Category: Event news

Meet-and-Greets During the Anniversary Celebrations!

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As well as the live music, events at the fete, tours, and the opportunity to stand where the Beatles began, visitors to the anniversary events will have the chance to meet people who have a personal connection with the Beatles, or with the events of July 6, 1957, and are happy to share their stories!

Members of John Lennon’s family will be attending the events on July 6, as will the famous 1960s’ photographer, Bill Zygmant, and all of the Quarrymen.  Some of the Quarrymen will be at St Peter’s for events from Friday to Sunday, and Richard Langham, the Abbey Road studio engineer who worked on Please Please Me, has promised to be around as much as he can.  Bill Zygmant is planning a return visit on Sunday too!

We’re still lucky enough to have people who attended the fete in 1957 as part of the St Peter’s Church family, and some of them will be around to share their stories with visitors too!  Pam and Alison were part of the retinue for the Rose Queen, while Jennie attended the fete and dance and has some interesting memories of John to share!  David, who auditioned for the Cathedral Choir at the same time as Paul (but David passed the audition!) also hopes to be in the hall from time to time to chat to visitors and share his memories!

We’ve also been contacted by other celebs who are hoping to turn up at some point during the anniversary celebrations.  So come along from July 5 – 9!  You never know who you might meet!

Full Details of our Grand Finale on Sunday July 9!

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The grand finale of our five days of anniversary celebrations will take place on Sunday July 9 from 10.30am until (approx) 4pm!

All-Age Service

Everyone is welcome to attend a special All-Age Service at St Peter’s with a special Beatles theme from 10.30am!  After the service, the Church will remain open until 4pm, with free tours of the beautiful building.

Rose Planting Ceremony

Following the service, our special guests will take part in a rose-planting ceremony in the Churchyard, to provide a permanent marker for this special anniversary.

Research conducted by students in the Department of History & Archaeology at the University of Chester revealed that one of the most popular roses in 1957 was the “Peace Rose” which, of course, links perfectly to the Peace Cross outside St Peter’s and John’s love of peace.  When this is added to the vibrant pink colour of the McCartney Rose, then planting a “Pink Peace” rose seemed like the perfect way to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the day that John met Paul at our Church fete.

The rose-planting ceremony has been made possible through the generosity of AIGBURTH HALL NURSERIES and we are extremely grateful for their support.  The owners and staff at the nurseries claim that they are “passionate about plants and people” and we agree wholeheartedly!  Aigburth Hall Nurseries are active in their support of the local community and many charities, and they understand that “community matters.”  We are proud and privileged that they will forever be a part of our celebration of community through their generous donation of the roses!

Grand finale

After the rose-planting ceremony, everyone is invited to the Church Hall where sandwiches and snacks, generously donated by the Hard Day’s Night Hotel, and drinks, generously donated by Tesco Woolton, will be available!

From 12.30pm the BabyFaced Beatles will perform, accompanied for one song by a VERY special guest!  Trust us, this is a moment not to be missed as we bring together “past, present and future” and celebrate the true legacy of the day that the Beatles began in our Church Hall.

After a short break, during which the anniversary cake will be cut and served, Rob Clarke and the Wooltones will round off the celebrations with a set of skiffle music, taking us full circle and back to how it all began in 1957!

And don’t miss out on the last chance to buy tickets for the Community Celebration Raffle before the draw takes place from 2.30pm!

We hope you can join us for what promises to be a very special day and a fitting climax to our celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the day that John met Paul at St Peter’s Church, and went on to change the world!

 

July 6 – Live Music in St Peter’s Church Hall

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St Peter’s Church Hall will be open on Thursday July 6 from 10am to 3pm as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the day that John met Paul!

We are delighted that we will be joined that day by Eddie Devlin and Catherine Cook who will be playing live from about 10.30am onwards.   Both Eddie and Cath are real friends to St Peter’s Church and if anyone can call themselves the resident musicians for the Church Hall where the Beatles began, then they certainly deserve the title!

For a preview of the treats in store for us all next Thursday, check out these videos of Eddie and Cath!

During last year’s International Beatle Week, Eddie was joined by Len Garry for a truly special performance of “In My Life,” and you can see some of Eddie’s original compositions on his youtube channel HERE!

