Stars take to the skies to entertain residents on Wigan street

Residents on a Wigan street have been joined by surprise guests as they show their thanks to the NHS.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

People living on Old Road in Ashton left their houses on Thursday evening for the weekly applause and were shocked to be joined by Freddie Mercury.

John Price - dressed as the Queen star - went up in a cherry picker to the sound of We Are The Champions just before the applause.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After everyone showed their gratitude for healthcare workers, Queen’s We Will Rock You and I Want To Break Free were played as the cherry picker was lowered.

Entertaining residents from a cherry pickerEntertaining residents from a cherry picker
Entertaining residents from a cherry picker

Freddie Mercury was the second star to appear on the street recently, with a Stormtrooper from Star Wars making a dramatic entrance on the cherry picker as music from the film series was played ahead of last week’s clap for carers.

It was the idea of Old Road resident Geoff Collier and his friend and neighbour John Price, who met six years ago when John came to the rescue of Geoff’s wife Susan and dog Bob when they were attacked by another dog. Susan had to spend four days in hospital for injuries to her hand, while Bob lost a leg.

John had already visited shop Iceland in his Stormtrooper costume and when Geoff saw him walking past his home one day, he suggested that he wear it for the special appearance last week.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Geoff, 53, has a cherry picker that he uses for his work as a handyman.

He said: “It was just for something different, to put a smile on people’s faces rather than doom and gloom. Everybody loved it, everyone was smiling, young and old. There are a few older people near us and they liked it and the children liked it too.”

The Stormtrooper arrived five minutes before the applause and afterwards people clapped and sang along to (Is This The Way To) Amarillo.

The appearance had such a positive response that Geoff and John decided to organiser another VIP visit to the street - though they kept the star’s identity a secret until Thursday evening.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Geoff, who has four grandchildren, said: “I have been asked to do it every week so we will try to come up with different ideas.”

A message from the Editorial Director, Gillian Parkinson:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy when you pop out for your essential shop or subscribing for delivery.

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: "Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role."

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE:

You can subscribe for delivery by contacting us at [email protected] or calling us on 0330 4033004 for details of a participating newsagent near you.

Related topics: