Events

When searching for a program on a video tape, why do I always stop on the adverts?

This page last updated Thursday August 06, 2009
What happpened?

This page will cover events and happenings around the town.
It will be updated occasionally, with the most recent event at the top of the page.

Featured on this page
Fiddler's Ferry 4th Annual Classic Vehicle Show
Acker Bilk & his Paramount Jazz Band	The Cycle Museum	Georgie Fame Concert	Prince Charles
Andy Prior Jazz Concert	D-Day 60th Anniversary	Market Grand Day Out	Stockton Heath Musical Evening
Bawming of the Thorn	Fire Station Open Day	NatWest 175th Anniversary	WBT Centenary Event

Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band (Sat 25 August, 2007)

Acker Bilk gained worldwide fame with his hit singles 'Stranger On The Shore' in 1962, which stayed in the charts for 55 weeks and was the first number 1 hit in UK and USA simultaneously. He also had a big hit with 'Aria' in 1976. Born in January 1929, he has previously worked in a tobacco factory and also done a bit of boxing.

He began playing the clarinet in 1948 and has received many gold and platinum disks for his music. In 2001 Acker was honoured with an MBE for his services to the Music Industry. He now tours with his Paramount Jazz Band.

On Saturday 25 August 2007 he gave a sparkling performance at The Old Fish Market at Golden Square Warrington in a free concert which was sponsored by Golden Square, The Town Centre Partnership and Warrington Borough Council. Here are photographs of that performance. For more on the man, try this link: www.ackerbilk.co.uk

4th Annual Fiddler's Ferry Classic Vehicle Show (Sun 15 July, 2007)

The 4th Annual Fiddler's Ferry Classic Vehicle Show took place on Sunday 15 July 2007. Over 40 vehicles graced Fiddler's Ferry Yacht Haven to bring back the nostalgia of the open road. The heavy rain didn't dampen anybody's sprits and a good time was had by all. The event was run by North West Casual Classics (see their website at www.northwestcasualclassics.com). The club was formed in 1995 and meets at the Penketh and Sankey Sports and Social Club on Warrington Road in Penketh at 8.00 pm on the second Tuesday of each month. New members are always welcome to join. I am grateful to the various owners for allowing me to feature their vehicles on this page. Long may your cars and enthusiasm remain on the road.


Fiddler's Ferry Yacht Haven.	1965 Ford Zodiac.	1973 Triumph Stag.	Triumph TR3, voted the favourite vehicle on the day by the landlady of The Ferry Tavern.

1964 Ford Anglia.	1966 Ford Anglia Super.	1965 Ford Cortina.	1964 Ford Consul.

A wonderful collection of Morris Minors.

Mg (Morris Garages) made some classic cars. Here is small selection.

A classic Austin.	A 1960 Beardmore.	A Morris 8, from around 1935.	An Austin Healey Sprite "Frogeye".

1967 Sunbeam Alpine.	Mercedes AMG.	MG ZT.	1971 Mini GT.

Cadillac.	Mini.	1986 Ford Capri.	Ford Zodiac.

Triumph Stag.	Fiat.	Sunbeam Alpine.	1977 Mercedes.

1997 Nissan.	Rover.	1975 Rover 2000.	A Rover and a 1975 Vauxhall.

Ford Zodiac.	Ford Zodiac and a Vauxhall Velox.	Rover 2000 SC.	1968 Rover.

Bentley.	A couple of Datsun 240Z's.		A Ford Consul Classic.

A small selection of motorcycles were represented at the show.

My thanks to Steve for filling me in some vehicle names. Much appreciated.

Stockton Heath Steam and Music Event (Thu 21 Sep, 2006)

On Thursday, 21 September 2006, a musical evening with a difference was held in Victoria Square, Stockton Heath. A Merenghi 89 Key Fairground Organ was on display to play well-known tunes in a free 'concert' . The organ was powered by a 1914 Fowler Showman's steam engine. Donations on the night were given to the St Thomas's Church Restoration Fund. It was an excellent evening, attracting lots of attention from curious members of the public, including a delightful baby who was fascinated by the marvellous sounds created. A full description of the organ is given below, as it visited the town during the recent Market Grand Day Out event.

