.........and the older members of staff say the Moores' family were fantastic to work for, particularly the older family members who would visit the site on Edge Lane.
I certainly had a lot of respect for John Moores, an old school gentleman, and I too only ever heard good things about him.
Back in the late 70's I used to sometimes overtake, or occasionally be overtaken by him driving either his Rolls or his Mini Traveller with number plates JM1 & JM2, on the Formby bypass. I had an ancient 'half timbered' Mini Traveller at the time myself but had the benefit of a tuned 1275 engine in mine so I used to toot and wave as I screamed past at highly illegal speeds if he was in his much newer but slower clubman Traveller but.... he used to wave back!
I understand he did all his own car maintenance at home, wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty at all, and I heard he even went on a Rolls Royce course at Crewe so he could service his own vehicles not because he was tight, but because he was genuinely interested and not afraid of rolling up his sleeves and doing hard work.
But as with so many dynasties, they often seem to founder on the death of the visionary and hard working old King, the one who built the empire, and then the spoon fed and pampered offspring in line to the throne take over and it falls apart.
I might be wrong, but I doubt David knows which end of a hammer or a screwdriver to hold.