Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[I am the Paulrus]

LIVERPOOL REMEMBERS LENNON

5pm Civic Service to celebrate life and music of John Lennonren to lead tributes with musical and sign language performances at 1-2pm
Images of Lennon projected onto George's Dock tunnel ventilation shaft




LIVERPOOL'S children will lead a musical tribute to mark the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death on Thursday, December 8.

Pupils from John's former schools - Dovedale Juniors and Calderstones School - will lay flowers during a special Civic Service at Liverpool Parish church, Our Lady & St. Nicholas, opposite the Pier Head.

At the service, which begins at 5pm, friends and musicians will gather to hear guest speakers recount their memories of the murdered ex-Beatle.

And after speaking of his influence on them they will introduce Broughton Hall High School pupil, Michelle Strahan, 15, who will perform Beautiful Boy as a solo. Michelle will be followed by the Notre Dame Catholic College choir, singing All You Need is Love, In My Life and Happy Christmas/War is Over.

The service will conclude with prayer and blessing by the Rector of Liverpool, The Reverend Steven Brookes.

Earlier in the day, from 1pm until 2pm, Knotty Ash School for the Deaf will be paying tribute to John Lennon at Clayton Square by performing their own renditions of Beatles numbers in Sign Language.  

After the Civic Service the church will be open between 6pm and 7pm so that members of the public can sign a Book of Commemoration. The book will then be moved to the 08 Place in Whitechapel.

Liverpool's Lord Mayor Councillor Alan Dean will introduce the Civic Service. He said: ''It is fitting that children will be leading our tribute to John by celebrating his greatest legacy, his music. His influence on his and future generations is immense. Not only did he help change perceptions of Liverpool around the world - he and the Beatles changed the aspirations of young working class kids all over the world, showing that if you've got ability you can go anywhere.

''Few people in his position used their fame to stand up against injustices and to spread the message of love and peace in the way he did. His political stances have influenced modern musicians such as Bono and Bob Geldolf and I'm sure John would be a great advocate for the developing world if he were still alive today.''

The focus will return to Clayton Square from 5.30pm with live music by local musicians Steve Roberts and Santa Carla.

At 6.30pm this will be followed by an exclusive screening of rare documentary footage - courtesy of digital radio station BBC 6 Music - featuring videos, interviews, performance and even John's poetry, under the banner of 'Lennon Remembered'.

  
Councillor Warren Bradley, Liverpool City Council's executive member for culture, said: ''The loss of one of the world's greatest musicians continues to reverberate; most noticeably in the wealth of local talent who strive to match not just his success but the high standards he set in innovation and integrity.

  
''I think we are remembering John in the only way we know how - by reaffirming his lasting legacy, and offering a platform for the city's musicians to shine.''

Thursday's anniversary will also mark the start of a special light show celebrating John Lennon's life. Until December 14, there will be a nightly projection of Lennon images onto George's Dock Building, between 4.30pm and 11pm.

Besides the music and Civic Service, there will be a host of events in the city to mark Lennon's anniversary, most notably:

11am - Mathew Street:
The Liverpool Beatles Appreciation Society are holding a short ceremony at 11am in Mathew Street. The Dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral, Monsignor Peter Cookson, and Canon Hawley from the Anglican Cathedral are attending and offering a few prayers for peace. They are also creating two shrines where fans can come together to lay flowers and cards. The main shrine will be at the Lennon statue in Mathew Street and a smaller tribute at the Beatles Monument within the nearby Cavern Designer Shopping Centre.

12 noon - The Beatles Story, Albert Dock:
Special cards will be available in and around the Albert Dock, in the days preceding the anniversary, for people to inscribe their thoughts. The cards, attached to white balloons, will be sent skywards on their way to John at 12.00 noon from the Britannia Courtyard, outside The Beatles Story. It is asked that people make a donation when collecting their card from the Albert Dock businesses.  All proceeds are being donated to the Claire House Children's Hospice

[I am the Paulrus]

Liverpool sings praises of its lost son

Dec 9 2005

Liverpool Echo
 

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0800beatles/0050news/tm_objectid=16467493%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=liverpool%2dsings%2dpraises%2dof%2dits%2dlost%2dson-name_page.html



Images of John Lennon projected at the Pier Head to mark the 25th anniversary of his passing.


The Notre Dame Catholic College sing at the John Lennon tribute service.

FANS and friends joined a moving commemoration of John Lennon's life at Liverpool's parish church.

About 100 people in Our Lady & St Nicholas, opposite the Pier Head, heard songs and guest speakers share their memories of the murdered ex-Beatle.

