New life for another of Jordan North's happy places

But the future of the former St Paul’s Church building on Ringway is unclear after it was sold this week to an unnamed buyer.

The Grade II Listed property has been empty since Rock FM moved out almost a year ago, relocating the station’s presenters to Manchester and its sales staff to new offices in Preston.

The Post understands the new buyer is a local company which will be making the 200-year-old building its headquarters. But an announcement is not expected until next week.

Rock FM moved out in February last year, bringing to an end 38 years of broadcasting independent local radio from the place they called the “old rocking church.”

It started out in October 1982 as Red Rose Radio with numerous celebrities involved in its birth, including Russell Harty, Victoria Wood, Sir Clive Lloyd and Sir Bill Beaumont.

Over the years the station has changed its name several times, from Red Rose to Magic 999, to Rock FM and also Greatest Hits Lancashire.

Amongst the well-known broadcasters to work there were Jon Culshaw, Sky News’ Kay Burley, Alan Beswick and John ‘Gilly’ Gillmore.

I'm a Celebrity star Jordan started out there before being poached by Radio One.

Last year when it closed, he said: “I absolutely loved my time at Rock FM. I learnt my trade there. It was such a fun place to work and the people there were just the best.

"Goodbye to the old rocking church.”

Rock FM, owned by Bauer Radio, said the building was “in need of repair.”