Members
Here's a short biography and photo of each of our current and past members.
Current members
Geoff Thorp, one of the founders of 'The Chiltinas', lives in Maulden with his wife Carol and he is a retired Chartered Chemical Engineer. Geoff first became interested in the concertina as a member of the late Harry Boardman's Folk Club in Manchester, but only started to get to grips with 'the Beast' after being taken 'in-hand' by Gladys Thorp at the Sidmouth Folk Festival. Geoff loves to sing Folk songs and his ambition is to be able to accompany his singing with the concertina.
Jon McNamara (Mac) is also one of the groups founder members. Mac has a wife, Hillary (who dances clog) and a daughter, Samantha. Mac lives in Bishop's Stortford, where together with Hillary they run the local Folk Club - Stortfolk. Mac has retired so as to have more time to devote to music, writing, acting and producing plays. He is the editor of the groups occasional journal, the 'Chiltina Clarion' and is also the Chairman and the Sound Archivist of the International Concertina Association. He also produces the ICA music supplements and the editor for PICA. In addition, he plays guitar and sings, write and produces plays and still finds time to walk the dogs ! Mac and his family are keen supporters of the Capers Folk Camps. Mac is also one of the three people who managed to attend the first 40 Cambridge Folk Festivals. Concertina wise Mac's ambition is to play the instrument - and maybe, one day to use it to distract attention while he sings!
Martin Henshaw is the remaining founder member of the 'Chiltinas'. Martin is a retired H.P. Service Engineer and lives with his wife, Maureen in Northill, Beds. Martin owns several concertinas (English, Duet and Anglo!), he sings, plays guitar, melodeon and dabbles with many other musical instuments. Martin also has given workshops at concertina events, e.g. Kilve and Swaledale. He is a great supporter of the group and is joint treasurer, along with Geoff. Also, he is 'involved' with a Morris side and is on membership secretary of the ICA! In this picture we see Martin playing the very common but unusual 'invisible' Wheatstone Concertina.
Ross Spall lives in Watford Village, Northamptonshire, and is a retired maths teacher. He took up playing the English Concertina in 2006 after encouragement from his wife, Sarah. Ross played the violin, clarinet, guitar and recorder to various levels in his younger days, and occasionally still plays the violin and recorder. Whilst a teacher he played the violin in the school orchestra. Ross's other interests include spending time on his narrowboat, caravanning, occasionally skiing, and his vintage 1931 Morris Minor. Ross says the main reason he attends the Chiltinas is to sample the lovely cakes made by Carol (Geoff's wife)!!
Sarah James is married to Ross and she used to be an Occupational Therapist, but does not work now. Sarah started learning to play the piano in 2005 at the age of 50+, having previously given up at the age of nine. Later in 2005 she decided to learn to play the English Concertina so that she could play music whilst enjoying narrowboat holidays. Sarah enjoys listening to a broad variety of music. Her other interests include spending time with her young grandson, looking after her three dogs, keeping marine fish, caravanning and narrowboating. Sarah and Ross attended Kilve (Beginners/Intermediate) in 2009 and found the weekend to be really motivational.
Paul Hardy lives near Cambridge and still works part time in the UK and part time in the USA, being versatile and 'mapping' his life very satisfactorily! He took up concertina at age 40, having only dabbled with guitar and whistle for the 20 years before. He did play cello at school, and gained O-level music. He chose concertina largely from hearing someone play ‘Planxty Irwin’ 20 years earlier! When in the UK, Paul helped to run a regular instrumental music practice group called Greenshoots which has helped him improve his playing a lot in the past years. He says that the residential weekends at Kilve have also helped him considerably. Paul now has four ‘tinas, plus one in bits that he is renovating. He has also publishes an excellent book of Folk Tunes. See Paul's website for more information on his tune books and Greenshoots.
Kevin Davis is married and lives in Dane End, in Ware, Herts. Kevin shows great enthusiasm for music and playing the concertina and always seems to be laughing. Kevin is also a keen toxopholist and makes long bows in his leisure time. In the past, he has played the English concertina in a Country Dance Band and sets our standards for playing jigs and reels at the correct speed for dancing and loves Irish music. He is also very much into French music and regularly attends the Sunday meetings in Hitchin.
John Warren lives in Ampthill, the lovely Georgian town nestling close to Maulden. John doesn't read 'the dots' but is a very accomplished folk musician who plays in several country dance bands. He has a wonderful collection of Anglo concertinas from 'little-uns'' to 'big-uns'. John comes to the meetings whenever he can, but as a consulting engineer, he spends a great deal of his time working outside of the UK.
