Rembering John and ‘Uncle George’ at St Peter’s Church, Woolton

With a little help from our friends …

Thousands of Beatles fans travel to St Peter’s Church in Woolton every year from all around the world to see the place where John Lennon and Paul McCartney were introduced on July 6 1957, and also to visit the graves of Eleanor Rigby and John’s uncle, George Toogood Smith.

Sadly, the weather and the passing years have taken their toll on Uncle George’s grave and it has been an aim of the team of volunteers who look after Beatles heritage at the Church to carry out some much-needed restoration work. 

This year, due to the generosity of the visitors to St Peter’s through donations and the purchase of souvenirs, this has been made possible and the newly-refurbished grave will be unveiled in a special ceremony at 2pm on Friday October 9, to commemorate John’s 75^th birthday.

Dr Donna Jackson, Senior Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Chester and a member of the congregation at St Peter’s explained:

“There are many reasons why this is an important event.   Most of all, it’s a way for the Beatles fans to say ‘thank you’ to a man who was so important in John’s life.  Before we planned the refurbishment we talked to members of John’s family to explain what we wanted to do; the last thing we wanted was for them to think that we were intruding on a private family issue.  But fortunately, they agreed that this was a lovely gesture on the part of Beatles fans.  Uncle George took care of John for many years, and it’s nice that Beatles fans can now return that favour by taking care of his grave.

The other reason is that the lettering on the grave stone is quite weathered and faded and so it’s hard to spot.  We get a lot of visitors to the Church who are on self-guided tours and, having travelled from around the world, we want them to be able to find what they’re looking for!”

Graham Paisley, Verger at St Peter's commented, "St Peter's Church has been the centre of worship in Woolton Village for nearly two hundred years and has played an important part in the lives of so many people during that time. However we realise that over the past fifty years it has become an increasingly popular tourist attraction because of the world wide interest in the Beatles. We are fortunate that Dr Jackson and a number of the church family have arranged a number of events at St Peter's to make visitors feel both welcome and share a little of the history of the Beatles in Woolton."

Dr Jackson added, “We sell souvenirs at the Church and we often get asked what the money is used for.  We always explain that the money goes towards the maintenance and upkeep of the Church, Church Hall and other aspects of Beatles heritage at St Peter’s, as well as for other Church projects, and so we’re delighted that the fans will be able to see for themselves that their money is being put to good use.”

Donna Jackson with the Quarrymen (L-R: John Duff Lowe,
Rod Davis, Len Garry & Colin Hanton)

The work on the grave is being carried out by Lee at Speke Memorials.  “We contacted Lee because we knew that he had carried out some refurbishment of our Eleanor Rigby’s grave in the past,” Dr Jackson explained.  “We hoped that he might be interested in helping us out again and to our delight he was.  He told us that it was an ‘absolute privilege’ to be asked to carry out the work and promised that it would all be done in time to celebrate John’s life on what would have been his 75^th birthday.”

The Quarrymen performing in St Peter's
Church Hall, May 2015

The unveiling ceremony will take place at 2pm on Friday October 9, and will be performed by the Quarrymen and Andrew Lancel.  The Quarrymen are all still regular visitors to the Church and, of course, were key ‘players’ on the day that John and Paul met.  Actor Andrew Lancel, who recently played Brian Epstein in “Epstein The Play” is not only a huge Beatles fan but also a member of the congregation at St Peter’s.    Top Liverpool Beatles guide, Jackie, Spencer, will give a short talk on the importance of Uncle George to John, and then everyone is invited over to the Church Hall for a party to celebrate John’s life.  There will be live music from Mark Bloor, one of the Cavern’s resident musicians and, as befits any birthday party, tea and a special cake provided by The Cake Rooms, Liverpool.

Andrew Lancel

 Dr Jackson: “We want the Beatles fans to see how we’ve spent their money so we’re hoping that as many as possible can attend the ceremony.  We’re also hoping to have a few surprises on the day too, so it should be a great day and, hopefully, a lovely and fitting way to remember John on his 75^th birthday.”

Jimmy Coburn Pays Tribute to John - #JL75

Used with the permission of Jimmy Coburn

Leading the celebrations for John's 75th birthday at the most famous club in the world, the Cavern Club, is Jimmy Coburn who plays John in the Cavern’s resident Beatles tribute band, the Cavern Club Beatles.  Jimmy, who, like John, is Liverpool born and bred, is widely regarded as one of the best in the role, looking and sounding uncannily like his hero, and sharing the same natural Scouse warmth and wit.

