SIXTY FIVE YEARS

The sixty-fifth anniversary of the George Formby Society was celebrated in fine style over the weekend of 12/13 September 2026, within the much larger Lancastrian Suite of the Imperial Hotel. We have not held a convention in the larger room for quite some time, and when I arrived to view the sea of chairs on Friday afternoon, I was struck by the thought, “How would we fill them?” On Saturday, though, we certainly did fill them, and a great crowd of more than two hundred members enjoyed a full day of entertainment provided by their fellow members, together with the music and memories of the one and only George Formby. When you consider all that is going on in the world, together with the high and ever-rising costs of travel, hotels, food and drink, it continues to surprise me that Formby members and friends still insist on coming to the conventions, no matter how far they have to travel! The usual Saturday midday concerts took place without a hitch, and we had many and varied entertainers on stage, all accompanied by the GFS resident musicians, who are always on top of their game, no matter what the song may be. Led by keyboard player Matthew Richards, bass player Steve Thomas and drummer Dale Norman, they are an entertainment in themselves, even without anyone performing in front of them!

film producer daniel wiles

Saturday evening welcomed a rare showing of the Daniel Wiles production, Frank Skinner on George Formby, which made a pleasant change from the usual George Formby film rotation. Daniel, a long-term member of the GFS, sadly passed away in July 2020, but his two documentaries — the Frank Skinner production and his 1991 production featuring Melvyn Bragg telling the George Formby story on The South Bank Show — are head and shoulders above anything else that has been produced over the years. He was a lovely man, and I was privileged to be able to call him a friend.

songs from the films

The rest of the evening was taken up with the long-planned repeat of the famed Songs From The Films concert, first presented in March 2011. Those who performed on that weekend also dressed for their particular song, and there were some wonderful displays of imaginative dress by everyone. It was a full-weekend event and such a roaring success that it was repeated on a more modest scale in 2016. So, ten years further on, Charlie Evered, a young member who wasn’t around for those previous productions, thought it would be nice to do it again, this time following the same one-evening formula as in 2016. It proves once again that, of the twenty feature films in which George Formby starred, although some of the plots may vary in entertainment value, the songs, from the first to the last, are as solid as anything else that George recorded during his forty-year career.

charlie evered rolls his sleeve up!

Charlie has been a member of the GFS for just three short years but in that time, he has involved himself so much with the workings of the George Formby Society and is obviously a member who is unafraid of going the extra mile and roll his sleeves up to get something done. He approached GF President Andy Poppleton and together they created a list of songs and then Charlie invited members to write to him and chose the song they wished to perform. “Our main objective was to get at least one song from every film and we got there in the end, even if one of the cast wasn't recruited until 10 minutes before the concert commenced! So special thanks to Tommy Bland, Bernard Gallery and Peter Nixon for performing brilliantly despite being approached on the day. In the last week or so before the convention I worked with John Walley to adapt his 2011 script to make sure that the compares delivered a professional presentation.” They did a marvellous job of selection, with every performer giving their best to deliver a thoroughly entertaining evening to a very appreciative room full of GFS members and friends.

bill logan’s speech

It was especially nice to hear John Walley introduce the opening words of the first President, Bill Logan, at the very first meeting on 16 September 1961. The majority of those attending the evening concert would never have heard Bill’s words before, and they are still as relevant today as they were on that historic first weekend in 1961. After the excitement of Saturday’s events, Sunday is usually quieter, but nonetheless enjoyable for all that, with concerts throughout the day and George’s final film in the evening, George in Civvy Street.

gfs shop online service

The weekend was also notable because Kathryn and Peter were retiring from their work managing the GFS Shop. With no member currently able to take on the management of the shop, the online service, which has been available not just to members but to everyone, will close, leaving the GFS conventions as the shop’s only outlet.

a new convention venue

The next convention will be a one-day event at a completely new venue within the Crowne Plaza Hotel in the centre of Nottingham, and it is there that the GFS Shop will make its début under the management of GFS President Andrew Poppleton. We hope that all members will support Andrew, and he is aware that we are always available to assist him with the management of the shop and the necessary paperwork to ensure that it continues to be successfully run.

a positive note

As well as the one-day meeting, the fourth issue of The Vellum magazine will also be issued. This should help us all to finish the year on a positive note — perhaps with the same sense of optimism that might have been felt by those founder members back in September 1961.

bill logan’s opening words

The opening words of the first President, spoken at that first historic meeting can be heard again below. The recording is sixty- five years old and the quality is not the best but Bill’s words are reproduced here as well. "He was a symbol and an institution in himself. And I think you'll agree with me that the world of show business is a much poorer and a much lonelier place without him. We've lost a great friend, an outstanding personality, a character of infinite charm, and certainly not least of all, a superb entertainer. Because George Formby was all of these things and quite a lot more besides. We shall not see his like again. Although the imitators have been many through the years, perhaps it stands as a tribute to him that so many have tried to copy him. For 30 years—maybe more, I didn't count them—he was a great star. He enjoyed a stardom that was not founded overnight from the hysteria of one single record, neither was it a stardom created by publicity agents and gimmicks. His stardom was founded on his ability to entertain people, the sheer worth of entertainment, and he was surely capable of that. He created a lot of happiness and a lot of laughter, and there was nobody more adept at sharing it with his fellow people than George Formby was. He was a simple man, and he was a sincere man too, and we loved him for it. And so we've come here today to honour George Formby's memory, and we've also come to establish the society which will be devoted to the task of keeping that memory evergreen. This aim should not really be a difficult one because George left us a great wealth of assets. He left us hundreds of songs, a score or more films, and the certain knowledge that no matter who or where ukuleles are ever strummed, it will always be George Formby's name that is fondly and affectionately remembered."