A SONGWRITER from Barnoldswick has been singing the praises of the town's Bancroft Mill steam engine in front of thousands of people on Easter Sunday.

Heather Sheldrick won a competition with the song "James and Mary Jane" - the name of two cylinders which are part of the cross compound steam engine - at a folk festival held in Poynton, Cheshire, over the Easter weekend.

It was the first time that Heather, who plays acoustic guitar and sings with local band Now Then, had entered such a competition and she beat off competition from 16 other songwriters from across the country. She thought it was the unusual theme of her song that clinched it.

"There was quite a variety of songs, but there were a lot about romance and love," she said. "I had heard of these two cylinders called James and Mary Jane and thought it was nice to make them human, rather than a cold steel engine. It showed the human side of the cotton industry..

"I wrote the song a couple of months ago, and am really glad I chose that one to take with me. It was the right song for the right time. I kept mentioning Barlick and it was nice to hear everyone singing about the Bancroft Mill engine."

Bancroft Mill was the last cotton weaving shed to be built in Barnoldswick but closed down in 1978. The main building was demolished but the engine preserved and is now a tourist attraction.

In Heather's song she recalls the role the cylinders played in powering the looms to produce the cloth, the decline of the industry and the revival of the engine as a piece of the town's history.

Her band has a regular slot on a Thursday evening at the White Lion, Earby, and you can also hear her sing "James and Mary Jane" at the Hole in the Wall in Foulridge at an informal session this Sunday afternoon.