A couple who had a house full of people following the bomb scare at the Grand National is now looking forward to the three-day event returning to Merseyside following the two-year absence of spectators following the 2021 Grand National taking place behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
John and Anne North have lived on Melling Road, next to Aintree racecourse, for 28 years and they're both eager to get the racing festival back to the area. The married couple had a house full of people during the 1997 bomb scare that saw the 150th instalment evacuated after an IRA bomb scare that led to two controlled explosions on the day.
Since then the pair have been to the festival every year until the pandemic hit the world and cancelled all social gatherings for months. Now they find themselves counting down the days until they return to the festival with their friends and family - including Grand National -winning jockey Marcus Armytage.
