A BOLTON man has taken local traditions more than 5,000 miles.

Peter Ffoulkes, who now lives in San Francisco, still takes part in the traditional dancing he used to enjoy as a member of the Horwich Prize Medal Morris Men.

The former teacher, who now works in computing, became interested in Morris dancing when he taught in West Cumbria. When he moved to Greater Manchester, his interest switched from Cotswold Morris - with its sticks and hankies - to Lancashire Morris, with its slings and clogs.

He joined the Horwich Prize Medal Morris Men, which originated in 1892 among workers at the Horwich Locomotive Works.

Mr Ffoulkes said: "These were real folk, and I wanted to be part of that."

Through his job, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where there is a long tradition of folk music and dance, with active Cotswold Morris dancing teams.

He joined a team and took part in exhibitions and festivals. But when he later moved to San Francisco, he found there were no active Lancashire Morris teams.

After running a few workshops, he found enough interest to form a new team called Bufflehead.

"The reality is, I was, and still am, very lucky," he said. "I inherited some really good, experienced dancers who are great party animals!"

The reaction to Morris dancing from the Americans themselves, said Mr Ffoulkes, is much like it is in England.

"There are those who have no idea, but want to know what it represents - or what obscure part of Sweden it's from!" he said.

"And then there are those who just look at you funny and move away as quickly as possible, covering their children's eyes lest you corrupt them!"

He added: "The San Francisco Bay area is a very diverse and eclectic set of communities, with many ethnicities and active folk cultures.

"There are all sorts of street festivals and events that we perform at, as well as events we organise ourselves."

The team also travels to events further afield once or twice a year, which can involve a lengthy trip.

Southern California is 400 miles away, or there may even be a six-hour plane ride to cover the 3,000 or so miles to the East Coast or Canada.

Unlike the Horwich Prize Medal Morris Men, most of the Morris dancing teams in the States are female. So, was he never tempted just to join them?

He said: "That was a price I was just not prepared to pay!"