Tag: Community

John Nickson and Pride of Place

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John Nickson was responsible for fundraising at the British Council, English National Opera, the Royal Academy of Arts and Tate. He is a member of the governing Council of the Royal College of Music and a trustee of London Music Masters, The Beacon Collaborative and UK Community Foundations. Previously, he has been a trustee of Atlantic College, United World Colleges (UWC) and MANGO ( management accounting for NGOs) and OPERA RARA. He is Special Advisor to Philanthropy Company and Ambassador for the Blackpool Pride of Place Regeneration Project. John has been advisor and mentor to several charitable organisations, including Mansfield… Read more »

Heritage Trams Suspends its Service

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Blackpool faces a poignant moment as the Heritage Trams have been officially withdrawn from service, with the final tours of the season cancelled. The future of the historic fleet remains uncertain, though Blackpool Transport has expressed hope for a potential return in the future. The decision, described as a difficult but necessary step, was made to prioritise efficiency and safety as the town’s tram network continues to evolve. As part of ongoing modernisation efforts following the North Station extension, Blackpool Transport is introducing advanced safety systems, including the Obstacle Detection Assistance System (ODAS) and the Collision and Overspeed Monitoring and… Read more »

The Birth of Young Farmers DIY AGM at Blackpool

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The Young Farmers Community was established in 2018 in response to the cancellation of the long-standing National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) Annual Convention. The NFYFC made the difficult decision to discontinue the event following reports of anti-social behaviour at the 2018 convention in Blackpool, held over the May bank holiday weekend (4–6 May). While the federation insisted it had not been “banned” from any host towns, it ultimately chose to end the convention after 50 successful years. The announcement, made on 2 August 2018, was met with disappointment and frustration from young farmers across the country, who had… 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 »

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 »

Art B&B Opens its Doors on the Promenade

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Art B&B first opened its doors in 2019 after Blackpool Council purchased the former Ocean Hotel on the promenade between Banks Street and Springfield Road for £203,000 in 2016. The traditional Blackpool B&B has been transformed and reimagined by over 30 established and emerging artists, who have curated the 19 rooms and communal spaces to offer a truly unique stay. As a community business, Art B&B reinvests its profits into arts and community projects, making it a distinctive boutique hotel designed to engage and inspire guests. The team behind Art B&B took a tired seafront hotel and entrusted its decor… Read more »

Blackpool Pride of Place Partnership

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Blackpool Pride of Place Partnership calls on Government to further its support to regenerate the Town. The Partnership is part of Business in the Community (BITC), The Prince’s Responsible Business Network. It has released a fourth edition of its Blackpool Town Prospectus to help respond to the current and future needs of Blackpool, by building on its strategic partnership with the UK Government formed in 2022. The Blackpool Pride of Place Partnership, founded in 2017 by BITC, is a partnership of the private, public, and voluntary sectors working together to create long-term transformational change in Blackpool. BITC has been working in… Read more »

Lytham and St Annes Town Crier

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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 big personality, a caring heart, an engaging sense of fun, and a love of fancy dress. As a 54-year-old mother of four children and two grandchildren, she most certainly fits the bill. She is also the head of charity for Blue Skies, the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals... Read more »

Knitting for a Guinness World Record

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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… Read more »

Blackpool’s Town Crier

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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.