latter is not for public consumption he tells me.
Nick is also a songwriter and plays guitar and bass guitar. He spent twelve years playing bass and singing backing vocals in a band called 1335 before forming a duo with Mark Thompson called Pamphlett/Thompson who performed at the summer party in 2014. Patrick told me that Mark is hopefully, producing The Librarians Shh’ first single, later this year.

When I asked how all this came about Patrick told me:

“Nick and I met working in the libraries and found we had a shared passion for music and particularly, song-writing. Both of us had a number of songs already written and had recently come out of bands, so we both decided to form a duo.”

A wonderful buffet was provided by Accrington Library Manager, Katherine Walsh assisted by her mother Julie Walsh and it was delicious as ever. They have catered for this event each year.

Patrick’s wife Catherine Jenkinson took all the pictures and I’m sure you will agree she did a great job, and everyone went home happy and satisfied. Let’s hope we can do it all again next year. The same goes for our joint Christmas party?  Are you listening Lancashire County Council?

© Peter Jones 2016 Pictures by Catherine Jenkinson

Videos by Angie Pamphlett.

"Dr. Faustus and Me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFKB8_odl1w

"Hard Road" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV3nIxgBClk

"Holding On For Something" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCnK2FP8IoQ

"Pedigree Dog" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93X29AuUzk0

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