WE SET OFF EARLY ON FRIDAY MORNING AS IT IS A NIGHTMARE TRYING TO PARK IN THE METRAPOLE CAR PARK. PAT KAREN AND ROB (KARENS HUSBAND) HAD SET OFF BEFORE US AND WE MET UP AT A SERVICE ON THE M6, THEY HAD BEEN THERE A WHILE SO THEY HEADED FOR BLACKPOOL, AN HOUR LATER WE HAD A PHONE CALL FROM THEM SAYING THERE WERE ONLY TEN SPACES LEFT, SO ROB (KH) PARKED HIS CAR HALFWAY ACROSS TWO PLACES, (THAT DID NOT GO DOWN TOO WELL WITH PEOPLE ARRIVING)

WE ARRIVED AT BLACKPOOL TO A LOVELY SUNNY DAY AND MET OUR GOOD FRIENDS RITA AND COLIN IN THE FOYER, WHO HAD FLOWN UP THAT MORNING FROM CAMBRIDGE AND ARRIVED IN BLACKPOOL AT 7 AM ! ! !

WE WERE SURPRISED TO SEE MAGIC DANIELS VAN IN THE CAR PARK AS WE HAD NO IDEA HE WAS COMING, BUT HE TOLD US HE PHONED THE DAY BEFORE AND WAS LUCKY TO GET A CANCELLATION.

WE MET UP WITH PAT KAREN AND ROB AND WENT OFF TO OUR ROOM FOR A REST (IF PAST BLACKPOOL'S WERE ANYTHING TO GO BY WE WERE GOING TO NEED IT)

ON THE WAY TO OUR ROOM WE BUMPED INTO THE LOVELY MARIE.

OFF WE WENT A 7.30 TO THE CONCERT ROOM AND WHAT A GREAT EVENING IT WAS, WE MET UP WITH RITA AND COLIN AND THEIR FRIENDS, CATHY, JEAN, MAGS,MARIE, DANIEL (WITH THE FIRST OF HIS SIX COSTUME CHANGES) AND OF COURSE KAREN ROB AND PAT. I FOUND OUT IT WAS NEIL HEELY THE DJ'S LAST BLACKPOOL AS HE WAS MOVING TO GREECE, HE STARTED THE NIGHT OFF WITH SOME GREAT BILLY TRACKS, THEN CAME A LADY WHO I HAVE NOT SEEN BEFORE AND I AM SORRY THAT I HAVE FORGOTTEN HER NAME, SHE KEPT THE CROWD ENTERTAINED WITH SOME GREAT 50' S SONGS, WHILE THIS WAS GOING ON DANIEL AND I SLIPPED OFF ACROSS THE ROAD TO THE KARAOKE BAR TO GIVE MY RENDITION OF HALFWAY TO PARADISE. THEN AFTER SOME MORE TRACKS FROM NEIL IT WAS THE MAIN EVENT THE FAB COLIN PAUL AND THE PERSUADERS, THE DANCE FLOOR WAS PACKED ALL NIGHT WITH A GREAT SET FROM COLIN AND THE BOYS. I DECIDED TO DO A BIT OF VIDEOING, SO I WENT TO THE SIDE OF THE STAGE AND FILMED COLIN FOR ABOUT 15 MINS, IT WAS NOT UNTIL I GOT BACK TO MY SEAT THAT I REALISED I HAD NOT PRESSED THE RECORD BUTTON (IDIOT)

CHRIS AND I DECIDED TO TRY OUT SOME OF THE JIVING MOVES WE HAD BEEN PRACTICING, WHEN COLIN ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS THERE AND INVITED ME ON STAGE TO SING WITH THE BAND. I WAS ALL SHOOK UP AND CHUFFED TO BITS, I DECIDED TO PLAY IT SAFE AND DO "CROSS MY HEART," THIS SEEMED TO GO DOWN WELL, ( THANKS COLIN )WE ALL DECIDED TO GO BACK OVER TO THE KARAOKE BAR BUT THEY WERE JUST CLOSING SO WE FOLLOWED DANIEL AND ENDED UP IN A "TRANSVESTITE BAR " WHAT A LAUGH WE WATCHED A BIT OF THE SHOW AND THEN DANIEL AND I A BIT WORSE FOR WEAR GOT UP ON THE STAGE AND STARTED DOING A WEIRD DANCE (GLAD NONE TOOK THEIR VIDEO CAMERA) WE HEADED OFF BACK TO THE MET WHERE PAT MAGS JEAN MARIE AND  CATHY CAME BACK TO OUR ROOM FOR A NIGHTCAP, WHICH TURNED INTO EATING ORANGE FLAVOURED CHOCOLATE BISCUITS AND ME SINGING BILLY'S SONGS TO THEM, USING A HAIRBRUSH AS A MIKE. THIS WENT ON UNTIL ABOUT 4 AM AND WE ALL ENJOYED A REALLY GOOD NIGHT.

