WHO would have thought that a small town like Spennymoor in County Durham would have attracted so many of the top pop artists in the 1960s?

They had the variety club where as a young teenager I saw the likes of Helen Shapiro, still then a schoolgirl, singing her first hit “Please don’t treat me like a child”, Billy Fury, Eden Kane, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Screaming Lord Sutch plus many, many more.

Then came along came the Top Hat nightclub that always hosted top 60s artists such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Karl Denver Trio, the list of top groups was endless.

They had a roulette table, a great restaurant which served fantastic steaks. They were open until 2am so we had some fantastic nights out in Spennymoor in the Sixties.

And also a few bad heads the next day but great memories of a great era.

John Rusby, Bishop Auckland