Wigan Album

Although I had been writing to Geoff for a few years, the first time I met him was a the booksigning for this book, at Smith's of Wigan. I have all his books, much-battered these days, (as books should be if they're loved and often-read). I have always liked writing myself, and Geoff has always encouraged me.

Back row centre is editor, Jack Winstanley and front row right looks to me like Fred Dove, long retired former editor at the Obo. Sorry I don't recognize the others, apart from Geoff of course.

Back left is Bill Anderton who was editor of the Post and Chronicle and then the Wigan Observer in the early 1980s and back right is John Shepherd who was editor of the Wigan Observer in the late 1980s and sadly died a few years ago.

I guess I am showing my age there Frank, the latter two being well after I left the news business

David, what year did you leave the Observer?

I must say, Colin, that you have an amazing colection of documentation of the Wigan Observer, what a great history it has.

Yes Ken, it's hard to put it into perspective. From 1966 to the end of Woods Street in 1984, the Wigan Observer won many major awards. They was only the 3rd in the UK to go web offset and colour printing, which at that time a very big step to take. The nationals probably the mid 80s-90s, by that time the Wigan Observer were pioneers in web offset, it was to be the handsomest newspaper published in Britain as the best designed weekly in the land.

A cracking book and so is his others.

Colin, I was never a staffer at the observer, but was often hired for special events, like the Queen of Industry Pageants and some of the early colour work. I had my own studio specializing in colour work, but had a news background from myearly days at McConnell News Service.