Reflections September 2025

As the last Formby convention of the year drew to a close, it was time to reflect on how well it went. There was an excellent attendance, an abundance of prizes donated for the various raffles and auctions, and a busy sales room where there is always something different, you never know what might come up for sale. As always, plenty of gossip, chat, and exchange of ideas. There were new faces, pleasant surprises, exceptional performances, a swift and slickly run AGM, as well as all the usual concerts, films, displays, and the odd leak or two thanks to the weather.

Concerts

As always, it’s the concerts which take up

most of the meeting - and there were

some cracking performances backed as

usual by our fantastic band. There’s noth-

ing Matt Richards cannot play. Jon and

Pam Baddeley commented that there was

“a wide variety of Formby songs per-

formed, not just the most popular. The

Concerts were slick, with the performers

ready at the side of the stage for their

spot. Sunday night’s concert was very

friendly and informal and provided the op-

portunity for people to show their other tal-

ents and include other songs.”

There’s something for everyone at the GFS, from the comperes cracking jokes to groan at, “Did you hear about the strawberry thief? He was caught red-handed by the police!”

On Stage

Ryan Willets performed brilliantly on his own and with his Dad after a break of several years; they have now rejoined the society. Such talent should not be hidden. Jonas Svensson from Sweden, last here ten years ago, was easily the best- dressed man in the room. On Sunday, he took the trouble to dress as Mr Wu. Angie Parker ‘became a man’ to perform Grand and Healthy Life. She admitted to changing the lyrics to make it about a woman. So lovely that performers had gone the extra mile with costumes, which brought back memories of Frances Terry, who used to travel in her costumes on the train, and whenever ‘Swimmin with the Wimmen’ was performed, the ladies were suitably clad in bathing costumes. Ray Reynolds and Johnny Key performed ‘Lamppost’, a tribute to Gladys Geoghegan, who always added sparkle and glamour to the stage. A lovely lady with time for everyone, who had to be ‘dragged away from the stage!’ Charlie Evered appeared with his new uke, which he said Bernard Gallery should recognise. This left Bernard perplexed as he couldn’t remember it! Being on stage is not about showing off how brilliant you are, it’s about the characters who tread the boards. Pat and Geoff Silcock, affectionately known as Mutt and Geoff, were still arguing over who was ‘going to wear the trousers’. It’s about the humour, so it doesn’t matter if your song is full of ‘la la las’. Bruce Cox chose a Buddy Holly song, and as Buddy recorded over 300 songs, it gave him plenty of choice, but as he only knew two, he didn’t have a difficult choice. What Kyle Evans likes about the concerts is “the variety of players who perform, i.e., people from all different age groups, not just the older generation, but the new young generation coming into the society. I always get a real buzz when I get up on stage and perform. When I see everyone in the audience is happy, it makes me happy. It's great to see young members joining the GFS. It's really important to ensure the society continues to thrive for future years.”

Special guests…

Dickie Speake, was described as awesome. His performance brought the room to silence as the audience strained to hear every note of his ‘September Song’ and received a rapturous applause. He modestly proclaimed that he was rusty, but he’s definitely still got it. For youngsters such as Jamie Rutherford and Charlie Evered, it was the first time they’d heard him play. For Charlie, it was his ‘main highlight’ whilst Jamie agreed that,”It was an honour to meet and talk to Dickie Speake as he has done so much for this society over the years. As always, it is a joy to see the great Andy Eastwood perform, not just on ukulele, but on drums too! It was exciting to see some of John Walley’s collection for sale. I was lucky to pick up three sticks of George Formby rock, which I have put in a see- through container on my bookshelf, never to be eaten as they are only a few years out of date!”

Thank you

And thank you to, Tom Fletcher stepping in at the last minute to run the tuition session- he did a great job, and there was a good attendance. Thank you too to Cathy and Kevin Staniland for all their hard work in running the sound desk, and to Cathy for her wooden ukulele tuition. You will both be sorely missed. Thank you’s also came from two members of the audience, Lynne Nichols and Paul Gardner had this to say, “Paul and I look forward to the conventions, the social aspect is really great and there's a real atmosphere with everyone buzzing around looking for people they've not seen for a while, trying to fit everything in with the shop, photos, ukes to buy and sell as well as the camaraderie, performances and great variety from all of the entertainers who are so brave to get up on stage over the weekend. We have to say a big thank you to everyone who is part of organising, helping out, and keeping everything on track whilst we're there, and we look forward to the next convention.”

The Annual General Meeting

There was the AGM…for many an inconvenience which happens each year and reduces the time for the Sunday morning concert, but for the newbies it was an opportunity to see how our society is run and take part in decisions that will secure our society for the future. There were many things discussed, such as the possible return of the November convention. New members Summer Valentine and Gail Kinrade were appointed as members of this year's committee. Taking up her new role, Gail said she ‘got the bug and didn’t see it coming.’ She then set a challenge for the membership: “In March, bring a friend/bring a new member.” The biggest challenge for the society in the future is going to be recruiting and retaining new members. The membership is slowly rising after some years of turmoil caused by COVID. The many outside events provide good publicity and funds for the society. The recent trip to the Isle of Man was a success, silence was held for members no longer with us, and thanks to the huge team who make the meeting so successful.

In the Money…

This Convention, the raffle was drawn earlier than usual, just prior to the Saturday evening Concert, so there wasn’t much time to market extra tickets. Nevertheless, numerous members of the audience asked to purchase extra tickets, the stubs of which needed to be entered into the draw. Kathryn Pollard and Nicki Sinclair-Smith’s hands were going like bats’ wings, joined shortly by Christine Kershaw and myself to ensure that all who purchased tickets had an equal chance to win bottles of wine, chocolates, or…….. a tin of tuna! The other auction and raffle run and organised by Andy Poppleton. The raffle raised over £250 and started with a false bid of £150 from Ray Reynolds. However, he decreased his offer to £25; the Uke raised £50. Chris Barratt was generous with his offers and took home some LPs and DVDs. While a Mark Walsh uke raised over £225 for the society funds. This was won by Tom Cutler. For Charlie Evered, the best bit was the raffle uke being won by an attendee who had left just a couple of hours before his ticket was drawn

In Conclusion…

September’s convention was summed up perfectly by Summer Valentine… “A George Formby Society Convention is a special experience, and it is not just witnessing the visual spectacle of 40 banjo-ukes playing Leaning On A Lamp Post at the same time (although that is a poignant experience in its own way!). For me, it is the people who make it truly special. The social aspect of this gathering is second to none. You arrive for the first time, unsure of what to expect, and don't know many people (if anyone), and you are a little nervous with your uke in hand. A few minutes later, someone admires your beautiful instrument, offers you a few tips, and teaches you some new strumming techniques, all at once. You immediately feel relaxed and good - everyone shares a common interest, and they want everyone to progress, whether in your first song or twentieth convention. On a side note, I love the display boards full of George memorabilia - pictures, anecdotes, and enough information about Formby to leave you with an appreciation for him and his importance. It's not just about the music - it is about the inclusion. And perhaps a small part hoping that someone will finally show you the notorious triple stroke in a way that makes sense.” To sum up what is good about the GFS is its inclusion, it's open to all, whether you're a professional or amateur player, or even if you don't play at all, no matter who you are, where you're from etc, everyone is welcome. We are a family after all, looking after each other and having a jolly good ‘Formby Gossip’!! Written by Gill Walley with help from…. Pat Silcock, Summer Valentine, Kyle Evans, Charlie Evered, Jamie Routledge, Lynne Nichols and Paul Gardner, Jon and Pam Baddeley, Andy Poppleton, and Daz Barry