Tag: Born

Mac Barlow Becomes Manager of Blackpool FC Ladies

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Mac Barlow was born on 31 May 1967 in Blackpool and is an English football manager and former football player. She became the manager of Blackpool FC Ladies in May 2009 and is well known amongst women’s football fans, having had a long playing career. For more on women’s football, have a look at our post featuring a 1937 match between France and England in Blackpool. Barlow played for Preston Rangers WFC and was part of the team reached the semi-finals of the FA Women’s Cup in 1982–83 and 1989–90, where she played left back. In 1997, they became Preston… Read more »

Derek Woodman Rides in His First TT Race

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Derek Woodman, born in Blackpool on April 26, 1959, is a former world-class motorcycle racer and the longtime owner of one of the UK’s top BMW dealerships. Raised in a working-class family, he wasn’t expected to go far academically, but his love for motorcycles and mechanical work led him to become a skilled toolmaker. Despite his mother’s objections—due to a past family tragedy involving motorcycles—Derek’s passion for racing grew, and at 14, he visited the Isle of Man to watch the famous TT races, which left a lasting impression. After leaving school at 15, he worked at a motorcycle shop… Read more »

Anthony Cocker Becomes CEO of E.ON UK

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Anthony David Cocker, born on 26 April 1959 in the Borough of Fylde, is a prominent figure in the energy sector. He served as the chief executive of E.ON UK, one of the UK’s “Big Six” energy providers, and is also the chairman of Infinis Energy Management Limited. Cocker attended Kirkham Grammar School and has a younger brother. He married Madeleine Parker in September 1991 in Oxford, and the couple has two children: a son, born in November 2000, and a daughter, born in August 1998. They currently reside in Warwickshire. Cocker studied mathematics at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he… Read more »

James Cartmell Gets Voice Role for DreamWorks

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James Cartmell is an English actor known for his work in both theatre and voice acting. He gained recognition for his role in the West End production of Milked and became the voice of the titular character in the British animated series Where’s Waldo. Cartmell also voices Gilber Barker in the 2021 Netflix series Go, Dog. Go!. Born in Lancashire, England, Cartmell attended Kirkham Grammar School and began pursuing acting and voice lessons in 2007. During his school years, he was actively involved in music and sports, competing in athletics at a competitive level with UK Athletics. He later joined… Read more »

George Eastham Helps England Win 1966 World Cup

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George Eastham, OBE (born 23 September 1936 in Blackpool), is a former English footballer best known for his spells with Newcastle United, Arsenal, and Stoke City. A member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad, he is also remembered for his role in a landmark 1963 legal case that reshaped football by granting players greater freedom of movement between clubs. Coming from a footballing family, Eastham’s father, George Eastham Sr., was an England international who played for Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool FC, while his uncle, Harry Eastham, played for Liverpool and Accrington Stanley. As a youngster, George was also a talented… Read more »

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 »

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 »

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 »