Carol Thorp, Geoff's wife, doesn't play the concertina, but sings in St. Mary's Church Choir and she comprises the one and only member of the Chiltinas' Support Group! Carol has for many years been providing the home-made cakes and making the tea and coffee for the Sunday's mid-session refreshment break. Carol also produces a wonderful spread of home-made goodies for the annual Chiltinas' BBQ. It is rumoured that many members' primary reason for being a member of the Chiltinas is not to play the concertina, but rather to sample Carol's cakes!
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Past members
Denis Slater is a retired Primary school teacher. He started playing the Melodeon in 1980 having at that time, some skill on the recorder. Denis started playing the Anglo Concertina the following year and subsequently played in the Spike Island Band around Southhampton. He now plays regularly with the Haslingfield Folk Band and with the Harston Folk Band (both villages near Cambridge). Two years ago, he started playing the Englsh Concertina. Being an accomplished musician, he is able to switch from one system to the other with relative ease! He plays in the band at the meets of the Camping and Caravanning Club Folk Section and annually at the Folk Camp at Zeilitzheim in Bavaria. Denis and his wife, Jean, usually find time at the C and CC Folk meets to hold sessions in their caravan awning to help and encourage less skilled musicians playing on different instruments. We were sorry to lose Denis and Jean as Jean has mobility problems and finds stairs at our meeting place difficult!
Jean Slater is the wife of Denis Slater and they live in St. Ives in Cambridgeshire. Jean, a retired nurse, first played keyboard, moved onto the Melodeon, but now she mainly plays the Anglo Concertina. Jean and Denis are both great supporters of the Folk section of the Camping and Caravanning Club and can regularly be seen playing in the band for the Country Dancing. Jean also plays in the Haslingfield Folk Dance Band and at the annual Folk Camp in Bavaria.
Michael Bell, now retired, worked in the motor industry as an 'Industrial Hygienist' - one who controls the chemical dangers of Health & Safety at work. In this role, he gained considerable notoriety for his novel approach to the job, and after retiring, he has taken the same approach to playing the concertina. Michael lived in Hitchin, Herts and is famous in the Chiltinas for the 'innovative' handles he has designed and fitted to his English concertina in place of the thumb straps and little finger rests. Michael bought his first concertina in 1996 and joined the Chiltinas in it's early days. He is interested in all kinds of music, but especially the music of his native Northumberland. Despite his appalling voice ('his words') and an inability to keep pitch, he hopes to become a singer. Michael also dances and hopes to become good enough on the concertina to play in a country dance band - no doubt to the relief of many of the lady dancers. Sadly Michael, a great supporter of the group, has now moved to live in the N.E. of England and is missed at the group meetings.
Stevie Fletcher lives in Hitchin, Herts. Stevie is a peripatetic librarian who plays the English concertina and is very involved in various choral activities, including West Gallery shape music and the Village Pub carolling traditions of the Sheffield area. Stevie is a valuable asset of the Chiltinas, especially when it comes to our annual Carol concert at the Taymer Nursing Home. She can sing a song directly from the manuscript and is always ready to keep us in line with phrasing, tune note lengths and many other 'technical' aspects of the music. Stevie can usually be found leading the 'Shape Notes' workshops in the Parish Church at the Sidmouth Folk Festival. Sadly, Stevie works at the British Libary in London and we only get to see her ocasionally as she now concentrates on her first love West Gallery.
Tom Wilks is retired and is almost our most 'senior' member who moved from Diss to live near to his daughter in Stevenage, Herts. He plays the English concertina (which he took-up in his seventies!), and before joining the Chiltinas, he used to play with the East Anglia Concertina Players. He also plays whistle and fiddle in a country dance band. Since the sad loss of his wife, Tom has bought a camper so that he can visit the Folk Festivals and attend meetings of the folk section of the Camping and Caravanning Club. Sad to say, Tom has had to resign his membership due to difficulties driving to/from the Chiltina meetings in bad light!
John Bloomfield is married and lives in Potterspury, Towcester, South Northamptonshire, which is about 23 miles from Maulden. and he plays the Anglo concertina. His first instrument was a C/C# harmonica and he first went to a folk club when he was 16. John plays a Lachenal 32 button C/G metal ended Anglo, bought in 1995, in the 'Irish' style, i.e. in the same key and octave that a English treble would use. He says that most people teaching in England would use it as a transposing instrument. He usually attends the Irish music for Anglos at 'Concertinas at Witney' but says he is very poor at reading music, preferring to play from memory. Sadly, John is only seen at meetings on very rare occasions!