Also, check out this hauntingly beautiful rendition of “It’s For You” written by Paul McCartney for Cilla Black.  A lost demo by Paul was discovered last year and sold at the Beatles auction in August, but we love Cath’s version!  For more information on Cath, visit her Facebook page – She’s Leaving Home by clicking HERE

The Church Hall will be closing at 3pm so that everyone had head over the road to enjoy the recreation of the fete on what is now the playing field of Bishop Martin CE Primary School.  Entry is £2.50 and you can pay on the door!  More details HERE!

Stained Glass Windows Tour!

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St Peter’s Church is blessed with some beautiful stained glass windows.  If you’d like to learn more about these, a special tour of the Church focusing on the stained glass windows will take place on Wednesday July 5 at 3pm!

The tour is free and there is no need to book.  Meet inside the Church entrance at 2.55pm!

Another Fabulous Raffle Prize from The Big Bang Theory!

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For any fans of the TV series, The Big Bang Theory, here’s an opportunity not to be missed!  The latest donation to our raffle prize is a fully signed photo of the current cast!

The image has been cropped for publication here. Please note that the photograph may not have arrived from LA by Sunday July 9; if this is the case, it will be posted to the winning ticket holder!

More prizes are being added all the time!  Click HERE for a complete list of prizes and full terms and conditions.

Tickets are only £1.00 each, and are available from The Beatles Shop Mathew Street, the Simon Peter Centre (Hub) at St Peter’s Church, and from the Church Hall and Bishop Martin School throughout the anniversary events from July 5 -9!

#CelebrateCommunity  #StPeters60

Rob Clarke and the Wooltones – Getting Back to How it Once Began!

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The culmination of five days of celebrations!

A full 1 hour skiffle set in the spirit of the day it started!

Sunday July 9, 2.30pm-3.30pm

Rob Clarke and the Wooltones forgo their trademark ‘60s psych Mersey style pop, and don checked shirts to play an authentic skiffle set with the sound and feel of the era, featuring songs John and The Quarrymen played back in 1957 – Rock Island Line, Maggie May, Twenty Flight Rock, Be Bop A Lula….
Bring your washboard, wear your poodle skirt –
Be There or be Square!
#CelebrateCommunity  #StPeters60

Making Dreams Come True

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In 2015, the all-girl Japanese tribute band, The Blue Margarets visited St Peter’s Church Hall and treated us to a couple of songs.  It was a really special moment, and something that we will never forget!  Then, in April this year, Rika from the Blue Margarets wrote to us, saying this:

“I’m not good at English at all, so if they’re strange sentences, I’m sorry.  Singing at the church hall is my lifetime memories.  And I’d like to ask you today.  A friend of mine is a quilt master who loves the Beatles  She is making a lot of big quilt works with the motif of the Beatles.  She wants to display the quilt work at Liverpool’s “International Beatleweek”.  It is her big big dream!  Could you showcase quilt works at St Peter Church at this year’s “International Beatleweek”?  It is a request from my heart.”

Rika went on to say that her friend “loves the Beatles very much.  Her work is full of love for the Beatles and there is no doubt that it hits the hearts of the viewers.  There are requests from overseas as well as all over Japan, and it is exhibited in Korea and the USA.  But her dream is Liverpool!”

One of the most wonderful things about welcoming visitors to St Peter’s Church Hall is seeing the pleasure on their faces, and hearing them say that being in the place where it all began has made their dreams come true.  So how could we say no to Rika’s request?!  Well, we couldn’t!

This quilt is dedicated to all the “guitar kids” – and John and Paul were only kids when they met on July 6, 1957! It will be SUCH a privilege to have this on display in the Church Hall on the 60th anniversary of that very special day!

 

 

And so, from July 5 to 9, and again in August for International Beatleweek, St Peter’s will join with Japan as we share our love for the Beatles through these wonderful quilts.

Oh, and what makes this even more perfect?  The wonderfully, talented lady who poured her heart into this amazing quilts is called Yoko …

 

 

 

Pictures of Yoko’s work can be seen on her facebook group by clicking HERE but believe us when we say that the photos do not do them justice!  So please come along to St Peter’s Church Hall between July 5 – 9, and share in Yoko’s dream!

 

 

The Blue Margarets at St Peter’s Church Hall, August 2015

Liverpool Celebrates Paul’s 75th Birthday!

