Brenda Scott started working for Ball at the age of 17, and recalls how he would motivate staff.

"We don't sell cheap shoes. We sell good shoes cheap," he would tell them.

"That was one of his mottos," says Brenda.

"I started putting the holes in the shoes. He used to say, 'little holes for Tommy', meaning don't put too big a hole in the back."

From humble beginnings he built his empire up from a rusty pram he pushed round the cobbled streets in search of rags. Then came a horse and cart, progressing to a stall on the market, before opening a little shop and then a big warehouse.

Brenda worked for him for 20 years, and now, aged 50, works for the current owners of Tommy Ball's in Hart Street, Blackburn – her sister Maralyn and brother in law Paul Rigby.

"He was one of those bosses that liked to involve himself with the staff. He once came in with a giant box of Easter eggs, he said 'there you are cock, everybody get an Easter egg'," she says.

"If it was anybody's birthday they used to get a big bunch of flowers. He was right down to earth. If someone was in the shop looking at a pair of shoes coppering up he used to say 'put your money away, put them in a bag'."

Maralyn Rigby also spent 15 years working for Tommy Ball, and describes him as a "lovely man".

She says: "The fact he hasn't lived here for 20 years, it's amazing how well people remember him."

For the full article see Friday's Evening Post.