The Notre Dame Catholic college choir performed some of his most well-loved songs, including All You Need Is Love and In My Life.

Broughton Hall high school pupil Michelle Strahan, 15, sang and played acoustic guitar on a solo rendition of Beautiful Boy.


Pupils from Lennon's former schools, Dovedale primary and Calderstones high (then Quarry Bank grammar) placed flowers which spelled out the word Imagine, and arranged in the form of a peace symbol.


Speakers paid tribute to John's skills as a musician and songwriter, his distinctive Scouse sense of humour, and to his influence on future generations.


Bill Harry, founder of the Mersey Beat newspaper, who knew John at art college, said: "I suppose there were three cities in John's life: Liverpool, London and New York - a place he called Big Liverpool.


"But the fact remains that not only the formative years, but the majority of years he lived in this world were spent in Liverpool.


"John belongs to the world, but he also specifically belongs to Liverpool."


The Rector of Liverpool, the Rev Steven Brookes, said afterwards that the parish church was an appropriate venue for the civic service.


He said: "I think some of the views he expressed got people thinking about faith and religion."


A book of commemoration will go on display at the 08 Place in Whitechapel.

[I am the Paulrus]

Hundreds gather in city to mourn favourite son

Dec 9 2005

The pop icon's death still moves people, 25 years on. Simon Cable reports
 
Daily Post
 
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0800beatles/0050news/tm_objectid=16464187%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=hundreds%2dgather%2din%2dcity%2dto%2dmourn%2dfavourite%2dson-name_page.html


John Lennon's statue on Mathew St.

HUNDREDS of people from around the world gathered in Liverpool yesterday to pay tribute to John Lennon, as the city marked the 25th anniversary of his death.

An emotional ceremony took place at the Albert Dock at midday, where more than 300 white balloons with message cards to the ex-Beatle attached, were sent skywards.

Fans had come from as far away as Australia and the Philippines to take part in the tribute.

Some of the older visitors stood quietly, clearly moved by the occasion, while many of the younger fans sang along to songs being played by a young guitarist sitting on the steps next to the museum.




Story continues

ADVERTISEMENT

And in the moments before the balloons were released, the crowd fell silent as Jerry Goldman, director of the The Beatles Story exhibition, delivered a brief speech, to Liverpool's favourite son.


Mr Goldman said before the assembled crowd: "John, we love you as a human being, we love you as an artist. We love you as a man of peace. John, if there is one message we want you to hear more strongly than any other it's, 'why don't you come back one more time and lead the world in a song of give peace a chance'."


Lennon was shot dead outside his New York apartment block, the Dakota Building, by crazed fan Mark Chapman on December 8th, 1980.


Yesterday's tributes come as it emerged that only 11 days before his death, John had declared his interest in reuniting with The Beatles.


Antonio Lapitan, 33, was visiting Liverpool from the Philippines to attend the commemoration.


He said: "I have come from the Philippines. I have been a huge fan since High School when my dad first told me about them. It was him that got me into them. They are so famous over there."

Twenty-two year-old David Moore had come from Melboure, Australia.

"I've been a fan since I was five years old," he said.. "The Beatles are my favourite band. It's an emotional occasion- he died too young but he left us with so much. His music is so honest - he really believed in what he was singing about."

James Andrews, nine, from Bournemouth, was one of the youngest fans to take part in the balloon release.

He said: "I just wrote Merry Christmas John on my balloon. I love The Beatles and especially John Lennon.

"My Mum and Dad let me take the day off school to come here."

Jerry Goldman was greeting fans in the Britannia Courtyard outside his museum, and said he was not surprised by the interest the ceremony has generated. He said: "It's always very moving. I'm not surprised that so many people are here. The fans here see The Beatles as the focal point of the city and the community.




Story continues

ADVERTISEMENT

"There is attention from all over the world and I'm so pleased for Liverpool. ITV, BBC, Sky, Russian TV - we have them all. Kids are even more interested than the sixty somethings. Lennon and The Beatles are on the National Curriculum."


One man who had come from West Kirby has particularly fond memories of growing up with John's music. Paul Lewis, 65, who watched events quietly, away from the rest of the crowd, said: 'I do enjoy the music. I was around at the same time. I'm about the same age as John.


"I knew a woman who worked as their PR in the early days, and she practically press-ganged us to buy his records when they were an unknown band.


"I used to go along to The Cavern when it used to cost us about one shilling - about five pence now!"


All proceeds made from the balloons will go to Claire House Children's Charity.