Conspiracies, information and the unquenchable thirst for more
Plus: HMO reality, murder probe and Eden Project doubt
Hello and welcome to today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. It’s another packed edition and once again finishes with Luke Beardsworth’s column which is only available to paying subscribers.
I’m aware that the news can often feel very heavy so we start with something more positive today. More than 100 years ago, a Burnley businessman left £135,000 in his will to be used to support the arts and education in the town.
That would be a phenomenally generous gift today but when you factor in inflation it’s actually the equivalent of more than £20m nowadays.
The funding was originally used to support Municipal Orchestra, Towneley Hall, and education grants to local individuals and its usage remains pretty similar today.
Among those to benefit this year is Eshan Bilal, an 18-year-old student who two years ago spent three weeks in a coma but is now studying Medicine at the University of St Andrews.
In March 2022, Eshan was admitted to the Royal Blackburn Hospital after contracting pneumonia, but then transferred to the high dependency unit at Manchester Children's Hospital. He would go on to be diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome and sepsis, suffering from inflamed organs and collapsed veins and lungs.
He was placed in an induced coma for three weeks and spent a total of two months in hospital, during which he had to learn how to walk again. He had wanted to be a doctor before that and the experience only strengthened that desire.
"I know exactly how it feels to be sat in the bed, I know exactly how it feels not be able to walk, eat or to even breath for yourself. And not even be able to speak, because I was mute for a few weeks.”
Eshan hopes to become a paediatric consultant and the student support scholarship means he can continue his voluntary work in the community.
"My worries coming to St Andrews were that because of the majorly expensive lifestyle, the pressure from the studies of medicine and financial pressures, it will force me to get a part time job.
"They expect us to be working 50+ hours a week in medicine, so that, and a part time job to meet financial requirements, wouldn't leave me any time to carry out community work anymore. So, I can keep helping people."
In Wednesday’s edition, I reported on plans to broadcast a documentary focusing on the search for Nicola Bulley and more pertinently the impact on her family during that time.
The BBC show will air next week and the broadcaster has released some of comments from Nicola’s loved ones discussing not only the traumatic search and loss but also the hurtful and offensive comments from so called amateur detectives online.
I’ll shine a light here on just one example - which you almost certainly won’t have read about elsewhere - of just how far people unconnected have taken their demands for information and insistence there is something more sinister happening. So far it in fact reached a judge-led tribunal.
First, here is an extract of the BBC’s article highlighting the family’s concerns:
As the search for Nicola continued, so-called "amateur detectives" began travelling to Lancashire to see what they could find.
As their fascination with the case spiralled, police became increasingly concerned they might interfere with the investigation.
And the amount of online hate focused on the family began to get worse.
"I was getting direct messages from people that I've never met - they don't know me, they don't know us, they don't know Nikki," Paul says.
He was told "you can't hide" and "we know what you did". Unable to reply, he says he felt "silenced".
"On top of the trauma of the nightmare that we're in, to then think that all these horrendous things are being said about me towards Nikki - everyone has a limit."
As well as contacting the family directly, lots of those so called amateur sleuths also set up blogs, forums and Facebook groups dedicated to sharing theories and what they believed to be clues relating to the case.
One of those - a man named Chris Ness - is still running his blog reporting on various supposed conspiracies and has attempted to take his demand for answers through legal routes, only to find himself defeated in a bid to force Lancashire Constabulary to hand over more information.
Mr Ness submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request relating to the details of Nicola’s Fitbit watch readings which was presented in a slideshow at her inquest, along with the source data for this.
The force twice rejected the request, arguing the information was only being held as it had been requested by the coroner rather than for policing purposes. Not content, Mr Ness appealed to the Information Commissioner who twice ruled in agreement with the force’s arguments that the data was exempt from FOI requirements.
Still, the appeals went on and this month a tribunal headed by Judge Hazel Oliver handed down a judgement which agreed that commissioner’s decision was indeed made in accordance with the law and the latest appeal dismissed.
