Where it all started.

When I was about 9 or 10, I danced for a troupe called Leigh Marionettes. We practised at Wigan Road Working Mens Club (where Leigh West Park train today). I have never seen or heard of this troupe in any archives or other websites. Does anyone else remember them?

This picture is of either the tinies or juniors at Fleetwood around 1969 or 1970

I remember some of the dancers. The leader was called Lesley. No 1 girl was Linda Banker and she had a sister Olga who, I think was no 12. There was also Kim Wilcox no 2, Tina Wood no 4, my sister Jill Greenhalgh no 6 and Angela Green no 7. These are who I can recognise and remember their names. I would love more info, if anyone has any please leave a message in my guestbook.

I remember one of our highlights was coming 1st at the Leigh Carnival- our own ground. I remember celebrating by going to the chippy for supper-Jones’ chippy on Twist lane, Leigh. The best around!! Our main rivals were probably Westleigh trained by Mrs Barton.

Unfortunately, my mum didn’t really get into the morris world and I was only allowed to dance for 1 season. Even though such a young age and I only danced for a short while the bug had bitten!!

Wherever I went either as a child or adult if there were morris dancers dancing I always made a beeline to watch them.

Many years later, I had children of my own. I took my daughter then aged 4 to Hope Carr but she didn’t really take to it.

When I had 2 more children I employed a nanny to come and look after them at home (cheaper and less hassle than taking them to a childminder). This nanny was 20 and danced for a troupe run by her mum. She had been dancing herself since the age of 5.

My elder daughter, Alison, by now 11 tried again, going along to Suerita Stars run by Sue and Rita who broke away from Cherry Tree, then in Bolton

Alison was a natural, took to it straight away and loved it. My younger daughter, Jenny started when she was 3 and as I went with them every week I sometimes ‘stood in’ for absent seniors. Then I started back dancing as a means of keeping fit and before I knew it at the ripe old age of 30, I relaunched my morris dancing career!!

I danced with the senior line for about 2 years until sadly, Sue and Rita fell out and the troupe disbanded. Both trainers went on to set up further troupes-Sue ran the very successful Farnworth Solitaires that danced with TMDA and Rita began Sarmandon Hearts that danced with the late Mary of Newall Green. I continued dancing in the senior section with Rita until she finally hung up her training shoes after the championships in 2000.

Rita danced for a short while with AJays until becoming a judge, initially for TMDA and now for FMT.

When Rita disbanded Sarmandon Hearts, my kids pressurised me into setting up a troupe myself. I was very doubtful as although I helped Rita out a little with her troupe I didn’t have the faintist idea of how to put a troupe together, how to devise a dance, armworks, how to get ourselves into an organisation and where to get dresses, pumps and all the other paraphanalia.

After a lot of thought, enquiries on the internet (God Bless the internet!!) and a lot of help from Ian McKinnon (many thanks), Leigh Zodiacs was born in May 2001.

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