I haven’t lived in Lancashire for more than thirty years, but my formative memories are as vivid as ever. Blackpool Illuminations and the Pleasure Beach; the Liverpool Garden Festival with its yellow submarine; long walks in Bluebell Woods; the disquieting witches of Pendle Hill.
I was born in Queen’s Park Hospital, christened at St Gabriel’s and went to the church’s school on Wilworth Crescent. My mum wasn’t from Lancashire but she grounded my early life in the area, and she loved to explore. Whalley and the Ribble Valley were favourites. We’d have the Houghton Weavers on in the car as we travelled around, and sometimes went to their concerts – I can still remember the words to Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs!
My mum and dad divorced when I was a baby, and mum and I lived in a semi-detached house on Rhodes Avenue in Blackburn. Behind us was a huge field with a small stream, and I spent hours playing there. Occasionally mum would hide notes in tree hollows from the fairies. She was head of Religious Education at Billinge High School, but when I was eight-years-old she got a new job in Norfolk, and we left Blackburn.
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Back from the brink?
There are signs hedgehog numbers might be recovering, and we can all do our bit to help them, says Alan Wright of Lancashire Wildlife Trust
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A LEGACY of LOVE
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A Shopper's Paradise
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"When I first told my father that I wanted to be an illustrator, he just looked blankly at me and said, Are you sure you can make a living doing that? 25 years later, with many awards and work showcased and acknowledged in most illustration annuals across the globe, I'm still here, still making a living."
NOT A CROC!
Bindi plans wedding redo
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Plini – Voices in The Sky
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