The president retires
End of An Era
FIFTEEN YEARS
After fifteen years in the role of President of the GFS, Honorary member Gerry Mawdsley has decided to retire from the role. A member of the Society for almost fifty years, in that time, Gerry has had many notable achievements.NO STRANGER TO THE STAGE
He joined the George Formby Society early in 1972 and was already an accomplished performer of Formby songs and the banjo-ukulele, having been a player since he was fifteen years old. No stranger to the stage, he also performed in clubland with a comedy band called Laughing Stock and was a member for seventeen years. In that time he introduced his uke into the band's repertoire and amongst other skills, he could entertain with conjuring tricks, card tricks and he was an expert fire eater!THE FIRST BLUE PLAQUE
In 1984 Gerry, born in Wigan, approached Wigan Council to ask their permission to erect a Blue Plaque to commemorate the birthplace of George Formby at 3, Westminster Street. It took many years of Gerry working in the background before Wigan Council finally granted permission and then, even though the birthplace of George had by this time been demolished, in 1998 the Blue Plaque was erected.WESTHOUGHTON GFS
In 1999 Gerry and three friends formed the Westhoughton branch of the GFS, a branch that after 22 years is still enjoying good support. Gerry was a regular convention visitor and involved himself in MC work, and many other roles. In the year 2000 he offered to share his skills with others at the convention weekends when he became a popular teacher of the Formby style of playing and following on from this, he created a very popular tuition DVD which still sells well in the GFS Shop.MARGERY & GLADYS
In the year 2003 Gerry was selected with other leading players of the GFS, to appear in the TV film production, "Margery and Gladys" starring Penelope Keith and June Brown.A NEW CAMPAIGN
In 2005, Gerry launched a new campaign. This was to have a statue of George Formby erected in Wigan. In that same year, he was elected to the committee of the GFS for the first time. Work to get the statue to become a reality was difficult and unpredictable but Gerry continued to push in the hope that one day it would happen.ELECTED TO PRESIDENT
In 2006 Dennis Taylor retired as President and Gerry was unanimously elected to take his place. Gerry's wife Vivien was co-opted to the committee as the secretary of the Society in the November following on from Gerry’s September election. His new role as President put him in a great position to push even harder for the statue and after enlisting the aid of Wigan councillor Gareth Fairhurst, positive results started to happen. In late 2007 the statue project came to fruition and was finally unveiled in a new shopping centre in Wigan. A very memorable day was enjoyed by many GFS members both at the unveiling and then afterwards at a special concert in a Wigan hotel.FRANK SKINNER in search of GEORGE FORMBY
In 2010 another momentous occasion took place when Frank Skinner was recruited to make a TV special on the life of George Formby. Frank and the TV crew visited Blackpool for a memorable convention weekend. “Frank Skinner In Search of George Formby” which was created by the late Daniel Wiles, received nationwide acclaim and proved to be a golden period for the GFS with membership increasing to record levels.THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
Over the years, Gerry has continued to work on behalf of the GFS and has been instrumental in many of the Society's finest moments, but the most notable achievement must be the concert at the Royal Albert Hall to entertain H.M. The Queen on the occasion of her 92nd birthday. Gerry and Vivien had the unenviable task of organising the GFS role in this event, which was broadcast around the world and was a massive success with Gerry and Vivien being present on stage at the end of the show with the Queen, Prince Charles and the other stars of the show. This occasion led to a friendship for Gerry and Vivien with TV comedian Harry Hill who then recruited members of the Society to appear on one of his popular TV shows. The Royal Albert Hall concert for our Queen, four blue plaques, the statue of George Formby in Wigan, a wonderful concert in Blackpool Opera House with comedian Jim Davidson, many years of work supporting the GFS, The Vellum magazine and of course fifteen years of being President of our Society have given GFS members everywhere so many memorable moments. On a personal note, I wish to thank Gerry for all his support to me and Kathryn during the nine years of our shop management.HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
In 2016 a well deserved Honorary membership was awarded for his support of the Society and his achievements throughout many years. Always immaculately dressed when on duty at convention weekends, his Sunday evening "chats" when introducing the artists and organising the popular auctions will be sadly missed. On behalf of all members of our Society, I would like to wish Gerry and Vivien a happy retirement and a well-earned rest. Peter Pollard - 22/08/2021