Andy Prior's Big Band Jazz Concert at Golden Square ( Sat 19 August, 2006)

In July 2004, Andy Prior performed with his Big Band on Granada TV, the first such TV concert in over 30 years. Town Centre Warrington Partnership invited Andy and the band to perform in the open air under the Old Fish Market at Golden Square to an audience of over 600. The free concert was attended by the Mayor, Linda Dirir and consort Allin Dirir. It was a musical treat and the audience were enthusiastic and appreciative of Andy's humour, especially when he involved Rhode Island Coffee shop. They remained open to serve refreshments all evening and Andy created a new concept - the coffee towel! You've heard of tea towels? Well, the staff were promoting the name of the shop on towels - not tea towels but coffee towels, as Andy named them. Later the staff came round with alcoholic beverages to which Andy shouted out from the stage, "What are you selling now?" The audience were roaring with laughter. (The building housing Rhode Island Coffee next to the Barley Mow was where William Beamont, the first Mayor of Warrington, ran his solicitors business in the 19th century.) An excellent performance of 'drumnastics' was performed by drummer Bob Howard, who gave a sparkling solo performance. Andy sang some classic songs in a show which had the audience wanting more. Check out Andy's website at www.andyprior.co.uk


Andy Prior.

			Andy performs one of his many songs.

Bob Howard's drumnastics.

Rhode Island Coffee.	Andy thanks the audience for attending.	Standing room only for the audience.	The Mayor, Cllr Linda Dirir and consort Allin Dirir.

NatWest - celebrating 175 years of banking in Warrington (2006)

NatWest's Warrington branch first opened in 1831 as an office of Manchester & Liverpool District Banking Co, which had been founded in 1829 and already had branches in Oldham, Liverpool and Hanley.
Situated on the Mersey midway between Liverpool and Manchester, Warrington was a thriving market town by the 1830s, with over 18,000 inhabitants and a variety of industries including textiles, glass, pins and tools. By the end of the decade it had two railway stations, with the Sankey and Bridgewater canals close by. When Manchester & Liverpool District Banking Co opened its branch here on 25 July 1831 in Friars Gate, it was only the second bank to be represented in the town.
The present branch building in Sankey Street (a most 'handsome edifice' according to a local publication of the time) was constructed in 1856. It was designed by the prolific Manchester architect Edward Walters, and incorporated an imposing banking hall with a large lantern roof-light. Many prominent buildings were built in Warrington around this time, including the Museum and Library in 1857, the Public Hall and baths in 1866, and the Town Hall in 1867.
Warrington's Branch in the 1930s.	Business flourished, and by 1883 the branch had over 1,000 accounts. By the end of the century Warrington had expanded considerably, with new iron foundries, soap works, and a population of almost 94,000. Following the First World War, the bank faced increasing competition and had to grow in order to compete. As a result, District Bank, as it was by then known, merged with the Manchester-based County Bank in 1935.	The banking hall in the 1930s.
During the Second World War, the bank suffered difficulties as staff joined the forces and controls were imposed on lending and exchange. In 1962 District Bank was acquired by National Provincial Bank, one of Britain's 'Big Five' high street banks, but continued to trade under its own name. Towards the end of the decade Warrington branch's interior was remodelled to incorporate a new counter and a machine room for mechanised accounting.
In 1970, National Provincial Bank merged with Westminster Bank to form National Westminster Bank, and all of the new bank's branches, Warrington included, began to trade under the new name.
In 1994 the bank's branch in Bridge Street, originally opened by National Provincial Bank in 1890, was merged with the one in Sankey Street. The present premises, listed in 1975, were refurbished to accommodate the combined business.
NatWest is proud of its long association with Warrington.	The branch today.	Today, 175 years after we first opened for business, our aim is just as it has always been: to provide a high quality service to our community.
The copyright of the text and 1930s images belongs to NatWest. I would like to thank NatWest for permission to use this information.

Warrington Market's Grand Day Out (Sat 1 July, 2006) - Part of Culturefest '06

	Saturday 1 July 2006 saw Queens Gardens transformed into a fun park for the day with fairground rides, market stalls, games and entertainment. Even Wallace and Gromit made an appearance. The carousel was a magic event, and brought back memories for me, and no doubt countless others. I hope my old school classmate had a go in the end – he thought he might be too old to ride it.
	My thanks go to Mr Priestner for permission to feature his Merenghi 89 Key Fairground Organ. She is called “Lady Hamilton”, and was built in 1903. Originally having 70 keys, she was converted to 89 keys in 1920. The organ was fitted into the 1968 Bedford T. K. lorry in 1972, and now appears at rallies in Northern England. She is powered by the owner’s 'John Fowler Showman’s' engine “Evening Star”, although it does have its own 110-volt generator. The sound from it is amazing, and professional recordings have been made of the organ.

