Karen brings Motown to Middleton
Middleton Civic Centre manager Bob Morrissey goes all-American with promoter Karen Grace for their joint venture to bring Motown magic to the heart of Middleton.
FROM principal to promoter - the change in career for one Middleton mum has been quite dramatic.
Over the past two years, Karen Grace, has gone from managing an independent school and classrooms full of kids, to putting on 'Vegas style' nights in her home-town and bringing Motown music to the masses.
And the mum of two couldn't be happier with her new found vocation.
She said: "I absolutley love it. And I don't have a myriad of paperwork on my desk that I have to get through."
Karen, 48, started out teaching five children in the kitchen of her home. But this quickly grew, and before long she had opened her own school, called the Jospeh Rayner Independent School, with 60 pupils.
But after 18 years at the helm, ill-health forced her to give up.
So she set about finding an alternative career and soon hit upon the idea of event promotion. The launch of XX-es Entertainment quickly followed.
"I started out doing ladies evenings. But they were spread out all over and I wanted to focus on my home-town of Middleton," said Karen who lives on Malta Close, Middleton Junction. "I decided I wanted to bring a little bit of class to Middleton."
So she decided to bring a bit of Motown magic to Middleton and arranged for the American Four Tops to perform at Bella Sardinia. The night was a complete sell-out.
Now she has joined forces with Middleton's Civic Centre for two more sensational nights - The American Drifters Show on Saturday 23 February and the American Four Tops in April.
She added: "We're calling it Motown to Middleton with a Vegas style. I think if we get it right and get support from local people then it will go very well. I definitely think there is a market for this.
"Ladies love to get dressed up and have a nice night and so do men. We are trying to fulfill that."
And Karen hopes the joint venture with the civic will be the beginning of a new era for Middleton entertainment.
Bob Morrisey, civic centre manager, said: "What we want to do is bring a class production to a very large niche market and we hope to evolve this into the new arena.
"We are now setting a benchmark for the quality of show that will be in the new arena and helping to build Middleton for the future."
Stars signed up for the Civic
A FORGOTTEN book containing the autographs of some of the biggest names in showbiz who took to the stage in Middleton, has been unearthed.
The unique visitors’ book – which dates back to the opening of Middleton's Civic Centre in 1975 – reads like a who's who of the celebrity world of the '70s with such greats as The Jam’s Paul Weller, Mike Harding, Joe Loss, David Kossoff, The Crystals and Victoria Wood, to name but a few.
It had originally been stored in the depths of the civic centre. But when a sewer burst, flooding the basement, the book was securely stashed away and subsequently forgotten about ... until now.
Thanks to the eagle eye of centre manager Bob Morrisey, the book has recently resurfaced and is already causing quite a stir.
The list of names goes on for pages with rebel MP Barabara Castle, singer Matt Monroe, comedian Tommy Cannon and Bolton Bullfrog, Bernard Wrigley among those who passed through the civic centre’s doors back in the late 70s.
Bob said: “I’ve already been offered a lot of money for it. It’s a seriously nickable book.
“It is the very first visitors book we had and the only record we've got from the opening of the civic centre. All the other records were destroyed when the sewers burst.
“Two were destroyed but I managed to pull this one from the sewer in time. It is a unique book. It shows the quality of bands we had and the megastars who came here.
“We want to do a display covering all the history of the civic before it moves. So if anybody has any photographs or memories of these times and acts then get in touch.”
If anyone can help contact the Guardian on 0161 643 3615.
Oh and any would-be thieves should be warned. Due to the book’s value it is no longer being kept in the civic, but in a safe and secure location!
Customer Service Award for Middleton Civic Centre
In October 2007, Middleton Civic Centre received a customer service award from Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council. This was the only award received by Link4Life. The award recognised the work put in by the Core Team of Bob Morrisey, Centre Manager; Kate Rhodes, Finance and Admin Officer and Caretakers Philip Brierley and Simon Jefferson.
Receiving their awards are from the Mayor are Simon Jefferson (left) and Philip Brierley (right)