Tag: Merseyside

A Brief History of Entertainment – Mervyn Saunders

Introducing his talk, Mr Saunders noted that ‘brief’ and ‘Mervyn’ are not often associated together! Given the breadth of his subject, this is perhaps understandable. Mervyn’s history began with the restoration of King Charles 11 who allowed theatres to reopen after their closure by Oliver Cromwell. The first and most notable was the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane. Unfortunately this had to close shortly after opening because of the Plague and then the Great Fire of London. The present building, still in use, is the fourth on the site. A local connection is that Rex Harrison, born in Huyton, Liverpool starred in My Fair Lady when it opened in London at the Theatre Royal. Apart from ‘straight’ theatre, mention was made of entertainment to be found in tea gardens, inns, music halls and circuses.

Being from St Helens, Mr Saunders concluded his talk with a plea for the recognition of a fellow citizen from St Helens. George Groves was the first sound recording engineer working on the ‘Jazz Singer’ the first talking picture. Despite this and a successful Hollywood career, he is largely forgotten. This was an interesting subject and a lively presentation. Hopefully we will see a return visit by Mervyn Saunders.

If you are a not a member but are interested in any of our events or in joining our Association, please fill out Contact Form.

Article by Richard Hughes, with thanks.

SoFA Coffee afternoon 10th January 2026

Sixty of our members attended the first organised event of 2026 which was a tea and coffee event in Ainsdale. It was a lovely sunny day and everyone was in good spirits. St John’s Church in Ainsdale has proved a popular venue since January 2024 when we held our first coffee afternoon there. The church provides a warm and friendly atmosphere which is appreciated by SoFA members.

The change to an afternoon event has suited members who make time to focus on friendly conversations and to catch up with each other after the Festive Season. Members received details of our programme of outings and holiday for 2026 which will be described fully in our Spring Magazine out soon. The event also included a well supported raffle with an array of interesting prizes.
The Committee are investigating the use of paperless applications for trips and outings and Janice our Treasurer outlined the possibility of using Bank Transfers for trip applications.

There was an update from Laura Michelangeli, the Community Engagement Manager at National Trust Formby. Laura gave a comprehensive review on the progress of work that is being carried at Formby to remove tons of rubble from the beach, build a new car park further inland and the restoration of sand dunes. She also spoke of the 8 English Longhorn cattle who browse and graze a wide range of vegetation making them ideal for conservation grazing.

If you wish to attend any of our events or join our Society, please complete Contact Form.

Article supplied by Lois Hughes and church interior photograph by Charlie Craig, with thanks.

Festive Lunch

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On Thursday 27th November, sixty-five members gathered together at the Old Links Golf Club. On arrival at the warm and welcoming venue we were able to chat with friends and find out where we were seated. Having all, some months ago, made our menu choices, it was a relief to find that Maggie, the event organiser, had brought with her the slips of paper we had completed. We could order drinks from the bar and settle down to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.
As usual, Jeanette and her team served our 3 course meal with friendly efficiency. This was followed by a hot drink and mince pies. Lots of chat and catching up took place. Maggie thanked the staff and gave them a suitable gratuity.

Frank followed this by informing everyone that this would be the last time Maggie would be organising our Christmas Meal, having carried out this task since December 2018. In recognition Maggie was presented with a ‘Goody Bag’ from the Committee. An extremely enjoyable time was had by all and a last thank you to Charlie who took time to take some lovely photographs.

If you would like to join our Association or attend any of our events, please complete Contact Form.
Many thanks to Carol Hitchmough for the article.

The Art of Money Laundering by Mike Hilton

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I wonder if any of our members attending Mike’s talk were expecting to hear detailed information of how to carry out money laundering in a practical way? Mike having worked in a bank, had encountered some of the world of money laundering. He began his talk with details of the Brinks-Mat robbery in 1983. He described the ferocity that the gang used on the guards in the Air Cargo building where large amounts of money and diamonds were held. The gang were very surprised to find gold also in the store. This was a temporary consignment of 6000 gold bars weighing nearly 3 tons, possibly worth over 26 million.

Before making their getaway the gang loaded the gold, cash and diamonds into their only means of transport, a Ford Transit van. The robbers just managed to drive away with the van very low down on its springs. This was only the start of their problems as the gold had to be converted into other forms of cash Jewellery or disposable goods. Any large amounts of cash needed to be fed into bank accounts either into British or Foreign Banks without raising suspicion.

They had access to a jeweller who could alter the gold, melt it down, add copper to change its value. The jeweller made gold rings and other forms of jewellery so it could be sold. The cash obtained was fed through businesses, these might have been a car wash, a barbers, a nail bar, a garage selling cars or even a corner shop. They still needed to be careful not to raise suspicion by depositing large amounts of cash that the banks may consider excessive. If the banks noticed high transactions they would inform the police who would investigate the books. Present day, in the illegal drugs trade the same conditions would still apply.

Brink-Mat warehouse Heathrow Airport — Brinks-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport

Only a small amount of the gold has ever been recovered. It has been noted in the trade that gold jewellery bought today may well contain some of the gold from the Brinks-Mat robbery.

If you are interested in any of our events or in joining the Association please fill in our Contact Form.

With thanks to Alan Dodd for the interesting article.

Formby National Trust Update

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As the major project of removing rubble at Formby Victoria Road continues, a huge digger moves vast quantities of sand covering the rubble. Once exposed, the rubble is crushed and removed from the beach to be used in levelling the area designated for a new car park. The dunes from which the rubble has been extracted are reshaped with the sand removed earlier.

This has not been the best year for natterjack toads as it has been too dry. The sand lizards are thriving down on the Sefton Coast. Owing to the work being carried out on the Formby sand dunes the resident sand lizards had to be transferred to a place of safety for a few days. A survey over five days found 27 sand lizards, all if which were safely returned to their ‘original homes’. It is believed that this is the first time these little creatures have ever been moved on such a large scale. Sefton is thought to have 50% of the UK population of sand lizards.

Many thanks to the Formby site Team for providing the above information. Article by Edwina Alcock with thanks.

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A Brief History of Entertainment – Mervyn Saunders

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Mervyn Saunders has enjoyed a life-long interest in Entertainment in its many forms. His talk a Brief History of Entertainment is a broad based and informative introduction to several aspects of the subject.
He speaks of the Beer Gardens in the 17th Century via Music Hall, Variety, Circus, Film, Radio and then Television. It is a fascinating journey through to the modern day and the internet.
If you would like to attend any of our events or are interested in joining our Association, please complete the Contact Form.

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