Latest News.

Why not come to the National Football Museum and join in the with the fun, after all it is free.

We would like to extend a grateful thanks 'Jeffrey Riggs' from Devon, for a donation to the Society

Central Lancashire University contacted me to see if I could find material in dialect for a football project that is being considered

I recently recorded a dialect narration for Manchester Art Gallery in connection with the anniversary of the Uk's largest ever exhibition of art, held in Manchester in 1857.

The exhibition will be held until 27th. January and the entry is free. Pop along and enjoy, if you are interested in dialect, the recording is number 4 in the gallery. There is also the transcript of the work both in dialect and standard english. Let me know what you think of the work be it bad, or good.

We have received Journals number 1. to 38. from Mr Harry Hargreaves, a gradely thank you is extended on behalf of the members Harry.

Geffrey Mather and Derek Stanton, featured on BBC Television Channel Four. The programme is

What a wonderful neet we had at the converted former chapel at Whittle-le-Woods.

The hall is a credit to the local community. Well done indeed, and another complete

SIR,- When I came to Todmorden in 1868, I was struck with the appearance of the people. They appeared to me to be less robust and healthy than they were twenty years and In the course of my visits in the parish, I have come across something that may account for the change i.e the great injury that is being inflicted upon the weavers by the use of China clay. The doctors tell us that the use of this clay brings on consumption, and is destroying those who work in the midst of it. We should dismiss China clay from our weaving sheds. To abolish the use of it a general movement of the weavers throughout the cotton district should be made, but it need not be a class movement. I believe that many respectable manufacturers would hail the disuse of China clay as joyfully as the weavers themselves.

I shall be glad to co-operate with those who may be disposed to move in this matter.

I wonder if you could help me?  I'm trying to find out, purely for my
personal satisfaction, the origin of the use of the word "lodge" to
describe a [usually artificial] reservoir of water.  It  seems to be a
Lancashire phenomenon; even as close as Yorkshire the term "dam" is
preferred, which latter expression is of course also used .

I was amused to see "Ah could sup a lodge full" in the letter on the
ldsociety website.  Speaking of which, how do I go about joining?  And if
you are unable to solve my puzzle for me, could you point me in possible
directions?

Look forward to hearing from you.

Jim Johnston FCII
Assistant Director

Hello, I am a Lancashire lass, married to a Lancashire lad and living in Cheshire for the last thirty years. Until recently we visited Blackburn every fortnight to visit our parents; throughout our married life. Mum-in-Law just died last year in her nineties. We don't want to lose our links with Lancashire and our dialect, or to lose the tales we could tell about our parents and their friends and relations. Sil o'puts, that was our Grandad, from Guide. Lol o'Mighties, Tom o'Dicks and Alice o'Tom o'Dicks, Charlie Poor, Aunt Selyna, all those who used to frequent the King Edward Pub at Belthorn in the Edwardian era. And those who frequented Rosins in Pickup Bank and The Grey Mare on the Haslingden Road during the post war years. The Hargreaves family were......are.... funny, close, loving and kind and I am proud to have married into them and I want to tell the stories of these people. Once when Dad was in hospital 'cos he'd got blood poisoning from stinging his thumb on a gurnard fish bone.....Mum was responsible for feeding his pullets.......she got the provin mixed up with the bone meal.......next morning all the chickens in the coyte were standing around cemented into the feed.....dead standing up....... These are the stories I don't want to lose. I was eighteen when I married my Lancashire Lad and now I am nearly a pensioner myself but I can remember when my first baby died, (it's OK, I had three fine ones after that) but when I was feeling desolate, my father-in-law came and sat on the bed in hospital and talked to me in Lancashire dialect......I had only heard Mum and Dad use that language between themselves, intimately......and so when he spoke it to me, his daughter-in-law, I knew he must love me a bit and that helped me over the hump. Dialect matters, it is worth preserving, there is intimacy and communication in it. Many thanks Penny Hargreaves --

Heather Mawhinney from Moston joined our merry band on Sunday Sept 4th. It was nice meeting you and your partner Heather. I hope you enjoyed the Challenge Day Session at the Mount Hotel Fleetwood.

we welcome, Vincent Jones, to the Society. Keep id quiet he say's he's fro' Surrey. Thankyou for your five pounds cheque, Vincent. We will be writing to you shortly.

We have recieved a letter from Donald Beswick who now lives in Camarillo, USA. he was formerly from Horwich near Bolton in Lancashire. Why not send us a photo Donald?. Still got the red rose runnimg through his veins and he has rejoined the Society.It was great to hear from you .

Alas the Society caravanette has gone to the scrapyard after 23 years it still had only 47.00 thousand miles on the clock from new. Whatever will we do now? Well I have acquired a Dandy trailer tent. Look out for this at Fylde Folk Festival and come

The start of this new Year will see the start of of filming and also the creation of a Lancashire Dialect Society Book.

The membership of the North West Oral History Network continues to grow. The members include individuals, local history societies, museums etc who are actively recording oral history in the Sound Archives catchment area.

The aim of the Oral History Network is to give members the opportunity to work together towards a common cause and to identify potentional interviewees in connection with each member's particular area of interest.

In the past people have naturally concentrated on recording thier own particular sphere of interest and therfore potential first hand memories have been lost for posterity. Now, through the Network, members can pass on the details of potential interviewees to other oral historians in the region.

The value of oral history reccording and the importance that it plays in capturing our heritage continues to become more widely regognised and accepted. In a constantly chaging world it allows an understanding of, and an insight into, the past.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Network, or know someone who would be interested, please contact North West Sound Archive.