THE iconic Houghton Weavers have announced the upcoming dates for their appearances in Cumbria.

The band will be playing in the Staveley Village Hall on December 3, alongside popular folk singer Jacqueline McDonald.

The Bolton band was formed in 1975, with David Littler as their acoustic guitarist and vocals, Steve Millington on bass guitar and keyboard, Jim Berry on guitar, harmonica and vocals, and his brother Tony who passed in 2019.

The trio are continuing their legacy and have announced the dates for their ongoing tour.

The Weavers began their journey on November 18 in Cheshire and will continue until December 23 in Middleton.

The Houghton Weavers have performed thousands of concerts, recorded over 30 albums, starred in several of their own highly successful BBC radio and TV series, and made countless appearances on other programmes.

They have entertained their audiences with humorous jokes and antidotes and sing “popular” folk songs – from raucous traditional songs to sing-along favourites interspersed with some beautiful ballads and original pieces – all performed in their own inimitable style.

Jacqueline, who will be appearing alongside the band said: “I’m a mostly retired folk singer.

“We’ve got the event coming up on December 3 at Staveley Village Hall at 7:30pm, featuring my good friends the Houghton Weavers.

“I’m hoping to revive the communal spirit we used to have for this type of evening before the pandemic began.

“I’ve put a lot of musical events on in the hall over the years, including the concert featuring folk singers who have also written books.”

Jacqui has toured all over America and Germany folk clubs and has put on many musical events featuring Nathan Carter, Harvey Andrews, Hugh Jones, and Tony Berry.

Her first success was as the female folk singer with the Liverpool Spinners, with whom she sang for three years.

She was also featured on a Royal Variety performance and performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second during her visit to Liverpool and the opening of the Merseyside bridge.

She will also be singing in the show.

“We’ll be singing in the eras of the 60s to the 80s.

“I’ll do some opening songs for the Weavers and then they will take over.

“We’re all really excited about all this and we can’t wait to see people.”

Tickets can be bought for £12 from Staveley Pharmacy.