Kila Redfearn was officially appointed by the Squire of Lytham, Lord of the Manor on Sunday, 12 March 2023 at Lytham Hall. She has made history by becoming Lytham’s first female town crier. As a town crier, she will often need to get loud, but the post requires other more important qualities, such as having a…
Knitters from around the UK were welcomed to Blackpool sea front on 10th July 2016 to spin their own yarn in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for having the most people in one spot knitting at the same time. The hardy wool warriors were faced with a blustery cool breeze but were able to knit themselves warm. The world record at the time stood at 3089 people – set in London. With the assistance of Blackpool Town Crier ‘Barry McQueen’ who opened the event, new recruits were summoned from pavements and were more than happy to join…
Back in 2000, Barry became Blackpool’s official town crier after spending 12 years in Birmingham and he says he has never looked back. He moved back to Lancashire when he was 21 and spent eight years in Morecambe before moving to Ludlow in Shropshire when his town crier career started. The image below shows Laura Sinfield, Tracy Dawson (right) wife of Les Dawson, John Chadwick (left) and Barry McQueen at Birmingham New Street Station after travelling from Blackpool on 30 September 2002 to mark Virgin Trains new regional InterCity rail network for the UK with a re-launch of its CrossCountry train company.
Nikki Hesford appeared Dragon’s Den in 2011, with her fast fashion brand that made clothing and lingerie for bigger busted women. Nikki was born in October 1985 in Rochdale, the daughter of former rugby star Steve Hesford, who used to play for Warrington Wolves, and niece of former Blackpool goalie Iain Hesford. She left Rochdale and moved to Lancaster where she set up a lingerie and clothes business called Miss Fit UK. She exited this business in 2015 and now runs The Small Business Academy, a support hub for the next generation of entrepreneurs to tap into trustworthy advice and…
Cynthia Lennon (née Powell; 10 September 1939 – 1 April 2015) was a British artist and author, and the first wife of John Lennon. She was born in Blackpool on 10 September 1939 and raised in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula. She was the youngest of three children of General Electric Company employee Charles Powell and his wife Lillian (née Roby), who already had two sons named Charles and Anthony. Her parents were from Liverpool, but her mother (along with other pregnant women) was sent to the safer area of Blackpool after World War II had been declared and lived… Read more »
In October 1961, when James Hanratty became a prime suspect in the notorious A6 murder case, he went into hiding and attempted to deny his involvement by calling investigators and newspapers. On the night of 11 October, Hanratty travelled from Liverpool to Blackpool, a town he hoped might offer him some anonymity. At around 11:15 pm, he was enjoying a meal at the Stevonia Fish and Chips Restaurant, located on Central Drive. It was here that he had an unexpected encounter with Detective Constables James Williams and Albert Stillings, who had stopped by the restaurant for a cup of coffee….
Amy Johnson’s connection to Blackpool began when her sister, Mollie, and her husband, Trevor Jones, moved to Newton Drive in the town in 1933. Trevor, who had been appointed Assistant Town Clerk, would later tragically take his own life in 1955, after rising to the position of Chief Town Clerk. Amy herself had a brief but poignant association with Blackpool, which ended in 1941 when she left the town’s aerodrome to embark on her final, fateful journey during her service with the Air Transport Auxiliary in World War II. An accomplished and determined woman, Amy Johnson had already made her…
John Cody Fidler-Simpson CBE is an esteemed English foreign correspondent and the current World Affairs Editor of BBC News. Born on 9th August, 1944, in Cleveleys, Lancashire, Simpson briefly experienced the serene coastal surroundings before being taken to London shortly after his birth. His father, Roy Simpson, a Christian Scientist and property developer, and his mother separated when John was seven. He spent much of his formative years in Dunwich, Suffolk, choosing to live with his father while his mother cared for his two half-sisters. Simpson was educated at prestigious institutions, including Dulwich College Preparatory School and St. Paul’s School,… Read more »
Blackpool Town Centre Forum originated from consultations and discussions between Blackpool Council, major and individual town centre retailers, Blackpool Police and various other stakeholders covering Blackpool town centre. Over a two year period, these initial consultations were headed by Robin Wood, the council’s Chief Officer for Executive Services. Chris Hurley, the then manager of Midland Bank, was to take on the Chairmanship of the Forum’s steering committee. The objective was to create a town centre management partnership to address the challenges facing the town centre in terms of retail and commercial decline, security, cleanliness and environmental issues, all highlighting the… Read more »
In August 2005, under Nigel Hanson’s leadership and after extensive consultations with town centre businesses, organisations and other stakeholders, followed by a substantial vote in favour, Blackpool’s first Business Improvement District (BID) was created, covering the town centre. This was the first Business Improvement District created in the North West. The creation of the BID now meant that instead of the previous voluntary funding arrangement for the Town Centre Forum, all rateable businesses and organisations within the BID Boundary would now be obliged to pay an annual BID levy contribution, based on their rateable value. This would fund a five… Read more »