LOCAL history officer Tony Ashcroft is appealing for Garrick memorabilia to boost the Leigh club archive.

The Leigh Library-based department has stacks of material on Wigan Casino but not a lot on Leigh's premier theatre nightspot which closed its door 25 years ago next month.

Pictures, tickets or printed matter related to the club, opened in 1961 by Roy Jackson in a former shirt factory off Leigh Road, should send them to Tony at the library.

Former Leigh Folk Club stalwart, Joan Szymanowski, said The Garrick building had around 1920 been the original Timms Garage.

Joan's grandfather James Lomas was an engineer and with the first Mr Timms they rebuilt a huge olive green monster of a car, an Argyle, there. It had a petrol tank all down one side -- and two bodies, a workaday one and a change into a posh Sunday saloon.

Joan has outstanding memories of two acts she saw at the Garrick, Freddy "Parrot Face" Davies who was hilarious without being smutty, and Dave Dee, Dozey, Beaky, Mick and Titch who had a 1966 hit with "Hold Tight".

She said: "When they came on stage they were good, but boy were they scruffy and dirty. From our good seats near the podium we could see the tide marks."

Tom Hodgkinson, of Manchester Road, Astley, says one of the best regular acts was The Grumbleweeds.

He adds that Roy Jackson was a fellow Rotarian and he and Joe Everett, the club manager, were always in Astley Labour Club on Sunday lunchtimes. They took along the turns for the week and Joe Dolan was a regular guest.

Peter Matthews, of Astley, said his wife Lynda and her cousin Meg were big fans of Joe Dolan and whenever he appeared they had to go.

He says: "I remember one of the worst acts I ever saw were a new band called The Real Thing. I could not believe it when they made the big time -- they were dreadful."

More stories please to Lesley Richards at the Journal

or e-mail lrichards@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk