MIDDLEWICH TUG OF WAR THEN AND NOW

 

L to R: Bob?, Frank Burrows, Alan Bourne, John Smith, IWA Lady, Mike McCrystal, Alan Betley, ?, ?

by Dave Roberts

There's long been a tradition of Tug of War competitions in Middlewich, fostered by years of Middlewich Carnivals and other events in the town.

The photo above shows the Kings Arms team in 1975 at a rally organised by the Inland Waterways Association on the site of Seddon's Pepper Street salt works (now the site of The Moorings off St Michael's Way).

You'll note a few question marks in the caption. On the extreme left is someone we're sure was called Bob (or Robert) but  can't recall his surname.  He lived in King Street and died tragically young while working abroad. On the right hand side of the line-up are two other familiar faces. Can anyone put names to them?

And if we've got any of these names wrong, or misidentified anyone, please don't hesitate to put us right.

We're calling it the IWA Rally of 1975 although the Association's Wikipedia page says that their main rally that year was in York. Whatever the truth of the matter, there most certainly was a boat rally in Middlewich that year and it was under the auspices of the IWA. Somewhere in our archives we have the official programme of events and this diary entry will be updated when it comes to light.

This boat rally was one of the inspirations for the Folk & Boat Festival fifteen years later.

L to R. Henry Barnet, Mike McCrystal, Cllr Derek Millington, Alan Betley, Bob ?, IWA Lady, Frank Burrows, John Smith, Alan Bourne, Alan 'Tud' Burrows, pub landlord Derek Williams

Our second photo shows members of what was obviously the winning team being congratulated by the lady we've dubbed 'IWA Lady'. Possibly back in those unenlightened days she may have been given the title 'Miss Waterways 1975' or somthing similar. She certainly appears to be wearing a sash indicating some distinction of that sort. Standing behind her is the elusive Bob (or Robert) again. We'd love to be able to record his full name for posterity.

And now, fifty years on in 2025, we can bring you news of a proposed revival of Tug of War in Middlewich, courtesy of the Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival.

Festival organisers have been approached by Bosley Tug of War Club with a view to Middlewich, with its much-expanded facilities at Kinderton, next year becoming a training venue for the National Championships. Hopefully this will lead, in future years, to Middlewich itself hosting the National Championships.

This year the Festival hopes to stage a 'taster' event at Kinderton Lodge as a way of re-introducing  this much loved sport to the town, and is hoping that organisations such as the Young Farmers might like to get involved.

Organisers would like to hear from you if you're interested in getting involved.

You can email them at:

mfabfestival@gmail.com

BOSLEY TUG OF WAR CLUB ON FACEBOOK

THE TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION

Acknowledgments:

Many thanks to:

ELAINE CARLIN

JOHN WILLIAMS

for the photographs.

FOLK & BOAT FESTIVAL 2022: BRINGING ON BACK THE GOOD TIMES!

 

Mr Graham Sivills is interviewed, in typically shambolic style, by Mr Roberts and points the way to the future of folk music in Middlewich and the World. Or something. Much has been said about 'putting the folk back into the Folk & Boat', but on Sunday afternoon at the Kinderton Hotel we managed to put the Folk & Boat Festival right back where it belongs. If you have a long memory you'll remember those magical Festival Sunday afternoons in the marquee, where we were all demob happy and up for it after all the stress and hard work of organising the Festival. We managed to recreate that wonderful Sunday afternoon feeling this year as we paid tribute to the Festival we were all a part of creating back in 1990. Right from the very beginning, the F&B has been supported by Middlewich Town Council and we invited along some of the Civic Dignitaries of yesteryear to enjoy the fun. Gracing us with their presence were: Dorothy Kelly-Hughes (aka Dot Roberts), who was Mayor of Middlewich in 1990, with husband Colin; Peter Cox (original F&B Committee member and Mayor in 1992) with son Ian, ex-Cllr Jim Basford and, representing the new breed of councillor, Mr Garnet Marshall. Other pioneers of the F&B present included Rita O'Hare (Secretary) with husband Mike, Mike Hough (Artistic Director), not forgetting Festival founder Richard Devaney and the man who guided the Folk & Boat from the very beginning, Dave Thompson. There were so many stories about how the Festival started and how it has managed, with the help of the MTC to survive and prosper for thirty years. And the music was the Real McCoy - the authentic and original sound of the Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival. Craig and Freddie Moores joined with Dave T to kick of the proceedings as The Salty Dog Blues band; Musical and Comedy genius Stanley Accrington came back to Middlewich to show us just how things were back in the day when we built up a great reputation for presenting comedy folk to the people of Middlewich. The Hayes Sisters from Stockport contributed a fabulous set, representing the younger folk sound which the F&B has always been careful to nurture. Local hero Snagger The Balloon Man was on hand to delight the kids with his amazing creations and Sarah Pearce was there to add some sparkly face-painting magic. And, of course, there were the Middlewich Paddies: Richard Devaney, Dave Thompson and Graham Sivills, the band that started the Festival all those years ago. It was my honour to introduce the whole show, just as I did in June 1990, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. There were so many well-wishers from the old days there, expressing their appreciation of the way we'd managed to recreate the magic of the Festival's early years. Many thanks to everyone who came along and helped us make it an occasion we'll always remember. If I've missed you out, don't hesitate to give my addled memory a nudge and let me know and I'll include you in this account..

