'Really lucky' museum puts Eric Morecambe items on show
Eric Morecambe's school reports and licence to perform as a child entertainer have gone on display after a "really, really lucky" museum secured them at auction.A lifetime of showbiz memorabilia and personal items was put up for sale after the comic's widow Joan died in March 2024.Pop star Robbie Williams bought Morecambe's trademark glasses and TV presenter Yvette Fielding got his desk and typewriter, but Lancaster City Museums also manged to secure some items with its £2,000 budget.Lancaster City Councillor Nick Wilkinson said the fund came from generous donations from locals and the council was proud to lay on a space where people could connect with "the man behind the laughter".
A council representative said the successful bids meant it now owned two of Morecambe's school reports from 1936 and 1938.It had also secured Morecambe's licence to perform as a child entertainer - issued by the Morecambe and Heysham Local Education Authority in 1939 - and "a whole pile of handwritten sketches and jokes, which include the opening sketch for Morecambe and Wise season six in 1971".Museums manager Mel Cookson-Carter said they had been "really, really lucky and we are so happy with what we managed to get hold of".She said it was "fantastic" to have items from Morecambe's school days and "some incredible sketches from the peak of Morecambe and Wise from the 70s"."The two school reports are so funny," she said."In 1936, he's been absent 20 times, he's missed most of his exams and he only scored 55 out of 240."His mum wrote on the back, 'I am disgusted with this report and would be obliged if you would make him do more homework as I would see he did it here'."
Morecambe was born John Eric Bartholomew in 1926 in the Lancashire resort he took as his stage name.Ms Cookson-Carter said his mother, Sadie Bartholomew, was "the real driving force" in his childhood and early career and may have been instrumental in improving his grades."You see from his 1939 school report that he was only absent twice [and] he's done really well in his exams," she said."I'm wondering if his mum had a bit of a talking to him and said 'there's no way you're going into entertainment unless you do a bit better at school'."
'Very strict'
She said the licence also offered a glimpse into the past."It is very strict," she said."He can't do any work after 10 o'clock, he can't do any work on school days, he has to leave whichever theatre he's working in 15 minutes after his act finishes."The comedian died of a heart attack aged 58 in 1984 and is celebrated by a statue in his former hometown.The council said the licence and one of the school reports were now on display at the Lancaster Maritime Museum and it was hoped the remaining items would be exhibited in the future.Wilkinson said the council was "delighted to welcome Eric Morecambe's treasured objects back to his hometown, where they will take pride of place in our museum"."These items, deeply rooted in his legacy, offer a unique glimpse into the life of a comedy legend who brought joy to millions and we are proud to provide a space where visitors can connect with the man behind the laughter," he added.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Mum-of-22 Sue Radford flies family back to Disney Florida weeks after spending £50k on the same trip for her birthday
JUST months after parents-of-22 Sue and Noel Radford flew to Florida for Sue's £50,000 bumper 50th birthday trip - the family is back at Disney once more. The Morecambe-based brood has shared snaps from the popular holiday resort, including watching fireworks and enjoying giant slushies. 7 7 7 Sue, who is mum to Britain's biggest family, showed how her kids had been enjoying Disney's Boardwalk in Orlando and how they had visited a cake shop with some delicious treats. After walking away with some bites, they then caught some fireworks going off in the nearby theme park. The kids then seemed thrilled as they got super-sized slushy drinks to enjoy. This follows the Radfords having a sun-soaked extravaganza in Florida in April, which is estimated to cost them £52,000. Despite telling The Daily Mirror they have been "feeling the pinch" financially, they said they planned to spare no expense on the holiday of a lifetime. Sue and Noel star in Channel 5's 22 Kids and Counting and also earn money from their business Radford's Pie Company. £26,000 flights Sue and her husband Noel not only took their own children to Florida in April, but all of their grandchildren with them too - making the most of the Easter break from school. Sue, 50, and Noel, 54, are parents to Chris, 36, Sophie, 31, Chloe, 29, Jack, 28, Daniel, 26, Luke, 24, Millie, 23, Katie, 22, James, 21, Ellie, 20, Aimee, 19, Josh, 17, Max, 16, Tillie, 15, Oscar, 13, Casper, 12, Haillie, 10, Phoebe, 8, Archie, 7, Bonnie, 6, and Heidie, 5. Sadly the couple's 17th child Alfie was still born on July 6, 2014. All in, the family are thought to have sent a jaw-dropping £26,228 on flights - and that's before the excess charges or any extra baggage. It's not known if the whole family is back out for their second visit. £20k park tickets Based on the cost of a seven-day Disney visit, which would require each guest to hold a 7-Day Magic Ticket for entrance, Sue and Noel could have forked out £20,065 for each of their Florida trips this year. Luckily for Sue and Noel, children under the age of three go free. So some of the children on the trip won't cost a penny to get into the park. The tickets include access to the park and water parks with the eligibility to enter multiple parks per day. Holders will also have the 'memory maker' package which includes unlimited Disney photopass downloads - pictures taken by photographers around the park, on rides and in restaurants. 