The president retires
End of An Era
FIFTEEN YEARS
After fifteen years in the role of President of the GFS, Honorary member Gerry Mawdsley has decided to retire from the role. A member of the Society for almost fifty years, in that time, Gerry has had many notable achievements.NO STRANGER TO THE STAGE
He joined the George Formby Society early in 1972 and was already an accomplished performer of Formby songs and the banjo-ukulele, having been a player since he was fifteen years old. No stranger to the stage, he also performed in clubland with a comedy band called Laughing Stock and was a member for seventeen years. In that time he introduced his uke into the band's repertoire and amongst other skills, he could entertain with conjuring tricks, card tricks and he was an expert fire eater!THE FIRST BLUE PLAQUE
In 1984 Gerry, born in Wigan, approached Wigan Council to ask their permission to erect a Blue Plaque to commemorate the birthplace of George Formby at 3, Westminster Street. It took many years of Gerry working in the background before Wigan Council finally granted permission and then, even though the birthplace of George had by this time been demolished, in 1998 the Blue Plaque was erected.WESTHOUGHTON GFS
In 1999 Gerry and three friends formed the Westhoughton branch of the GFS, a branch that after 22 years is still enjoying good support. Gerry was a regular convention visitor and involved himself in MC work, and many other roles. In the year 2000 he offered to share his skills with others at the convention weekends when he became a popular teacher of the Formby style of playing and following on from this, he created a very popular tuition DVD which still sells well in the GFS Shop.MARGERY & GLADYS
In the year 2003 Gerry was selected with other leading players of the GFS, to appear in the TV film production, "Margery and Gladys" starring Penelope Keith and June Brown.A NEW CAMPAIGN
In 2005, Gerry launched a new campaign. This was to have a statue of George Formby erected in Wigan. In that same year, he was elected to the committee of the GFS for the first time. Work to get the statue to become a reality was difficult and unpredictable but Gerry continued to push in the hope that one day it would happen.ELECTED TO PRESIDENT
In 2006 Dennis Taylor retired as President and Gerry was unanimously elected to take his place. Gerry's wife Vivien was co- opted to the committee as the secretary of the Society in the November following on from Gerry’s September election. His new role as President put him in a great position to push even harder for the statue and after enlisting the aid of Wigan councillor Gareth Fairhurst, positive results started to happen. In late 2007 the statue project came to fruition and was finally unveiled in a new shopping centre in Wigan. A very memorable day was enjoyed by many GFS members both at the unveiling and then afterwards at a special concert in a Wigan hotel.FRANK SKINNER in search of GEORGE FORMBY
In 2010 another momentous occasion took place when Frank Skinner was recruited to make a TV special on the life of George Formby. Frank and the TV crew visited Blackpool for a memorable convention weekend. “Frank Skinner In Search of George Formby” which was created by the late Daniel Wiles, received nationwide acclaim and proved to be a golden period for the GFS with membership increasing to record levels.THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
Over the years, Gerry has continued to work on behalf of the GFS and has been instrumental in many of the Society's finest moments, but the most notable achievement must be the concert at the Royal Albert Hall to entertain H.M. The Queen on the occasion of her 92nd birthday. Gerry and Vivien had the unenviable task of organising the GFS role in this event, which was broadcast around the world and was a massive success with Gerry and Vivien being present on stage at the end of the show with the Queen, Prince Charles and the other stars of the show. This occasion led to a friendship for Gerry and Vivien with TV comedian Harry Hill who then recruited members of the Society to appear on one of his popular TV shows. The Royal Albert Hall concert for our Queen, four blue plaques, the statue of George Formby in Wigan, a wonderful concert in Blackpool Opera House with comedian Jim Davidson, many years of work supporting the GFS, The Vellum magazine and of course fifteen years of being President of our Society have given GFS members everywhere so many memorable moments. On a personal note, I wish to thank Gerry for all his support to me and Kathryn during the nine years of our shop management.HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
In 2016 a well deserved Honorary membership was awarded for his support of the Society and his achievements throughout many years. Always immaculately dressed when on duty at convention weekends, his Sunday evening "chats" when introducing the artists and organising the popular auctions will be sadly missed. On behalf of all members of our Society, I would like to wish Gerry and Vivien a happy retirement and a well-earned rest. Peter Pollard - 22/08/2021
