DREAMS , PASSION & HISTORY

It all began with my daughter Gillian's interest in Majorettes . At the time she was dancing for a local Troupe , I was a keen spectator when they were in competition and was approached and asked whether I would be interested in going on an adjudicators course with the view of giving advice to the Troupe Gillian was dancing with .All agreed this would be a good idea ,however after 18 months of adjudicator training the Troupe decided that they did'nt want my help

  As time went by I realised that I had to put the knowledge that I had gained to good use .

  Gillian was not happy where she was ,so the obvious solution was to form my own Troupe .

  To do this I had to enlist the help of other people , word got out that I was intending to start a Troupe, and soon I was being approached by people who were also interested .Very quickly a committee was formed ,but I needed an experienced Majorette to help train the Troupe . Paula Jinks was the first to come to mind as she had previously left a Troupe ,I have a confession to make in as much as I wanted her to be the Leader of the seniors for our first year. I was delighted when she accepted!

  Other equally important people who played a big part at this time are:-

Marie Orme , Frank and Carol , Joan and Ray , Angela,Ken and Anne.

  I found that the task in hand was a huge one ,and on 26th June 1985 that was the date THE LIVERPOOL CRUSADERS MAJORETTE TROUPE was announced to the world.!! Advertisements were placed in local press , shops and radio to attract girls who would like to become majorettes .Very quickly we had a membership of 90 plus girls of all ages .Some of these original Crusaders were to stay with me for the 11 years that we were in existence.

  Fundraising became paramount , we held sponsored marches ,coffee evenings , dances and all this money helped enable us to buy material / Uniforms for the Troupe.Many , Many hours were spent by the Committee and helpers making the uniforms.

  Around this time I felt that the Troupe needed a unique identity ,one which would stand out from the rest, one which would give the girls a sense of belonging , I decided that the name was all important , Other Troupes had regional or local area names, however my Troupe had girls from all over Liverpool and I wanted a name to reflect that. Because the Troupe was based in Woolton village the name also needed to encompass that. The main focal point of the village is the ancient cross monument ( the cross having been synonymus with the Crusades throughout the ages,) I therefore decided that the Troupes badge would need to depict the Troupes name .Therefore the Liver bird would represent Liverpool and the Woolton Cross the CRUSADERS !!!

Hence THE LIVERPOOL CRUSADERS MAJORETTE TROUPE......

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