FRED Dibnah made no mention of his wife in his will, The Bolton News can reveal today after seeing its full contents.
Fred’s last will and testament, made just three weeks before his death on November 6, 2004, ensures his most loved possessions should go to his sons Jack and Roger and his daughters Jayne, Caroline and Lorna. Read the rest of this entry »
THE widow of Fred Dibnah has been cut out of his will, it was revealed today.
Sheila Dibnah has been left nothing from the celebrity steeplejack’s reported £1 million estate.
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TV steeplejack Fred Dibnah has left more than £1million – but his three wives get nothing.
Dibnah’s will was finally published yesterday more than two years after he died aged 66.
The star’s estate will be divided up between his five children – Jack, Roger, Jane, Caroline and Lorna.
His third wife Sheila, who nursed him through his final months as he battled cancer, gets no mention in the will. Neither does her son Nathan.
Sheila’s elderly mother Mavis said last night: “I don’t think publication of the will will come as a shock to her.”
Dibnah’s first wife Alison and second wife Sue are also ignored.
Alison left him in 1985 taking their three daughters with her, complaining: “He’s married to his engines.”
He divorced Sue in in 1996 and married Sheila two years later.
Fred’s two sons inherit his beloved Aveling and Porter steam tractor, the Aveling and Porter steam roller he christened Betsy after his mother, a road hut and his collection of vehicle oil lamps. They also receive his books, drawings and the contents of his yard and workshop.
Daughter Lorna was left an antique grandfather clock.
The rest of the estate, royalties from his television shows and books were to be held in trust for his children until they reached 18.
Dibnah, from Bolton, became an unlikely star with his cloth cap and Lancashire accent scaling huge chimneys as he prepared to demolish them.
His career took off in his 40s when he starred in BBC documentary Fred Dibnah Steeplejack. He later had his own TV show and 20 films made about him. In 2003 he was awarded the MBE.
He died in a hospice in November 2004 surrounded by family and friends.
After bouts of chemotherapy he spurned treatment deciding to end his days making a final TV series and living on Guinness and oranges.
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Just before Christmas 2006 a number of items were stolen from the premises of the late Fred Dibnah, the famous Steeplejack and television presenter.
Thieves broke into Fred’s premises in Bolton and stole many valuable items, including the makers plate from his Aveling & Porter steam tractor and the “Flintshire County Council” owner’s plate from his famous steam roller “BETSY”. Read the rest of this entry »
THIEVES have ransacked the home of Bolton’s famous steeplejack, Fred Dibnah.
The burglary at the house, in Radcliffe Road, Bolton, was discovered last Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »
ART deco pottery firm Lorna Bailey Artware has donated £2,500 to the Fred Dibnah Memorial Fund – after selling out of its first batch of memorabilia made in his honour.
The 66-year-old steeplejack died in 2004 but relatives and friends are keeping his memory alive by raising funds for a bronze statue in his home town of Bolton. Read the rest of this entry »
Wendy Close has been working tirelessly to raise funds for the Fred Dibnah Appeal, to collect enough money to put up a permanant statue to the Bolton celebrity steeplejack.
She designed and commissioned 1,000 Fred Dibnah green and blue pin badges which she has been selling.
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A LIMITED edition set of Fred Dibnah ceramic figures have sparked a bidding war among collectors.
Fans have been queueing up to get their hands on the first in a series of four ceramic figurines and teapots depicting the legendary Bolton steeplejack. Read the rest of this entry »
A SPANNER which once belonged to Fred Dibnah has been sold on the internet for £400.
The ten-inch tool had been put on the internet auction site eBay by Fred’s widow, Sheila, to raise money for the Fred Dibnah Memorial Appeal. Read the rest of this entry »
