CLUB NEWS
CENTRAL METHODIST CHURCH LADIES FELLOWSHIP BACUP
CENTRAL Methodist Ladies Fellowship started their new season’s meetings in mid September when they shared an opening dedication service called “Our Next Step” based on messages within the new Methodist Prayer Handbook “Jesus The First And Last”.
The service was led by Irene Wilkinson with responses by the ladies, three hymns were sung and Irene Lloyd gave the Bible reading.
The message and blessing was given by the Rev David Burrow who encouraged the ladies to take the next step and journey on.
The first October meeting was a talk called “Making A Difference” given by Lynn Haworth, a charity development worker for the M3 project.
This project is a special charity that caters for homeless people aged between 16 and 25 who need help finding accommodation.
They provide supported lodgings accommodation for single young people and also for young parents and their families which is offered for up to two years.
They also give advice, support and life skills to keep them safe, get them back into education, training and employment, to enable them to move on to more independent lives.
Lynn gave three examples given by people the M3 project had helped.
One older man had written his story of how he had been seriously ill and felt so thankful he had made a recovery that he had offered the use of his home to take in a needy person.
A younger man had told of how the project had helped him find a home, which led to him going back to education and finally able to find a place of his own.
The third letter was from a young woman who had been homeless after her partner left her, found she was pregnant and needed help, which was readily given to her.
Now, seven years later, with a young son, she is helping with the project.
There are eight team members and although they do get financial help and backing for major things, they also do charity funding for special needs for their young people.
The ladies gave a donation to Lynn and she was thanked for coming to
RAMSBOTTOM HERITAGE SOCIETY:
September 2017 meeting
Tony Mosedale opened the first monthly evening meeting of the new season by updating the audience on the society’s news over the last three months.
The summer visits were poorly attended with only seven people on each visit.
Joan Young is standing down as organiser of the gallery after five years and Karen Kay offered to replace her.
A volunteer is required to look after plants in the horse trough outside the library.
After refreshments, Stephen Halliwell presented an illustrated talk entitled ‘Moses Holden - self-taught genius’, who was a freeman of Preston, a founder of the University of Central Lancashire, an astronomer, a constructor and a travelling lecturer before the railways were built.
Moses Holden is an inspirational story of a boy born in Bolton but who moved to Preston when he was five.
Stephen became interested in local history after visiting St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides.
As Stephen was already a member of Preston Society – a Natural History and Birdwatchers group started in the 1870s – he decided to research the history of the society and discovered the Institute for the Diffusion of Knowledge which was co-founded by Moses Holden and the precursor of the University of Central Lancashire Stephen found an article written 1942 referring to documents presented to Preston museum including diaries and certificates.
They couldn’t be located in the museum in 2004, but Stephen was convinced they must be in the building.
Sometime later they were found when a room was being demolished to create wheelchair access and the library staff contacted Stephen.
Stephen wondered how many other ‘lost’ documents may exist in the library.
He found a photo in Manchester of Moses Holden. He was a son of a hand room weaver who was a Wesleyan Methodist.
He didn’t go to school, but when he was 5, Moses decided to study astronomy.
He gave sermons in his teenage years and he was sent to the Fylde area to preach.
He spent 18 months based in Poulton and from his diaries his movements could be tracked.
In 1828 he built a house in Jordan Street, Preston and seven years later Christ Church was built in the same street.
He made his own telescopes and optical equipment, the Orrery, magic lantern and glass slides.
He gave lectures in the Theatre Royal in Preston.
He gave three different lectures on three consecutive nights and on the fourth night he gave a summary of all lectures for the working man.
From 1815 - 1828 he lectured all over the North and Midlands using the canals to travel between venues.
There was a huge demand for his lectures and accounts found in the archives showed that three nights in Blackburn raised £140 with expenses of only £21, giving a profit of £119.
The University have now named the Moses Holden telescope in Longridge observatory.
Stephen Halliwell was proud to officially open the telescope, as Patrick Holden, an ancestor of Moses, couldn’t attend.
Patrick has donated a property to UCLAN to rent and fund a bursary.
Stephen concluded with a photo of his grandchildren who he wants to inspire to read about Moses Holden.
Tony Mosedale thanked Stephen for his knowledge and enthusiasm of his subject and his presentation, which was very detailed.
