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Next Meeting

Wednesday March 5th.

 
Take a look at
The Creative Barnsley Project covering all styles of the arts in the Barnsley area which we are pleased to be associated with.

Barnsley Accordion Club
Accordion Players of all standards from total beginner to expert are invited to join us at any of our meetings. Even if you just like the sound of the Accordion and want to sit and listen we shall be delighted to meet you.  All are welcome.

The club meets at about 8pm on the first Wednesday of each month at Barnsley Trades and Labour Club, Racecommon Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire

 The Newsletter February 2003

Previous Newsletter January 03 click here
Want to see the Xmas party report? click here
or for the party photos click here

Bad News First for you I am afraid

It was not my intention to write this newsletter myself, but it appears that this has been taken out of my hands by a higher authority.

Douglas wrote me that the newsletter would be a little late this time as he was going away for a couple of weeks. However, I have just been informed in a message from John Kenyon and passed on to me via the Music Box telephone number, that our beloved chairman and friend, Douglas Fellowes has since died. (At the point of writing I am in Cornwall with my aged parents so am a little out of touch).

Though in a state of shock with what seems a very sudden passing, we shall very much miss him, but will endeavour to carry on with the club in the manner he instigated and in the way which I know he wishes us to do.

Douglas Fellowes

Much of our longevity and the friendly atmosphere we are proud of in our club is due to Douglas`s balanced approach as chairman and humourous and tolerant concern to maintain a balance between the various musical enthusiasms and personalities which make up our club and work out a course of action that is most acceptable to all and it will be difficult to find someone who can maintain this and keep us together as he has.

Recently I have been working even closer with him as we set up first the accordion website and then the Barnsley Musicians Union website. Both of these were also linked to a Barnsley cultural website, the Creative Barnsley Project, as he was always in the thick of things in Barnsley music and we were exchanging e-mails several times a week.

Of course he was best known as the long-standing secretary of Barnsley Musicians Union and one of the best workers for the cause that they have, without a doubt. He was the first person I spoke to about Musicians Union membership many years ago and if I had been geographically situated at that time to join Barnsley I would still definitely have maintained my membership to the present day, as he worked hard for the union and definitely had the good of his members there at heart.

Douglas had of course been a major member of the local music community, not just on accordion as a player and teacher, but other keyboard instruments and done some very interesting work, starting in the big band days. He was also much in demand as a judge at accordion festivals etc and some of our members actually were taught by him many years ago.

We had also recently both been actively promoting the petition to protect live music from further encumbrances from the government and if you would like to show your appreciation to him I am sure he would be glad for you to use the link to sign that petition. (There is a link on the first page of our website).

Even though he has always had a health problem with his heart ever since I have known him he never let it interfere with his exuberant and positive contribution to our circle or to his other work and it is a sad irony that we only re-elected him to the position at the Annual General Meeting just last month.

BBC Radio Sheffield

If it were not for Doug`s passing there would be much to celebrate right now as, also at the last meeting we had a visit from a lady from BBC Radio Sheffield to record a programme about us. Here Douglas was in his element and gave a fascinatingly scholarly off-the-cuff interview about the origins of the accordion. It will be good for this to be broadcast I am sure and this has yet to take place.

We also highlighted the fact that the club is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and decided to make an occasion of it later on in the year with a dinner, possibly at Silkstone Lodge, to be investigated by Peter, who lives nearby.

Guest Artiste time

I believe Geoff Wright has arranged for us to have a guest artiste at the March meeting and it may be that he will also give a little workshop for us on one of his special musical styles.

Please make a point of coming to our next meeting if at all possible - we shall very soon need to sort out someone to take charge as Chairman as well as all keep our spirits up.

Alex

We welcome links to and from other accordion websites, please write to us about this, and hopefully we shall eventually get to each others meetings.

A links page will be added shortly. Please write in

This site is sponsored and produced for the club by
The Music Box, 31 The Lanes, Meadowhall Shopping Centre, Sheffield S9 1EP.