I have the record! Christine Parkinson proudly displays her copy of the 1950 recording

AN appeal to members of a 50-year-old recorder group who made a record to celebrate the birth of the Princess Royal has brought calls flooding in.

As reported in the BEN, the recorder group at St Matthew's School, Little Lever, made the record which they sent to Princess Elizabeth -- now the Queen -- on the birth of her daughter, Princess Anne, back in 1950.

The Rev Ian Anthony, vicar and headmaster at St Matthew's, came across a yellowing card showing a photograph of the group and a thank you letter from Clarence house, when he was clearing out the vestry and asked our readers to help trace copies of the record.

Mr Anthony's timely appeal coincided with the recent birthday celebrations for the Princess Royal, who reached her half century recently.

And Mrs Christine Parkinson -- nee Farrington -- phoned and said: " I'm on the photograph, and I've got a copy of the record!"

Mrs Parkinson, who now lives in Anderton, can vaguely remember as a 10-year-old going off to Manchester to make the record.

She was given a copy which was looked after by her mother and then passed onto her brother, Keith Farrington, who also went to St Matthew's.

He then passed it onto her and it has been tucked away for many years.

Mrs Parkinson said: "It can only be played on a 78 and is still in its original cover in a plastic sleeve."

And she can remember there were six tunes on the record. She can also recall that the photograph was taken on the lawns of the vicarage which is now the site of the council offices.

Mrs Parkinson, now a 60-year-old grandmother, said the recorder group also included a big bass, cymbals and they even had singers.

She added: "We were quite a band and we used to perform locally."

She also recognised several of the boys and girls on the photograph, including Angela Crompton, Dorothy Hill, Pat Foulkes -- who now runs a bar in Tenerife, Edward Wilson, Peter Wade, Graham Tyldesley and Sylvia Hankey. Also featured on the photograph was Maureen Edge, another pupil to whom the letter thanking the children for their present, was addressed.

The children recorded their version of the hymn, The Lord is My Shepherd, for Princess Anne and, after posting it off, they received a letter from Clarence House thanking them for their generous gift.

The thank you letter was addressed to Maureen Edge, then a 10-year-old recorder player with the ensemble.

Maureen, whose married name is Smith, is now 60 and lives in Westhoughton.

She told the BEN: "After it was decided to send the record the headteacher, Mr Watson, set a competition for the group to write a letter to send with it.

"Mine was chosen as the winner which is why the letter from Clarence House was addressed to me."

Maureen said the choir received many plaudits for their version of the hymn, which was arranged by St Matthew's music teacher, Roy Grundy.

"We were first asked to go to Manchester to play the song on the BBC Home Service Children's Hour," said Maureen. "It went down really well and it was suggested that we make it into a record. We recorded it at the BBC's studio in Manchester.

"I used to have a copy of the record but I lent it to someone. I don't know whether it was returned or not so it could be in the house somewhere."

She added: "They were wonderful times and seeing the picture again brought back happy memories. I still go back to Little Lever and I still see some of my old friends from the music group every now again."

Doreen Rowlands, nee Livesey, of Smithills, also had a welcome trip down memory lane, thanks to the BEN appeal.

Doreen, now 61, says she has remained firm friends with the three Crompton sisters, Angela, Josephine and Rosemary, who appeared in the group.

"The group was made up of pupils from different classes and different ages," she said. "I didn't know all of them but I remember most and still see a few of them now -- they were very happy days."