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ON OURWAY TOLONDONBy Jon Rhodesjon.rhodes@blackpoolgazette.co.ukwww.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Virgin Trains boss Sir richard Branson aims to improve links between Blackpool and London by December.

He’s on track and going places

VIRGIN is set to restore its di-rect train service from Black-pool to London, The Gazettecan reveal today.The West Coast Mainlineoperator has submitted a bid torun two direct return servicesbetween the resort and thecapital.

The first trains will departBlackpool North at 6.36am,arriving at London Euston at9.33am.

The second service departsat 2.03pm arriving in Londonat 4.54pm.

Return trains are 10.33amarriving at Blackpool North at1.35pm and 7.33pm arrivingback in Blackpool at 10.18pm.

All services will stop atKirkham and Wesham station.

If backed, the first direct

services will be upand runningby December – 10 years sincethelastdirectVirginserviceleftBlackpool North station boundfor the capital.

Today,commuters,businessleadersandrailusershailedthenews as afantasticboostfortheresort.

Paul Nettleton from the Fyl-de Rail Users Group said Virginhad kept its promise.

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THE LOST ARCHIVES111www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk The Gazette,Tuesday, February 5, 2013

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TheThe GazetteGazette\01_ARCHIVE\WBEG-05-02-13-111-WBEG 111 17/02/2013 15:18:01

••Drag queens Mrs T andPeggy Lee are hoping the amazing£11,000 they raised this weekendwill be just the beginning of theirfund-raising work.Paul Carroll has recently beenmade a patron of Kids’n’Cancercharity and now the troupe areplanning to raise money to helpchildren affected by the disease.Lee said: “To help children out is

Sky’s the limit for MHTanother thing that would be amaz-ing for us.” The drag queens willbe using their upcoming UK tourto raise cash for the charity whichgives children proton therapy.And proceeds of programmessold at the four Music Hall Tavernvenues will continue to go towardsthe chosen charities, with threeeuros from each once sold beingdonated.

in April and was treated byMacmillan Cancer Supportduring her illness. The fund_raiser last weekend raisedmore than £11,400 in Donna’smemory, with donations be-ing encouraged during theflight and a performance inMHT on Saturday night.

Lee said: “It’s fantasticto have raised the money.Donna would have liked theparty,she’d be proud of whatwe’re doing for the charities.”

Lee’s business partnerPaul,42,enteredthe Jet2.comcompetition and used socialnetworking sites to build sup-port for their bid and later toinvite people to join them forthe all-expenses paid trip.

The chartered plane wasfilled with a range of peo-ple, all dressed to the nines –despite the 5.30am start.

And the trio got into the‘trolley dollies’ spirit, camp-ing up the flight safety talkand serving meals and drinksto passengers.

Paul said: “We felt like ce-

lebrities all weekend. Beingon the plane making on flightannouncements and goingdown with the trolley was ahighlight but the charity sideofit,nowordscandescribere-ally, it’s amazing.”

Performer Kenny Moore,44, said: “It’s nice for us toshowthatthere’sanother sideto drag queens. We are aboutall the glitz and glamour butthere’salsothatsofter,seriousside and we want to do all wecan to help these charities.”

The performers are nowworking towards launchingtheir UK tour in Blackpool,staging their drag cabaretshow at The Grand Theatreon September 29.

With drag queens dishing upthe in-flight meal, a mid-airgame of bingo and the pilotjoining in with karaoke overthe loudspeaker, this was ajourney like no other.

Drag queens Mrs T, Peggy Leeand Special K took to the skiesto fly 100 friends and family toLanzarote this weekend for a36-hour fund-raiser.

The trio, otherwise knownasPaulCarroll,LeeSandersonand Kenny Moore respective-ly, are all performers based inthe Canary Islands.

They won a Jet2.com com-petition for a chartered par-ty plane out to their cabaretshow bar, Music Hall Tav-ern (MHT). They had to getas many people as possibleto vote for them to win – andended up with two million.

Keen to make their week-endmorethanjustanall-sing-ing,all-dancingextravaganza,and having been touched bycancer, the trio decided touse the competition to raisethousands of pounds in aid ofTrinity Hospice and Macmil-lan Cancer Support.

Lee,41,fromNewtonDrive,Blackpool, lost his sister Don-na to cancer last year.

Donna Jackson died inTrinity Hospice, in Octoberaged just 49. She had onlybeen diagnosed with cancer

Drag queens’flight like noother raisescharity £11k

‘We’re all aboutglamour buthave a seriousside too’

By Katie Uptonkatie.upton@blackpoolgazette.co.ukTwitter: @KatieUpton89

IT’S OFF! Paul Carroll ready to depart on the Jet2.com party plane to Lanzarote

lanzarOTe bOunD Music Hall Tavern drag queens Peggy Lee, Mrs T and Special K with their 100 friends,family and customers ready to depart on their Jet2.com party plane