Talent on show at wine cellar venue
WINE cellar and music venue, Vicolo del Vino, hosted a Festive Fling, organised by three stalwarts of the Rochdale arts and culture community, Pam Ashton, Robin Parker and Helen Chicot.
The packed, atmospheric cellar room reverberated to the music, words and dancing of the best of our local talent.
Faye Emma Louise Walton, 26, attending the event, told me that it was the first time she had been to anything like this and couldn’t wait for the next one, when she was going to bring her friends and work colleagues.
We were wowed by the quality of OakenHoof Cloggers’ folk dancing and musicianship, the singing and playing of Between the Vines (Rebecca and Kev Whitehead) and the words, both humorous and poignant, of the Baum Poets.
The evening was expertly fronted by mum and daughter Helen and Robyn Chicot and the talented Oakenhoof team.
The open-mic element brought contributions from musicians and poets, including some who had only dropped in for a drink, unaware that the Fling was going on.
Mike and Sara Howarth, Vicolo del Vino proprietors, provided drink and food to satisfy even the most discerning of tastes.
They must be hugely thanked and congratulated for creating this wonderful outlet for local talent.
Robin Parker said: “It is hard to believe that this time last year Rochdale town centre was recovering from the worst floods in living memory.
“The clean-up took months, but some businesses sadly closed forever.
“One which has changed its use is the old basement of Number Ten Gallery, Baillie Street, which has reopened from The Butts Avenue as Vicolo del Vino wine bar.
“The stone floor now provides an ideal surface for clog dancing and so Littleborough’s OakenHoof Cloggers teamed up with Baum poets and acoustic duo Between the Vines to enjoy a Festive Fling.
“This, in my view, was one of the best collaborative events that I have been privileged to be part of and just proves that, whatever the trauma, the arts, like the phoenix, will always rise again.”
Local groups like Oakenhoof, Baum Poets and the Edwin Waugh Society are not only