11 significant pictures of rare Bilton's Marionettes returning home to Fleetwood Museum

Puppets that delighted a generation in Fleetwood have found their way to the town’s museum.

Professor Roger Richardson lived in Fleetwood during the 1950s and 1960s and used to help the Bilton family who ran the well-known marionette performances for holidaymakers.

He stayed in touch with the Bilton family after they left for Manchester in the early 1960s and he inherited some of the puppets used in the Fleetwood shows.

And now, he has donated the two traditional, intricate string puppets to the place where they came from.

He said: “ I have lived in Winchester for many years but as a boy and until well into my teenage years, I was a part time helper with the Bilton’s Marionettes.

“This is a memorable occasion because these two marionettes are now donating to the museum, they returning home, as it were.

“It’s celebrating Percy Bilton who was a Fleetwood institution, unique in Fleetwood’s history.”

The Biltons came to Fleetwood in the 1930s, setting up their puppet theatre on the open sand dunes before relocating their popular performances directly onto the main Fleetwood Promenade.

They became a beloved staple of the local holiday tradition, performing classic plays and folklore stories, such as St George the Dragon.

ICYMI: 'We made her a promise' - Fleetwood mum takes on daring wing walk for charity to keep baby's memory alive