LET me take you all the way back to August 1996.

That was one of the most entertaining days I ever had because yes, I was in the crowd at the very first V Festival.

I was there at Victoria Park in the sweltering heat on Sunday, August 18. (Just goes to show how unreliable my memory has become. I would have sworn it was on a Saturday).

Nevertheless, I do clearly remember the temperatures hitting 90 degrees as acts including Cast, Elastica, Super Furry Animals, Supergrass and Gary Numan basked in the Warrington sunshine before headliners Pulp brought the house down in front of an adoring crowd of 35,000.

It was a truly great day but as it turned out, V Fest never returned to Warrington again, much to my great disappointment.

The reason it never came back was quite simple.

The original idea for V came from Pulp’s front man Jarvis Cocker who said he would love to play two outdoor venues in two days.

Pulp’s promoters got together and came up with the idea of putting the gig into Warrington’s Victoria Park and Hylands Park in Chelmsford so fans in both the north and south would have the chance to see the band.

Then came the suggestion of adding more bands to the bill, putting on a second stage and letting people camp for the weekend.

And that was the problem. In the end Victoria Park was just too small for three stages and camping.

So in 1996 there was one day of artists at Victoria Park and two days at Hylands Park, complete with camping.

These days the event is held at two parks simultaneously – Hylands Park and Weston Park in Staffordshire.

They share the same bill with artists performing at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday.

Warrington’s loss was Staffordshire’s gain.

V Fest only came about because of Warrington’s own Simon Moran, whose SJM Concerts promoted the event. Back in 1996 to placate the locals, many Latchford residents were given free passes for the day.

Fast forward more than 20 years and Simon Moran and SJM are back and Victoria Park is to host a two-day indie music festival next year, having been granted a licence by Warrington Borough Council.

I may be 20 years older – some might say too old to be going to festivals – but I can’t wait. I hope SJM can take a hint but a VIP ticket and a plus one on the guest list would be very welcome.

If it comes anywhere near replicating the success of V96 it will be an absolute winner. Warrington has grand ambitions and a big gig like this would surely put the town firmly on the national music map.

Having said all that, I am very aware that for the residents of Latchford the festival is going to be a major nuisance and they do have my sympathy.

Let’s hope the council and SJM can put together enough concessions to sweeten the deal for those who live close enough to be affected.

Free tickets, strictly enforced parking restrictions and the proposed music cut-off time of 10.30pm should go some way to placating the good people of Latchford who have already made their opposition known with not one but two well backed petitions.

  •  While we’re on the subject of entertainment, I notice there’s a plan to turn the former BHS store in the town centre into a bowling alley.

If it goes ahead, the first floor of the site, which has been empty since July last year, would become a 12-lane bowling alley.

The plans also include an assault course, soft play centre, an ‘interactive gaming area’ and lounge bar.

I’m not so sure I’m quite so enthusiastic about this plan.

It will be interesting to see which way those responsible for making planning decisions jump.

Anything that breathes a little life into the town centre theoretically is a good idea but I’m not convinced about a bowling alley.