Daffs in December

In this latest story in the Hinchcliffe saga, Sylvia is now 87 and recently widowed. One of the features she misses from her marriage to Freddy is the music: his shows and pantomimes and, particularly, The Dalesmen, the dance band that was a local feature, but which fell apart as its ageing membership dwindled. One song is particularly important to Sylvia because of its association with Freddy, and she fears she will never again hear it played by a live band.

Musician Liz Frankland, a friend of Sylvia’s daughter Leah, also misses Freddy and the Dalesmen. She joins forces with lecturer Craig Townsend and, with some of Craig’s students, they begin forming a new band. The process is daunting; Liz has her own work, and lone parenthood keeps her particularly busy. Craig also has his duties at the college, where his workload is increasing, but they are equally determined for the band to succeed.

Craig is attracted to Liz, and is extremely popular with her daughter Carla, but a disastrous marriage has left Liz particularly cautious. Destiny, however, has its own agenda.