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At the Spoken Word Festival in Heptonstall

CATHERINE SHAW ANSWERS THE HEBWEB Q&A

Catherine, can you tell us about your early years, your family and education?

Hi George, so I grew up in Burnley, then went to Accrington College to do my A levels - alumni include Julie Hesmondalgh (the year below me) and Joelle Taylor (the year above me), so I was in good company. Straight after A levels I went to North East London Polytechnic to read Cultural Studies. London had always fascinated me and I knew that I'd live there one day. It was brilliant.

You worked as a film producer in London. Then you got married and had children?

I got a job in a Film & TV company, as a runner, as soon as I finished my degree. The world was just turning digital but I still managed to work with actual film, celluloid, and I loved it. I ended up as a producer and worked in the film industry for over 15 years. I had my daughter and fully expected to go back to work but as soon as I saw her, I knew that it could only be me looking after her. My son followed 22 months later and I was a full time mum.

 

What brought you to Hebden Bridge?

I never wanted to bring up my children in London, and I knew that I would never go back to 12+ hour days in media. I wanted to be close to my family especially my mum who lived in Lancashire. I knew Hebden Bridge very well. Also, my aunty Kath to whom I was very close lived there. I knew I never wanted to live in Burnley again. My partner Dermot really liked Hebden, so we decided this was the place we wanted to bring up our children.

I've enjoyed hearing your performance poems about your mum. Can you tell us about her?

Oh my mum was ace, so funny without realising it. She made me laugh like no-one else. I wrote 'Barbara's Mates" based on how my mum used to refer to people, never by their given names, there was always a description based on how they looked, what they wore, what they drank, etc. So she had a very good friend called Margaret who wore a wig, hence her name 'Margaret wig', a neighbour with a limp became "Im wi t'leg". There's 'Carol lesbian, Joyce wi her own knees, little fat Kath, etc.

None of it was cruel It was very funny so I knicked all of those and made a poem out of it. She was very kind and my children loved spending time with her. Even in the last few days of her life she was making all the hospital staff laugh and was the star of the show on her ward. I was devastated when she died 5 years ago, still am, I miss her so much.

Listen to Barbara's Mates

Your father was also an inspiration?

Yes my dad was a real rock star. He was a petrol head and always had at least 3 or 4 motorbikes in his garage that he was doing up. My dad was interested in so many things and was so active. As a child we used to go camping most weekends - in all weathers, pot-holing, hill climbing, always with other families, ending up in a pub with singing. He was a brilliant musician and painter as well. After he retired as a clerk of works he became a volunteer for so many things, his favourite being a blood biker. At age 75 he'd think nothing of getting woken up at 3am to go and deliver some blood to a hospital miles away. He loved it and they loved him. When he died 4 years ago, he had a blood bike named after him. That was his legacy.

Listen to Me dad were a rock n roll star

There's been a great response to your spoken word charity events. What motivated you to organise them?

I'd written a poem about my dad to read at his celebration of life. I had a few months to plan the event but didn't want to be thinking of it all the time so coming up with a poetry night was a distraction. (Also a way to read my poems to a captive audience, ha ha).

I'd written poems about menopause too which was dominating my life. I thought if I could get some well known poets and some open mic-ers it might be a good combination. Also we could give all the profits to Sheffield Children's Hospital. My son has a rare bone disease and had been under their care for 5 years and they are so brilliant with him and us a family. I wanted to give something back. I'm quite shameless and cheeky so I don't mind asking people if they'll come and do something for a good cause.

Fortunately everyone I approached (Amanda Daulton, Clare Shaw, Jill Penny, Steve Lake and Toria Garbutt) all agreed to do the show and we were inundated with people wanting an open mic slot. It was a total sell out and and a huge success, we raised over £600 that first time. It was only meant to be a one off but since everyone enjoyed it, I decided to do more. Toria Garbutt said it was the most rock n roll poetry night she'd ever been to.

We'll pause and find out some things you like.

Favourite book?

The secret diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 and 3/4.

Film?

Jaws

Box set?

RuPaul's Drag Race, Sopranos, Greys Anatomy

Podcast?

Desert Island Discs

Holiday location?

Greece

Memory?

Children being born

What caused you to buy a massage parlour in Hebden Bridge?

