She is proud of her roots.
Actress, Maxine Peake, was born in Bolton and lives in Salford.
The versatile star of both comedy and serious dramas moved back home after spending 13 years in London.
Actor Christopher Eccleston hails from Salford's Ellesmere Park, and found early fame for his role in the epic series "Our Friends Up North".
He once rode on his bicycle to Swinton Police station to chat to local kids.
Now they have helped cash-strapped Salford Lads Club simply by pulling on a T-shirt embossed with "The North".
They put images of themselves in the fundraising top on social media and the club sold £10,000 worth of shirts in three weeks.
Maxine will star in a new sexual politics thriller for the BBC, Rules of The Game, being filmed in Manchester.
She posted a picture of herself in a mirror at a makeup table in the T-shirt.
She once played sassy neighbour, Veronica, in the infamous Manchester comedy, Shameless.
The Silk actress also took on the BBC drama Three Girls, based on the true stories of victims of grooming and sexual abuse in Rochdale, playing Sara Rowbotham – a sexual health worker involved in the case and the whistleblower who exposed the extent of the child abuse.
The RADA-trained former Westhoughton High School and Canon Slade pupil landed a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art when she was 21 and she lived in London for 13 years.
But the former Bolton Octagon Youth Theatre pupil upped sticks and moved back up north to live in Salford in 2007
She later told the Manchester Evening News: "I love London but I wanted to move back north because it has a totally different pace of life and a different community. I like that in the north nobody is impressed. I see people who believe their own hype and that's when it gets dangerous."
Christopher posted a picture of him in the shirt with a northern skyline as a backdrop.
Leslie Holmes, community artist, and spokesman for Salford Lads Club said: "When Maxine and Christopher posted pictures of themselves wearing the shirts it went ballistic for orders. They both have huge followings and there was a surge in sales and we sold £10,000 worth in three weeks, which has now increased to £14,000.
"Our latest T shirt celebrates The North. The famous Salford Lads Club sign is known around the world, thanks to the famous picture of The Smiths by Stephen Wright taken in 1985. The club continues to be a pilgrimage site for fans of The Smiths, Manchester music and culture.
"In 2021 it's important to let people know we are still here, We've survived two world wars, 27 prime ministers and now Covid. More importantly as the country starts to re-open, we are proud to be a symbol of Salford, Manchester and The Norths working class heritage."
Famous former members of the club include Busby Babe, Eddie Colman and music legends Graham Nash and Alan Clarke of the Hollies.
Leslie said: "We asked some of our "friends in the north" if they'd like to help and everybody we asked has shown an amazing sense of solidarity about the new design.
"Chris Eccleston, Maxine Peake, John Thomson Mike Joyce, Vinny Peculiar, Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie have posted pictures on social media and amazingly we sold out in every size apart from XXL, but are restocking."
"We hope "The North" is going to an important fundraiser for the club. Like everybody else we have suffered from being closed for nearly 18 months and we have lost more than £80,000 income.
"We have benefited from recovery grants but this has gone towards making the building safe for all our young people and volunteers by installing new ventilation in the main gym and boxing gyms and games rooms."
The club will re-open to visitors on Saturday July 24th from 11am to 3pm.
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