Against all odds! June saw Blackpool Tower stretching upwards into a cloud free, bright blue sky but were the Gods working against us? Great weather, but the meeting clashed with the FA Cup final, the Derby, half term and the train strike (again)! No trains meant some members were unable to travel, others managed to get a train from Lowestoft and then a taxi or bus from Preston, some travelled by coach! Those travelling by car had similar frustrating journeys, heavy traffic, endless road works, queues, and diversions…. A good attendance rather than an excellent one. A quiet start, but the room and concert lists soon filled up. Lots of new things on offer, so expectations were high. We wanted a good time, and we did have a good time; new member Phil Barratt described the meeting as ‘brilliant’ and felt ‘really welcomed’. Even when the stage lights refused to work for the Sunday night concert, it didn’t spoil our fun. Jim Makin who was compering switched on all the room lights which allowed audience and performers to see each other possibly for the first time without being blinded. So much was new. There were new faces performing new jobs and old faces doing new jobs. Great that more members are getting involved. There were new faces on the concert organisers desk with Lynn Reybould and Chris Richards joining the team. There were new fingers on the keyboard with Stuart Lowther making an appearance and giving Matt a break. There were two new comperes on stage Angie Parker and Andrew Higham who did a brilliant job. There were new members joining the Society and new faces on the stage. The GFS keeps growing. For members wishing to find a new uke, the uke sales room was the place to start with fifteen ukes being on show at one point. One such uke for sale was the Blue Bird Ukulele which was owned by Bob Taite (ex GFS Barnhowlers member) and given to Jim Makin by Bob’s wife who wanted to donate the uke to the GFS for sale or auction. It was manufactured in Philadelphia in the 1930’s by the Bluebird Manufacturing Company. It has a 7” drum with 12 flat tension rods and had a beautiful floral decal on the resonator. The fretboard is covered in pearlite laminate and shows no signs of wear. The fitted case is lined with green velvet and all fastenings are in good condition. Let’s hope they all find delighted new owners. The first thrash signalled the start of the meeting, followed by a welcome by Andy Poppleton playing the Uke Raffle, a snazzy Eddie Utley ‘Dreamer,’ and then the meeting was off to a flying start with Happy birthday being sung to Cathy Stanniland. So much talent on the stage, so much talent in our society and such a wide variety of music - mainly Formby but other genres thrown in, even monologues! Good to see members returning and memories shared - Gerry and Viv Mawdsley appeared (armed with his camera and huge lens); Lionel Owen now in his 90’s hasn’t performed for a while, but his favourite song used to be 'She's Never Been Seen Since Then.' Also present were Kevin Bridgewater, Simon Cunliffe and Martin Selman to name just a few. Many can remember a young Francesca Davies, who could only sing using the uke mic as she was so small. She says she’s not grown. Similarly, Nick Saunders, and Andy Eastwood have stirred similar boyhood memories of their stage appearances when they were knee high to a grasshopper. The performers ranged from the seasoned entertainers to the nervous beginners providing an assortment of acts on stage from solos to duets, groups, and audience participation and in that mix is always something new; Martin Fowkes playing a washboard; Angie Parker dancing with her uke on stage or even the audience participating in a spot of line dancing at the back of the room. Glynn and Diane Driver performed their very original ‘Ode to the South Yorkshire Branch’ mentioning 40 different members names. Glynn later coerced or persuaded Frank, his friend, who’d never been on stage before to perform with him with similar success. Nothing spoilt the weekend. The warm weather gave us a glimpse of newly uncovered flesh… It brought out the legs, white and hairy, suntanned and hairy, all sticking out under long shorts or short shorts over long socks, or short socks or even appearing even sock-less in sandals, all male! Their legs weren’t a patch on those of the ladies! Bright weather brought bright clothes with Chris Webster’s shirt being described as ‘so loud that it would be hard to hear him over it.’ At least he wasn’t overlooked. There were the usual descriptions and indiscretions by comperes and performers alike. Eddie Utley was described as,’the man of a thousand ukes…all in pieces in his workshop’, Angie Parker announced she likes spotted dick and was having a bit that night. Tom Cutler admitted ‘I didn’t mean to play it that fast but I speeded up cos I was nervous.’ Whilst someone else begged the band not to play too fast as ‘I’m trying to remember the words’. As for confessions ‘I thought it sounded odd, I played the wrong uke.’ “Somethings gone wrong with my pee”. “I’ve been married for 48 years but not to the same woman”. Daz Barry’s stagecraft class is full of useful information and positive help to make stage appearances less daunting. He says it’s preparation, preparation, preparation which is important. Get the basics right. There were tips to stop the uke slipping, if you need a music stand then use one, no mic at home then use the hoover, always make sure your uke is in tune, don’t waste time telling jokes as the audience want to hear you play, play facing a corner so the sound bounces back then you can hear how you sound, think carefully about how to dress as people judge, and most importantly look round at the audience and smile. So many useful tips that maybe he could produce a ‘Tip Chart’ and sell it in the shop. Andy Poppleton’s class where he demonstrates the elusive ‘Formby stroke’ proved popular again. Cathy Stanniland’s wooden ukulele tuition class which began last meeting proved successful. It was very well structured, well planned and with clear aims on what the group is expected to achieve. Cathy also provides on-line videos of her strokes and advice each week for the group, which is fantastic and a credit to her which means that they don’t lose impetus in the time between one meeting and the next. It’s all about George, So the films shown in the evening put George right in the heart of the meeting. Get Cracking - gives a glimpse of wartime life and the battles between villages to defend their platoons. When the rival Home Guard units of Major Wallop and Minor Wallop are sent on battle manoeuvres, George Singleton (Formby) launches his own unique style of commando raid against neighbouring Major Wallop to steal a Vickers machine gun. The raid fails and Singleton loses his Lance Corporal's stripe, so he and a little evacuee girl named Irene (Vera Frances) decide to fall back on 'Plan B' - to build their very own tank. The film features the songs, ‘Get Cracking’, Home Guard Blues’ and Under the Blasted Oak. In Trouble brewing, George Formby plays George Gullip, a Daily Sun compositor who wins a large sum at the races. He collects three ten-pound notes. Unable to spend them at the bar, so he exchanges them for six fivers. He is paid with counterfeit notes. He sets about tracking down the criminals himself and goes undercover as a waiter and a wrestler…. The ‘fun is as fast and furious in this incident-packed George Formby romp as in any film he made. Receipts foamed over at box- offices throughout Britain’ (sky News) The five famous ukes,(plus one on show) offered a glimpse of some ukuleles which had an interesting history, although sadly not all were owned by George. • The Windows Uke - owned by John Walley and bought for £20 at the auction of George’s belongings. George played this wooden uke in the film ‘Keep Your Seats Please’ to sing ‘When I’m Cleaning Windows.’ Nobody knows who made it or where it was made. The only clue is the word CIA on the tail piece, but nobody knows what it means. One of the original strings was wire. It was last valued at £11,000 by the Antiques Roadshow. • The first of the two ukes brought by Jonathan Baddeley was a Will Van Allen, a banjo uke which was previously owned by Stan Evans and was used by George in ‘Off The Dole’ to sing ‘If You Don’t Want The Goods Don’t Maul them’ but George did not play a uke solo. • His second uke - a Dallas C dated by Andy Eastwood as circa 1942 was bought at the auction. It was used on George’s last recording session in 1960 and was previously owned by Bob Norton, a Guernsey millionaire. • Lewis Clifton showed two ukes from his collection. The Gibson was owned by ‘Two Ton’ Tessie O’Shea, who owned two Gibsons and used to finish her solo by throwing the uke in the air and catching it. (Ouch! imagine the damage if she missed!) It was bought from a guy in Florida and went straight from her estate to Lewis. Everything on it is original. • His second uke was owned by Ken Goodwin the comedian who made a career doing Formby impersonations. Apparently, it had no tone ring, so one was added, and it’s been restored. • Andy Poppleton displayed the extra one, his ukulele which had been owned by George Harrison. Andy acquired the uke when he met a man, (who knew Eddie Uttley and Ray Bernard) in a car park with the cash. Apparently the uke was going to be auctioned and sent to the US, but was first sent to Eddie Utley to be sorted, and Eddie, knew someone who wanted it…so it didn’t leave the country. This session was one of the most interesting of the weekend If you have a uke with an interesting history, then please share it. See You In September. Sunday evening saw another successful convention came to a close. The committee had done a good job, providing a varied programme of events as well as the usual raffles and auctions. Something for everybody. Peter Pollard walked miles with his camera, Kevin and Cathy Stanniland had been glued to the sound desk all weekend, although they did have some light relief being able to watch the cup final via Peter Pollard’s laptop. Finally, Jim Makin introduced Andy Eastwood to the stage, explaining,“He’s on last not because he’s good but because no one wants to follow him.” See you in September, rail strikes permitting! Gill Walley 30/06/2023