This steam engine was built in 1916 and registered in 1918.	The Savoy Jazz Men entertained us with their renditions of many famous tunes. If you wish to book them for a show, telephone 0151 722 1478.	Wire FM 107.2…Latest Hits…Greatest Music… broadcast live from the event.
Various market stalls holders attended the event, including Fair 4 All, the Fair Trade stall.
This kind of stall sells goods of a more diverse nature from around the world with the aim of obtaining a fair price for the producers of the goods.		If you are interested in supporting this kind of venture, call at the stall in the market to find out more, or click on to the Make Poverty History website.
Other stalls included a chance to buy something, or help raise money for a good cause by taking part in games or tombolas. The middle image (below) was one for the Mayor’s Charity Appeal where you had to get a ball to fall through the various nets into the blue tray at the bottom to get a prize. I did it with my first shot. But if you think that was beginner’s luck, well, you are probably right because I missed with my next three! Still, I won a bag of crisps…

It was a brilliant sunny day, which encouraged many people to visit. Pyramid Centre even put up a large screen for football fans to watch England play Portugal in the World Cup Quarter Final…
Also on show were examples from The Cycle Museum at Walton Gardens. See Below. See Warrington Green for more on Walton Gardens.

The Cycle Museum

Paul Adams, Curator of The Cycle Museum at Walton Hall Gardens, displayed a small selection of bicycles at Warrington Market's Grand Day Out. Here he describes them to me. And like many great ideas, the museum outlived its original home and moved to Walton because it needed more space.


The oldest bicycle on show today is a boneshaker, dating from 1868. It is one of 3 in the museum collection.

Next we have three examples of the famous penny-farthing. The first two date back to 1878, whilst the one on the right is from 1879.

This diamond frame machine had wooden wheels. It is shaft driven – no chain or brakes, and was made in Chicago in 1901.

Made by Raleigh in the 1950s. Soon after, it was converted into a knife-grinding machine. The man would tour the streets on his bike, place it on a stand, ring a bell and people would bring out shears, knives, bread knives, carving knives and be charged around sixpence to sharpen them. The drive system is simply a rim off a smaller bicycle and fixed to the spokes, with a curtain spring. With the back wheel off the ground the wheel would be turned and the knives sharpened. The little wheel on the back would sharpen scissors.

This is a replica of a 1905-06 machine, which Paul also owns. The original was made by a Mikael Pedersen, a Dane, who came to this country and set up a business in Dursley, Gloucestershire, hence its name, a Dursley-Pedersen. The triangulated design is his design and is 14 tubes all set in a diamond shape, and soft-soldered into the bottom bracket. The hammock seat allows the machine to work like a suspension bridge. When you sit on the machine the whole frame stiffens up and it gives you your riding position, which, as you can see by the height of the bars, is very elegant to ride. The inventor made allsorts of machines, including milking machines, but sadly he died in abject poverty. If you want to read more about him, try the company website www.dursley-pedersen.net

This photo was taken in the 1950s at Arpley Bus Station. The ABC cinema can be seen in the background - which became Mr Smiths nightclub, now Halo. The members of Warrington Cycling Club in the picture dressed up as tramps to raise money for good causes. If you recognise yourself, get in touch with the museum on the number below. The Cycle Museum is located at Walton Hall Gardens off the A56 (M56, Junction 11), and is open from 10am to 6pm on weekends and bank holidays, except when Paul is at a show like this one. On such occasions information is left on the noticeboard indicating where to find him. Telephone in the UK 07930 882569 or the Rangers Office on 01925 601617.

APPLETON THORN - Bawming of the Thorn (Sat 17 June, 2006)

Appleton was known in the Domesday Book as Epletune and means ‘a settlement where apples grow’. It is located in the southern area of Warrington. In the 12^th century the landowner was Adam de Dutton, a Norman knight in the Crusades. It is said he brought a cutting from the Christmas flowering thorn planted by Joseph of Arimathea, hence the other local name Appleton Thorn. Bawming of the Thorn takes place on the Saturday nearest to Midsummer’s Day in June each year (17th June in 2006), and is the only place in Britain where you can witness the event. Bawming means 'decorating the tree with flowers and ribbons'. Once the tree has been decorated, children then dance around it, singing the ancient Bawming Song. The chorus goes like this:

Up with fresh garlands this midsummer morn,
Up with red ribbons on Appleton Thorn,
Come lasses and lads to the Thorn Tree today
To Bawm it and shout as ye Bawm it, Hooray!

The children performed the song and dance wonderfully, and are to be congratulated on their hard work, not forgetting of course the teachers and parents of Appleton Thorn Primary School. After the ceremony a fun day was held on the field behind the Village Hall.


Appleton Thorn Parish Hall - a noticeboard promoting the event - The Church of St Cross.		The decorated tree.

The tree itself was dedicated as one of 50 Great British Trees in recognition of its place in the national heritage at the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations in June 2002.	The Flower Arranging Competition attracted some wonderful entries. In my eyes they are all winners.

The 2006 event was officially opened by Colin Parry, JP, OBE, who also judged the children's fancy dress competition, and presented medals to the schoolchildren. Colin lost his 12-year-old son Tim in the IRA bombing of Warrington town centre in 1993, and has been an ambassador for the peace process ever since. A plaque dedicated to Tim, and three-year-old Jonathan Ball (who also lost his life in the tragedy), can be seen on Bridge Street in Warrington town centre outside the former Boots store (the Howard Buildings).