7 7 £6k accommodation Sue and Noel have spoken about their approach to holiday accommodation previously, while appearing on the This Morning show - they revealed they usually opt for a villa to save costs and ensure the bunch can bunk close together. Last September, they shared an Orlando Villa Tour on their Facebook page to their 944,000 followers. One eagle-eyed viewer recognised the accommodation as similar to a property listed on rental site, Vrbo. The glam Vrbo house sleeps 15 - so Sue and Noel will need to book 3 to comfortably house all 39 travellers. The accommodation costs £300 per night, working out at £2,100 per villa for a week and £6,300 in total for all three. And that's without any food in the villa or out in the parks. 7 7 How does family-of-22 the Radfords afford to live? AS Britain's biggest family, it may come as no surprise that Sue and Noel Radford must have some hefty bills. Between them, they have a whopping 22 children and seven dogs, which often has some people wonder how they manage their money. The Radfords support themselves with the proceeds of Noel's bakery, The Radford Pie Company, which is located near their home. On their website, it says: 'We have owned our own lovely bakery since 1999 which is how we manage to provide for (and feed) our huge and expanding family as well as for the local people of Heysham and Morecambe.' The family expanded their business to cater to online orders placed across the UK. The business is a family affair, with Noel at the helm, and some of their children helping out. The older kids, who are working at least part-time, don't get a free ride as they're made to pay a small amount of rent to their parents. "Us older ones do pay a little bit of board. Granted it's not a lot but I'm also trying to save up for my own house at the moment.' their daughter Chloe said in a video on the YouTube channel. Sue added: "We've always said if you want to buy somewhere, renting is a bit of dead money, so we'd rather you saved that money up and stayed at home a bit longer. 'I also do believe they should pay board if they are earning. We've always been brought up by our parents that we had to pay board.' Noel and Sue famously don't rely on benefits for their bumper brood and live off their pie shop for income. They also revealed they make money from brand partnerships on social media. The Radford family stars in their own reality TV show 22 Kids and Counting - which has run for four series. Brand expert Andy Barr believes Noel and Sue have been paid less than £10,000 for each show. He told the Daily Mail: "The typical fee per episode is going to be in the thousands rather than the tens or hundreds of thousands that people often think is the case with TV shows of this nature. "If they continue to get commissioned for a fourth or fifth season, then they are going to be able to command a higher fee." He estimates that the Radfords make £ 5,000 an episode.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Mum-of-22 Sue Radford flies family back to Disney Florida weeks after spending £50k on the same trip for her birthday
Plus, the staggering price of flights for the bumper family MAGICAL YEAR Mum-of-22 Sue Radford flies family back to Disney Florida weeks after spending £50k on the same trip for her birthday Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JUST months after parents-of-22 Sue and Noel Radford flew to Florida for Sue's £50,000 bumper 50th birthday trip - the family is back at Disney once more. The Morecambe-based brood has shared snaps from the popular holiday resort, including watching fireworks and enjoying giant slushies. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Britain's biggest family - the Radfords - are back in Florida after visiting in April Credit: Instagram 7 The family enjoyed watching the fireworks on Disney Boardwalk Credit: Instagram 7 Sue Radford splashed an estimated £52,000 on her 50th birthday trip to Orlando in April Credit: Instagram Sue, who is mum to Britain's biggest family, showed how her kids had been enjoying Disney's Boardwalk in Orlando and how they had visited a cake shop with some delicious treats. After walking away with some bites, they then caught some fireworks going off in the nearby theme park. The kids then seemed thrilled as they got super-sized slushy drinks to enjoy. This follows the Radfords having a sun-soaked extravaganza in Florida in April, which is estimated to cost them £52,000. Despite telling The Daily Mirror they have been "feeling the pinch" financially, they said they planned to spare no expense on the holiday of a lifetime. Sue and Noel star in Channel 5's 22 Kids and Counting and also