EVERYONE wants to make a good impression with their in-laws, but for one man, that turned into over half a century of community work.
Brian Young, 77, first started volunteering for the Little Lever Senior Citizens Party in 1961, when his father-in-law said they were looking for a “big strong man” to lend a hand.
The then 21 year old Mr Young took him up on the offer as he wanted to stay on good terms with his in-laws, and because he was assured that it “didn’t entail all that much work”.
56 years later, Mr Young is still helping-out every year and is still married to his wife Rosemary.
After all these years of organising, Mr Young said: “I suspect that I am now the person who has attended more Senior Citizen’s Parties than anyone else in Little Lever, and I hope to continue for more years to come.
“It is my hope that it will continue to bring enjoyment to many folks in the future.
“My concern is that at some stage in the future I will no longer be able to carry out my ‘strong young man’ duties. Perhaps there is a younger ‘strong young man’ who might like to become involved.”
Mr Young added that it used to be called the ‘Old Folks Party’, but he became less keen on that name when he got to 65 and was able to attend in his own right.
The party has been held for over sixty years and provides over-65 residents of Little Lever with a meal, entertainment from local artists, and a going-home present at the end of the night.
It is held annually, in March, at Christ Church on Mytham Road, Little Lever.
A regular attendee at the party, Little Lever resident Freda Platt, said of the party: “I think it’s a lovely thing.
“Some people who come may have lost their husband or partner and they can come along and meet other people”.
Mrs Platt added that she enjoys the “comradeship more than anything else” and “meeting people you haven’t seen for a long time, even people who live in the village.
“People are relaxed, they enjoy it. I think people really look forward to it”.
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