Dare I say it? I am a proud Lancashire lass, born and bred. While growing up in Chadderton, a small town that is now part of Oldham Metropolitan Borough, I knew very little about Yorkshire and even less about Leeds. I had obviously learnt about the geography of Yorkshire, knew that The Pennine hills separated these two great counties and even acknowledged that the War of the Roses was won by the White Rose of Yorkshire. I also was an avid viewer of the TV series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ and ‘Heartbeat’ which were set in the most beautiful rural countryside and were a far cry from the cotton mills around my home town.

At the age of 18 I set off on my first ever journey across the Pennines to begin my teacher training at the newly opened Trinity and All Saints Colleges in Horsforth. I was spell bound by the beauty of the Pennine Moors and my journey by coach took me through some quaint villages with unfamiliar names. The journey was long because the M62 hadn’t opened but I was enthralled by what I saw.

Apart from my studies my fondest memories of my 4 years at Trinity revolve around my friends, especially Liz who lived in Morley. We met on my first day and started a 50+ year friendship which still exists today. My friends came from across the UK but most of them were from Leeds and the surrounding areas. They were the salt of the earth being warm hearted, friendly, caring and humorous. They were so like my family and friends from home they became my extended family.

We spent hours sharing lots of jovial banter about our Lancashire v Yorkshire traditions.

Do you brew tea or mash it? Do you eat Christmas cake on its own or with cheese?

Do you have your Yorkshire pudding with gravy as a starter or do you eat it with your roast dinner?

Yuk! Who eats black peas and vinegar on bonfire night? [ Oldhamers ]

The questions up for debate were endless from football teams to how we pronounce words such as ‘bus.’ Hmm…. buzz [L] …… buss [Y]

I returned back home to Lancashire after graduation and lived contentedly in the Chadderton and Shaw areas of Oldham for the next 45 Years while teaching, marrying and brining up a family of 5. On a few occasions we crossed the Pennines as we took the family on holiday to Whitby, curtesy of my previously mentioned friend Liz who now lived there and kindly leant us her home, but Leeds was just a distant memory.

In 2001 that all changed. My eldest daughter and her fiancé obtained their first jobs after university in Leeds. They married and bought a house in Morley much to Liz’s amusement. When the grandchildren arrived I found myself frequently travelling across the Pennines to help with child care but now I came by car using the M62. Then something strange occurred. Leeds seemed to be acting like a magnet to my family because during the next 15 years all my children migrated to Leeds to enhance their careers and all their families have settled down in the surrounding area.

In 2018, the year after my husband died, I made the huge and sensible decision to follow all my children across those now familiar hills to be near to them and all the grandchildren [6 and counting]. I live in a new apartment in Morley which is close to all the main amenities, bus links and the motorway. I was soon introduced to Heydays at the Playhouse by a special friend and it has been wonderful to meet like minded people and make new friends.

I find the people of Leeds are very similar to my folk back home across those hills. They are friendly, caring, honest and hardworking with a similar sense of humour. I may still be a Lancashire Lass at heart but a part of my heart now belongs in Leeds.