Ceilidh and dance, Samlesbury Hall, 4th September

"But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles"

The Procliamers - I am Gonna Be





We are on our way to St Bees on the Irish Sea coast for the 'Big One' - Wainwright's 200 mile Coast to Coast walk, starting on Tuesday and finishing 2 weeks later at Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea coast. Robert has gone ahead to spend a weekend with his sister Teresa who has organised a Ceilidh for her friends and family to raise funds for 1000miles4hope.

Teresa and her husband Nick live in the sprawling village of Balderstone in the Ribble valley. It lies just off the A59 between Preston and Clitheroe and it is at the same time one of the largest and smallest villages in this beautiful part of Lancashire. Large because it is comprised of single homes or farmhouses which sprawl along country lanes and farm tracks over a wide area of gently undulating slopes, and small because,despite the 'yuppie' influx into new stone cottages, it comprises only around 500 people, who on most afternoons and evenings can be found in or passing through Teresa and Nick's house. Not big enough to have a pub - the locals have found 'workarounds' - it does have an Anglican church, a small primary school and a community centre located together at what can be estimated to be roughly the geographical centre of this meandering settlement.

Coming from the 'Big Smoke' Robert has always been struck by the strong sense of community and friendship that can be found in communities like this and so is not surprised to hear that when Teresa suggested to her friends and neighbours that she wanted to do something to help 1000miles4hope that they sprang into action. They quickly set about identifying who in their network of friends has what it needs to help put on an 'event'. As Robert has come to learn over the years of visiting his sister and her family, an event in this part of the world has to involve not only people but music, dance and liberal supplies of 'refreshment' to oil the activities, lubricate the body and refresh the mind. And so the idea of a Ceilidh is born!


So, with Teresa in overall command as Head of Combined Forces with headquarters in the war room at the Old Barn, and Nick, Teresa's husband, providing logistical support and muscle power (sic), the Balderstone forces were off. First to fall was the War Memorial and Village Hall in the nearby village of Samlesbury which was secured and held as the site for the 'event' following undercover intelligence gathering by Ruth, Teresa's 18 year old, soon to depart for St Andrews, daughter.
Next Seb, an 18 year old boy and life long friend of Ruth from Green House Farm was encircled along with his disco equipment and precious record supplies and was commandered for the cause - poor boy, he didn't stand a chance.
Victory here was quickly followed up by commissioning Pat, a retired teacher from Clitheroe, to call the Ceilidh dancing - apparently poor Pat has only ever done this once before but, in the spirit of Dunkerque, responded to the call to arms.
Anne, Teresa and Nick's neighbour - 'she's the sister I never had' Teresa always reminds Robert as if it was his fault in some way for this sibling deficiency - commissioned her wonderful family from nearby Oswaldtwistel (no - it's not a spelling mistake) to attend, and provided storage facilities for the 'refreshment'. Doug and Matt, from Fairfield farm - originally a pig farm and now a thriving butcher's and farmers shop in Clayton-le-Dale - stepped forward to offer ample helpings of Lancashire style, freshly prepared meat and potato pie (with the crust served separately), mushy peas, red cabbage and beetroot - yummy!!!


Only in this part of the world would the village hall be looked after by the local brewery - InBev where Stella Artois, Becks and Budweiser are caringly brewed. The key to the village hall is held for safekeeping at the security gate where the security guards provide not only round-the-clock custodian services but humour as well - when Teresa asks the duty guard for the key, wearing her figure hugging bright red t-shirt and her blue shorts which display her still holiday sun-tanned legs, she is greeted with a smile and a "my name's Dave what is yours" chatline as he looked her up and down. After some coy girlie giggling, the key was finally secured. With Nick and Robert, Teresa quickly organised the setting up of the venue.


A Cielidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland and Scotland and before discos and nightclubs there were céilidhs in most town and village halls on Friday or Saturday nights and they are still common today 'oop north'. The term is derived from the Old Irish céle meaning "companion". Céilidhs facilitated courting and prospects of marriage for young (and now the not so young) people. Céilidh music may be provided by an assortment of fiddle, flute, tin whistle, accordion, bodhran and in more recent times also drums and electric bass guitar - we had Seb. The dancing, ably led by Pat, involves what looks to the uninitiated as a combination of reels, line dancing and Morris dancing, is infact a carefully choreographed and highly structured series of manoeuvres involving a group or 'set' of couples who fling each other round and down and along the dance floor, changing partners as they go and ducking man-made arches. Wonderful, energetic and uninhibitating.

They came from far and wide - Langho, Mellor, Osbaldeston, Mellor Brook, Wilpshire, Whalley. First to arrive and last to leave were the lovely ladies form the Ribble Valley Homes Association in Mellor - Chystalla (Teresa and Robert's mother), Anne, the former mayoress of the Ribble Valley, Margaret (mum's lovely next door neighbour),
Vera, Joan and her sister Marianne, Annie and Susan, warden of the housing estate where the ladies live, with her husband Peter. They threw themselves into the 'refreshments', meat pie and the dancing!

The party goes on late through the night. Like perfect guests, the last people do not leave until the 'refreshments' are fully consumed. Robert reflects how naturally friendly and generous people in communities like the Ribble valley are. We have had fun and raised £1000 for the cause. On behalf of Patsy and Sarah, for whom we have dedicated our Coast to Coast walk, and all people with MS - thank you for bringing hope of a treatment a little nearer.


Please donate now at http://www.justgiving.com/1000miles4hope