It’s been a busy couple of weeks with visits to Kirkham Companions, Ribby Hall, mindful walking group, United Reformed Church Friendship Group, St Michaels breakfast & open heritage day, Tea & Tale event at the Library, one-to-ones with members of the community including well-known DJ Mark Herrington for a trip down memory lane and all things music, not forgetting the wonderful ‘A Night out in Kirkham’ zoom reminiscing on Kirkham’s infamous nights out. We have also had lots of lovely old photographs shared to the kirkhamstorytellers@gmail.com email address, particularly of weddings at the Hillside – thank you Kirkhamers – keep them coming!
A strong theme is starting to develop to help me create the folk tale and its one of unity and travel. I am aware from my discussions with lots of people I am speaking too, a lot of people travel in and out of Kirkham, but something keeps them here, Something about the community, the history, the people, makes them want to stay. And from the many groups, I have learned a lot of togetherness, connectedness, and unity, so these themes are something I will definitely be including in the story.
Two of the gentlemen that came along to the ‘Night Out’ event on zoom were full of stories of Kirkham’s music scene, musical talent, and good humour – we had a ball and even ended up having a jam and forming a band ‘Philia and The Bridesmaids’ (Watch this space!).
I have had the pleasure of attending many more wonderful community groups this week. Kirkham really is a hub for trying to connect people and build friendships. I have also been meeting people one-to-one to gather their story with the help from Kirkham Cultural Consortium members Barbara and Amanda.
I have been really touched by the warm welcome I have received as the Bride, particularly from long-standing groups such as Kirkham Companions at the community centre and Friendship Group at the United Reformed Church. Barbara and Annette from The Kirkham Cultural Consortium have been helping me gather stories these two weeks, and after we spoke to some wonderful residents at Kirkham Companions with participants reaching up to the age of 90 we then even stayed for a fantastic talk from a member of the police team, a fascinating forensic specialist who showed us how to take fingerprints and carry out other important forensic research!
I met a lovely Brownie leader called Sue this week, who is keen to restage her first kiss with hubby Keith! I love working with all ages and love intergenerational projects that bring together older people with younger people so I am really hoping to work with the Brownies as part of the project. Sue was a real local expert and told me of the infamous pub crawls and brownie district meals at the Hillside. She also said this about the project which I thought was lovely:
“This is a great project to get involved in because everybody thinks they’re ordinary – like us – we are just ordinary. But when you come together and put all the stories together you can make something wonderful”
I think Sue has hit the nail on the head, it isn’t about one person having one extraordinary story (though if you do then please get in touch!), it is about how each of having our own story, but we are all connected. Each of our stories will connect somehow to other peoples – to historical events, cultural movements in history, personal relationships, historical sites or buildings, family and friendship connections. I have met many people who are worried that what they have to share isn’t special, and my message to them is it’s all special! In a technology-heavy time the art of sharing stories is more important than ever. Stories can comfort, build communities, help sooth loneliness, make us laugh and cry, help us feel connected to ourselves, to where we live, to others, our past and our future. More important than that, they are what makes us human. Each story is a gift so for anybody wondering if they should get involved in the project please do!
“Stories are a communal currency of humanity.” –Tahir Shah, in Arabian Night
We also took a trip to Ribby Hall this week (poor white wedding dress!) we got very muddy but handed out some flyers and spread word of the project far and wide. Tea & Tale events weren’t brilliantly attended this week but I did receive a wonderful welcome at the Library and chatted to a few people who were browsing the literature. I had a lovely long conversation with Veronica who works at the library and she is a Kirkhamer born and bred and had many a tale to spin! A couple of browsers were interested in our reminiscing and said they had lived in Kirkham 30 years to which Veronica said that made them official Kirkhamers.
I also met a lady who lives most of the year at Ribby Hall and said that the lakes there were a result of the bombings in WW2, a very good story indeed! Readers, let me know if this is true? If you have any historical information about any of the buildings mentioned or if you’d like to get in touch to share a memory, story or old photographs of your own please do: kirkhamstorytellers@gmail.com
I finished these 2 weeks of working in the community by attending St Michaels breakfast event and open heritage day. I met some fascinating people there and found out a lot more about the graves in the graveyard of Kirkham. And again these mysterious tunnels have come up again, said to travel between Mowbreck Hall and St Michaels and run underneath many pubs. Dave who attended ‘A Night Out in Kirkham’ kindly sent me this photograph from the local paper about the underground tunnels. Many stories are to be unearthed around St Michaels, including the much-deliberated skull and crossbones gravestone. Were they a pirate? A doctor? A Witch? What’s your story? Tell us at kirkhamstorytellers@gmail.com
I want to finish today with a special shout out to a new friend Maggie from Friendship Group who invited me to play bingo during Friendship Group and taught me the lingo “legs eleven!” “Get him out!” this was pure joy for me, a real highlight. She later rang the story hotline and has also posted a story via letter in the post box at United Reformed Church. Thank you Maggie, I hope many other members of the church and the community will be inspired to use the heritage post boxes! “Get him out!”
