Warrington Museum and Art Gallery

Warrington is a town in Cheshire, 18 miles west of Manchester. We travelled from Manchester Piccadilly by train, changing at Oxford Road.

It was a short walk to the White Hart Pub where we had booked a table for sixteen people. The food was delicious, homemade and of superb quality. We would certainly recommend a visit.

After lunch we made our way to the Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, in the Cultural Quarter of Warrington, housed in a Grade II listed building that it shares with the town’s Central Library. The Museum and the Library originally opened in 1848 as the first rate-supported library in the UK, before moving to their current premises in 1858.

We had planned to visit the Andie Airfix exhibition – a retrospective celebrating the work of the legendary graphic designer who grew up in Warrington. In a career lasting over 40 years, Andie designed a host of iconic album covers for the likes of Def Leppard, The Thompson Twins, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Dead or Alive and Led Zeppelin.

The museum’s collection also includes a wide range of subjects such as ethnology, egyptology, geology, Roman Britain, pottery / ceramics, botany, fish, amphibians, reptiles, the Civil War, local industries, birds and mammals and glass. The building also houses a collection of around 1,000 paintings and the mummy of an Egyptian male teenager!

See more photos here.

The Secret World War 2 Love Letters Between Two Men

Gilbert Bradley and Gordon Bowsher fell in love shortly before the beginning of the Second World War; however when Gilbert joined the army their relationship survived through beautifully crafted letters.

The letters came to light thanks to Mark Hignett, the Curator of Oswestry Museum. After coming across 600 of the letters in 2017 he began piecing the story together. Initially, he thought they were between a man and woman. It was only once he discovered the ‘G’ signing off the letters was a man that he realised their historical significance.

As wartime stories of homosexual relationships go, theirs is a happy one. It didn’t end in persecution, nor do their letters dwell on the difficulties they presumably faced. The content instead focuses on the things they enjoyed, including the small amount of time they spent with one another. 

Nevertheless, the constraints of the time seep into the letters in heart-breaking ways. Where most happy wartime love stories end in the re-uniting of two lovers, theirs could not.

“I get panic-stricken when I think of the prospect of going back to civil life and still be unable to have you with me,” Gordon wrote. 

The two men were taking a tremendous risk by exchanging letters. Homosexuality was illegal until 1957, and partaking in any homosexual act was punishable by 10 years in prison.

Luckily, neither suffered legal prosecution for their sexuality, but that didn’t mean they weren’t affected by the law of the time.

The two men clearly placed a lot of importance on how the world viewed their relationship, and felt it couldn’t be real without widespread approval.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all our letters could be published in the future in a more enlightened time.”

Gordon Bowsher

Extract from letter to Gilbert Bradley

“To me, our love is so great that I feel it cannot exist without all the world being aware of it,” Gordon writes. “I feel that all our happiness and all our unhappiness should be shared”. 

Gordon’s fixation on this ideal leads him to write that the letters “should be published one day when the world becomes wiser and more broad-minded”.

Incredibly, that day is upon us. “Gordon, we’re getting there,” Hignett says. “The time to publish yours and Gilbert’s story is now”. 

Hignett’s own transformation is a part of the story too. He confesses that the letters have changed him profoundly. Speaking at the LGBT History Festival in Shrewsbury, he jokes that if his daughter had ever told him he’d be there, he’d have laughed at her. 

Now, he’s seizing every opportunity he can to stress the lesson of the letters: how proud we should be to be living at a point in time where we can truly respect the love felt between Gordon and Gilbert.

‘Be Who You Want To Be’ area in Blackpool town centre is underway

Residents were in for a surprise this week after zebra crossings on Dickson Road, Blackpool saw a colourful transformation!

Dickson Road had two zebra crossings upgraded to include a multi-coloured rainbow design graphic underneath the traditional white stripes.

The junction of Dickson Road and Springfield Road will also see a vibrant makeover, with rainbow crossings due to be installed on the road at the four-way junction.

The crossing areas on the road will be adorned with rainbow designs to help guide pedestrians safely across the busy road junction, along with the use of existing safety measures including tactile paving surfaces, crossing control push buttons and tactile cones on the crossing control boxes.

The colours in the crossings are those of the Progress Pride flag, which celebrates inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community.

The new colourful road markings form part of the ‘Be Who You Want To Be’ Action Plan, which was created following many meetings, a number of focus groups, discussions and a survey.

The area is particularly important to the Council in relation to the Council Plan, in terms of supporting equality, inclusion and celebrating diversity. In particular, ensuring this area is safe for all to be who they want to be, to socialise and celebrate inclusion, difference and diversity without the risks of homophobic or other discriminatory abuse. It is hoped this along with other elements within the Action Plan will help catalyse the regeneration of the area and also build an inclusive culture in the wider town.

Rainbow wrap lighting has also recently been installed on lampposts in the area, shining bright the message of inclusivity over the streets.

Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of the Council and ward councillor for Claremont said: “I am delighted to see the first steps of the ‘Be Who You Want To Be’ Action Plan being put into place so quickly in the Claremont area. The new rainbow crossings bring an injection of colour and are a celebration of the long established LGBTQ+ history and diversity of the area. The LGBTQ+ community and businesses are very important to the economy of our town and I want the improvements made through the Action Plan to make this area to feel vibrant, unique and safe for everyone. There is still more work to be done but I’m proud that we’re committed to developing the identity of this area of the town centre, making it an area of inclusivity for everyone to be who they want to be.”

Saree About It!

British Asian Drag Comedian Lady Bushra debuts with her edgy UK Tour … Saree About It!

Shortlisted for a BBC New Comedy Award, the internationally renowned, iconic character of Lady Bushra is played by Amir Dean who was born and raised in Bradford. A fast growing comedian, this drag queen has taken the scene by storm both online and in person. Often performing his self-produced, sold out ‘Drag Comedy Cabaret’, his online videos have been viewed over 20 million times globally whereas his live performances have been enjoyed as far as Europe and USA. 

Lady Bushra’s drag persona is ‘Vicky Pollard goes to Bollywood’. Expect to see a well dressed, saree clad bearded beauty perform standup comedy but with a digital twist! Lady Bushra is razor sharp, quick witted and hilarious and does not disappoint his loyal audiences!

Sunday, 21 April at 7.00pm – 8.30pm (Last entry time: 6.50pm)

Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 102 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LJ

£15 + £1.96 Booking fee.

Book here