HAVING originally come from Liverpool, I now, after many years, consider myself to be an adopted Boltonian.

However, I have always had difficulty finding an affinity with the popular local dialect poetry.

But this does not mean to say that I cannot sense the tenderness in it, and also the unpretentiousness which is characteristic of the Lancashire spirit!

Ernie Ford was not only a great writer and ambassador of tender poetry, he was custodian of a writing style which must be preserved at all costs, because it connects Lancashire people with the lyrical beauty of their uniqueness.

I endorse any approach to immortalise Ernie's memory - may the good Lord rest his soul.

Gerard A Groves, Nevis Grove, Bolton