EMMERDALE CLUB AND THE HOTEL
(pictures of cast and fans)
Unfortunately I have lost some files of stories that I wrote in the winter, soon after the weekend (my computer and me have not always been best of pals), so I have had to dig my memory files, and they are not all that trustworthy...
In England Emmerdale fans are very special, and Emmerdale Club is by far the best Tv-fan club. It has about 1000 members, and every January they organize a fun packed weekend, where the quickest 100 get to attend.
For a few years the weekend has been based at The Weetwood Hall Hotel in Leeds. Club members started to arrive at the hotel Friday afternoon, for the official opening of the weekend later that night. I tried to guess who would be an Emmerdale fan, believing most to be nice, old grannies. Well, you will meet some of them in the picture galleries of the hotel and the village.
I talked to about 70 people of the 120, unfortunately too much about myself and my work as an Emmerdale translator and most were interested to hear how Emmerdale was doing in Finland. Why didn't I bring a recorder! And a photographer! Now I had to be myself, translator, reporter and photographer all at once, and I feel I didn't quite manage it all.
So if any of the fans whom I met happen to visit these pages, please forgive me if your names are wrong, and do correct me! Also I am sorry I could not include everybody, the stories are based on the photographs I happened to have.
I had finally joined the Club in spring 1999, after having had a lot of correspondence with Jenny, and was very happy that she gave me an opportunity to attend. The places are sold out immediately when they are launched, so I felt really priviledged.
A lot of people come every year, and feel they should be allowed to do so, as they are the oldest and devoted members. But even they understood there need to be new members as well to keep the Club going. Bearing all this in mind, I feel this might have been my only chance to attend, but aren't I happy to have been!
And this website is a way to share my good fortune with other fans, who weren't as lucky.
I noticed how the older fans always referred to the cast with their real names. I was glad I had been reading the Emmerdale books and making the MTV3 website, so most names I also knew, apart from the new cast.
At the Saturday night gala dinner I did not meet the actors, who (have) play(ed) Kim, Chris, Kelly, Steve, Lisa, Sam, Alan, Terry, Mandy, or Kathy. Malandra Burrows had told me Thursday she was coming, but because of a stalker she was not allowed to. So it was very nice to have met her on Thursday at the studios. It was a pity I came accross Sheree Murphy (Tricia), only after I had already taken my camera up to my room. She was very excited about her recent visit to Lapland in Finland. I must say I have seldom seen such a big, warm smile on somebody all the time as Sheree's. A charming girl.
All in all, every member of the cast were ever so friendly and seemed to appreciate fans.