earn money from their business Radford's Pie Company. £26,000 flights Sue and her husband Noel not only took their own children to Florida in April, but all of their grandchildren with them too - making the most of the Easter break from school. Sue, 50, and Noel, 54, are parents to Chris, 36, Sophie, 31, Chloe, 29, Jack, 28, Daniel, 26, Luke, 24, Millie, 23, Katie, 22, James, 21, Ellie, 20, Aimee, 19, Josh, 17, Max, 16, Tillie, 15, Oscar, 13, Casper, 12, Haillie, 10, Phoebe, 8, Archie, 7, Bonnie, 6, and Heidie, 5. Sadly the couple's 17th child Alfie was still born on July 6, 2014. All in, the family are thought to have sent a jaw-dropping £26,228 on flights - and that's before the excess charges or any extra baggage. Millie Radford sparks concern of the family feud reigniting as she says she wants to go 'home' during Florida holiday It's not known if the whole family is back out for their second visit. £20k park tickets Based on the cost of a seven-day Disney visit, which would require each guest to hold a 7-Day Magic Ticket for entrance, Sue and Noel could have forked out £20,065 for each of their Florida trips this year. Luckily for Sue and Noel, children under the age of three go free. So some of the children on the trip won't cost a penny to get into the park. The tickets include access to the park and water parks with the eligibility to enter multiple parks per day. Holders will also have the 'memory maker' package which includes unlimited Disney photopass downloads - pictures taken by photographers around the park, on rides and in restaurants. 7 Sue shared how they visited an epic cake shop at Disney during this trip Credit: Instagram 7 The kids seemed thrilled at stocking up on some tasty treats Credit: Instagram £6k accommodation Sue and Noel have spoken about their approach to holiday accommodation previously, while appearing on the This Morning show - they revealed they usually opt for a villa to save costs and ensure the bunch can bunk close together. Last September, they shared an Orlando Villa Tour on their Facebook page to their 944,000 followers. One eagle-eyed viewer recognised the accommodation as similar to a property listed on rental site, Vrbo. The glam Vrbo house sleeps 15 - so Sue and Noel will need to book 3 to comfortably house all 39 travellers. The accommodation costs £300 per night, working out at £2,100 per villa for a week and £6,300 in total for all three. And that's without any food in the villa or out in the parks. 7 Renting holiday accommodation when you have 22 kids certainly doesn't come cheap Credit: Instagram 7 Sue during her first trip to Florida at Easter Credit: Instagram
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Inside the £100milllion beachfront attraction with indoor gardens and pools set to transform seaside town
NEW images have revealed what to expect from the huge new Eden Project attraction. The Morecambe attraction is set to open in 2028, after being forced to delay its initial 2026 opening date. 5 5 5 More images have since been released by architects Grimshaw to show what it will look like when it opens. The huge dome like structures is being dubbed a "global garden" overlooking the bay. The unusual shaped resort has been "inspired by seashells" and will have a number of themed areas. The Realm of The Sun is a tropical area while the The Realm of the Moon is a "dark space". A central attraction will be a 65ft The Elder Tree sculpture, along with tidal rock pool exhibits. Huge tropical gardens and a "hyper-real forest" are also expected to be part of the attraction. Jolyon Brewis, Partner at Grimshaw, told the BBC: "Influenced by the natural rhythms of Morecambe, two extraordinary structures – the Realm of the Sun and the Realm of the Moon – will define this destination." Two other realms will also be on-site with more to be revealed nearer the time. Andy Jasper, chief executive officer of the Eden Project, said: "This project is profoundly important to us all. "It is not just a project for Morecambe, but for the whole of the UK, and we are delighted to share how the design process is progressing." The huge new UK attraction opening in 2025 with play areas, live shows and cafes – and it's right on the beach An official opening date and ticket prices are yet to be confirmed although the original Eden Project ticket cost around £38 per adult. Originally called Eden Project North, Eden Project Morecambe was first given the go-ahead back in March 2023. Previous plans revealed it is set to cost £100million to build. The new attraction which hopes to welcome 760,000 people a year, follows the success of the original Eden Project in Cornwall which opened in 2021. It has even hosted famous acts such as Elton John, Lionel Richie and Kylie Minogue. 5 And a number of other new Eden Project attractions are set to open in the UK. Eden Project Dundee is set to open in 2030, alongside the River Tay. This has also been delayed from its original 2026 opening date. There is also the £67million Eden Project in Londonderry set to open in Northern Ireland this year. When it does open, it claims to have Europe's biggest undercover playground. In the mean time, here are some other new theme parks and attractions opening in the UK. 5
