"I'm an ex-Lancashire lad, hailing from Radcliffe."

Why am I not surprised by that, Steve? Lancashire folk seem to have played a major role in the development of the science of botany - a role which ought to be better known!
The Manchester Field Club had an outing to Radcliffe last year and we walked along the canal (Bury and Bolton - possibly?) towpath. The canal flora represented a veritable text book of water plants (in spite of the odd pram and supermarket trolley).

I live in VC 59 (South Lancashire). Just across the Mersey, to the south, is VC 58 (Cheshire). I found the Saxifrage in VC 59. There is a record in Leo Grindon's 'Flora of Manchester' (pub. 1859) but I've seen no later records.

The VC 59 recorder doesn't seem to be talking to me at the moment. I'm hoping it's because he's recently changed his e-mail address and not because of something I did or said!