Blackpool holiday at Auntie Bettie's - but where was the boarding house?

So much so that Ray Toddington and his brother Roy are hoping Gazette readers might be able to help them locate the boarding house where they stayed.

It was on Central Drive and was affectionately known by the family as Auntie Bettie’s because the owners were Jim and Bettie Ridge.

The brothers are hoping to trace the building’s number so that they can recreate a photo of themselves sat on the steps of the boarding house, all those years ago.

Roy, who is 70 and Ray 72, originally from Normanton in Yorkshire, came from a close family and one of the highlights for everyone was their week’s holiday in Blackpool - always staying at Auntie Bettie’s.

Ray, who now lives in Burnley said: “We arrived and departed by steam train, mum and dad never had a car, and Auntie Bettie’s was just a short walk with our suitcases.

“My mum and dad spent 56 years of marriage together and this only ended when my dad died from a heart attack on 8th April 2003, the absolute worst day of my life.

“Blackpool is also a special place for my wife Geraldine.

“She was born in Wakefield and was also brought to Blackpool each year for the annual holiday by her mum Doreen and her dad Ronald, who was a famous rugby league referee during the 1950s.

“Geraldine’s dad and his second wife retired to Lytham St Annes about 40 years ago and we still call to see her every week, to help her with her shopping and to take her for a long drive along the seafront.”

Their dad George served in Burma and India during the Second World War and mum Mary was a clippie on the buses.

After the War, George became an apprentice cabinet maker/French polisher and Mary worked as a sewing machinist in a factory.

They didn’t have a lot of money but the love they had for their boys was immense.

Although they came from a family which didn’t have much money, Ray and Roy both went to university.

Roy graduated from St Catherine’s College with a teaching degree and Ray, studied Chemistry at London University. He also has a BSc in maths which he completed later through Open University.

“My first graduation was unusual in that it was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London and we, as graduates, simply walked across the stage when our names were read out, then bowed to the Queen Mother who was sat on the stage about two metres from us.

“She simply waved and smiled to all of us and then we walked off.

“This was one of my proudest moments because my mum and dad were sat in the audience, as was my then wife-to-be, Geraldine.

“On April 10 next year, we’ll celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary.

“Mum and dad loved their nights out at the local Working Men’s Club and continued to do so, even during our Blackpool holidays when Auntie Bettie would look after Roy and me, whilst we were sleeping.

“I understand that, in later life, they lived somewhere near Bloomfield Road football ground.

“It would be so nice to say to our grandchildren, Jacob and Sophie, that this was where grandad used to stay when he was their age.”

If you can remember Jim and Bettie Ridge, or the boarding house, please get in touch with [email protected]