It was announced at the March 2018 convention in Blackpool that
some members of the Society have been invited to attend and to
play at the forthcoming celebrations of our Queen‘s 92nd birthday.
This will take place on Saturday 21 April 2018 in the Royal Albert
Hall along with a star studded lineup of guest entertainers.
Our Queen for many years has held George Formby in high regard
and the Society is now recognized in the eyes of the world for its
work in keeping the name of George Formby from being long
forgotten.
George Formby was no stranger to royal events, having starred in
two Royal Variety performances and of course giving private
entertainment at the request of the Royal Family during the 1940s.
The party will travel to London on the Friday before the event and
have a dress rehearsal on Friday evening.
Amongst the lineup chosen for the event are Sir Tom Jones,
Shaggy, Craig David, Shawn Mendes, Sting and Kylie Minogue
with other names still to be announced.
Accompanying the Queen will be the heads of many
Commonwealth nations and tickets for the 5,200 capacity hall are
completely sold out. The event will be broadcast live on BBC TV,
BBC Radio and the BBC World Service with an estimated viewing
audience of over two billion people.
Because of the strictest security, announcements of the event prior
to our last convention could not be made and the basis of selecting
the members for the concert has been based on their willingness
to help the Society to prosper, some over many years.
Our secretary, Mrs Vivien Mawdsley has worked tirelessly in the
background since the project was first suggested, to ensure that
the concert would happen for the George Formby Society. Each
day has thrown up new challenges which she has met and dealt
with to ensure that the Society could enjoy this unique event.
Obviously this show must be the most important event in the
George Formby Society’s 56-year history and should give our
Society a massive boost throughout the nation.
No announcement could be made to the Society members prior to
the BBC press release, just two days before our March 2018
convention, owing to the aforementioned security arrangements.
A full list of entertainers and further details is now available on the
BBC website.
a royal event
GFS members to play in Royal Albert Hall