Today we celebrate the birth of a very special man! On June 18, 1942, Ivan Vaughan was born in Liverpool and lived a normal, uneventful life similar to many other boys at that time. Uneventful, that is, until, on July 6, 1957, he invited his schoolfriend, Paul, who shared exactly the same birthday as Ivan, to come along to St Peter’s Church fete in Woolton and meet John, another of Ivan’s childhood friends.

That day, with Ivan looking on, a young Paul McCartney ‘auditioned’ for John Lennon and, as a result of that performance in St Peter’s Church Hall, was invited to join John’s band, the Quarrymen.

Thanks, Ivan – for instigating the most important meeting in modern muscial history and giving us the Beatles! Here at St Peter’s we will always celebrate your life!

Oh, and happy birthday to your mate, Paul too!

There has been a lot in the news lately about the removal of monuments or road names honouring those who made their name or their fortune from slavery. As a major port during the 18th and 19th centuries, clearly Liverpool played a key role in the slave trade and that needs to be recognised and, where necessary, rectified.

While this page fully supports the #BlackLivesMatter movement and we are totally opposed to racism or discrimination in any form, we also urge people to check their facts.

Penny Lane is NOT named after James Penny, the slave trader and extensive research has been carried out to confirm this. We would direct your attention to this piece of research, for example: Was Penny Lane Named After James Penny?

However, we would also urge a degree of understanding for those who are so angry. Ultimately, ending racism is more important than a road sign. If you are angry about calls to rename Penny Lane — and we can understand that anger — the most effective thing you can do is share the research and the truth. Let those who are so angry about racism learn the truth about Penny Lane, and give them time to do that. Let’s try not to deflect our anger and our attention from racism. Road signs can be restored; lives cannot.

#BlackLivesMatter