Sylvia Croasdell: April 2007

It is with deep regret that we have to report that Sylvia died at Kettering hospital on Friday April 13th after five days on life support due to a heart attack. Her sister Sue Henderson, with her partner Mark Johnson and Sylvia's partner Aby Marlow, were with her throughout; her children Charlotte and William visited her during this period.

Sylvia's funeral was held at Tynemouth Crematorium, North Shields, Tyne and Wear on Friday 27th April.

Leave your messages of support for Sylvia's family and friends in her book of condolence.

Sylvia Henderson first became interested in the Northern Soul scene around 1975 as a schoolgirl in Howdon, Wallsend in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

After hearing a few Northern Soul tunes at a local pub disco, enquiries were made at the DJ booth, and Sylvia and her sister Sue were told "If you want to hear more of that, turn up at the Geordie Pride pub on Saturday afternoon". Having duly done so, they were then bewildered to find themselves hi-jacked and shoved onto a coach waiting outside, and whizzed down to Wigan. Life was never the same again.

Sylvia frequented Wigan Casino regularly, usually travelling on the North East coaches organised by Alex Lowes and Bill Swift where she met many soulies who would remain friends all her life including Mitzi McCourt, Dave Evison and Guy Hennigan and Margaret.

In 1979 aged seventeen years old she moved to London to work where her sister Sue was already established. They soon fell in with a bad crowd lead by DJ Keb Darge, a Wigan regular, who made it his mission to change the face of Northern Soul through his sinister "newies only" policy. Keb's evil plan was to brainwash his followers into appreciating his one-off rareties by taping them, giving everyone copies, and playing them constantly. Then, when he span them out for the first time, his followers would instantly recognise them and all mysteriously invade the dancefloor; like something from an imaginary Avengers episode. The venue for this quasi-religious mania was the Top Of The World club in "Staffad", as Sylv would pronounce it.

The London crowd of ex-pat Northerners and locally born soulies like Keb, Mark Taylor, Tony Smith, Ion, Matt, Lenny and Kenny, Amanda Sullivan and Val Palmer travelled up to each fortnightly event and became firm friends and have remained so through many ups and downs. Around this time Sylv also attended dodgy warehouse parties run by the South Welsh London Tafia and at one of these illegal events she met up with Ady Croasdell, leading to romance and eventually marriage.

She then became more involved in the 6TS Rhythm & Soul club and became good friends with the likes of Randy and the Cozens family, Mick, Roger, Pete, Clarkie, Tony Rounce and the rest of the crowd. She eventually took over door duties, halfway down the stairs to the Hundred Club, where she would meet, greet and treat the customers to a cheery smile, while robbing them of their cash.

Shortly after Sylvia and Ady's daughter Charlotte was born in 1988 they moved up to Market Harborough in Leicestershire. Two years later William was born and that completed their family. Sylvia continued to attend the 100 Club as much as possible and other Northern events such as the Ritz, but parenthood caused her to take a back seat. When the 6Ts Weekenders were mooted she gave the notion her entire backing and took on the administrative role of sorting out bookings and accommodation. When the first one in 1993 looked like being a financial disaster she agreed to stick by the project at potentially great personal loss. Luckily things turned around over time and the weekender remains the best loved of all the big annual Northern Soul events.

Ady and Sylvia recently divorced and she continued to take an interest in the scene's going-ons. Illness had prevented her taking a more active part in recent years, though she and her many friends were looking forward to her eventual recovery. Sadly this was not to be.