A life of glitz and glam from Preston, to Benidorm and even Longridge has been told.
Alma Stewart-Burgess is the latest guest on The Parched Pea Podcast and chats to John 'Gilly' Gillmore on life as a Redcoat, Bluecoat and more.
She was perhaps always destined for a life on the stage as her parents owned the former Guild Tavern in the shadow of the city's Guild Hall.
Alma tells of growing up and all the stars who used to pop in after playing at the venue in the 70s and 80s.
She went on to forge a career as an entertainer at Butlins and Pontins.
There's plenty of tales from keeping families entertained in Blackpool, Longridge (when it had a Haven at Beacon Fell View Holiday Park!) and in Benidorm too.
She tells of the changing faces of holiday camps and what it's like now compared to their heyday.
IMAGE: Alma as a Bluecoat in 1994
After her time on stage, Alma spoke about becoming a journalist and her former husband, and Lancashire Post columnist Alan Burgess.
He sadly died of lung cancer in 2003 - and she tells of his final days and bringing up their children since.
Alma and Gilly reminisce about his writing, his love for music and records and how Alan would probably be a TikTok star these days plus the times they all worked together - including Gilly in his white tuxedo.
The Parched Pea Podcast is a collaboration between Blog Preston, Lancashire Post and Central Radio with Gilly exploring the people and places which make the city tick and will be available on Spotify, Apple and all other major podcast apps via Podfollow with new episodes being released every other Wednesday between April and July - subscribe to the podcast on your listening platform of choice to always be first to hear of new episodes.
The podcast has been supported by Cosy Homes in Lancashire, who work to keep homes in Preston and beyond warm and energy efficient.
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