Jackie Weaver's parish council fame turned into a music track
Shropshire's Jackie Weaver, who gained internet fame for her handling of disruptive parish councillors, is set to gain even more recognition – with her release of a dance track.
The local council officer, who lives in Prees, has worked with Stevenage producer, Helen Meissner, known as Helefonix, and Joe Rose to bring out the single, 'Jackie Weaver's kicked him out'.
The unlikely collaboration began when Jackie responded to a lighthearted tweet Helen made about making a track about the Handforth Parish Council saga which saw her holding her own against a verbal attack by some councillors.
The pair began messaging and within five days the track was finished.
Jackie said: "Helen was like a whirlwind and was very inclusive. She wanted to know who Jackie was, not just make something about Handforth."
The track not only features nods to Jackie's eclectic musical tastes, from Led Zeppelin to Steeleye Span, it also has a telling verse in the middle about wanting to make changes.
After the video of the online parish council meeting went viral Jackie said she hoped the footage of the meeting would help put a stop to bullying in any situation and encourage more inclusiveness on local councils.
But she also embraced the fun side of the single, with the last line reading "Please refer to me to from now as Britney, Britney Spears".
Fame
The 63-year-old said it had been good to been involved in the creation of the track, speaking her now trademark phrases such as "As long as we have reasonable behaviour, no one will be excluded from this meeting" and "If you disrupt this meeting I will have to remove you".
"I didn't have to sing and the nation should be grateful for that," she said.
"Helen took something I was good at, which is talking, and turned it into something creative."
Listen to the song at soundcloud.com/helefonix-midlifemix/jackie-weavers-kicked-him-out-helefonix-ft-jackie-weaver-and-joe-rose/s-BiW61za3dHc.
When the Handforth Parish Council meeting went viral online Jackie found herself praised for standing up to what was seen as bullying tactics by councillors.
Thousands tweeted that they wanted to be "more like Jackie Weaver" and she has gone on to appear on shows from Radio Four's Women's Hour to TV's The Last Leg.
She has featured in online pantomime and Andrew Lloyd Webber even penned a song about her, sung by Carrie Hope Fletcher.
She is also taking part in online events that are part of the National Association of Local Councils' Make A Change campaign. to encourage more people from all backgrounds and experiences who are undiscovered community heroes to put themselves forward for election.
The next local elections are taking place in May this year.
