The best player was Lottie Fleetwood, she would pound out the songs and we would all sing along.
We were one of the few people in Percy Main village to have a piano and, when my mother’s two sisters came down from Newcastle to see her, which was quite often (especially after my father died), my mother would ask her friends and neighbours round for a sing-song.
My mother would play a little, but the best player was Lottie Fleetwood. She was a very imposing woman, tall and large with a very dark complexion. She had dark, piercing eyes (she reminded me of a gypsy) and was full of fun and energy. She would pound out the songs and we would all sing along. It was a wonderful way for people to get together and my two aunties made friends with the village crowd. Just another example of the community spirit that we had in Percy Main.