Morecambe’s favourite daughter

Thora Hird (28.05.1911- 15.03.2003) 

(Image attributed to Allan Warren)

Thora Hird was an actress from a very early age, making her theatrical debut before she was six months old. Her father James Henry Hird was the manager of the Royalty Theatre in Morecambe, as well as other buildings.

Her mother Mary was a actress, and helped Thora begin her acting career at eight weeks old, carrying Thora on stage as part of her own performance.  She performed regularly when she was old enough to do it, on her own, but also worked in the local Co-op, keeping the job for ten years.

This period of her life helped her in her acting career, as she would study the people that she served, and practise any of their mannerisms that she found interesting, or distinctive. Her father would watch and take note of anything that she might be able to improve on.  She credited her father as being one of the most influential people in her acting career, and one of the others was her husband James Scott.

Her father didn’t want her to be a actress, but James was fully supportive. James was a drummer in the Winter Gardens orchestra, and would later become Thora’s manager, and chauffeur among other roles when she became very successful.  The pair married in 1937 after a four year courtship, and set up home on Prompt corner. Their daughter Janette was born a year later.

 In 1939 she was spotted on stage by George Formby, who wanted her to play his mother. She was too young, for that role but was still put under contract with Ealing Studios. She earned £10 per week in between roles, and £10 per day when in work.

From that start, she would go on to receive 129 credits in television, performing in such shows as Dinnerladies, Last of the Summer Wine and Alan Bennett’s monologues.  It was ‘cream cracker under the settee’ which earned Thora her first Bafta in 1988, and which is one of the performances that stick in the minds of people. Her work with Alan Bennett, is filled with humour, but a good deal of sadness as well. Hird seemed to be able to find the balance between the two, making audiences laugh and cry in equal measure, something that existed in the majority of her vast amount of stage and screen roles.

 She kept working until very late in her life, and never lost touch with who she had been, her roots were important to her. She always referred to herself as being a ‘sand grown’un’ as she was Morecambe born and bred.  

A plaque was placed in honour of her, not far away from where she was born. It’s on the wall of Eric Bartholomew Wetherspoons public house, quite aptly, as the two most famous children of the town, are honoured together.  

Honours she received 

OBE (1983)

Honorary degree from Lancaster University (1989)

Dame (1993)

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Top things to do in Morecambe

 Gala Bingo is located close to the sea front, and the Town Hall. It’s a popular spot for people of all ages, and has a bar as well as serving food. During the week there are three sessions a day, and some of those have free games. It costs between £3- £5 otherwise to play.

If you’re a craft minded person then Heysham Library runs knit and natter sessions on Tuesday afternoons. It’s popular, with regulars coming each week to continue their knitting, and catch up on gossip. Bring your own wool and needles, and join in!

For the painters out there, there is a artists exchange located on West St in the West End. It’s a friendly place for people of a similar artistic nature to meet, and help each other with work.  If you’re interested in writing, whichever form that might take, then there is a place for you on West St as well.
Next door to the Artist exchange is the Writer's room, where writers can drop in if they like. Molly also runs workshops and groups for people to receive help and constructive criticism on their works in progress.

If you’re interested in taking walks, there are several options for you. You could head to Heysham, and have a look in the Heritage centre to see what historical events have occurred in the small village. There is a path directly into Lancaster, but it’s also used by cyclists so take care of incoming riders.

 Reel cinema offers senior discounts, and also offers a hot drink for free if you come on Tuesdays. They have all the films that you would expect from a multiplex, and the staff are always friendly.

Dining out 

The Midland Hotel offers afternoon tea, with a wide selection of different teas on offer, and the cakes and sandwiches are well worth the price. It’s a beautiful building, one of the few Art Deco hotels that still exist in the UK.

Morrisons Cafe offers reasonably priced cups of tea and coffee, if you get tired of shopping in the town centre.

The Station is a pub popular with families, but it offers good pub meals 2 for £7 and so is popular with other people too. It’s opposite the Midland Hotel.

(Information correct on the 15th February 2016) If you have found this article interesting, and are inspired to take a trip to Morecambe, then you might need a taxi firm. The one you want to call is Coastal Taxis.

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Top things to do as a family in Morecambe

Morecambe is definitely a family friendly town, if you want a memorable holiday then there is no finer place to go. Here are just some of the things that you can get up to.

The Eric Morecambe Statue is something that we are particularly proud of as a town, and it’s very rare to pass by without at least one person posing alongside him. It’s located on the promenade not far away from the Clock Tower, and the town centre.

Wacky Warehouse is a soft play area attached to the Station pub, so they can play after having a meal out.

