Ladies recall night out as cheeky girls

When Maureen Heath went for a night out with a friend just days before the birth of her son, little did she know the evening would inspire a famous work of art.

She was one of the giggling women watching a male stripper in a Dudley pub – a scene captured famously on camera by Black Country photographer Graham Gough.

It caused quite a stir when the picture was first printed in the Express & Star in the 1970s grabbing the attention of media around the globe.

And on Saturday it was revealed for the first time as being almost certainly the inspiration behind celebrated artist Beryl Cook's painting Ladies Night. Seeing the picture printed in the Express & Star again brought the memories flooding back for 59-year-old Mrs Heath of Halesowen.

The former sewing machinist was aged 25 when the photograph was snapped at Dudley's Saltwells Inn in 1974 – she can be seen in the bottom left hand corner of the picture.

It was her last girly night out before the birth of her son, Lee, now aged 33, and she was joined by her close friend Rita Rudge.

Mrs Heath, who lives with her husband Ernest, aged 63, in Toys Lane, Colley Gate, said it was a surprise when she picked up Saturday's paper and saw herself and the familiar scene once again.

"I had a phone call from my sister-in-law, Tina, asking whether it was me in the paper. We had a good laugh about it. I remember the night well because my son, Lee, was born about a week after the photograph was taken. It was in all the papers, even in the Sun, and the photo was hanging on the wall at the Saltwells for many years."

The mother of one, who worked as a dinner lady at Caslon Primary School in Halesowen for 10 years, added laughing: "I never realised a painting was made of it. It was just a bit of fun really. I was only 25 and it was the only time I have ever been to a ladies night out like that."

Also surprised to see the photo again was mother-of-three Marilyn Porter, of Kennedy Crescent, Lower Gornal – who can be seen sat down, with her friend Heather Upton, from Sedgley, at the back of the room.

The pals, who were both 23 at the time, eagerly snapped up the rare chance to see a male stripper perform in Dudley. Mrs Porter, aged 56, said: "I hadn't seen the photograph for while but I know my husband kept a copy and it's somewhere in our loft."

The photograph won the Midland News Picture of the Year award for 1975.

After that it attracted world-wide attention, featuring in the Sun newspaper and the German tabloid Bild. It was at this time that it came to the attention of up-and-coming artist Betty Cook who ordered a large print of the picture and in 1980 painted Ladies Night.