Queen of Folk by Karen Barden

Since she moved to Staveley a few months ago, the MS sufferer has barely caused a ripple in the quiet village.

Yet this is the woman dubbed queen of folk, the Liverpool singer who had Paul McCartney visiting her club, who sang for the other Queen, and toured the world.

She is off to a gig in Ellesmere Port later in the evening, so we must watch the clock.

After MS was diagnosed in 1980, and she lost her adored singing partner Bridie O'Donnell a decade ago, it hasn't always been easy to carry on.

But buoyed by her bookings, Jacqui soldiers on.

The whiskey in her jar is far from empty.

"Everything has a beginning, middle and end.

You move along the line," she explains.

Last year, she celebrated 40 years of the Coach House Folk Club she and Bridie had set up, initially in their Liverpool home.

Monday was club night.

Venues changed over the years, but it was always a hot spot.

Guests included legendary names of the industry - Tom Paxton, Ralph McTell, Maggie Prior, Barbara Dickson and Don Partridge.

"We booked Don before he shot to number one in the charts.

He honoured the booking, even though payment was just £ 7."

Jacqui's parents had been music hall performers and at 12 the girl was bitten by applause.

The Covent Garden Opera Company was on tour with Carman and needed urchins.

Jacqui sang with the great soprano of the day, Constance Shacklock.

Brought up in Yorkshire, Jacqui became a PE teacher, but music was never far away.

When she headed to Liverpool on a teaching course, her fate was set.

She met Tony Davis, of the Spinners, backstage after a Weavers concert, and ended up joining them as singer.

It was the early 60s, boom time for rock and folk.

Three years with the Spinners led to Jacqui joining forces with her friend Bridie.

In 1964, the pair jacked in teaching, got a sailing out of Birkenhead and headed to the States and Canada.

They had bookings for six weeks - and stayed six months.

It was the first of many cross Atlantic tours.

"The owner of Caf Lena, in Saratoga Springs, Upstate New York, liked us.

She had given Bob Dylan his first booking.

"We became role models.

Female duos were unknown.

Ethel and Doris Waters were the only others, so we became pioneers, with no agents, or managers.

We did it all ourselves.

"We roamed the world for 28 years.

There were great contrasts.

Royal command performance to entertaining the troops, Bridie used to say 'one by one'."

Jacqui said it was a salutary experience singing, laughing and joking with young soldiers, who the next week would be putting their lives on the line in Northern Ireland.

When her MS was diagnosed, Jacqui knew there was something radically wrong.

"Walking had become difficult and that was without a single drink!

"I didn't let it become a big thing.

We all have something.

I pretend it's not there.

"Bridie's death from ovarian cancer was terrible.

We had lived together for many years.

She was always the funny one.

I was more serious."

On tour in Australia, the pair met renowned fiddler Dave Swarbrick who said it was important to keep practising.

" I used to lie under a hot sun by swimming pools, and think 'isn't this great, I'm here because I practised those few lines'.

"When the Queen opened the second Mersey Tunnel, I was in a line-up to meet her with Rex Harrison, Frankie Vaughan and other notable Liverpool performers.

Part of Jacqui's act includes using her vast collection of dancing dolls.

One was made in the trenches during the First World War and the other, black Seth Davey, was the character immortalised in the song Come Day Go Day.

Moving to South Lakeland will bring new challenges.

Jacqui has already sussed out Staveley's village hall as a possible venue.

The day we meet, she is entertaining Ellesmere Port WI at a long-postponed Christmas party, she explains.

Guitar and dancing dolls packed, she will soon be on her way.

"You are only ever as good as the last gig," she grins.