July 2025 – Blackpool Civic Trust

News and Remembering

Our newsletter from Elaine

Our next meeting is on Monday 21st July 2025 at 7pm in the Holiday Inn, Talbot Road, Blackpool. The guest speaker is Claire Walmsley-Griffiths a local photographer who you may have seen at events.

Forthcoming Visits

Our next outing is to look around the Backlot Cinema at 11am on August 12^th. Rachel will have the board out for you to put your name down at our meeting next Monday (21^st) at 7pm at the usual Holiday Inn.

Next Monday is also your chance to pay your £20 for our coach trip to the two Lancashire Mills on Thursday 4^th September. After next Monday it will be sent out to other organisations to fill up the coach. Seats on the bus will be booked on a first come with the cash basis!

Forthcoming Events

Also, from next Monday onward, tickets will be on sale (again £20) for our Afternoon Tea Awards ceremony in the Winter Gardens’ Spanish Hall on January 22^nd 2026 – our 51^st anniversary – at 1pm for a 1.30pm meal. Yes! I know that sounds a long way away but do you want to pay £20 in the middle of buying Christmas presents? At the speed this year is going it will soon be Christmas!!!

Remembering Loraine Calvert

Finally, on a sadder note, I do hope that a lot of you make time in your busy schedules to say goodbye to our friend Loraine Calvert. Loraine (yes, it is one ‘r’) worked so hard for the Blackpool Civic Trust both as a member and a Committee Member for such a long time that she deserves our proper farewell now. Through ill health, Loraine had been ‘off the radar’ for the past few years but it didn’t mean that she had been forgotten.

The funeral is at St Stephen on the Cliffs at 12 noon this Friday (18^th) before being taken to Carleton Crematorium. The wake is being held at the Norbreck Bowling Club, Clovelly Ave, FY5 1RZ and all are welcome.

If you are coming to the wake, I would be grateful if you would let me know by tomorrow (Tuesday) please as Corrine, Loraine’s daughter, needs numbers for the catering.

Claire Walmsley Griffiths Guest Speaker

If I don’t see you on Friday, I do hope I see as many of you as possible on Monday. Our speaker is Claire Walmsley, a local performance and heritage space photographer. I am really looking forward to this as over the past number of years Claire has been there with her camera at so many events that I have attended. I am sure that this will apply to a lot of you when you see her and I think it will bring back happy memories for many of us.

Blackpool Civic Trust next monthly meeting 21st July 2025. Guest Speaker Claire Walmsley Griffiths — Our next meeting is on Monday 21st July 2025

Blackpool Civic Trust visit to Lightworks, Blackpool Illuminations Depot 11th July 2025

Next Meeting 21st July 2025

Our next monthly meeting is on Monday 21st July 2025 at 7pm at the Holiday Inn Talbot Road Blackpool. The guest speaker is Claire Walmsley Griffiths a Heritage Spaces and Performance photographer from Blackpool.

Non-members are welcome for a small donation of £2.

Report on Lightworks Visit 11th July 2025

There was a good turn out for the tour of Lightworks, the home of Blackpool Illuminations. We were treated to a guided tour by the manager, Richard Williams, who gave a lighthearted and knowledgeable account of what it takes to put on several miles of illuminations in the open sea air. Creating the amazing ideas of some of the best designers, such as Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and with celebrity Leigh Francis, better known as Keith Lemon, who designs tableaux.

The entrance to Lightworks:

Richard Williams in yellow and Blackpool Civic Trust and friends in pink:

Sooty who often sits near the top of lamp posts and has a tabeaux of its own:

The Lightworks makes the tabeaux and illuminated displays using modern shaping technoloty such as 3D printing and has to ensure light it evenly transmitted through the display.

The Galleon from the tableaux way up north, Bispham way:

Disco Donkey Cavalcade by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, was on the prom opposite the Blackpool Tower in last years display. A joyful display well appreciated by everyone who saw it. We look forward to seeing it again.

Madhatter’s tea party. Which tea would it be? Quite large aren’t they.

Another display by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen on the promenade, 11th July 2025. These are bigger than they look.

Blackpool Illuminations run from 30th August 2025 to 5th January 2026. 2

6th August 2025 brings a preview and fun night out with a closed Promenade for cycling in ‘Ride the Lights’.

From 15th October to 1st November 2025 the Lightpool Festival will display.

Plus the World Fireworks Championship adds to the excitement in September and October.

During the Lightpool festival tours on two illuminated trams, the Western Train and the Frigate, as well as the Balloon tram will run and the Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours will continue to the end of the illuminations season.

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Visit to Illuminations Depot 11th July 2025

Richard Williams will be offering us tours of the Illuminations depot on Friday 11 July at 1:30.

We will meet outside the Lightworks, Shorebury Point, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool, FY4 2RL. Time 13.20 on Friday 11th July 2025.

For those who haven’t been it’s a great way of seeing the working of the Illuminations department and to see what they have planned for the Illumination in 2025 season.

To book email -rachelsykes@hotmail.co.uk