Category: 1992

Roy Calley’s Blackpool: A Complete Record is Published

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Roy Calley is a journalist who works for the BBC in Salford but was brought up in Blackpool, but now lives full-time in Nice, France. He joined the BBC in 1990 at Radio Lancashire, working as a sports journalist. Three years later he joined BBC GMR in Manchester and was the morning sports reporter on the breakfast programme, as well as presenting his own sports preview show every Friday night. He then moved to BBC Radio Leeds, where, despite being a Lancastrian, he reported on the fortunes of Yorkshire County Cricket Club for the local stations. That was followed by… Read more »

Sports Historian Gerry Wolstenholme Writes First Book

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Born in Blackpool, Gerry Wolstenholme is an author and sports historian from Blackpool who wrote about football and cricket. He penned his first book in 1992 and became a strong supporter of Blackpool F.C. He attended Northlands school between the ages of three and five, and then Devonshire Road School in Blackpool and Baines Grammar School in Poulton-le-Fylde. He saw an advertisement for Civil Service examinations and decided to take them. He passed, and moved to London to begin working at Her Majesty's Treasury in Whitehall. He was promoted, and worked in the office of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He... Read more »

Margaret Thornton Gets Her First Book Published

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Margaret Thornton was born 21 June 1934 in a boarding house on Pleasant Street, Blackpool and lived in the town all her life. She had two children and five grandchildren, and was a qualified teacher at Grange Park, Mereside and Devonshire Road (background image) junior schools. She left teaching in her early 50s in order to concentrate on her writing and wrote short stories before turning her hand to full-length novels with her debut, It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow, in 1992. Her son got her a computer but she only used it as a word processor and didn’t use it… Read more »

John Simm Gets His First Big TV Role

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John Ronald Simm (born 10 July 1970 in Leeds) is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in Life on Mars, the Master in Doctor Who, and DS Roy Grace in Grace. His other television credits include State of Play, The Lakes, Crime and Punishment, Exile, Prey, and Cracker. His film roles include Wonderland, Everyday, Boston Kickout, Human Traffic and 24-Hour Party People. He has twice been nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. In April 2004, Simm married actress Kate Magowan in the Forest of Dean. Simm and Magowan have appeared… Read more »

Jacqueline Leonard Stars in Chaplin

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Jacqueline Leonard, born in 1967 in Blackpool, is an actress known for her extensive work in British television, film, and theatre. She has been married to Alex Mansfield since 2000, and the couple has one child. Leonard trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, where she won the Michael Warre Award for Best Actress in 1988. Her career highlights include roles in several popular British soap operas: Lorraine Wicks in the BBC’s EastEnders (1996–1997), Caroline Powers in the BBC’s Doctors (2000), Lydia Murdoch in the Scottish soap River City, Linda Hancock in ITV’s Coronation Street, and appearances… Read more »

The Original Coasters Restaurant

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Coasters Restaurant was first built in the late eighties or early nineties. Sometime afterwards, the marketing manager from Blackpool Pleasure Beach approached Malcolm Clement from Prontoprint on Whitegate Drive about getting a new menu designed. Malcolm then subcontracted the work to Encore Design, which was taken over by Deeper Blue twenty years later. Like the designers, it would appear that Coasters Restaurant has moved on too… from Ocean Boulevard to inside Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The new restaurant has a somewhat more restrained decor than before. The old place had actual roller coaster carriages converted into dining booths whereas the new… Read more »

Disability First

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Since 1992, Disability First Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) has been helping people across Lancashire and Cumbria with special services. They work with local governments, health organizations, and charities to make sure that services for disabled people are well-coordinated and effective. They also team up with businesses and government agencies to raise awareness about disability issues, aiming for better accessibility and inclusion, and pushing for improvements in how services are provided. A big part of their job is to represent and listen to the views of disabled people. Disability First offers a variety of services that focus on health and wellbeing,… Read more »

The Launch of Radio Wave

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Radio Wave was an Independent Local Radio station that served Blackpool, The Fylde, and nearby regions. It operated from studios located in the Layton area of Blackpool and transmitted its broadcasts via a specially built transmitter positioned atop Blackpool Tower. In the late 1980s, local entrepreneur John Barnett advocated for a unique Independent Local Radio (ILR) licence for Blackpool and the Fylde area. He also plays a key role at Social Enterprise Solutions. The licence was granted in 1992, and Radio Wave commenced its broadcasts at 7 am on 25 May 1992. The station’s launch included an introduction from Barnett,… Read more »