1987: Double degrees for twins and word-inventing in Parbold

By Gemma Jaleel on Sep 25, 08 09:00 AM

Colin and Mark Aspinwall

THERE were double celebrations all round for twins Colin and Mark Aspinwall who got matching degrees in 1987.

The Aspinwall brothers from Sandy Lane in Holmeswood both attended Loughborough University of Technology.

The brothers, whose family own Holmeswood Coaches, studied automotive engineering and design.

They both came away with first class degrees and snapped up jobs straight away with Colin working for London Regional Transport as a trainee garage engineering manager and Mark working with Leyland Bus Company.

Next, we have landlord of the Railway pub in Parbold, Gordon Rogers who had his regulars lost for words.

Gordon put in an advert in a programme for Douglas Drama Group about the pub being steeped in railway memorabilia but it was accidently printed as 'railway numerasignia'.

He liked the look of the word and people who saw the advert seem to know what he meant and had it painted on the pub van.

Gordon said: "It means that there are lots of articles to do with the railway...I think."

Gordon also said he wanted to see the word in dictionaries all over the country.

Oxford Dictionary editor Joyce Hawkins told the Advertiser at the time: "Words have to be in use for several years before we consider putting them in the dictionary."