Column: Our Lodestar days were far from Rotten (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Column: Our Lodestar days were far from Rotten

10:37am Tuesday 10th July 2012 in Opinion By Margo Grimshaw, Lancashire Telegraph columnist

IT’S strange how things seem to turn a full circle.

We have had the quite amazing spectacle of the Queen shaking hands with the former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, perhaps not in forgiveness but in a ‘Let us start again’ mode.

And then, who appears serious and intelligent on Question Time but John Lydon, otherwise known as Johnny Rotten of Sex Pistol fame.

Seeing him took me back to the days when we booked him and his band to appear at Preston Guild Hall, but the hall then said that they couldn’t have him perform there as he’d been swearing on Bill Grundy’s TV show.

The swearing, by the way, also finished the Bill Grundy Show!

But, happily for me, they had already appeared in concert at the Lodestar.

People have often asked why I called it that and the reason behind it was a book I was reading about the D Day landings.

Lodestar was the name of the operation and the target points for the forces when they landed in Europe.

Lodestar means beacon ‘or a point to aim for’, so I thought that would be a good name for a venue, and it was.

We had some great names appearing there, such as Bob Geldof, who’s now Sir Bob. We brought the group over from Ireland for the Boomtown Rats’ first gig in this country.

Ken Dodd, who should be Sir Ken, Frank Carson, Susie Quatro, Phil Cool, Wandering Walter, Bernard Manning, and many more, all appeared at the Lodestar.

Goodness me, I’m feeling quite nostalgic.

All those years ago we battled long and hard with the licensing authorities and police to get Sunday openings with music — which they did eventually allow provided we served food. So, in came the potato pie suppers.

Also on Sundays on the fields at the back, we ran markets which were very well attended and everyone seemed to enjoy.

It was hard work and I loved every minute of it, but that’s enough of looking back.

Losing weight, dieting, is such a bore, as food and drink are such big pleasures.

My husband always said that I was ‘the only investment he had made that actually increased.’