ROCKERS The Lottery Winners’ numbers are far from being up after adding an extra secret date to their “World Tour of Lancashire” — at Norman Walsh Footwear.

The Bolton shoe manufacturer, which is sponsoring their tour, invited them to perform the company’s first ever live set before the four-piece were given a tour of the factory and presented with a free pair of new trainers each.

The indie-pop band from Leigh, including Thomas Rylance, Robert Lally, Joe Singleton and Katie Lloyd, started their tour on February 8 and have since performed at various venues, including The Blind Tiger in Bolton last weekend, as well as famous landmarks and hidden gems across the Red Rose county.

Frontman Thom said: “The trainers are pretty bright, but I really like them. I think we each left with more than one pair. I think I managed to get five in total. They’re much more personal than Nike Airs.

“It was so interesting when they showed us the process of how they make the shoes. I couldn’t believe how small the team is. There are only 10 of them putting all of them together, including one woman who literally sews all the shoes together. She must have sewn a million in her time.

“It was so much fun playing in such a different venue than the ones we are used to, and the company was really welcoming.

“We played a half hour set of our music in front of everybody and they seemed to enjoy it and were singing along. Apparently we are the first band to play a live set there. It is fair to say we admire each other’s work.”

Norman Walsh Footwear

FOUNDER Norman Walsh began making athletic footwear after leaving school in 1945.

He served his apprenticeship at Bolton based Foster Bros Footwear.

In 1948, Norman made many of the shoes worn by the British Olympic team.

His name became known by many top professional athletes around the world and in 1961 he founded Norman Walsh Footwear.

The Foster family, meanwhile, went on to found Reebok.