"The City Of Happiness" is the story of two boys, Jimmy and Paul, who are thrown together by fate and misfortune inside the walls of a dreadful orphanage named Child House. Child House is managed by the equally dreadful Mr. Snodgrass, who takes great delight in causing them extreme discomfort, through heavy manual work or severe punishments.
Jimmy and Paul make a daring escape, taking the bad-tempered Chef's dog, Ben, with them. On their adventures, they meet many odd people and weird creatures on their way: Skiddy-Biddy-Doodle-Um, Nosey Nerbert, Chumpet the Giant Ogre, The Wicked Ones, Miss Lucy and the Needle Patch, the Sklib-Globs, Clara the Witch, and many others.
Eventually, they find themselves in the City Of Tears, once known as the City Of Happiness. The people cry because the King has been taken by Clara the Witch, who has vowed that the King will not return until a river runs around the city, which is an almost impossible task. How will they manage to do it?
Hulme, Patrick Lloyd: - Patrick Lloyd Hulme was trained on piano at the London Trinity College of Music. He was taught the guitar by his friend, the Yorkshire local legend, Jamaican Jim. Lloyd is also proficient on the ukulele and piano accordion. Lloyd's father, Patrick Lloyd Hulme senior, managed him from the tender age of twelve touring the length and breadth of Great Britain in big bands, duos, and trios before his inevitable change, becoming a brilliant solo act.This took him to the world of television appearing on numerous TV shows with the early stars of the day: Johnny Duncan and the Blue Grass Boys, Nancy Whisky (Freight Train), and Ewan McColl (Dirty Old Town), and many years later with Ewan's granddaughter, Kirsty McColl, a few months before she passed away.Lloyd was in the same stable of stars as the globe-trotting entrepreneur, Paul England, which boasted Winifred Atwell, Karl Denver, and the Hollywood legend Julie London.Lloyd travelled the world in his own right as a vocalist, impressionist, multi-instrumentalist, and comedian, performing with or backing the likes of the Platters, the Drifters, the Crickets, P. J. Proby, Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Des O' Connor, Mike Yarwood, Morecambe and Wise, Les Dawson (so many too numerous to mention), and an unforgettable, impromptu performance with the one and only Luciano Pavarotti who remarked that Lloyd possessed perfect pitch, which Lloyd counts as the greatest compliment he has ever received.Lloyd also had a No. 7 hit in the early nineties with a North-East football anthem, outselling Queen and Elton John for twelve weeks. Lloyd has also had his poetry published and his song 'Ode To John Lennon' is featured in the Mark Elsis film, featuring Phil Spectre: "Strawberry Fields". Recently, Lloyd has settled down to the cruise-way of life which Lloyd enjoys immensely, entertaining and meeting the many people who come to see him perform with his piano, keyboard and vocal styles. Enjoy Lloyd's easy-going personality and easy-on-the-ear musical style as he plays through the evening with standards, country, pop, rock 'n' roll, ballads, instrumentals, and even sing-along when required.Sadly, Lloyd was forced into retirement due to osteoarthritis in his right hand. Lloyd is still composing music and writing projects. Among his many projects, he has written a magical children's book, an opera, a collaboration on a rewrite of a well-known global musical, beautiful poetry and his own Biography eagerly awaited by many. Lloyd has lived a wonderful life... a life well-lived.
