vip guest for the zoomers
The Mayor of Kirklees makes an appearance
It has been another red-letter day for the Zoomers in this dark and dismal
year as we sail through our seventh month of pandemic lock-down. This
time it was a visit from our very first VIP guest when we were honoured to
be joined on Thursday, 29 October by The Lord Mayor of Kirklees, Cllr
Mumtaz Hussain.
A wonderful attendance for the evening of forty-eight screens containing
fifty-five Zoomers who were delighted to greet our guest and as well as
playing a few Formby thrash tunes, we had a good friendly chat.
Kirklees is a local government district within West Yorkshire, it covers
Huddersfield, my home town of Batley, Dewsbury (the town I lived in for
forty years), plus numerous other towns and is the third-largest
metropolitan district in Yorkshire.
Cllr Hussain thanked the Zoomers for allowing him to be with us and
spoke about just how important it is to keep such activities going in these
troubled times. He also enjoyed the Formby music and thought it much
more appropriate for elderly people in the numerous care homes
throughout Kirklees that the Mayor will visit.
Mayor Hussain also remembered that in his younger days he would watch
George Formby films on TV.
All in all, a very successful session and we have the one and only Mike
O'Dwyer to thank for putting it all together.
Our Zoom meetings are all we have at this time, spent in the best of
company. If you have not played for a while or you are feeling a bit down,
you should come and find out what we are about?
Fifty-Five is a great attendance but when you consider the size of the membership of the GFS and the many familiar faces that
we never see, it could be so much better!
THE ZOOM NUMBERS
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
AT 7pm (19:00)
MATT RICHARDS
354 259 037
MONDAY & WEDNESDAY
AT 6pm (18:00)
ANDREW PEPPER
483 085 8989
TUESDAY
AT 6pm (18:00)
SIMON ROSE
982 611 019
THURSDAY & FRIDAY
AT 7pm (19:00)
PETER POLLARD
906 317 2768
The Lord Mayor of Kirklees - Cllr Mumtaz Hussain
PP 30/10/2020 updated 07/12/2020
PASSWORD FOR ALL
thrash
The Mayors visit - updated 07.12.2020
After the succesful visit of the Mayor of Kirklees, Councillor Mumtaz Hussain, I
was delighted to receive a letter from the Mayors office, thanking us for allowing
him to visit with us and also he wanted to express his appreciation of what we are
doing to keep many people uplifted whilst the pandemic continues.
The wording of the letter is reproduced below
Dear Mr Pollard
I was delighted to join you and the members of the George Formby Society for
the Zoom Thrash meeting on Thursday 29 October. It was fantastic chatting to
everyone and hearing you play Formby's uplifting and fun music on your
ukuleles.
I was originally contacted by Mr Mike O'Dwyer who told me all about you, that
you're very proud of your Batley roots and that you run up to three Zoom ses-
sions a week. It was clear from Mr O'Dwyer's email that he and the other group
members are extremely grateful to you for hosting these sessions which bring
people together when many find the loneliness and isolation of the Covid-19 re-
strictions very difficult.
After joining you on 29 October, I can understand why everyone is so passionate
about the meetings - there is so much energy and good humour that you can't
fail to smile and feel uplifted by it.
On behalf of Kirklees Council and those who take part in your Zoom Thrash ses-
sions, I'd like to thank you for your contribution to helping people get through
this period of uncertainty and worry. Your sessions are a ray of sunshine and a
real tonic to all those who take part.
Thank you again for inviting me to join you and very best wishes for your future Thrash
meetings.
Yours sincerely
Councillor Mumtaz Hussain - Mayor
Mike O’Dwyer
The man who made it happen!