Good to be back…

Six months since the last GFS meeting, so a belated Happy 2025 everyone.x Daz Barry welcomed everyone to the meeting and the first thrash began. What a busy meeting it was, with new items, new display boards, new faces on and off stage, old friends meeting up, Chris Barratt whizzing around in his motorized chair proclaiming that he was sick and tired of being good. There were members returning after a break and six months of catching up to do in addition to the usual weekend activities.

All things new…

There were the huge display boards at the back of the room and there’s still more to come at future meetings - thirty boards in all from the Alan Randall exhibition in St. Anne’s. They were purchased by Andy Poppleton, and he’s donated them to the society. The cabinet displayed George Formby’s cigarette holder which was purchased by Bill Logan at the 1961 sale along with photos of him using it. There were photos of George’s jags GF1 and GF2 together with the original logbook for GF2 which was signed by George in 1958

New faces and first timers

We welcomed several new and returning members. Notably, Edward Higginson attended for his third visit albeit he kept to the back during the thrash but has promised to be more prominent next meeting. We look forward to seeing more of him in future sessions on stage! Sean Rutter made a triumphant return after a long absence, now all grown up and showcasing his skills as a brilliant player; he remarked that it feels like he has never been away from the stage. Freddie Murphy, a new member from Hertfordshire, shared that during his first meeting, he heard about the legendary George Formby from his grandad; with four years of playing under his belt, he proudly owns an early model Dallas E.

Money matters

While the society has membership fees these do not cover all the expenses of running the meetings so raffles and auctions and the GFS shop help to fill the gap. Uke Raffle tickets were on sale again. The raffle table was piled with all things naughty but nice, all full of sugar, calories or alcohol. Such temptations made the task of selling raffle tickets so much easier. Auction items were displayed, bids were put in, and members persuaded to open their wallets to let the moths escape, all in a good cause. Not too sure that video tapes were coming back into fashion as Andy Poppleton claimed. His favourite words were ‘any offers?’ And ‘this is unique because it’s the only one in my hand’ and when demonstrating a wooden ukulele donated by Derek Herbert, he insisted that ‘You’ve got to pay me to stop playing’. The ukulele went to a good home and the profits went to the society.

Uke sales

At least ten ukuleles were displayed and the room buzzing with members discussing the pro’s and con’s of different models, the prices, different makes of strings, bridges and vellums and comparing the relative different sounds produced by each instrument. It was very busy.

Tuition Classes

Tuition is an important part of our society, where members generously give their time and pass on their expertise to others. It is available free of charge for individuals of all levels of ability, inviting everyone to learn how to play like the legendary George Formby. Students gain more than just technical skills; they also receive valuable tips, such as how to test vellum tightness with a pencil and guidance on strings, keys, and chords. Our wooden ukulele class offers both in-person and online tuition, with all necessary music provided. For the up-and-coming musicians, we focus on improving stage presence by encouraging them to smile, look up, and engage with the audience, as it’s essential for them to see your face, not just the top of your head. While the microphone technology may be state-of-the-art, the audience wants to connect and enjoy the performance. Remember, you do this for pleasure and for fun—embrace your moment of fame and enjoy every minute!

Something special…

The piece de resistance on Saturday afternoon was when so many members crammed themselves, packed like sardines in a tin in the Boston room, to listen to the talk and demonstration given by Andy Eastwood on iconic ukes. It was so popular that Andy had to repeat the talk as soon as the first one finished. It also meant that there weren’t many performers for the last part of the concert which finished early. The ukes displayed included… • TTessie O’Shea’s favourite ukulele which was made in the USA. • There was Ron Beddow’s UB5 which Ron had acquired from comedian Ken Goodwin. He also has the original vellum with his cue words written on it. • George’s uke so called because of the ‘Chinese’ picture on the back. It had been given to a young lad, an evacuee from Sheffield to Lytham who later walked George’s dog. • George’s ‘Cleaning Windows Uke’ owned by John Walley was shown off. John has owned it since 1961. • Andy explained that George didn’t really look after his instruments and treasure them like we do. He owned lots of instruments, they were the tools of his trade, and some looked really battered to bits as the one Abbott showed. • Bill Logan’s uke, which Bill left on a table at the early meetings for members to hold and play was very similar to that of Tessie. • The ‘Friday Show Uke’ which became George’s favourite workhorse after the work along with the logbook. • The first Banjo Uke - a Will Van Allen, a lovely uke, used by George in the film, z which was previously owned by Stan Evans and now owned by Jon Baddeley. • The Dallas C which was on the table in the Friday Show but not played by George, although it featured in lots of photographs and was tuned in D. • The Miniature La Foley took top spot which appeared in ‘South American George’ It’s never been seen in the society before. Made entirely by hand it’s very small and very delicate. It was bought by Bill Logan. It was the first to be sold. It cost 5 guineas, and Bill kept it for the rest of his life. It was said to be George’s practice uke and has the same strings that George used. The awarding of Honorary Membership to President Andy Poppleton on the Saturday evening was well deserved. It proved a moving moment for Andy who told us he had been inspired by Dennis Taylor, Dennis Mitchell, Dickie Speake and was overcome by the memories. Andy has worked tirelessly to promote the society and to attract new members with events at Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza each May bank holiday, where the George Formby Society plays on the main stage. He runs the Castleford Branch and yet finds time to support other branches. He’s bought archives and donated them to the society. Each convention he runs a tuition class. More recently he has worked to organise a special weekend-long celebration on the Isle of Man to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the iconic film, "No Limit.” Somehow Andy still finds time to go to work!!

Concerts

Last year’s first timers are now well seasoned old timers and so good to see them with greater confidence playing their ukes. Good to hear a range of music styles. George is always top of the bill and rightly so with many of his songs performed. There were some lovely melodies from David Smith, energetic performances from Steve Helme and some fabulous facial expressions from Kyle Evans and Jamie Routledge who put their heart and soul into their performance. Sunday Evening’s Concert was begun and ended with Andy Eastwood. Tommy Teapot complete with his legendary ‘La la la’s’ was twice chased off stage by a man with a mop! Peter Denmark informed us that he’d been playing for 50 years. Ray Reynolds, fabulous performance included Max Bygraves ‘You Need Hands’, tap dancing, impersonations of Freddie and the Dreamers, Morecambe and Wise, and Laurel and Hardy. Charlie, the compère, exhorted the audience to give him a ‘big hand’

Finally

Many thanks must be given to the dedicated committee members whose tireless efforts made this event possible. A special mention as always to the band for their remarkable performance, which truly elevated the experience for everyone present and to the comperes and concert organizers for their meticulous planning and execution, and to our projectionist as well as all those who lent a hand in ensuring the smooth operation of the meeting. Kevin and Cathy Staniland, deserve a heroes’ medal they committed two days to meticulously set up the sound system, ensuring that every voice and instrument and all backing tracks were heard with clarity. They were there before the meeting to set up and afterwards to pack the equipment away. Their unwavering support has been invaluable, and we look forward to their expertise and dedication as they prepare to do it all over again in June. See you there!

Words by Gill Walley