WE'VE had a great response after last week we looked back at the Grand Celebrity Concert of July 3 1955 at Alexandra Gardens Theatre in Weymouth.

A Dorset Echo staff member unearthed a programme for the concert in Echo Towers recently, which got us reminiscing.

The programmes were printed by local firm Sherrens, which is still going today.

Appearing on the same bill at the concert were comedy greats Tommy Cooper, Benny Hill and Norman Wisdom.

Brenda Dimond got in touch with us to let us know that she attended the star-studded concert.

It was held to raise money for family members of the victims of HMS Sidon, a submarine which exploded in Portland Harbour on June 16 1955.

Brenda said: "I worked as bookbinder at Sherrens, working on the programmes for the 'Grand Celebrity Concert'.

"My husband and I also went to the concert which we enjoyed very much even though the reason for it was very sad."

Also getting in touch was Bob Fox, who attended the concert on July 3 1955.

He said: "At the time I was the assistant to Mr. Bernard Beal who was the best entertainments and publicity manager Weymouth ever had.

"The show was arranged and produced all within a couple of weeks of the Sidon disaster, and Bernard Delfont ( later to become Lord Delfont) pulled out all the stops to get some of his top artistes to perform.

"Some were not the household names they were to become in later years but they were all established star names.

"Dickie Hurran was a top producer of summer and West End shows, and had, in fact produced that year's Summer show at the Alexandra Gardens Theatre which starred Derek Roy, together with Penny Nichols and the Showtime Girls.

"I remember Derek was most disappointed that he could not take part as he was already contracted to a Sunday Concert elsewhere.

"Another act which I recall (if my memory serves me right) was the Dandy Brothers who were also in Weymouth's Summer Show.

"Incidentally, Tony Hulley and his assistants were in fact , Tommy Cooper doing a second spot under another name.

"Ted Durante became a great personal friend and I used to book him a lot when I later became Entertainments Manager for the London Borough of Lewisham."

Bob has sent us this photo of the Pier Bandstand from 1954, taken by Paddy Coulter of dancing taking place to Harry Parry and His Orchestra.

"Because Paddy needed a time exposure to ensure the photo came out OK we had to ask all the dancers to 'freeze' for five seconds," he said.

Bob served at the Alexandra Gardens Theatre and Pier Bandstand from 1951 to 1956 and says he has many happy memories of shows there.

Alongside this photo of the pier band in its heyday, we have included a sad look back of its demolition in 1986.