FredDibnah.co.uk

A new ten part series is being shown in Bolton’s Central Library Lecture Theatre in March 2011.

The two 1 hour films showing every Thursday in March 2011, starting March 3rd 7:30 – 9:30pm

Excalibur Productions brings you this trailer for our forthcoming presentation of ‘Fred Dibnah: The Lost Years’. When the BBC stopped filming what the late steeplejack and television personality Fred Dibnah amusing called “The Fred Dribble Saga”, the great man himself asked us to film the continuation of it. The result is now finally completed and features the story of his life with Sheila, his charismatic widow, his later work and passion for his back garden, his final chimney drop, and his battle with cancer.

Two episodes of the entire series of ten one-hour films will be shown from 7:30pm – 9:30pm every Thursday during March 2011 at Bolton Central Library Lecture Theatre, beginning with episodes 1 and 2 on March 3rd, ending with episodes 9 and 10 on March 31st. These will be the very first public screenings of the films in full. Tickets available from Bolton Octagon Theatre ticket office.

Series created by Nick Wilding, with filming and editing by Tristan Haley, Kathryn Johnson, Mark Standley, Jode Stansfield, Gabriel Wilding.

More details available from Bolton Octagon’s web site.

Just been sent a link to a movie showing Betsy back on the road in the Isle of Man with Jack and Roger Dibnah.

Just noticed over on the BBC site that Betsy took part in this years, much delayed, Ramsey’s Lantern Parade.

Credit goes to Bill Dale and Ray Collister for the pics.

(Link)

A playing card signed by Fred Dibnah will go up for auction for 10 days from Thursday 25th Nov – finishing on Sunday 5th Dec, with proceeds going to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Click image for details of the auction

In other news a Youtube user called piexiefilm just posted the below clip of Fred from 1999, in spooky silent movie style.

Here’s the story behind the clip:

well it happened that I was working at a Land Rover engine specialist in the UK and had to rebuild the famous BBC TV Steeplejack’s old Land Rover 2a. Ones I had the vehicle finished restored and handed over again to it’s owner Fred Dibnah in Bolton, it could be seen in public again in it’s new glory. I had the rare pleasure and honer to meet Fred in person, watching and filming him knocking down one of the last chimney in Bolton before he died a few years later.
So here you go, this short 16mm cine film is shot with an old Bolex H16 RX4 on Kodak PLUS-X b/w film stock. I have no Telecine equipment to get the high quality of the film material on to a digi-file, so a small cheap digi-flip camera had to do the job to get it up here.

News has just come in about an evening event to raise fund towards the repair of the chimney in The Heritage Centre. If you are aware it’s been deemed unsafe by the council: link.

YOU CAN ENJOY AN EVENING AT THE HOLIDAY INN, BOLTON, WITH A THREE COURSE MEAL AND AFTER DINNER TALK BY SHEILA DIBNAH ABOUT LIVING WITH FRED AND HEAR LEON POWSNEY the new owner talk about BUYING FRED DIBNAH’S HOME.

The evening has been arranged to help fund the repair of Freds Chimney !!

Here’s your chance to meet Sheila Dibnah, and hear her VERY entertaining talk about life with Fred.

Also hear all about the ups and downs of buying Fred’s place, from the new owner Leon, get to hear the background of this lunatic that bought Fred’s place, when nobody else was prepared to take the risk.

• Why did he buy it ?
• How did he buy it ?
• What made him do it ?
• Where’s he from ?
• What’s his connection ?
• Wha’ts he doing with it ?
• Why is he doing it ?

Come along and be fed and entertained.

The venue is the Holiday Inn Bolton, you will be served a superb three course meal in the CLOISTERS, The Cloisters function room is a beautiful converted church and the perfect venue for an entertaining evening, refreshments will be served, and after your dinner you will be entertained by Sheila Dibnah with many side splitting stories of living with the Great Man Fred Dibnah MBE.

Then Leon will give you the nitty gritty of buying Fred’s place, how it came about, and his background.

All in all a GREAT night. What a fantastic pressie for somebody you love who is a fred fan.

Accommodation can be arranged at the Holiday inn, do not miss this night, it will be a night to remember.

This evening has been arranged to help with the repair of FRED’S CHIMNEY which we have already started working on.

For more details or tickets click below:

The team over at the Heritage Centre have released part two of their restoration DVD series

This is the long awaited “Stage 2″ DVD which we have been asked for on so many occasions, it’s not a professional DVD, as with “stage 1″ ( still available by request ) we filmed it ourselves, the picture here shows four of our staunch volunteers, Steve, Noel, Ian, and fettler Phil, it was February and it was bloody cold.
“Stage 2″ does have a lot more detail than “Stage 1″ had and there is some serious heavy work shown, there are also some laughs along the way, like when i fell on my a_se and nearly got crushed by a giant coping stone, its proving very popular and we are sure those genuinely interested in the progress of the Fred Dinah heritage centre and the work being carried out here will love it.