Come now George, its not a massage parlour, anything but parlour; centre, shop, salon. So I'd always loved massage, giving and receiving, I went to the Banyan Tree for a massage and had a light bulb moment. My children were little; 5 and 7 and I thought I could learn massage and go round offices etc and give massage to workers and work this around my children's school hours.

So I did a one day course in chair massage and then the banyan tree came up for sale. I talked to the owner about buying equipment and she suggested I buy the business. I talked to my friend Kellie who was just closing down a business, and within days we had bought the banyan tree. Kellie had no qualifications in that area and I had done a one day course so we used to have hire people in to do the treatments. Obviously we both then trained very hard in different disciplines.

Sorry about that! Salon it is. You developed your own expertise as a masseuse? Did you go on courses?

I have done many, many courses in massage, well-being and body work, that I can now do almost anything that people want. I think it's practice that makes you good, as well as intuition and having a love for what you do. And I do love it. It's a two way thing, it's important to know what people want and use what's in your tool bag to give them that. It's also important that people trust me and what I'm doing, when that happens the magic begins.

I have clients that still come to me from 12 years when I first started and every massage is different depending on how they're feeling on the day. It's a wonderful feeling knowing that you're making a positive difference to someone's day. I love my clients and I love my job.

You have a new husband. How did you meet?

With husband Jonathan on their handfasting day

Oh yes, my wonderful Mr M. We met a couple of months after my mum died. I was being reclusive and found it difficult to see or have contact with my friends. I took refuge in a Facebook group called AFgang. Afgang is basically a fan group for the band IDLES of whom I am an enormous fan. There was a gig on at the the Trades I wanted to go to and I offered a ticket to anyone on Afgang if they could tell me the plotline to Line of Duty (I was getting bit lost).

Jonathan Mackay answered and was very witty, he really made me laugh, so we agreed to go to the gig together. I had no expectations at all. I was grieving heavily and having a love life was the last thing on my mind. Well, it turned out very differently. We fell in love pretty quickly and we hand-fasted a year later (pagan wedding). Jon is the most wonderful man. We have a fabulous life together and we're one big family now with his grown up children, my teenagers and their father, we have Christmas together, go to gigs together, its great.

Jonathan is also a performance poet?

Indeed he is. When we did the first Poetry of it All at the trades I suggested that Jonathan write and perform a poem. Well he came up with a blinder, so funny and he read it without a script. It brought the house down. He's since written quite a few more and recently we both did a 'set' at the Heptonstall Festival. He's an amazing writer and just keeps getting better.

I've really enjoyed your spoken word Charity Concerts. How much have you raised so far?

We've raised around £1800. We now give just the raffle money to the charity since I like to be able to look after the main performers with accommodation and expenses etc. We've had such amazing people: Jackie Kay, John Hegley, Mike Garry, Zaphar Kunnial, Fran Isherwood, Claire Astew and more. It's become a bit of an institution at the Trades now, if I may be so bold.

Do you have more events planned this year?

Yes, we have The Poetry of it All 5, on Tuesday 19th November. We have a real superstar household name headlining. You wouldn't know him for poetry since he's very famous as being other people…… but he's now touring as a poet and I'm delighted that he's agreed to do our show.

Catherine, is there a question you would like me to have asked? How would you answer it?

Yes, I would have liked you to ask: What are your children like?

So, my children are absolutely brilliant, wonderful, clever, funny. They have the humour of me and their dad which is a great mixture. My daughter is very bright, she could have studied anything and she chose Maths at Edinburgh University. She loves it there and has overcome a lot of struggles and is making her own fantastic life there. I'm so incredibly proud of her.

 

Left: With daughter Isobella at Funny Girls in Blackpool.
Right: With son Albie in Hebden Bridge

My son is exceptionally musically talented. He's also very bright, very sharp and very witty. Everyone he meets loves him, he has an innate charm and warmth and people just want to be around him. He's studying music production at Manchester Music College and whether others will get to see it or not, we know that is a rock star.

Finally, do you mind sharing one of your performance videos with us?

I'll send you a video of me reading Tap Dancing and a couple of other poems.

I recently won 3rd place at Morecambe Poetry festival with Tap Dancing, judged by Donna Ashworth. Can't believe it. I've never entered a competition before, I'm so chuffed.

Tap Dancing

This has been wonderful George, thank you

Thank you, Catherine. You're a human dynamo, even with a pot on your leg.

With George at The Grayston Unity

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