... The empire strikes back By ROBIN DUKE FIRST Leisure Corporation esti mates that it will have spent £40 million on its Blackpool empire before the mid 1990s. Chief execu tive Mr John Conlan stressed the company's confidence in the town and claimed its continuing invest ment would bury the popular misconception that British seaside resorts were dead. Blackpool's future has never been brighter ...

... Pulling strings for Live Aid EVER SINCE the emergence of Live Aid, people of all shapes, sizes colours and professions have been raising money for third world countries all over Britain. Now it is the turn of the 'little people' as Punch and Judy and all their friends get together for the first ever Puppet Aid to raise money for evacuees in Mozambique Organiser Platypus of Platypus and the ...

... New West End musical gets the silent treatment By MICK GREEN AT A TIME when many of the well-known musicals are closing in the West End, Mark Sexton, the producer and leading entertainer in Cross Country, took a break from rehearsals to explain why the first totally country music spectacular to be seen in London's West End has opened with more secrecy than an MI5 tribunal. For more than ...

... Big Band and Bell THE BBC BIG BAND is making two public concert appearances this month, the first being on February 17 at the Brenrwood Centre in Essex, which will be recorded for broadcast on Radio 2. Madeline Bell is guest star. A week later the band will be at Ilford Town Hall in aid of the Noonans Syndrome Society, with Lee Gibson as vocalist. On both occasions Barry Forgie will be the ...

... Golden dinners MICHAEL DENISON and Dulcie Gray, who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their marriage this year, are being honoured with dinners from two organisations. The Green Room Club has them as principal guests at its dinner at the Saville Club on February 12, when Peter Aldersley will be in the chair and Tony Leaney and his Band play for dancing. On April 16 a host of friends and ...

... Southport coup RUSS ABBOTT'S spectacular variety show will return to Southport later this year, and the town's tourism officer, Phil King, believes it to be a major coup. Southport and Manchester are the only North- West venues included on his November tour and it is five years since he played in Southport. The comedian is expected to play before 17,000 people in his twice nightly five day ...

... No talent to keep contest going A BIG MONEY talent contest has been scrapped at Blackpool's Bloomfield Club because of a lack of suitable performers. After being widely advertised, the competition was dropped after organiser and local agent Derek Allen, together with club officials, gave the thumbs down to the standard of local hopefuls. We didn't attract as many initial entrants as we ...

... Cliff's seeing stars SAWAS CLUB at Usk, which won the Club of the Year Award last year only two years after it opened, has signed Cliff Richard to appear for five nights in April and there will be a Royal Gala to be attended by HRH The Princess Royal in July. George Sawa, in addition to build ing a 26- bedroom motel on the site and forming an agency to book cabaret for other venues, is ...

... Blackout threat for Gracie's museum A UNIQUE Gracie Fields museum collection in the entertainer's home town faces shutdown, and the shock to her worldwide fans comes just as museum officials have secured hundreds more career souvenirs of the one-time film and record superstar. Curator Michael Pitman is now arranging shipment of the new material from her villa home in Capri to the museum in her ...

... Catch the Lotis DENNIS LOTIS is making a series of Saturday night appearances at the Wellington Club, Knightsbridge up to and including March 25. He is accom panied by the Des James Group. ...

... Campbell's tour GLEN CAMPBELL supported by Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, begins a tour at the Hexagon, Reading on April 17, with dates to follow at Port Talbot, Guernsey, Jersey, Southport, Carlisle, Nottingham, Cambridge, Southend and the Dominion, Tot tenham Court Road, where the tour ends on April 29. The Gatlins will not be going to the Channel Islands but will appear in Stockport ...

... Nymph night BARRY J. MISHON has announced that Patricia Hodge, Marti Stevens, Frances Ruffelle, Nichola McAuliffe, Ian Charleson, Virginia McKenna, Elaine Stritch, Paige O'Hara, Kaye Ballard, Robert Meadmore, Patrice Munsel, Liliane Montevecchi, Alexis Smith, Peter Noone, Jane Powell, Andrea McArdle, Fiona Fullerton, Tim Curry and Elisabeth Welch (Subject to availability) will be taking part ...