Used with the permission of Jimmy Coburn

Jimmy’s role as John Lennon has taken him around the world.  He and his fellow Cavern Club Beatles celebrated the 50^th anniversary of Help! with a trip to Austria; they recreated the Beatles arrival in America in February 2014; 

c. Alli Devine

He and his brother Tony appeared on Broadway in Let It Be in 2013, and they were chosen by Geoff Emerick, the legendary Beatles recording engineer, for Abbey Road sessions in 2010; and most notably, Jimmy’s first band, the Blue Meanies, remains the only Beatle tribute band to have shared the stage with a Beatle when they appeared alongside Sir Paul McCartney at the Liverpool Empire in 2002 in the tribute concert for George Harrison.  

His recent focus has been John’s solo years and he enthralled audiences at this year’s International Beatle Week with his performance of John’s Imagine album in its entirety.

Used with the permission of Jimmy Coburn

Part of the magic of Jimmy’s performance was recently captured in the Lennon Suite at the Hard Day’s Night hotel.  

The video clip, available on youtube, is beautiful and evocative and sure to send a shiver down the spine of all John’s fans.  John may no longer be with us but, with every frame, we are reminded of his spirit, his talent, his style and his presence.  It is a perfect tribute to an amazing and unforgettable man.

Used with the permission of Jimmy Coburn

Jimmy is celebrating John’s birthday in the way that he loves – by paying tribute to his hero on stage at the Cavern Club.  The concert, unsurprisingly is a sell-out and, with Jimmy Coburn on stage, those who were lucky enough to get a ticket are sure to have a very special night celebrating the life of a very special man.

Used with the permission of Jimmy Coburn

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Help!

The Beatles in Sefton – Film and live music event to celebrate 50 years since the release of the film HELP! 

The Plaza Community Cinema is delighted to welcome The Mersey Beatles back for another fabulous fundraiser event on Saturday 3rd October. 

The Plaza, a registered charity was saved from certain demolition in 1977 by the actions of the local community and is now run as a community cinema and staffed by volunteers ranging in age from 14 – 76 years. 

Over the last seven years the Plaza has undertaken a rolling programme of improvements to the facilities so that we can offer the best possible experience whilst maintaining the ambience of a beautiful art deco cinema.

Improvements include digital signage on the canopy, new seating, digital projectors and new lighting into all the public areas of the building. Our plans for the future include the refurbishment of the original art deco seating in the circle area and renewal of the toilets in the foyer. We are indeed grateful to the Mersey Beatles for offering to give our fundraising ventures a big boost.

Last year The Mersey Beatles played a live tribute to The Beatles to commemorate 50 years since the release of the film ‘A Hard Day’s Night.’ The evening consisted of a special screening of the film and two live sets by the Mersey Beatles. The event was such a success, that even in the middle of the World Cup we managed to draw in an audience in excess of 300.

Steve Howard, Paul in The Mersey Beatles said
“The band had such a great time last year playing to a large audience in a theatre style venue. The acoustics were wonderful and many people were up dancing to the music. We wanted to repeat the experience and also offer our support for a much loved local charity.”

This year the community cinema will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film ‘HELP!’ in the company of the Mersey Beatles. A special screening of HELP! will be accompanied by music from other Beatle films including Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow submarine. The second set will celebrate later Beatle music, coupled with a costume change, will feature numbers from Abbey Road, Sgt. Peppers and some solo tracks, heralding the start of the band needing to develop as individuals.

A special photographic souvenir programme drawing upon the Beatles links with Sefton will be available on the night. The brochure researched and photographed by Andy Joynson will show how The Beatles cut their teeth at numerous local venues throughout Sefton, ten of these venues, including The Lathom, and Southport Arts Centre, are featured in the brochure.

The idea for the unique combination of film and live shows was the brainchild of Mersey Beatles fans Andy Joynson, Rob Fyffe and Luana Michaels. Following a showing of the film ‘HELP!” in 2013, the three fans approached The Mersey Beatles, and as they say, the rest is history.

Andy Joynson, one of the three fans and event organiser said:

“I thoroughly enjoyed the movie ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and the Mersey Beatles evening last year as well as helping to promote and organise the event. Having The Mersey Beatles again at the cinema is a great and fitting tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Beatles movie ‘HELP!’

Christine Physick arts director at Plaza Community Cinema said

“I would like to thank the Mersey Beatles for giving our fundraiser a massive boost. As a community cinema we are always keen to respond to community initiatives, and this was such an exciting idea we were delighted to take up the offer of help from The Mersey Beatles.

Our fundraiser, ‘A Seat in the Circle’ requires the cinema to raise £85,000 to restore the original balcony seats to their former glory. We are confident that with the help of The Mersey Beatles we can defray some of the costs incurred.”

This event will take place on Saturday 3rd October at 7.00pm. Doors open from 6.30pm.

Tickets priced at £10 include the film screening and two live sets by the band, and represents amazing value for money. Tickets are available now from the Plaza box office.

For more information please contact Christine Physick on 0151 928 1530 or via;, Christine@plazacinema.org.uk