Blackpool nostalgia in 1984: Armed robbery foiled, circus animal worries and Blackpool gears up for Africa famine appeal

Quick thinking foils post office robbery

A masked gunman fled empty handed after his attempt to rob a Fylde post office was foiled by a plucky postmaster.

Sub postmaster Alf Speight tried to wedge the raider’s gun wielding hand by sliding the glass parcel hatch down on it and pressing the alarm button, at the Little Carleton sub post office.

Mr Speight, 51, was doing some paperwork behind the glass partitioned counter when a young man walked in carrying a plastic bag.

“I thought he had a parcel so I opened the parcel hatch. Then he pulled his green cloth over the lower part of his face, shoved the bag through the hatch, pointed a grey hand pistol in the hatch and said,’fill it up quickly’. I hesitated and said ‘pardon’, he said ‘I’m not kidding’.”

The threatening conversation was overheard by his daughter Ann, in an adjoining back room, who rushed into the post office section followed by the family’s pet spaniel Sandy, who was barking at the commotion. “I pressed the alarm button and the bell went off.

“He tried to grab the bag back so I tried to slam the parcel hatch down on his arm, but he got out and ran.” Stories from 1983Lion tamer hits back at criticism

A former St Annes lion tamer hit out at ‘cranks’ who were making allegations of cruelty against Blackpool Tower Circus.

Patricia Bourne spoke out in defence of the circus after a spate of letters to the Evening Gazette criticising the animal quarters.

“These people who are writing letters hitting out at the circus don’t really know what they are talking about,” she said.

“Everything is fine at the circus. The animals look well and on top form. We resent this terrible criticism from these people.

Answering reports in the press saying that the animals were kept in underground cages with no natural light, she said “The Tower is an old building, it is impossible to get daylight in. We throw open the doors and let fresh air in and light when possible.

Blackpool appeal for famine relief

A £1 a person appeal for famine relief in Africa was made by a Blackpool councillor.

Coun Sheilagh Baugh said tens of thousands of pounds could be raised if every employed person in Blackpool gave £1 and the unemployed donated 50p each.

The money could be handed in at local charity shops or one of the collection points at Evening Gazette offices.

Coun Baugh also revealed that one of Blackpool’s 12 days allocated annually for charity street collections was still free.

“If an application is made by someone like Oxfam or the Save the Children Fund, I am told it would be speedily dealt with and would be favourably considered, in view of the terrible emergency.”

Churchgoers in Wrea Green had been holding a two-day collection in the village for famile relief in Africa. A fundraising stand outside a post office was also set up.

Fireman’s worst nightmare in call out to blaze at his house

A Blackpool fireman was called out to deal with a blaze at his own home.

Steve Lee was on night shift when the alarm sounded and his own address came over the loud speaker.

“I just couldn’t believe it when I heard it was my own house. You hear about these things happening but you never believe it’s going to happen to you,” said 39-year-old Mr Lee.

“Firemen don’t like hoax calls but for the first time in my life I was praying it was a false alarm. I just hoped that somebody was playing a trick.”

But when he arrived at his semi in Cromwell Road, Mr Lee found the alert was for real.

The ground floor of the house was well alight and it took Mr Lee and nine colleagues wearing breathing gear 15 minutes to bring the fire under control.

But he found that his wife Betty and son Steven had been rescued.

A neighbour heard their screams fro help from a front bedroom window and rushed to the house with a ladder.

“I was in the bath when I heard crackling and smelled smoke,” said Mrs Lee.

“Luckily being a fireman’s wife, I knew what to do and didn’t panic.” The couple had moved into the house just five days earlier from Hawthorn Road and had spend months decorating it.