WE LEFT IT TILL THE LAST MINUTE TO GET UP FOR BREAKFAST HAD A CHAT WITH JENNY AND VIC ON THE MEMORABILIA STALL AND THEN WENT INTO TOWN, I FOUND THE NEAREST PUB TO WATCH LIVERPOOL BEAT MAN UNT AND THE OTHERS HIT THE SHOPS AND FUNFAIR.

SATURDAY NIGHT SOON CAME ROUND WITH SOME MORE TRACKS FROM NEIL HEELEY, I HAD A CHAT WITH DANNY AND EMILY  RIVERS, HE IS A LOVELY BLOKE AND HE WAS TELLING ME ABOUT THE TIME HE WAS ON THE SAME SHOW AS BILLY FURY, HE SAID THAT BILLY WENT ON FIRST AND AS USUAL BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN, THE GIRLS WERE SCREAMING SO LOUD YOU COULD NOT HEAR THE MUSIC, AND DANNY HAD TO GO ON NEXT, IMAGINE FOLLOWING BILLY ! ! !

NEXT ON STAGE WAS SOMEONE ELSE I HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE BILLY DEAN. HE AND HIS WIFE WERE A NICE COUPLE, I HAD A CHAT WITH THEM BEFORE HE WENT ON STAGE, HE WENT ON AND DONE WELL WITH SOME GREAT SONGS FROM THE 50'S AND 60'S ( SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM THOUGH NOT TO FINISH ON AMERICAN TRILOGY AS THIS IS COLINS BIG FINISHING NUMBER ) 

COLIN AND THE PERSUADERS WERE NEXT ON AND THEN COLIN MADE WAY FOR ALBIE TO DO A GOOD HALF HOUR SET OF HIS AND HIS BROTHERS SONGS, THIS WENT DOWN WELL AS USUAL WITH THE CROWD WITH EVERYONE (INCLUDING JEAN ) UP ON THEIR FEET SINGING ALONG. THE NIGHT WAS ALL TO SOON OVER AND WE DECIDED TO HAVE A RELATIVELY EARLY NIGHT.

THEN IT WAS UP AT NINE FOR AN EARLY BREAKFAST AND INTO THE HALL TO WATCH THE JIVING COMPETITION, ( WE WERE GOING TO TAKE PART BUT CHRIS HURT HER ARM DANCING THE NIGHT BEFORE) THE FLOOR WAS FULL AND THERE WERE THREE DESERVED WINNING PAIRS.

NEXT ON WAS COLIN DOING SOME SONGS WITH BACKING TRACKS I REALLY LIKED HIS VERSIONS OF "A MILLION MILES FROM NOWHERE"  "ALL MY HOPES" AND " I'LL SHOW YOU"  

THEN WE WERE TREATED TO SOME FANS GETTING UP AND PERFORMING SINCERE VERSIONS OF THEIR FAVOURITE BILL SONGS.

COLIN HAD ASKED ME PREVIOUSLY IF I WOULD DO A FEW SONGS AND I DID NOT NEED ASKING TWICE AS I WANTED TO TRY OUT A FEW NEW SONGS, I STARTED WITH " KING FOR TONIGHT, MAGIC EYES, DON'T TURN AROUND, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE"  THEY SEEMED TO GO DOWN WELL WITH THE CROWD, THEN A GOOD FRIEND PETE BASNET FINISHED THE SESSION OF WITH " SORRY PETE IT'S GONE OUT OF MY HEAD"

TO FINISH THE WEEKEND OFF DIANNE MADE A SPEECH THANKING EVERYONE ESPECIALLY JEAN WYCHERLY WHO WAS PRESENTED WITH A BOUQUET OF FLOWERS. NEIL HEELEY FOR ALL HIS HARD WORK OVER THE YEARS.

THEN JENNY AND VIC FROM THE NEW FAN CLUB PRESENTED DIANNE AND HER MOTHER WITH TWO BIG PICTURES OF BILLY.

TO FINALLY END THE WEEKEND PEOPLE WHO KNEW BILLY WERE INVITED ON STAGE TO TELL SOME STORIES ABOUT THE TIMES THEY HAD SPENT WITH BILLY, THIS WAS AN INTERESTING NEW IDEA THAT I HOPE WILL CARRY ON.

WE SAID OUR GOODBYES ABOUT TEN TIMES TO EVERYONE AND LEFT TO JOIN A LONG TRAFFIC JAM ON THE M6, (THIS IS WHERE I CAME IN I THINK)

I HOPE I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ANYTHING OR ANYONE, IF I HAVE PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL ADD AT A LATER DATE.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR A BILLYIANT WEEKEND , WE WILL HAVE TO DO IT ALL AGAIN SOON ( SUNNYSDE IN THREE WEEKS)