A FOLK singer is returning to Egremont for a special homecoming gig in October.

Frank Bowe, who was born and raised in the town, will perform his eclectic range of folk, pop and Cumbrian songs.

He originally left Egremont to move to London and has recently been performing in the pubs and clubs of Gloucestershire.

And Frank, who developed his interest in playing and performing music at Egremont folk club, will perform at Florence Arts Centre - a venue which holds significance for the singer.

The gig, on October 1, helps him to realise a long held ambition.

“This will be a special evening for me as I’ve still got a strong affinity for Egremont and an interest in its industrial past,” said Frank.

“What makes this particularly special is that my father worked at Florence, as a winding engineman up until his death in 1973.”

The mine at Florence was sunk in 1914 and worked in conjunction with the nearby mine at Ullcoats from 1917 until its first closure in 1968.

In 1969, the mine was reopened and linked to Beckermet Mines by the owners - the British Steel Corporation. The second closure happened in 1980.

However, a group of former mineworkers formed the Egremont Mining Company and invested their redundancy payments back into Florence.

They continued to mine the hematite until the final closure in 2007. It was the last remaining working deep iron ore mine in Europe.

Frank hopes that he will be able to meet up with a number of old friends during his return.

And his performance will include performances on the accordion, guitar, harmonica and his party piece, the musical saw.

The set list includes a song titled ‘Egremont Red’, Frank’s dedication to the iron ore heritage of the mine. It will be the first time the song has been performed.

Tickets cost £8 and are available from www.florencemine.com or by calling 01946 824946. Doors open at 7.30pm.