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In June 1969, Len Fairclough started to lose interest in his Building and Plumbing Business which frustrated his employee Ray Langton who had just secured a contract to do work on a Newton & Ridley public house.
Ray took on the contract himself by starting his own business.
Ray then went on to secure a corporation tender to put in the central heating in a conversion of four Victorian houses in Albert Park into an old people's home but needed up-front money. He got the money from Bookmaker Dave Smith who took a stake in the Business in exchange for an investment of 2,000 pounds.
However, Len, feeling betrayed by Ray, in his position as a councillor was given the job of checking his work out on behalf of the council for the tender. Len, however recommended Ray for the tender thinking he couldn't afford it but then found out that Dave was backing him but could do nothing about it.
Ray then took on Audrey Fleming as a secretary on £10 a week angering Lucille Hewitt who thought she'd been promised the job.
The business proved to be a success at first with Ray buying a flash new sports car.
Ray moved out of his lodgings at No.5 and into one of the Albert Park flats for convenience for work, leaving Audrey in charge of his yard.
On the way home from a street trip to Bowness-on-Windermere their coach crashed and Ray, who was the most injured, ended up suffering from transverse myelitis, a spinal virus condition.
Due to his injury, Dave unsympathetically dropped Ray and employed someone else.
Len Fairclough took Ray back on at his own Yard and they went on to form a partnership called Fairclough and Langton.
Staff[]
- Dave Smith (Co- owner, 1969 - ?? )
- Ray Langton (Co-owner and Builder, 1969)
- Audrey Fleming (Secretary, 1969)