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In honour of Paul’s 75th birthday, St Peter’s Church Hall will be open for visitors on Saturday June 17 from 10.30am to 3.30pm (FREE entrance!)

Enjoy the atmosphere of this historic place which is (with two minor exceptions) exactly the same as when Paul arrived to meet John on July 6, 1957 and ‘auditioned’ to join the Quarrymen, and stand on the spot where the Beatles truly began.

We will have special items of Church memorabilia on display, including of the robes worn by the Rose Queens for the Church fetes in the 1950s and 1960s.  Len Garry will be in the Hall from about 11am, with copies of his book and CDs for sale, and Colin Hanton is hoping to pop in too!

Previous visitors who have shared this special place include Joey Molland, Denny Seiwell and Bob Gruen! We hope that YOUR name will soon be in our Visitor’s Book too!

 

Other events celebrating paul’s birthday on June 18

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Penny Lane Development Trust are hosting a very special day of celebrations, starting at 12 noon on Sunday June 18, celebrating both Paul’s birthday and Father’s Day!  With The Quarrymen making a guest appearance and Cream Teas on offer, a splendid time is guaranteed for all!  Please go along and support this very worthy cause that does fabulous work for the local community!

 

 

 

Top Liverpool Beatle guide, Jackie Spencer, will be leading a special tour for Paul’s birthday.  There are only a few places remaining on what promises to be a very special day — Jackie always manages something special or unique for her tour guests!  For more details on Paul McCartney Day with Jackie, click HERE!

 

To finish the day’s celebrations, why not pop down to the Cavern Club where the Cavern’s very own resident ‘Paul McCartney’, the fabulous Tony Coburn, will be headlining PURE McCARTNEY!  Tickets, are available from the Cavern Club by clicking HERE and cost £15

 

#CelebrateCommunity  #StPeters60

Walls and Bridges – July 8

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On 6 July 1957, John Lennon met Paul McCartney at a Church Fete in Woolton, and the history of music was irrevocably changed, forever.

As part of the 60th Anniversary celebrations of that seminal meeting, two performances of Scott Murphy’s play ‘Walls and Bridges’ will be taking place in a specially erected marquee on that same field, on Saturday 8 July 2017 at 3pm and 7.30pm. The play was last performed as part of the New York International Fringe Festival (Fringe NYC) 2011.

Set in the summer of 1974, Walls and Bridges finds John all alone in a LA hotel room, at a crossroads. He has imagined conversations with three significant people from his past: fifth Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe, his mother Julia and the Beatles former manager Brian Epstein. These conversations help and hinder him as he tries to decide what to do next in his extraordinary life.

Peter Washington (Blood Brothers, Night Collar) plays John Lennon alongside Keir Howard as Stuart, Claire Janet O’Neill as Julia and Alex Thompson as Brian.

“Murphy has a deft touch with dislogue and here he shows it again, giving his Lennon some pleasing turns of phrase which mingle with a judicious use of real Lennonisms. It’s refreshing to see a production where he is portrayed as the sometimes funny and sunny, sometimes vicious and cruel, but in essence the irresistible, infuriating flawed genius that he undoubtedly was.” Liverpool Echo

Tickets are available HERE

Celebrate Community with The Shakers!

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From 7.30pm to 11pm on Friday July 7, St Peter’s Church Hall will echo once again to Merseybeat as we host a party that celebrates the importance and magic of community, as well as the 60th anniversary of the day that John met Paul!

And YOU are invited!

Join the people of Woolton village as we gather to celebrate the legacy of that famous meeting and its importance to us today.  We’ll travel back to the 1950s and early 1960s as we dance to two sets of fabulous live music from The Shakers — Liverpool’s premier beat merchants and Cavern Club resident Merseybeat band!

Tickets for our Community Celebration cost £15 and can be bought from the Beatles Shop, 31 Mathew Street (cash sales only) or by contacting us at

Places are strictly limited, though!  So get your tickets soon to ensure that you don’t miss out on this chance to dance to the fabulous music of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and relive those special days that witnessed the birth of the Beatles and the glorious heyday of Merseybeat!

A free buffet will be provided but please note that no drinks are included.   Soft drinks will be available to buy on the night, but, due to licensing restrictions, alcohol cannot be sold.   You are welcome to bring your own drinks of any kind, though!

We hope you can join us as we gather to celebrate 60 years of local community in St Peter’s Church Hall!  Get your tickets now!