TUPPERWARE, the plastic range of homeware which spawned a million themed evenings, will now be sold directly to shops or through other businesses in Britain.

ANGELA KELLY marks the passing of an important social phenomenon -- the Tupperware party.

IT was the invitation you almost dreaded, but still went along anyway: "Vera is holding a Tupperware Party at her home and would love to see you there at 7pm. Refreshments will be provided."

Now, the parties in homes all over Bolton, Bury and Leigh are no more. We've moved on. Vera is now holding Ann Summers' parties with wine for the lively guests, and you're off to the gym.

But, in the kitchens of thousands of homes all over this area, there are still handy little containers which pay homage to the memory of the Tupperware party.

They came in all shapes and sizes. In the early days, just clear, tough plastic boxes and storage containers. Later, they would be in dense, bright orange and blue, and later still, back to opaque with brightly coloured lids so you could still see what was stored inside.

All the evenings ran on the same format. And you "dreaded" the invitation, when it came before pay day or on a night when you struggled for babysitters.

When you made the effort to go, however, you usually found yourself sitting in the comfortable confines of a neighbour's lounge, on the sofa next to the woman from No 53 who you always wanted to meet.

Your hostess (usually Sandra with a child in your child's class who was so chatty at the school gates) was handing out the drinks and wearing a slightly apologetic air for turning into a temporary amateur saleswoman.

The Tupperware agent would give the same talk you had heard a dozen times before, but you listened attentively anyway about the thousand and one uses to which you could put a handy set of mixing bowls.

You went intending to buy, not just because you wanted to support your pal (who got commission on goods sold) but also because you really felt you needed Tupperware to enhance your life. After all it was, and still is, a quality product.

"We sometimes ran Tupperware parties for the local church or a charity," recalls Mrs Liz Williams. She lives in Lostock now but held parties in former homes in Sheffield and Leigh.

"They were definitely social occasions. You met your neighbours, had an enjoyable gossip. There was tea, coffee and biscuits on offer. It was a pleasant way to pass the evening.

"I've still got a Tupperware 'sewing box' with little compartments that you lift out. I think it was quite expensive at the time but it's been invaluable.

"And there are Tupperware canisters in my kitchen that I still use for things like tea and coffee. They're completely airtight and very good -- and they must be tough because I got them years ago."

Certainly, the parties not only helped cash-strapped housewives in the 1960s and 1970s in particular to earn extra income, but also allowed many women to meet others in a familiar environment.

"It was a safe kind of evening," added Mrs Williams.

Linda Blakeley was a young housewife in the 1960s, with two children and living on the Racecourse estate in Little Lever.

"You didn't always work in those days and there were plenty of us then, at home, all new to the area, on a new estate and not knowing anyone," she recalled.

"I used to run Tupperware parties then. I got a handy bit of income from it and met lots of other people. You got commission, and a gift if you sold so much. I got a plastic garden chair once -- I've still got it.

"The agent did all the really hard work, but you had to make the deliveries and collect all the money. And you had to try to get two more people to have parties, then you went to theirs.

"But they were enjoyable events and I'm sorry to see them go."

Sadly, social trends are now different.

"What we found was that, as times were changing, we needed to take account of consumers' likes and dislikes," said Jane Garrard, vice-president of Tupperware investor relations in the US, to BBC News Online.

So, there it is. Gone forever are those gossipy evenings where people seriously discussed the difference between cheap containers which got smelly when you put cheese in them and the sturdy, plastic Tupperware version.

It all belongs to a gentler, more domesticated time when women still baked their own cakes. And our wish list included "a top of the range set of individual storage containers that fit neatly together in the fridge".

TUPPERWARE: THE PLASTIC PHENOMENON

Tupperware was invented in the 1940s by American Earl Tupper, who went on from humble beginnings as a Second World War gas mask manufacturer.

Mr Tupper wanted to keep his food fresh and developed a plastic container with an almost-airtight seal.

As the technology advanced, people began snapping up his product in droves. In the 1950s it became a firm favourite among housewives.

In 1951, Mr Tupper pulled his products from department stores and retail outlets and began selling them at parties.

Over the past five decades Tupperware parties have been held in virtually every surburban area of Britain.