Please email us before buying to check availability (if you want “Stage 1″ and “Stage 2″ as a package, we can offer a discount!!

The whole object of this sale i am sure you will appreciate is to entertain you and to raise as much funding as we can for a very worthy cause, please help us in our cause and lets get the show on the road. It’s not a fortune but every one sold helps us to rebuild Fred’s place!!

Many thanks for looking and please remember all funds go towards the mammoth task we have of restoring Fred’s place to its original condition.

The new owner of Fred Dibnah’s historic home has been ordered to carry out urgent repair work to the site’s 40ft-high chimney.

Celebrity steeplejack Fred spent eight years building the brick chimney for his main boiler house in the back yard of the Grade II listed property on Radcliffe Road, Bolton.

The yard’s collection of oil-stained machinery and 70ft-deep working mineshaft featured in many of his TV shows.

New owner Leon Powsney has opened the property up to the public as the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre and hundreds of guided tours telling Fred’s story have been held since it launched in June.

But the chimney, which hasn’t been used since Fred’s death in 2004, has now suffered serious frost damage.

A number of cracks have appeared and there are also concerns about its foundations as it perches on top of a steep banking leading down to the River Tonge.

A council surveyor attended and ordered the chimney to be assessed by a structural engineer. The chimney is now wrapped in scaffolding as engineers continue to assess the full damage.

Mr Powsney is appealing to Fred fans to suggest a way forward. He said: “We hope to save the chimney and we want to get the public involved. Should we repair it or demolish it and rebuild it?

“Our preferred option would be to repair it because it is Fred’s chimney but we would like some suggestions.

“The chimney was started by Fred in 1991 and completed in 1999.”

He added: “It is stable and safe and the tours are continuing but we are not sure about our next move.”

Engineers have quoted him £10,000 for repair work.

Bolton council said a notice was served requiring the chimney to be checked by a structural engineer.

A spokesman added: “The engineer has inspected the chimney and confirmed that there are some concerns in respect of the structural stability of the chimney.”

(source)

The first coach party will descend on Fred Dibnah’s former home in Bolton tomorrow.

Doncaster-based Steam4 Fun.com — the world’s only supplier of miniature, working Fred Dibnah model engines — has organised the trip for 49 steam enthusiasts who will be given a guided tour of the house in Radcliffe Road by owner Leon Powsney.

Mr Powsney bought the house and opened it as a heritage centre earlier this year and has since seen visitors flock from all around the country to see the late TV steeplejack’s old work yard.

He said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming the first coach party because it is a big thing for us. We have quite a few booked in over the next few months so it is all coming together.”

Since opening his doors in June, Mr Powsney has had a steady stream of visitors booking the fascinating tours, which give a real glimpse into the working life of Fred, who passed away in November 2004 after a battle with cancer.

A number of Fred’s friends, including close confidante Alf Molyneux, spent hours restoring the yard after Mr Powsney and his wife, Jan, snapped it up at auction last March.

They spent more than 12 months battling with council planning chiefs — and neighbours — before seeing their dream of creating a lasting memorial to Fred come true.

Mr Powsney said: “It has been a very testing time, but things are going well. We spent a lot of time and money on the place so, obviously, coach parties, such as the Steam4Fun one on Saturday, do help us.

“I am still in love with this place and I have never regretted buying it.”

The centre, which is open to pre-booked £12 tours every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, has the backing of Fred’s widow, Sheila.

At the opening in June, she said: “Fred spent 38 years working in this yard and it is just a magical place to be. It feels like Fred is here and I hope it is a real success.”

Anyone interested in taking a tour of Fred’s yard or in volunteering, should call Mr Powsney on 07801 255486 or email freddibnah tours@live.com

(source)

BBC4 just aired “Fred Dibnah Uncalled For Distractions” and it’s available on the iPlayer for the next while: Link (Program has now been removed by the BBC )

Summer brings Bolton steeplejack Fred Dibnah’s work on his ancient steam engine almost to a standstill. His new-found fame creates a demand for his presence at public events and for promoting causes from Barnardo’s to beer drinking. Then, just when he thinks he might get a few days on his engine, his wife Alison demands a holiday, the first (steam rallies apart) since they eloped to Gretna Green some fifteen years earlier. The family’s week at Blackpool turns out quite differently from anything ever seen in a holiday advert.

Broadcast on: BBC Four, 8:00pm Sunday 29th August 2010

Duration: 30 minutes

Available until: 8:29pm Sunday 5th September 2010

If anyone has a good quality copy of the program can they let me know.

Update: 100bigkev has uploaded a clip from the program: