Jack Hatfield from East Tennessee,USA breezed into the Helsby thursday night bluegrass workshop. Jack was his usual ‘cheery’ self and gave us all a good night. The HOP brought Jack over for a holiday and we took him with us on our annual school workshop project. Femme fatale Lorraine Baker accompanied Stuart and Mr. Plank and Jack to 5 Cheshire schools in ONE day!! Hectic.... yes!! worth it!! Oh yes!! The kids loved Jack’s antics especially at the last school, Chestnut Lodge, Widnes (Special Needs school). All the children here as well as the many helpers and staff were treated to a 5 star performance of fun and good music from our American guest. To all those good HOP people that donated money to this schools project... thanks.. I wish you could have seen the laughter and sheer enjoyment from some of those children. Approximately 800 kids got to hear bluegrass and the banjo in Cheshire. We then sent Jack on a site-seeing trip to Edinburgh, Scotland and HOP reader Jim Connor organised some more school workshops and another 800 children in The Lowlands of Scotland got a repeat performance of ‘LIVE’ music from Mr. Hatfield and apparently they loved every minute . A special big thanks goes out to Jim & Mary Connor for their wonderful Scottish hospitality. Thanks also to Jack, Lorraine and Stuart for the assistance AND a final BIG BIG thanks to Roy Jones the Halton Borough Arts Development Officer who financially sponsored the schools day.

Extract from The House of Plank issue May 1999.