Happy Mount Park is great in the summer, containing a paddling pool and lots of space to run around. There is a outdoor obstacle course, as well as the privately owned Pirates in the Park, a indoor play area. If you and your family are interested in nature then there are ornamental gardens, and a habitat trail.

 Battery Play Park is split into different age categories, going from toddlers to children of eight or nine. Each section has a bolted gate, and age specific games and rides.

Not far from the Battery is two different water fountains for children to run in and out of, the water sprays up at regular intervals

Regent’s Park’s playground is particularly good if your children are under five, but there are activities for older children in the park as well.

The Reel Cinema is on Marine Drive, and offers all the films you would expect from a multiplex. The staff are very knowledgeable about the films, and sell hot drinks if so needed.

 Morecambe Superbowl is not far from Morrisons, sitting on the sea front. There are regular children’s parties held there, and it’s a great day out for children of all ages. It has a diner inside the building, if anyone gets hungry.

Johnny’s Fun Factory is a soft play area inside Pleasureland, a local arcade. There are video games inside the arcade for older children, and a small cafe which serves cheap and decent food.  

Sunshine Cycles offer bike hire so you could ride down the prom to Heysham if you wished to. If not there are cycle paths connecting Morecambe to Lancaster.

 Heysham Barrows is a great open space, particularly great for picnics in the summer months. There are ruins to explore, and a wilderness to play in as well.

The Stone Jetty has a lot of bird statues, and a circular maze for children to play on. It stretches out from opposite the Midland Hotel, and has a cafe at the far end.

If coming in the summer then the beach is a place that you might like to visit, it’s always popular with families.

Family friendly places to eat 

The Station pub offers 2 meals for £7, and has a big children’s menu but the main draw for families is that it has Wacky Warehouse attached to it.

Frankie and Benny’s is a local Italian restaurant not far from the cinema. It’s very popular with older children for birthday parties. It offers a regular cheap lunch menu, and the food is good quality. They have very helpful and friendly waiters.

KFC is located not far away from the cinema, and is usually packed with family groups.

 The Toby Carvery is a well known pub in the area, it’s still known as the Shrimp by local people. It has been going for years, and serves good quality pub food.

(All information correct on 15th February 2016)

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Lancaster University

Top things for students to do in Lancaster 

Lancaster University is perfectly placed for students to explore all that this lively city has to offer. If you can get out of the student ‘bubble’ that is!

 Nightlife 

The student union manages the Sugarhouse, a well established club in the town centre, which has hosted Rudimental, Red Light and Bondax amongst others. Whoops Wednesdays offers 3 for £5 on spirits and cans are only £2.

Hustle might not be the cleanest place (sticky floor), but you can have a good night and plenty of drinks for just a tenner.

The Yorkshire House offers live music and £1 Jaeger shots, as well as great real ale. Send More Paramedics, Burning Love and XLS are some of the groups that have played there.

The Gregson Centre is the place to go if you like poetry, and other creative activities. It regularly hosts open mic nights for poetry, and has a real community  feel. There are tai chi, belly dancing and martial art classes as well as choir practice and folk music performances.

The Golden Lion pub is not far from the Dukes and offers open mic music nights.

Places to eat 

Most places in Lancaster offer deals for students, discounts on food and drink when you show your NUS card.

The Whale Tail is a well known vegetarian cafe, it’s cheap and filling food starts at £3.95, but they offer a full breakfast for £7.95 which should cure any lingering hangover you might have.

Wetherspoons is great for food. The traditional breakfast, is only £2.99, filter coffee’s 99p and you can refill as many times as you like before 2pm. They offer cheap and decent sandwiches as well,  there's a chicken Panini for less than £2, and it included chips.

There’s a market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with lots of different food stalls.  The burger van which parks close to the British Heart Foundation on the high street, is popular. They offer a jumbo hotdog with cheese and onions for a little more than £2.00.

The vegetarian stall opposite WH Smith’s always has a queue but if you have the patience to queue, his falafel is well worth the wait. It’s been a while since I had one, but it was £3.50 last time.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth then Yummy cupcakes definitely live up to their name. They’re around £1.10 for one, the mint choc is delicious but there’s a wide range of different ones like Lemon, Snickers, and Ginger. Her stall tends to be not far from WH Smiths.

 Other activities 

Vue cinema is the local multiplex, and offers discounts and offers with the Borough for food.

If you prefer independent films, then the Dukes could be for you. It’s a local theatre but also puts on foreign and independent films, alongside the bigger name pictures.

Lancaster library is in the town centre, next to the museum and offers a number of workshops throughout the year, as well as a quiet area to work upstairs known as the Sanctuary.

 (All information correct on date of publication 15th February 2016)
If this article has helped you find some places you want to visit, then you will need a taxi service. The one you want is Coastal Taxis.

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