A brief history Pucklechurch Folk Dance Club.


The Club was a result of a conversation that Les and Mary Whittock had with Alan and Von Holder, at the Pucklechurch Beer Festival Folk Dance with Tubby Reynolds calling, during the summer of 1976 and its first session was in January 1977. Around a dozen people turned up for that first Tuesday night, although there was much help from Brian Salway, of Bristol Fashion, there were problems with getting callers so Les Whittock and Alan Holder tried their hands at calling. It was a great event when the Club purchased a record player and the Community Folk Dance LP's. For the next forty years there has been a great variety of callers and bands.

The Club went through a difficult time in the 70's when the numbers became low, but with the building of the new Community Centre, in which we were able to move into early 1982, the Club started to grow again, until the membership had grown to over 60, and the Club was averaging forty people at our fortnightly evening meetings. It was decided to hold an annual Christmas Dance, where on occasions over a hundred tickets were sold. It was not only famous for the quality of the dancing but for food provided by the Club ladies, then came an annual Summer Dance. The Christmas and Summer dances are still a feature of our dancing calendar.

For many years the Club ran a Folk Dance for the village children during Revel week, which was noticeable more for the enthusiastic dancing by the children than its finesse.

In 1991 the last Club night fell on December 3rd. A member suggested that the Club try a Dinner Dance. It did and this continued very successfully until the millennium year.

Encouraged by Les Whittock, a local folk dance band was formed called Hobgoblin, which lasted for twenty five years. "The most famous unknown folk dance band in the West Country."

From the first discussions in 1976 Les Whittock gave the Folk Club six months and the Club is still thriving after forty years.
If you are reading this history, and not a member of our Club, then you are more than welcome to come and join us, as it continues to meet every fortnight on a Tuesday, starting at 7.45pm and ending at 10.15pm.including the Summer months in the Pucklechurch Community Centre, Abson Road



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