Crowds packed Fleetwood on the day Barbara Windsor came to town

Dame Barbara Windsor, who died last week, held the Fylde Coast close to heart.

It was here she came as a child evacuee during the war and the place where she first began dancing.

She couldn’t wait to switch on Blackpool Illuminations back in 2016 and she came to the resort on numerous occasions during her career.

It was during one of those visits that Dame Barbara agreed to open a new shoe shop in Fleetwood, a memorable day for the owner Brian Ward. She was appearing at the Grand Theatre and Brian’s family were opening their third Shustop store in Lord Street.

Brian said: “I was hoping to get Barbara to open the shop there for us, I’d lost count of the times I left messages for her at the Grand, then out of the blue one evening, Barbara called.

“She said ‘hello love is it you who wants me to open a shop for you?’ After a bit of banter over how much we could pay, we did a deal.

“Trying to get as much publicity, the Gazette turned up with a photographer and I also let Fleetwood Police know the full timetable, so they could be aware of her coming to town.

“Fleetwood turned out big style, we had to limit the customer numbers in the shop. Barbara was the star we all new and loved. She talked to everyone as if she had known them all their lives.

“I remember she took size two’s and was delighted we had some in stock. I think the police were a bit embarrassed, as they had not done much, if anything, in anticipation of Barbara’s visit. Lord Street was blocked for at least a 100 yards in both directions of our shop door and no trams moved for an hour or so that day.”