All of which means that for more than a year, various people have repeatedly been asked to judge on a request for information relating to the accidental, non-suspicious death of a woman from someone with no stake in the matter other than having read about it online and decided something was being hidden from the public.
The final words of this section can go to Nicola’s sister Louise Cunningham, who told the BBC:
"It doesn't always have to be something sinister linked to something that happens. Sometimes bad things just happen.
“I just wish it didn’t happen to us. We're just a normal family. We've had a really tough time."
It’s been a big few summer for Lancashire’s music scenes with the Lytham Festival followed by Preston hosting BBC Radio 2 in the Park and then Accrington’s iMEP Music Festival bringing Jess Glynne to East Lancs.
Looking ahead to 2025, there’ll be one event not taking place as in recent years. The organisers of Highest Point say they will take a year off as they work out how to make the festival financially viable.
Previous year’s guests include Tom Odell, Busted, Sam Ryder, Bastille, Anne-Marie, Richard Ashcroft, Kaiser Chiefs and Clean Bandit. No such acts will come next year but hopes remain for the future. The organisers said:
While this may not come as a surprise to some, it’s a decision we’ve come to after an incredible few years of events, navigating various challenges along the way. Each year, we’ve worked hard to deliver the best possible experience within our budget.
However, with rising costs - including significant fees for artists - it has become increasingly difficult to sustain an event of this scale in Williamson Park. Unfortunately, it’s not feasible to continue losing money year after year without reassessing our approach.
Highest Point has always been organised by a dedicated, small team from the local community. Unlike some larger music festivals, we do not have the backing of major booking power or receive funding based on self-reported figures. Our income relies solely on ticket sales and bar revenues, which, given the current climate, simply isn’t enough to break even.
This isn’t the end for us; 2025 will just be a pause for the festival, and we look forward to what the future may hold.
This week’s Blackpool Lead saw Ed Walker sit down leaders at Blackpool Council to grill them on regeneration projects going on across the town. Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, and Alan Cavill, director of regeneration and communications, faced questions on what’s going right in the town, issues relating to the Multiversity project, and efforts to tackle unsafe and derelict buildings.
"Using the compulsory purchase is not something we do lightly.
"But I am firmly of the belief the benefits of the Multiversity will be transformative for this area of Blackpool.
"At the same time we do recognise how unsettling it is for people who live in those streets and we are working to try and make the process as good as it can be."
Cllr Lynn Williams
The pair also discussed the need for new housing in the town centre, the role of public lending in private investment, and the potential of pursuing city status. You can read the full interview here.
This week’s edition also included news of a Tory attack on Blackpool Labour’s support for the government’s controversial winter fuel allowance plans; and the jailing of a man heavily involved in the town’s recent riot.
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We go from the Fylde Coast to Burnley where, unlike in Blackpool, rumours of riots and disorder earlier in the summer passed largely without incident. The town has a not so proud history of far right activity and support - summed up excellently by Kevin Gopal in the below special edition of this newsletter.
Despite that, there were no such ugly scenes this time around and the town’s residents have been raised by their council leader for showing such restraint. Bill Jacobs reports that Cllr Afrasiab Anwar praised the town for rejecting ‘hate and Islamophobia as he revealed council officers have been asked to contribute to the government’s national learning exercise into the nationwide riots which followed murders in Southport. He said:
“Although we escaped violence locally, we witnessed a lot of fear and anxiety locally as well as several heinous provocations (that included the desecration of Muslim graves at Burnley cemetery and the mural at Valley Street Community Centre).
“However, I was proud with how our communities came together to combat the hate and Islamophobia to send a clear message that there is no place for such racism and anarchy in our borough.
“I would like to thank the officers at the council who worked closely with our communities and the police to provide the requisite reassurance and timely communications that were essential at the time.”
A late addition to this newsletter comes in very tragic circumstances with the launch of a murder investigation. It comes after 49-year-old Keith Thompson was assaulted near the Bay Medical Centre in Heysham.