The next meeting of the Ramsbottom Heritage Society is on Wednesday, October 18 at 7.30 at the Civic Hall, when Kate Slinsgby will present an illustrated talk on the history of Market Place.
All are welcome, entry is £2 for non-members.
RAMSBOTTOM RECORDED MUSIC SOCIETY
Bonnie Scotland - Thursday, October 5 JOE Sowden, chairman of the Bury Society, was welcomed and began his presentation Bonnie Scotland in grand style with Scotland the Brave, complete with pipes and drums and the evening continued with all things north of the border.
Mendelssohn portrayed the Isle of Staffa to great effect with the Hebrides Overture, played by the Royal National Scottish Orchestra.
Lands of Hearts Desire, is a traditional Hebridean song, it was sung by Kenneth McKellar, who was featured later representing other islands i.e. Tramping Song (Uist), Bridal Song (Lewis) and finally McKellar sang an arrangement of a Robert Burns Poem, My Love is like a red, red rose.
Another, poem by Burns is Tam o’ Shanter, which inspired Malcolm Arnold in his Overture of the same name.
The Keltic Lament for string orchestra and harp by Mancunian John Foulds has become one of this neglected composer’s most famous works.
Two other pieces of music of composers from south of the border were The Glenlivet Fireworks (Carl Davies) and March from the Little Suite (Trevor Duncan).
After the latter Joe asked the audience to guess where the music had been used – it was of course the TV series Dr Finlay’s Casebook.
The harp is that most Keltic/Gaelic of instruments.
Hilary Rushmer (harp) was heard in Farewell to Fiunary, The Banks of Loch Eil and Farewell to Whisky.
St Kilda is an archipelago with westernmost islands of e.g. Dun – two items were played to represent this landmass.
Leezie Lyndsey and Tha Mi Sgith (I Am Weary) represented in one way or another the search for love.
Two medleys had been introduced of music and folk songs played on pipes, accordion etc., first Loch Lomond and to round off a most enjoyable evening interspersed with personal memories and anecdotes – Bonnie Dundee.
The next meeting of the society will be on Thursday, October 19, when general secretary Richard W Hall will present a programme entitled Tchaikovsky.
For further details please contact Richard W. Hall Tel: 01706 823490 or by e-mail richard.w@ hall45.eclipse.co.uk
HASLINGDEN LADIES LIFEBOAT GUILD
ANACAPRI in Helmshore was the venue for an Italian Night organised by the ladies of Haslingden Lifeboat Guild on Tuesday, October 3.
It was a packed restaurant, we enjoyed a superb meal and listened to local duo Dave and Wal as they played and sang memorable songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s.
The event raised £630 for the RNLI, the charity which saves lives at sea.
Chairman of the Guild Anita Collinge said: “It was a fabulous night, very lively and lots of fun with everyone joining in and dancing to songs they remember from days gone by.”
Special thanks were given to the staff at AnaCapri and Dave and Wal for making it a night to remember.
The next event is a quiz at Rossendale Golf Club on Friday, November 10.
Tickets are available from committee members or phone Rossendale 214308.
FRIENDS OF BOCHOLT
AS part of the celebrations to mark the 65th Anniversary of Twinning with Bocholt, Germany, the British German Society, otherwise known as Friends of Bocholt, in conjunction with Rossendale Ladies Choir and the 2nd Rossendale Scout Band, will be presenting a concert, ‘Ode To Joy’.
This will take place at St Peter’s Church, St Peter’s Avenue, Haslingden, on Saturday, October 21, at 7:30pm.
Tickets £8 (£5 for concessions) includes refreshments.
Tickets available from: Friends of Bocholt: 01706 215203, Ladies Choir: 01254 384175, 2nd Rossendale Scout Band: 01706 875819.
BACUP NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
OUR penultimate presentation of the 2017 Season of talks will be given on Thursday, October 19, at 7.30pm when we will welcome Councillor Anne Cheetham to give us ‘Reflections on the Post Office’, an intriguing title from a gifted speaker.
All are welcome, free admittance with refreshments provided.
We continue to attract new first timers to the museum, library and our WW1 projects, Fern Hill Hospital and Mrs Ibbitt ‘s 1917 Shop and Parlour, Tuesday from 1.30pm and Friday from 7.30pm.