A well known Burscough man's celebrating his 57th birthday in style - and hoping lots of folk will join him, too!

Tim Baybutt was born and bred in Burscough and absolutely loves the place.

"As teenagers in the 70's, many of us used to go to and love local discos such as Rufford, Lathom, Chapel Lane, The Linnets etc," he told QLocal's Roger Blaxall.

"After not having a birthday celebration since my 21st, I held my 50th Birthday in the Bridge in Burscough some 7 years ago.

"We decided to make it fancy dress and I built up a playlist comprising of all the old tunes we used to hear, and to remind us of the old days at the local discos.

"It was a big success, very much enjoyed by all, so much so that all my friends have been pestering me each year to have another Birthday party.

"My response was always 'It's pathetic and somewhat narcissistic to have a 51st, 52nd birthday", etc.

"However, after meeting up for the funeral of a very popular Burscough character (Charlie Hughes) in the Summer of 2016, I relented and said that I would organise a party in December 2016, but it would not be billed as my Birthday party, but a celebration of Burscough and it would be billed as a 'Burscough Billies 70's Fancy Dress Xmas Disco'.

"I decided to hold it at the Barons club, since there is a really good dance floor and sound system, and we had many happy memories of discos there when it was called 'The Linnets'.

"I had been considering holding the event in aid of a local cause when disaster struck. My friend, Steve Addy's young daughter (Georgia) was knocked down in Burscough, suffered life-threatening injuries, and was in Alder Hey hospital.

"The family already had big problems as Steve's wife had a terminal illness. Steve had to pack in work to look after his family, so we decided to make the event a fundraiser, with all proceeds going direct to the family.

"I have never been involved in any charity organisations before, and have always baulked at the idea of giving money to a big charity organisation, with much of it getting swallowed up by various bigwigs in administration. But a direct contribution to a local cause was a different matter.

"I went round all the local businesses, including hairdressers, beauty parlours, Taylors Farm, pubs and restaurants, I even got a free MOT from the Bull & Dog garage, so I was very impressed that the local community was pulling together.

"I managed to sell 184 tickets and it was a fantastic night! We made lots of extra money in raffle sales and donations, and the Addy family themselves all came along for a bit of respite from their problems.

"I hammered FB with lots of 70s tunes to seduce people into coming, and went round knocking on doors, for the dual purpose of getting people to come out and enjoy themselves, and also to contribute to a worthy local cause. It brought together people who hadn't seen each other for years. We got 3 local DJs (Brian Sewell, Brian Lewis and Pete Winrow) to offer their services for free, and of course the Barons didn't charge us for the venue.

"All in all it was a fantastic event, and so I have decided to make it an annual event around the same time each year, charging for tickets for a worthy local Burscough cause each time.

"Hopefully, there will be nothing too serious, in which case I will speak to 'The Grove' or even OAP homes to see if they have any urgent needs we can help with.

"However, this year it came to my attention that a young, well-known local family, Phil & Laura (nee Barnes) Wright, had recently discovered that their 5 year old son Louis had been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

"This is a degenerative and ultimately fatal condition, and among other things, Laura has to take him regularly to the other side of Preston for hydropool treatment.

Laura and Phil have been heavily involved in the Duchenne charity itself, but I thought it would be a good idea to hold this year's Burscough Billies event to raise funds directly to support the family in order to aid Louis' more immediate needs (such as getting a hydropool at home).

"So, this year's event is a BURSCOUGH BILLIES 80's FANCY DRESS XMAS DISCO and again, will be held at the Barons Club in Burscough. Doors open at 7pm and it is sure to be an amazing evening."

So far, 178 tickets have been sold, but there is capacity for 250 people, so if you are fun-loving people and would like to come along, listen to some great 80's music whilst also being part of a most worthy local cause, ring Tim on 0773 6649243, contact him on FB or e-mail timbaybutt@hotmail.com.

The evening's open to people of all ages (young and old who love the 80's) and you don't have to be a Burscough Billy to come along! Ormskirk, Southport, Rufford, Scarisbrick people etc. are more than welcome, as well as people new to the area, as long as they love having fun!

But be quick as it's strictly ticket-only. Tickets are £7.50 each, fancy dress is optional and be sure to bring your dancing shoes!