The Grand Arcade in Wigan was full of GFS personalities on the very special day when Gerry Mawdsley realized his dream of having a statue of George Formby unveiled in his and George’s hometown of Wigan. In spite of much opposition from some of Wigan’s councillors but thanks in particular to one, Gareth Fairhurst, George finally made it to the unveiling party albeit not in the original place intended for one of Wigan’s most famous sons. Instead of being mounted on a plinth in the bright new Grand Arcade, George Formby is tucked away in one ignominious corner where many will surely miss even gazing on this noble work. Having said that, he is there for all to see (once they locate him) and that is an achievement in itself and I will be very surprised if George isn’t moved to a more suitable location before too long.
This didn’t spoil the day though and there were enough press and TV people there to justify the claim that George Formby can still pull in a crowd. Many GFS members had brought their ukuleles with them and the Arcade rang out with all the old hits of the great man. Statue sculptress Amanda Barton was on hand along with Modus Properties representative Louise Pearson and Councillor Gareth Fairhurst along with Joe Brown, Neil Forshaw and Vivien Mawdsley (who all played their parts to achieve this goal) jointly pulled the string that unveiled the statue to rousing cheers of delight. Obviously many people wished to have their photos taken with the new statue and did so whilst the ukulele players celebrated with more impromptu performance out in the main thoroughfare of the Arcade (which is where George really should have been sited).
From there we all progressed to the Britannia Hotel were a buffet for 250 people had been provided for by the GFS before a concert took place and carried on for the rest of the evening. Many members entertained on this historic occasion and were as usual ably backed by GFS musicians Matthew Richards and Chris Weightman on keyboard and Geoff Shone on drums.
So now George Formby has a permanent position in his hometown of Wigan and alongside him is a very nice display of photographs and memorabilia put together by archivist Neil Forshaw. No matter what position George is situated in, he usually managed to win the day and I feel sure that the Wigan councillors who opposed the idea of a statue will eventually see the light of day and George will be moved to a better position for all to view him.
For those who have worked and contributed to this successful campaign, the GFS should be especially grateful. People as well as companies and show business celebrities have given hard earned cash to make all this possible. In particular though, as well as being George Formby’s day, it should also be regarded as Gerry Mawdsley’s day. He has worked tirelessly to get the job done and in spite of all the opposition, he came through a winner – just like the man cast in bronze. Turned Out Nice Again!
Statue Contributors and earlier news
Click the thumbnails to obtain larger images.
