Happy Birthday Peter!
In honour of his recent 80th birthday I went to interview Reverend Peter Folks for the Parish News, and was made most welcome in their home by Peter and his wife Sheila. The interview was helped by the fact that Peter has kept a diary since he was 16 and is currently compiling them into book form entitled “The Next Breath”, a reference to the asthma he developed as a child.
We are extremely lucky to have Peter as our organist and occasional minister, despite his official “retirement” in 1994 he continues to work incredibly hard for our Parish. Born on 20th March 1930 in Camberley, Surrey , Peter was the son of a men's outfitter and a dressmaker. Peter's father relinquished the mens outfitting business in favour of a business manufacturing knitwear, where Peter helped for the grand sum of 1d (note: one old penny!) an hour as a child. As was the way quite often in those days Peter left school at 14 and attended Guildford Technical College until he left at 16, not quite knowing what to do next. He worked for his father and became a specialist in cable stitch knitwear. However his musical talents were evident from an early age and he received piano and organ lessons from the age of 11, and subsequently decided to go to music college when he was 19.
Peter studied at the Guildhall School of Music for 3 years, teaching privately in order to finance study towards his Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and Associate of the Royal college of Music. He was appointed organist and choirmaster at St Pauls church in Camberley in 1949. After teaching piano privately and in a school in Farnborough, Peter found himself teaching not only music but any other subject he may called upon so to do at St Michael and All Angels secondary school in Camberwell in 1957.
A pivotal moment in his life came in the following year when he was appointed organist and choirmaster at St Pauls church, East Moseley, near to Hampton Court. One member of the choir was a certain Sheila Teague, who after leaving school was now working as a laboratory assistant. Eyes must have met across the choir stalls as Peter and Sheila married in 1961, and in the same year newly married Peter acquired the position of organist and choirmaster at St Martins, Gospall Oak. The job came with a flat and so the couple lived in Hampstead for the first years of married life. Their first daughter Mary, who is now our choir leader at St Martins, was born on Hampstead Heath (not quite literally!) in Queen Mary's nursing home.
By 1964 Peter was teaching music at Borough Green School in Bracknell , and left 4 years later to teach in a special school in Reading for physically and mentally disadvantaged children. And now we reach Peter's introduction to Leicestershire. He was ordained during advent in 1972 and became curate at St Aidan's, Leicester where he was also choirmaster and organist – obviously as hard working then as now!. Four years later Peter became the vicar at St Augustines, Newfoundpool and during this time Sheila and Peter's second daughter Rachel was born. Peter was also chaplain of Groby Road hospital until he moved to be vicar of Whetstone in 1984, before finally “retiring” (I use the term loosely) in 1994.
Many of our congregation will be aware of Peter's long association with Leicester prison. This arose soon after his ordination when he was asked to play at the Induction of a new prison chaplain. A short time later the chaplain asked Peter if he would play on a Thursday morning for songs of praise hour. When the relief chaplain retired Peter was asked to be his replacement and he remained working at the prison for 30 years. When he retired from Whetstone Peter focused on his prison work and covered interregnums, the first being Coalville and Bardon. His first introduction to Desford and Peckleton churches came next. When Revd. Richard Sharpe was appointed to the Parish, Peter went to assist at Heather and Ibstock. As a point of interest Peter already knew Richard before his installation in Desford and Peckleton – regular readers can refer back to an article entitled “Potty Training” in an earlier issue of the Parish News!
Following Sheila's retirement in 2005, the couple moved to Desford. Reminiscing, they told me that Billy Butlin (of holiday camp fame) used to offer church ministers “free” holidays in return for their services as chaplain at the camps. Sheila and Peter enjoyed their holidays when Peter worked as chaplain for 2 weeks a year for a period of 10 years, and they showed me a lovely news cutting which was published in the Leicester Mercury at the time describing their experiences there.
I dared to ask Peter if he had any hobbies - does he have any time?, laughingly he told me that he accompanies 4 groups of singers: the St Martin's church choir, Whetstone United choirs, the Church Lads and Girls Brigade choir and the Beaufort Singers. He is also writing his aforementioned book of memoirs and enjoys DIY – indeed he had been busy with his paintbrush when I arrived to talk to him for this article!
Peter will be celebrating his 80 th birthday with a party in the Church Centre on 20th March, when the Whetstone drama group will be performing. Peter, we are truly blessed to have you, Sheila, Mary and Rachel as members of our community.
Happy birthday!
Peter and Sheila and family