Sunday 5 October 2014

Leeds Pan Central play Little London Community Centre

Now then Debs - not in Carriacou, not in Dubai, but here in Leeds, and what's more right in the middle of this excellent "another fine mess". Yippee! Not only that, Debs, coming here today from Huddersfield you were here first. Ever thus.
 
 

 
 
When Lisa asked me to play Culture Day, celebrating the Day of the Older Person [actually October 1st], it was because she had seen Foxwood and Sparrows at Unity, and when I heard the good cause, I knew I wanted to do this one. Gig and workshop for older people with dementia, or with learning difficulties or with none of the above. And in Little London. Inner -city, local. [And it appears that the centre is soon to be demolished! Hmmm!]
 
 

Just needed to find a bandful who were part-time, flexi-time, out of work, on holiday or, in your case, Debs over here for some medical treatment. In the end we were me, you, Trish, Wendy, Georgia and Tim. I collected a few spare pans for the workshop; Little London Community centre was in the middle of a massive great building site; parking was tricky and limited; Wendy and Tricia agreed to meet up earlier and come down in the one car; I grabbed another pan from Sacred Heart, called in at home to pick up Gig, who wasn't there; found you: Deb; we unloaded, then I spent sometime parking in a tight spot.
 

When Tim texted to say he was at the Children's Centre Meanwood Rd, I read that to say Community Centre, Meanwood. After the parking and discovering that you and I appeared to be a duo, my stress levels rocketed. Then Trish and Wendy appeared; it turned out that Tim was at Little London Children's Centre, Meanwood Road, and then Gig appeared out of nowhere, but all too late. Set list! Never!

 
Debs, as you know, we went down a storm. The audience were enjoying the tunes so much they didn't want the workshop. We found as many songs as we could, that we all could play, or in some cases, couldn't! It was a success; I was proud. We didn't play every note properly, but we played as a team. People danced, clapped along, asked for an encore.
 
 
 
Leeds Pan Central is the name we have given to when our three Foxwood Panyard steelbands play together, and Foxwood Panyard is our Leeds Centre of Steelpan excellence. Foxwood Steel is private semi-pro, and Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows and East Steel are funded by Leeds ArtForms Music Service, but they all help each other out all of the time. And they're all great [not that I'm biased]

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