Emergency services attended the scene and the Morecambe man was taken to hospital but sadly died on arrival. A major investigation was launched and a 39-year-old man from Lancaster has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
In a tribute, Keith’s family said: “As a family, we are shocked and saddened by what has happened to Keith and we would appreciate privacy at this time.”
A witness appeal has been launched and anyone with CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage - or information that could help the investigation - is asked to please call 101 quoting log 204 of September 28. You can also contact independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
👩⚕️ A nurse who forged signatures to access controlled drugs more quickly has been suspended from practice (LancsLive).
🚨 Fears have been raised the early release of hundreds of prisoners could lead to many heading for Blackpool attracted by cheap accommodation (Blackpool Lead).
🗣️ A row between an ex-councillor and Morecambe Town Council is costing taxpayers thousands of pounds, it has been claimed (Beyond Radio).
🏊♀️ People are being asked to help monitor water quality at some of Lancashire's most popular bathing spots (BBC).
❌ A Heysham man has been fined after scratching racist symbols into a wall in Morecambe (Lancashire Post).
🚯 A prominent Preston businessman and his firm have been fined for unlawful disposal of waste (Blog Preston).
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner appeared on BBC Radio Lancashire this week and among the topics of discussion was Eden Project Morecambe. Depending on how you to choose to interpret her comments, her responses were either reassuring or troubling.
When pressed, Rayner refused to explicitly state whether the government would provide the necessary funding or not and pointed to the need to grow the economy and reduce national debt. Offering support, she said:
“We want to see that investment. The local people in Morecambe have been really enthusiastic about it and the chancellor absolutely knows that and we will do everything we can to see what we can do to make that happen.
"For every pound of public sector investment if we get three pounds back with our national wealth fund, external, if we can support projects and we can work with the private sector to make them happen then of course the chancellor wants to look at that in the round."
Labour has previously been similarly supportive of the development while refusing to make any promises about funding. The previous government had agreed to provide £50m towards the development on the basis that Eden would provide the same amount.
At this week’s Lancashire Built Environment Conference, Eden Project's director of transformation Si Bellamy said that amount has effectively been reached so it now remains to be seen whether Labour will help make the development become a reality.
Summer is barely over (whatever summer there was) and we’re already getting worryingly close to Christmas. With that comes announcements for a very festive annual event - pantomimes. My first experience of the pantos (that I can remember) actually came after I started doing journalism and was asked to review a performance for the Southport Visiter.
I approached with a slight sense of trepidation but was surprised to find myself hugely enjoying two hours of music and daft jokes. I’ve had a soft spot for them ever since then and it’s been a wonderful experience to see my kids enjoying them in subsequent years.
I’ll try to highlight a few of these over the coming weeks and today we turn our attention to Blackpool where local girl and TikTok star Kitty Harris will star in Cinderella.
Kitty will perform at the Grand Theatre - where her Keith Harris delighted audiences for many years - from December 6 to January 5. Also appearing are TV’s Hayley Tamaddon and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Steve Royle, while Jamie Morris and Tarot Joseph return as the gorgeous Ugly Sisters, Melody and Harmony Hard-Up.
To book, buy tickets online or call the Box Office on 01253 290190.
HMOs are the symptom, not the sickness
By Luke Beardsworth
I lived in a HMO for a few years.
Moving out of Preston was a bit of a shock to my system. I’d stayed at home to save money while I studied at UCLan and so I never had the full student-moving-out experience. Initially I found a lovely room in a family home in Birmingham but a year later, it was into a shared terraced house with five other adults.
Moving to Birmingham for work wasn’t something I had a great deal of choice over if I wanted to pursue my goal of working as a journalist and building a career from it. And if I wanted to live in Birmingham on the salary I had at the time, living alone was prohibitively expensive. It was only two years later when I had a network of friends that I was able to find a room-mate with things in common with me and live somewhere I actually enjoyed.
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