THE END OF AN ERA - THE MIDDLEWICH PADDIES FAREWELL PERFORMANCE 18th JUNE 2023

 

BEFORE THE MIDDLEWICH DIARY: MOANING ABOUT THE MOANERS

Here's one from May  2011. Just a little bit of early Folk & Boat Festival memorabilia (adapted from an ERF Training manual). The real interest lies in the Facebook comments, featuring members of the original festival's organising committee  turning the tables on all those woefully misinformed  Middlewich Moaners. The subsequent feedback, from 2018, shows that all those  dismal mutterings from the more stupid element of Middlewich society obviously still rankled...

From Facebook, May 14th 2011

Now that festival fever is upon us once more, I thought I'd preserve this little piece of festival history. In the early years of MFAB we used to pin this on the doors of the various pub and club rooms we used for meetings. After a few years, the picture came closer and closer to the reality.

Facebook Feedback:

Ian Murfitt I remember many meetings like this one, the exception being the end of year financial meeting when we all stared at the floor, buttocks clenched, awaiting the pronouncement of the treasurer, whilst the rest of Middlewich muttered about what we did with the vast profits.


Stephen Dent What did we do with the vast profits? Oh, I remember now everyone in Middlewich made money except us!


Ian Murfitt Someone had a go at me last week about it. Working on that festival cost me a fortune, but Middlewich knows I was pocketing the vast profit, generated when they spent all weekend in a pub.


Dave Roberts Yes, we were all out of pocket running that festival. I recall the auditors telling us off because we didn't even claim all the expenses due to us. I'm afraid the new organising committee will have to put up with all the insinuations now. Personally, I've always felt that anyone making such accusations without even an iota of proof can go and...er...well, you know...


Stephen Dent Yes I feel sorry for the new organisers.

Editor's note: The references to the 'new organisers' comes about because 2011 was the year that the Town Council took over the running of the festival after it had run into financial difficulties. The 'new' name, 'Middlewich FAB Festival' dates from this time.

Facebook Feedback (May 2018)

When this little bit of Festival memorabilia was revived in May 2018, it attracted the following feedback:

Lizzie Rosenfield-Boyle Oh Dave I could tell some stories about meetings I’ve attended. And the hours I put in - and the sheer pleasure I experienced being a part of the team running said hugely successful festival.  And did I stand accused?! Of course I did ... yeah right. See you in the Bahamas!

Martin Rivers The old saying "no good deed goes unpunished".

Paul Williams In the early years we depended damn near entirely on John McAteer coming up with grants to kickstart the whole thing. It was certainly not going to pay for itself. Let alone let organisers put anything in their own pockets. It was always on a knife’s edge. People simply won’t believe you’ll give your time for nothing and there are enough dodgy accounting stories where that has been the case that they feel justified in their opinion. Not true of course. Community spirit abounds everywhere. Not least at the Middlewich FAB.

Dave Roberts Johnny Mac was, and remains, my all time hero. Most people will never know how much he did for this town with, as you say, pioneering work on the Folk festival and vast contributions of time and energy to help make the local football club what it is today. I always had the perfect, time-honoured phrase to use on those who'd sit and mutter into their pints, criticising the way the festival was run without, of course, ever volunteering to help in even the smallest way. It's 'Non-bowlers off the green'. Even the thickest knuckle-dragging member of the Keep Middlewich Miserable Campaign could understand what I meant, and it annoyed them no end. Which is always good, of course.