Michael Charnoby used to travel a fair distance from Ely in Cambridgeshire to meetings of the Chiltinas but sadly he has now become a lapsed member. Michael, like a lot of us, is not very adept at reading music, but he soon picks up the tune. He plays the Anglo concertina and is very interested in playing Folk Music, concertina band and music for Morris Dancing.
Maureen Loomes (another lapsed member) is a teacher who lives in Stevenage, Herts and plays the English concertina. She is married and her husband plays the guitar. They have two daughters and all the family play instruments and sing. They are regular supporters of the Folk section of the Camping and Caravanning Club and regularly host Folk Camp meetings for the club in Beds and Herts. Maureen is interested in playing Folk Music, concertina band and for music for dancing. Sorry to say, Maureen is no longer a member!
John Wilson plays the English concertina and enjoys singing folk songs. John sings with feeling and is always happy to solo a few good old English Folk songs in sessions. He is interested in playing Folk Music, concertina band and music for the Morris. He is a great Morris enthusiast and has in the past been the Squire of a Morris side. He now lives south of London so we now only see him at Kilve or Sidmouth!.
Alan Whitbread lives in the area around Stratford-upon-Avon (a 130 miles round trip for his occasional visits to Maulden). Alan started to play the concertina in November 2000 on early retirement, and plays an extended treble English Lachenal Edeophone (12 sided) c1902 with metal buttons and ends. He is also a member of West Country Concertina Players, which is based near Taunton (a 220 miles round trip!). Alan dances with and plays with four morris sides (ie Shakespeare,Tarka, Chameleonic and Welsh Border). He loves to sing shanties with the 'Shellback Chorus' and 'Navy Cut' and pub songs with 'Bold Heroes'. Quite apart from enjoying morris tunes, he likes English folk music and accompanies his singing with his concertina."
Susanne Higgins lives in East Ham in London. Susanne plays the Duet concertina and has a very fine singing voice and is talented and knowledgeable enough to be able to sing any song straight from the dots in perfect pitch. Susanne, Bryan Creer and Valmai Goodyear have been performing at several folk festivals such as Whitby Folk Week.
Kath Wing is one of our 'senior' members, (mature in years but young at heart!). Kath plays the duet concertina and accordion and lives in Brandon in Norfolk, which is a considerable distance from Maulden. Kath and her late husband were well known in folk circles and often acted as stewards at Sidmouth Folk festival et al . Kath has a considerable experience in playing in country dance bands and still camps and plays regularly with the folk section of the Camping and Caravanning Club. Kath had some 'hush-hush' connection with Bletchley Park in the 2nd World War and has written a book about her experiences.
Robin Tims lives with his wife, Marrianne, in the village of Congham in North Norfolk.
Robin plays the English Concertina and the Melodeon and has been associated with the Morris for some time!
Unfortunately Robin, once a very keen attender at Chiltina meetimgs, now lives at a distance too great to travel to Maulden, but he still remains a supporter of The Chiltinas and we hope he may visit us for a 'squeeze' from time to time. He plays for a Morris side in North Norfolk and attends meetings of a concertina group based nearer to home.
David Lee lived in Dunmow in Essex. Apart from playing the treble, baritone and bass English concertinas. David had a great passsion for singing, especially West Gallery. David, being one of our better players, often lead the group playing and keept us in strict time. David's long round trip from Dunmow to Maulden and back, never makes him 'flitched' from attending our monthly meetings as a regular. Sadly, David died on 11th October 2009 and is greatly missed, not only by the Chiltinas but by all his many friends and aquaintances in the folk fraternity.
Janet Goodbody lived in Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey and played the English concertina, keyboards and recorder. Janet was another member who was enthusiastic enough to travel a good distance to attend the meetings of the Chiltinas. She was interested in playing Folk Music, concertina band and enjoyed choral and folk singing. Janet was a regular at the West Country Concertina Players meetings at Kilve Court in Kilve, Somerset. Janet had recently aquired a small camper like that of Tom Wilks so that she could attend as many Folk Festivals as possible! Sadly, Janet died on 5th November 2006 after a long illness and she is greatly missed by all those who knew her.