Old Lancashire
customs are disappearing thick and fast. However Singleton Cloggers are
countering that trend with their traditional music and dance. We are
officially classed as a North West Clog Morris team, a rather long term
for what is essentially a group of men and women keeping tradition
alive and having fun, whilst entertaining people. Our team are members
of the Morris Federation, an organization which brings together dancers
and musicians from the many varieties of English folk dance.
So
what of our history. Singleton Cloggers were formed in 1949, leading
the gala procession at Singleton village once a year. They were all
local residents who performed in uniforms not too dissimilar to those
we wear today. This continued until the team disbanded in the mid
sixties.
Reformed in the early seventies and led by a local
resident, Marjorie Ward, the team again led the village gala and
started to dance at other local fetes and galas. New dances were
added, some named after local landmarks, all of which were created by
the team. Since this time the group has had many variations of
uniform, however, the clogs have remained the constant. We now have
over sixteen dancers and seven musicians and travel much further a
field within the UK performing with other teams in colourful? dance and
music extravaganzas, though we maintain our support to our roots which
is the galas of Singleton, Weeton and Poulton-le-Fylde.
We
continue as a mixed team, though these days the members live all around
the Fylde. In order to maintain our high standards, we practice every
Monday evening mostly in the village hall,. Although we practice all
year round, except for a short break in December, the performance
season usually runs from May to September .
We welcome newcomers
and you can be assured of a warm and friendly reception. Over the
years those who have joined have enjoyed many hours of practice,
performing and the all important "apres clog". One local Singleton
man danced in every decade from the fifties to the nineties,
