CARTMEL Racecourse is fast becoming a bit of a Wembley Stadium for the pop stars of yesteryear.

Cliff Richard, Boyzone, Tom Jones and Simply Red have all been lured to the venue in recent years and now it looks set to welcome David Gray in 2020.

While he may not have the instant name recognition of a Sir Cliff or Sir Tom, be sure to ask anyone who was in tune with music around the turn of the Millennium who he was.

A very heart-felt, understated musician, he soared to unexpected success with his hit album White Ladder which took a couple of years to truly take off before the track Babylon caught the world's attention.

Twenty years on, there may well not be a dry eye in the house come the end of June next year. Summer wouldn't be summer without a trip to Cartmel for a flutter on the gee-gees, a few cold drinks and live music in the sunshine. Heritage acts are not always to everybody's taste, but David Gray is the sort of artist who will go down well with racegoers.

Usually, music fans in these parts have to slog long distances to hear the hits, see the stars or catch an anniversary tour.

Yet, credit where it's due, the racecourse has successfully signed-up some of the biggest names in music to come to us for a change instead.