Broadcasting live from the event was Warrington Hospital's Radio General. The station broadcasts requests and
general items to patients in the hospital 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (366 in leap years!). Click here view their website.

Prince Charles visits Warrington (Fri 18 November, 2005)

The Prince of Wales receives the salute from members of the Territorial Army

His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, visited Warrington on Friday 18 November, 2005. Prince Charles presented medals to members of the King's and Cheshire Regiment's Territorial Army (TA) at the Town Hall. In total, 227 soldiers received medals for duties in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.


More pictures of Prince Charles' visit to Warrington on 18 November 2005.

Fire Station Open Day (Sat 1 October, 2005)

On 1 October 2005, the fire station on Winwick Road was the setting for a fun and awareness day. Some of the brigade's latest fire and rescue equipment was on display, plus the splendid old engine belonging to Joseph Crosfield and Sons Limited.

The most dramatic demonstration was how to deal with a chip pan fire. If you've never seen this for real, it is a spectacle. The basic message is NOT to throw water onto a burning chip fan. Instead, if it is safe, use a damp tea towel and place it over the pan to snuff out the chance of oxygen getting to the fire. No oxygen means the fire dies. Then leave it for at least 30 minutes to cool down completely before attempting to remove it. If the towel is removed too soon, the intense heat would cause the fire to ignite again, as was clearly demonstrated on the day. The fire brigade say a safer method for cooking chips is to use a deep fat fryer rather than the chip pan as these have a thermostat to control the heat. If in doubt, get the fire brigade out - or go to the chip shop!


Various demonstrations took place throughout the day, including a display from the fire station cadets, who showed how to rescue a 'damsel in distress' from a burning high-rise building. The Joseph Crosfield heritage vehicle is shown here on the right.

Rescuing "a damsel in distress".	Crazy Circus Fun House.	Putting out a chip pan fire with a tea towel.	The Fireman's Prayer.

Dramatic demonstration of what happens when water is thrown onto a chip pan fire. This sequence took just ONE SECOND to react.
And for light relief, the Crazy Circus Fun House was available. Charity and community stalls were also on display, including a burger stall manned by the fire fighters themselves. It was a brilliant day and even the rain couldn't dampen anybody's spirits.

Georgie Fame performs at Golden Square (Sat 27 August, 2005)

During the summer of 2005, Warrington Borough Council, in conjunction with The Town Centre Partnership, Pyramid Parr Hall and Golden Square, arranged a free concert under the Old Fish Market in Golden Square. It featured Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra along with entertainer Georgie Fame. The concert took place on Saturday 27 August, 2005, and was supported by Warrington jazz guitarist-singer, Peter Price. The evening was introduced by Mayor Hans Mundry. mywarrington now presents a small selection of images from the event, which was witnessed by hundreds of townsfolk.


Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra.	Mayor Hans Mundry introduces the evening's entertainment.	Warrington's Peter Price opens the show.	Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra take to the stage.

Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra.	Legendary Jazz singer Georgie Fame joins the orchestra for a dazzling performance.	The show lasted almost three hours.	The show was enjoyed by hundreds of people, including families with young babies.

I have spoken to one or two folk since the concert who agree with me that the show was a fabulous event and an incredible success. Thank you to all the organisers and I'm sure I speak for many when I say that I look forward to seeing many more events like this in the future.

For more information on activities at Pyramid, call 01925 442345 or visit their website www.pyramidparrhall.co.uk

D-Day 60th Anniversary Celebrations (Sat 1 May, 2004)

Like the rest of the country, Warrington played its part in celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy of 6 June, 1944, when allied forces joined up as part of Operation Overlord in the battle against Germany. Military vehicles and weapons were on display at Golden Square, with the Kings Division Normandy Band entertaining the crowd with music and marching. The Warrington Guardian promotions team were giving away copies of their original 1944 front page. The Warrington Borough Transport bus shown in the WBT Centenary Open Day section below was on display at Cockhedge Shopping Park.

Warrington Borough Transport Centenary Open Day (Mon 3 June, 2002)

In 2002, Warrington Borough Transport celebrated 100 years of serving the community of Warrington.
An Open Day was held at the Wilderspool Causeway bus depot on the May Day Bank Holiday.


Warrington's own preserved heritage bus, number 148, is a Leyland PD2/40 Special (above right), which was new in 1965. On the day was used to ferry passengers to and from the bus station, but was taken off by midday due to technical problems with its 42 year old engine.

Vehicles from all over the northwest were on display.

A heritage tour was available throughout the day by open-top bus.

Memorabilia was on sale to collectors, along with charity stalls and refreshments
It was a great day for nostalgia.			Chester City Transport also celebrated its centenary in 2002.