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The '66 Hurst Hat Trick • Northern Life • '66 World Cup
“Some people are on the pitch. They think it’s all over… It is now.” Those were the famous words of BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme, describing England’s fourth goal in their ’66 World Cup victory over West Germany at Wembley Stadium. With the recent World Cup, football fever is sweeping the country as England attempts to snap a 56-year drought by winning their first major trophy since 1966. The World Cup is more than a tournament—it unifies a people, galvanizes a nation through a shared, i...
From Lancashire to Texas • Northern Life
Have you ever looked up who was number one on the UK charts the day you were born? Well, that’s exactly what Darwen soul singer Paul Davies did and discovered ‘I’ve Never Been To Me’ by American music legend, Charlene, was number 1 in 1982 on the day he was born. Quite fitting then, that at the time of the number-one-hit’s 40th anniversary and Paul’s 40th birthday, Charlene and Paul joined forces to write and record new hit, ‘Fairytale Life’. Paul is no stranger to working with classic Motown ar...
Talk of the Town • Northern Life
Most people who purchase Northern Life usually sit feet up, magazine in hand, browsing. However, not all of our northern followers, are readers, but are in fact, listeners… In 1968, senior librarian Ronald Sturt went on a study visit to Västerås in Sweden. The library there had, with the local association for the blind, started a talking newspaper, Arosbandet.And so, in January 1970, one of the first Talking Newspapers was born. Tape cassettes dropped through the letterboxes of 20 blind people i...
The Man Behind the Magician • Northern Life
On September 14th 1880, Carel Johannes Crambie, entered the world. Born in Holland, a dreadful tragedy happened in his life at just the young age of five. “My great grandfather was a ship engineer, he would work on all the barges in Rotterdam, there were lots more canals in this city compared to Amsterdam.” said Geoff. Carel’s father would allow him to keep him company at work, but one day as his father was repairing an engine on the canal, the engine backfired and his father fell into the cold...
Geoff Goes 'Off Up Lenches' • Northern Life
If you’re from the Lancashire town of Colne, you’ll know what folk mean when they say, ‘we’re off up Lenches’. Once a bustling area, it‘s now much quieter. Lenches Road Lenches was a thriving place, all part of Waterside, hundreds of people used to live there. Today I’d say less than 50 people live there because it’s altered that much, its where the Admiral Lord Rodney pub is,” said Geoff. “Right at the bottom of Lenches Road was Garden Street, it ran off over the beck in Colne water. My mother-...
Hidden Talent • Northern Life
Sophia Smith speaks to portrait artist MARTIN KRUPINSKI about rediscovering his hidden talent. The odd sketch on an evening turned out to be more than Martin Krupinski imagined, with each brushstroke he rediscovered a talent for art that he had kept buried for many years. Martin began creating stunning portraits of famous icons, family and friends from his home in Colne. Be aware, these are not your typical pencil to paper sketches, instead, Martin creates draw-dropping portraits with bursts...
The South • Northern Life
The South are back up north and doing what they do best, performing the timeless classics of the great British pop institution, The Beautiful South. Since the demise of The Beautiful South in 2007, the nine-piece live band have spent years touring up and down the country, bringing back the full sound and arrangements of treasured hits. Keeping alive those timeless songs – A Little Time, Rotterdam, Song For Whoever, and Don’t Marry Her as well as The South originals. Gaz Birtles moves to th...
Colne's In The Mix • Northern Life
A few years ago, I remember walking into The Venue in the small Lancashire town of Colne on an open mic night to see one man and his guitar amidst plenty of women swooning. If he wasn’t on the stage performing, he was behind the bar pouring my ‘I’ve lost count of what number this is’ shot of Sambuca. Patrick Ralphson, a 21-year-old lad from Trawden, will perform to over half a million people in O2 arenas next year. In 2020, Patrick took place in the BBC One music competition: Little Mix: The...
Former Housemartin Flies The Nest - Dave Hemmingway » Northern Life
You do not need to have been born in the eighties to know the iconic hits of The Housemartins. I remember sneaking a 7” vinyl of ‘Happy Hour’ with a B side of ‘The Mighty Ship’ from my Auntie’s collection when she was a teenager. No matter what age you are you can sing along to ‘Rotterdam’, ‘Dream A Little Dream’ or ‘Song for Whoever’. From The Housemartins, to the Beautiful South and then to The South, drummer Dave Hemmingway flew the nest to create his new band, The Sunbirds. “I got tired of
