Author: Ed

Michael Smith Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

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Michael Smith (26 April 1932 – 4 October 2000) was a Blackpool-born Canadian biochemist who shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Kary Mullis for developing site-directed mutagenesis, a technique enabling precise alterations in DNA sequences. This innovation revolutionised molecular biology, leading to advancements in genetic research, medicine, and biotechnology. Smith excelled academically, earning scholarships to Arnold School for Boys and the University of Manchester, where he completed a BSc and PhD in chemistry (1956). Moving to Canada in 1956, he conducted postdoctoral research with Har Gobind Khorana on nucleotide synthesis. After a brief stint in Wisconsin, Smith returned… Read more »

John Pritchard Becomes a Bishop

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John Lawrence Pritchard, born on 22 April 1948 in Salford, Lancashire, is a retired Church of England bishop who served as the Bishop of Oxford from 2007 to 2014. He was educated at Arnold School, a direct grant grammar school for boys in Blackpool. He later studied jurisprudence at St Peter’s College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1970, which was subsequently elevated to a Master of Arts (MA Oxon) in 1973 as per Oxford tradition. In 1970, Pritchard entered Ridley Hall, Cambridge, an Anglican theological college, where he studied theology and trained for ordination. Two… Read more »

Laila Remtulla Spots Gap in Market for Indian Ready Meals

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Laila Remtulla, the founder of the Red Rose Award-winning business Laila’s Fine Foods, has been recognised with an MBE for her contributions to the food and drink industry, according to Lancashire Business View. Originally from Tanzania, Laila moved to England in 1976 and established her company a decade later in 1986. What began as a modest home-based venture, with Laila persuading her local delicatessen to stock her handmade samosas and onion bhajis, soon evolved into a thriving enterprise. Initially operating from her kitchen, the business quickly outgrew its first premises near Boundary Road in Lytham, prompting a move to a… Read more »

Norman & Joe Gledhill Start Making Domestic Cylinders

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Two brothers, Norman and Joe Gledhill, founded a business manufacturing domestic copper cylinders in 1926, starting in small premises in Blackpool. Norman, who was married to Louise Ainsworth, had three children: Keith, Houghton, and Norma. As their cylinder business expanded, they moved to larger premises, but with the outbreak of World War II, copper supplies were severely restricted, halting production. After the war, Norman and Louise established Norman Gledhill & Co Ltd, focusing on manufacturing cylinders for plumbers’ merchants. During this time, their sons became involved in the business, with Keith delivering cylinders on a hand cart and Houghton working… Read more »

Victoria Atkins Becomes MP for Louth and Horncastle

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Victoria Atkins was born on 22 March 1976 in London, the daughter of Sir Robert Atkins, a former Conservative MP and MEP, and Lady (Dulcie) Atkins, a Conservative councillor and mayor. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of three and was privately educated at Arnold School, a co-educational school in Blackpool, and studied law at the University of Cambridge where she was an undergraduate student at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Atkins was called to the bar (Middle Temple) in 1998. She worked as a barrister in the field of fraud in London. Since leaving Arnold School in Blackpool… Read more »

Ray Ingleby Launches the Ingleby Group

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Raymond “Ray” Ingleby, born in February 1963 in Lytham St Annes, is a British entrepreneur who served as vice-chairman of Burnley Football Club until 27 August 2013. His family owned a soft furnishings business, and despite being dismissed from his first job in a magazine-printing firm, Ingleby became a millionaire by the age of 21. He founded Ingleby Communications, which in 1992 acquired the American company Caribiner. Under Ingleby’s leadership, Caribiner grew to become the largest audio-visual rental business in the world, with a turnover of $750 million. In February 1999, Ingleby purchased £1 million worth of shares in Burnley… Read more »

Harry Corbett Brings Sooty to Life

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Sooty is a British children’s television franchise created by Harry Corbett, primarily encompassing television and stage shows. The origins of the franchise date back to 19 July 1948, when Corbett discovered an all-yellow bear glove puppet while visiting the North Pier on holiday in Blackpool. He purchased the puppet and began using it to entertain his children, including his newborn son, Matthew (later known as Peter). Initially named “Teddy,” Corbett used the puppet for comedic routines and magic tricks, which led him to appear on the BBC talent competition Talent Night in 1952, held at Belle Vue, Manchester. Corbett’s performance… Read more »

Nicola Thorp Lands Role In Coronation Street

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Nicola Sian Thorp was born in Blackpool and attended Arnold School, where she held the position of deputy head girl. Her family runs a Blackpool rock factory, established by her grandfather in 1962. Thorp is a broadcaster, columnist, activist, and former actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Nicola Rubinstein in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, as well as her contributions to Metro newspaper, This Morning, and Talk Today. She studied acting at the Arts Educational Schools (ArtsEd) in London from 2007 to 2010. In 2018, Thorp took part in Sport Relief’s “Clash of the Channels” boat… Read more »

Ian Levine Co-produces Take That’s Brit Award Winner

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Ian Geoffrey Levine was born 22 June 1953 in Blackpool and went to Arnold School. He is a songwriter, producer, and DJ. A moderniser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of hi-NRG, he has written and produced records with sales totalling over 40 million. He is openly gay and known as a fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who. His parents owned and ran the “Lemon Tree” complex in Blackpool, including its casino and nightclub. He suffered a major stroke in July 2014, leaving him with severely limited movement on the left side of… Read more »

Sir John Sunderland Becomes Cadbury Schweppes Chief Exec

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Sir John Michael Sunderland, CBE FRSA, was born on 24 August 1945 and raised in Lytham St Annes. His early years were shaped by his family—father Harry Sunderland, mother Joyce Farnish, and sister Ann Marie. He attended King Edward VII School in Lytham St Annes before furthering his education at the University of St Andrews, where he earned a Master of Arts degree. A respected figure in British business, Sunderland made a name for himself in the corporate world, eventually serving as President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) from 2004 to 2006. His tenure at the CBI focused… Read more »