An amateur film-making group, which has documented historical events in Lancashire for the last 60 years, has disbanded.
Pendle Movie Makers has officially come to an end due to falling numbers and a decline in interest.
The club started back in 1961 and was then known as the Pendle Film Society. It had more than 60 members.
The name was changed to Pendle Movie Makers in 1985 to accommodate the rapid progression of video production.
Group secretary Peter Copestake, who joined the group in the ‘70s said the decision to close was a tough and sad one to make.
The 90-year-old said: “I am very sad that it has come to an end, we all are.
“It flourished for a while but I think other groups have been able to attract younger people which we didn’t do.
“If it hadn’t been for Covid I think we might have carried on going. Covid put a stop to our meetings and you can’t attract new people if you don’t have meetings.
“Many of us were also worried about catching the illness as you have to be careful at our age.”
Peter, who took over as secretary in 1995, said: “Back when the group started there were a lot of people were interested in making their own short films.
“There were plenty of film making groups over the years but the creators thought it was about time that a group was made in Pendle.
“We didn’t learn these skills in schools and we didn’t have the internet to help us then.
“People like to look back on the old days. People don’t realise in the moment how much life changes until they look back.”
The group has made numerous short films over the years including the Barrowford Jubilee procession of 1977 and a look at Blackpool in the 1960s, which at the time of writing has more than 164,000 views on YouTube.
The group has also made non-fiction movies, such as The Lonely One. This was a short police drama made in the ‘60s that was commended at the Scottish Film Festival.
Group member, Howard Greenwood, said it was a “sad day” for the group as his dad, Jack Greenwood, was one of the original members and secretary before Peter took over.
Howard, from Nelson, said: “It’s sad that I have been the one to see it to its end as I have been a member for as long as I can remember and have been making films since I was 15-years-old.
“The great films that have been made over the years are still very much alive on both my Facebook and YouTube sites.”
The group decided to donate remaining funds, a grand total of £1,668, to Pendleside Hospice.
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