FredDibnah.co.uk

The good folks at the Heritage Centre are putting on a bit of a do to celebrate what would have been Fred’s birthday. Leon at the centre says:

This falls nicely on the Saturday this year so it should be a nice busy day. We will be having an open day and people will be able to have a good wander round! There will be volunteers here to tell them about Fred’s place and answer any questions visitors may have and there will be talks going on in the main workshop by Alf ( Elf ) Molyneux Fred’s trusty pal, as seen on TV, will be here to tell stories of working with Fred.

There will be entertainment and a Brass band. Also there will be the chance to browse our memorabilia store and to take something home to treasure! Visitors will get to see all Fred’s wonderful collection of Victorian machinery and of course see at first hand the beautiful brass plaque’s along the cobblestone path sponsored by Fred’s fans.
We believe it will be a fantastic night to remember and hope that you will support the Heritage Centre and of course, Fred’s Memory!

More details include:

The cost is £15 per head ( half price for children under 10 ) this will include food ( baked spuds with choice of fillings and or lashings of butter and black eyed peas ) soft drinks and tea and coffee will be available. We will be open from 10am until kicking out time at 5pm. Parking will be in the Bridge church car park around the corner.

We are taking bookings now so please book early to avoid disappointment by our contact details on the right and we can take payment by card. Or write to us enclosing a cheque made out to the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre ( please enclose SAE ) email us or you can also book via the website and pay by paypal if you wish.

The Riverside Steam and Vintage Vehicle Rally is due to welcome thousands of people to Banks between 10am and 4pm this Saturday and Sunday (April 21 and 22).

Among the many attractions at The Riverside Leisure Complex on Southport Road will be vintage vehicles that once belonged to famous steeplejack Fred Dibnah, with 500 other cars, wagons and tractors also on display.

This will be the fourth year of the charity event which has so far raised £100,000 for worthy local causes.

There will be 22 full-size steam engines at the show including Fred Dibnah’s steam roller Betsy, while his iconic Land Rover will also be there. Motorbikes and military vehicles will also be on show.

Other attractions will include a vintage fairground, working demonstrations and hundreds of trade stands.

New attractions for 2012 are a beer tent with live music including several performances from The Lancashire Hotpots. Other acts on stage will include Tom Doughty, the Reel Gentlemen, Dave Goulder, and Live Steam. The fun tug-of-war contest will feature teams from local pubs and other organisations.

Adult tickets priced £6, children £3, with under 11s free.

Head over to their web site for more details.

Also see details of last year’s show.

Just been sent the below video from Fred’s marriage to Sheila. Nice wee insight to Fred’s life right from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Would be great to get the full version.

The folks over at the Heritage Centre have just put a pair Fred’s Blacksmiths Tongs (pictured right)up for auction, bidding starting from 99p.

In the usual caps lock style we are told:

PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT THIS SALE IS FOR ONE REASON ONLY AND THAT IS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE RESTORATION OF FREDS PLACE.

ONLY LISTED FOR AUCTION AS WE HAVE A SURPLUS, AND MAKE NO MISTAKE THESE TONGUES ARE ORIGINAL AND COME COMPLETE WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY FROM THE FRED DIBNAH HERITAGE CENTRE.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT US BY EMAIL

THEY ARE QUITE HEAVY SO I AM ONLY GUESSING AT POSTAGE COSTS UNLESS YOU WISH TO PICK UP, YOU COULD EVEN COMBINE PICKING THEM UP WITH A TOUR OF THE CENTRE MAYBE AND GET A DISCOUNT ON THE TOUR.

PLEASE EMAIL US AT FREDDIBNAHTOURS@LIVE.COM FOR DETAILS AND REASSURANCE OF AUTHENTICITY.

Click for more details:

The World Premiere of The Demolition Man will be coming to the Octagon Theatre Bolton in April 2011, a funny and insightful new play written about the life of Northern legend Fred Dibnah.

The cast of The Demolition Man includes Colin Connor in the role of Fred Dibnah, joined by Michelle Collins in the role of his wife Sheila. The cast visited the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre in Bolton as part of their research looking into the life of Fred.

Update: just got a copy of the play itself:

As part of the production process for The Demolition Man the cast had to shoot some footage on location at Fred Dibnah’s workshop. Here they are getting to grips with some heavy machinery

Kate Dorset’s has just posted some excellent photos from what seems to be her recent visit to the Heritage Centre.

Fred Dibnah's Garden

Fred Dibnah's Workshop

Proposed Chimney Upgrades

You can view all the photos here.

Microlight7 has just posted a couple of videos showing Fred off camera in 2003. Enjoy

An amateur video taken at Fred Dibnah’s home in 2003 whilst the BBC were filming a TV series.

This is what Fred Dibnah was like away from the TV cameras! This video is a short snippet of what things were like on the Saturday mornings at Fred’s when a group of us used to help him dig his “pit shaft” in the garden of his home. Although just a few minutes long, this video shows Fred relaxing with a few friends on one of our hilarious Saturday mornings!