The juggling club was formed in 1996 when Scott posted a “who is interested?” note at the Ugly Jugglers stall in the Indoor Market in Durham.
The Original members included Les, Dylis and Genni Steel who are still attending the club on a regular basis.
Below is a letter written by Scott about the club start up in 1998
Durham City Jugglers: a post modernist existential retrospective examination of lots of balls and things. Oh just read it!
1994: Scott plays with Dave Parker’s ( yes the tall skinny surveyor from Cockermouth ) balls. So this is Juggling. Well sort of. Let’s go to the pub then to experience the full ? erm? experience.
1995: Ugly’s have a stall in Durham Market – ace. Sign a piece of paper about a club in Durham. Grow a beard ( well not really but you know what I mean ) and nowt happens.
1996: Bright idea? Phone Tony, ” Gis the list mate and I’ll get crackin’ on with it. ” Sorted. Send out letters asking if anyone’s interested and if they have any ideas. Get very little response. OK book the Shakespeare and hope for the best at the end of Jan. Hats off to Adam ( currently a vision technician ), Jim ( in love somewhere ), Ben, Eleanor ( used to be an ever-present ) and a couple of other geezers for turning up. Tops.
Feb: Unicycles are now bombin’ around the hall courtesy of Duncan’s pride of unicycles. Well what would you call them a gaggle? Do a photoshoot for the Echo/Advertiser. We get well hammered in the pub after. The barstaff at the Angel are not omnipotent despite what they think. Perhaps they are impotent? No Scott actually they’re just ——–!
” Slowly ” my first short story is printed, for those that care. It has nothing to do with balls, clubs or even diablos.
Spring: The terrors from Cleveland are here, everyone be warned. Why do they sound like scousers? More blummin’ Uni’s than you can shake a Devil stick at. Dave buys yet another stick and makes one for good measure. Clare H keeps taking fotos of everything and everyone. She is not a reporter but may be with MI5 as juggling is destroying the moral fabric of our society you know. A Durham County Council meeting is interrupted by would be pyromaniacs. Guess who gets the blame? I lose my clubs and lose it, get a grip man Scott. City are down.
Summerish: Andy and the Tynesiders do some proper juggling. Oh so that’s what I’ve read about in books is it? It’s not very hot but we lay siege to Wharton Park. Someday there’ll be a re-enactment. Perhaps not then. The TV do a little thing about DCJ as part of a really, really bad show fortunately screened when everyone’s in bed. My Mother who says that she’s known me all my life mistakes me for a devil stick twirling Ewan. Cheers mum. Still haven’t got a haircut or a job. Mike cops off with Sharon at Ewan’s birthday party. They think no-one knows but Mini blows the gaff. Someone knicks my corn on the cob, my money’s on Clare ( not H ). England lose on pens again. Barnum steals the DCJ youth squad. Can we sue or are they free agents under the Bosman ruling?
Year of the Rat: Chinese State Circus tumble into town. Leaning against a lamp post I spot a yellow dragon. Odd that even for Durham. Nowt else happens. Come back later in the week for the fotos. Leave Duncan to the hat jugglers. The reporter despite being a Macc Ladd and a Blue ( Oh Man City! The only football team to come from Manchester ?. Etc. ) had slept under a sunlamp. The following week DCJ get their first true super-hero. Yes, Batman can juggle. Jim steals another plimsoll from Scorpio, unfortunately he still hasn’t got a matching pair. Next time Jim lad.
The Fall: Don’t just get one but get several haircuts that’s what I always say. Blimey! Still don’t get a job despite being offered one. Perhaps I should return to writing ” The Flat ” instead. A rollercoaster of a novel in twelve sex soaked gritty northern chapters, sort of. Cosmos do a storm, who put that Acid in my coffee, trippy or wot? That’s OK but beer isn’t apparently. This time someone else gets the blame, oops! Leftfield are played for precisely the 1000000438210th time. Please show some restrain folks. Get fresh. Gillian offers hairdos at a discount rate in the hall, honest. Meanwhile her nephew perfects the Robin Cousens school of Giraffe riding.
Not Then But Now: Despite some early teething problems with the Shakey we’re still there and well that’s OK I reckon. People have come and gone, we’re almost as bad as Man City with their managers or Fergie ( the fat redheaded one ) with tax payers money, but the club carries on regardless and looks fairly secure now. DCJ the widescreen digitally mastered version. Everyone, well OK maybe not me, is improving. Durham City Arts want their collective arses kicking as they’ve promised dosh but have yet to stump up. Tut,tut! Mr. Rubinstein.
The Future: I receive my 712th job rejection after turning my Dip HE into a BSc in the year 2014. DCJ kit is reduced to two dodgy oranges, a pair of ripe socks and half a Terry Pratchett novel. Somebody from Cleveland writes a Web page for DCJ. Two adults from Durham turn out on a club night on the same night. Jim falls in love somewhere. Duncan forms the Pashley tear jerker 24″ diablo alliance party and wins a seat on the council. DCJ finally get a streetwise logo designed by a youngster from C-L-S. Man City hire and fire another 17 managers in the 96-97 season. Alive and Kicking film Barnum and I run off with Zoe. Well why not? Leftfield bring out a new album.
Keep coming to the club and enjoy. Cheers for coming and making Tuesday evenings interesting. Scott.
PS : perhaps I should try and clear up a couple of things. The original intent of the club was basically to set up somewhere in central Durham to provide easy access and juggling space to anyone that wanted to come. Hopefully a ” scene ” would be created whereby we’d have a laff, go to the pub, cop off at parties etc. It was never intended to have committees, bureaucracy or any of that. Had seven years of that with the Civil Service and it drove me to erm Sunderland. As far as I’m concerned we’ve got the former ( happily chaotic ) so please don’t try to make things complicated and boring. I want more people from Durham to come because it’s my home and I know just how little there is to do here besides getting wrecked and putting the world to rights. I don’t know much about the DC Wheelers and don’t really want to. If people want a venue from them then that’s fine but DCJ will continue at the Shakey even if I have to book the hall myself and pray that at least ten people turn out.