Memories of a mace twirling world champion

As Jacqui Butler twirls the broom handle over her hands and around her waist her neighbours can't help but stop and stare.

Even though the grandmother hasn't been a band mascot since she was 18-years-old, at one time she won the title of world champion for her mace twirling.

Jacqui, aged 42, who works at Morrisons in Cannock as a catering assistant, joined her mother and father's band the Cannock Jubilaires in 1974.

Anne and Maurice Cann had started the band in 1968 after they were inspired by a group of majorettes in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Jacqui says one day they rounded up a group of local kids, hired the church hall on Cemetery Road in Cannock and got to work.

"They charged kids just 3p for a drink and then taught them to march to a record with a broom handle and an empty bottle of bleach tied to one end," says Jacqui, who lives in Lansbury Drive, Cannock.

"My mum hadn't done anything like this before, but she learned along with the band.

"They were invited to Germany in 1972 and took 52 local children, I joined two years later in 1974."

Jacqui says during the Depression in America small jazz bands were formed with people making musical instruments out of combs and paper.They marched like a military band and eventually the combs were replaced with kazoos. The Cannock Jubilaires had a leader who was followed by a band mascot, behind her were the kazoo players and then the drum and percussion section.

"As a mascot you have to replicate everything the leader does," says Jacqui.

"I loved being in the band because you got to go away every weekend to places like Wales, Newcastle and for a jamboree in Yarmouth.

"You got to meet so many different people and I still have a lot of friends in Wales."

Jacqui says she won her first award at Aberfan in Wales when she beat off competition from 26 other bands.

"It was an amazing feeling when I won – it was the first of many fabulous times," says Jacqui, who has three children, Jamie-Lea, aged 20, Sheridan, 17, and Morgan, 10, as well as her grandson Elliot.

"Our whole family were involved as my brothers were drummers, my mum was the trainer and my dad drove the bus."

The world championships were in South Shields in 1977 and Jacqui was up against mascots from 45 bands."You get used to taking part in competitions but for the world championships I did feel nervous," she says.

"We used to play games in the back of the bus while we were waiting for the results.

"When the results came everyone had to stand out on the field and the winner was announced over a loudspeaker – I couldn't believe it when I was announced world champion band mascot."

Jacqui says the drummers in her band threw her up in the air and they celebrated with a sing-song home on the bus.

After that Jacqui progressed up to band leader but she had to quit in 1986 due to work and family commitments.

"We would have band practice three times a week for two hours so it meant a lot of work," she says.

Jacqui says in the 1980s a lot of bands started to go into decline and her mother handed the band over to another trainer, who changed the name of the group.

"One time I will never forget is my first competition at Aberfan," says Jacqui, who is married to husband Allan.

"We went to the site of the disaster in 1966 and I was asked to say a prayer next to the graves of the children who had died.

"Afterwards, a local lady came up to me and said Jesus was looking down on me and for my kind words I would do well in the competition.

"Well, I went up against those 26 other bands and won. As a mascot you were judged for your mace throwing and your smartness.

"Judges always called me 'the girl with the lovely walk' – who would have thought something so simple would have helped me win all those awards."