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In Spring 2007, at a presentation at Evensong in the Cathedral, Mildred Riley was presented with an award for 40 years membership of the St Peter's Church Choir.
She's following in the footsteps of her Father Fred Howarth who also gained the award in 1974. Fred was in three choirs - Holy Trinity in Blackpool, St Cuthbert’s in Darwen and finally Holy Trinity, which became St Peter’s.
Mildred joined the choir in 1954. At that time, the ladies in the choir were not allowed to wear robes. They sat on the back row of the choir stalls and had to walk in down the side aisle before the service started.
When Arthur Read came to Darwen as vicar of Holy Trinity all the choir had new robes and this, miniGalleryOptions1 included the ladies for the first time. These robes are still worn by most of the choir today - Mildred is wearing the one she was measured for.
(Mind you, when this, miniGalleryOptions1 picture was taken it was six months since the ladies in the choir were offered new robes and they hadn't got them yet because they could not agree the style they all liked!)
