The Salvos Take On a Vision for Strawberry Field in Liverpool

 John Lennon at the gates of Strawberry Field in Liverpool



beatlesblogger.com
The Salvos Take On a Vision for Strawberry Field in Liverpool
by beatlesblogger
Posted on November 20, 2017



After what turned into a bit of a fight to get permission, The Salvation Army has finally received full planning go-ahead at its Strawberry Field site in Liverpool to build a much-needed training and work placement hub for young people with learning disabilities. On the site, which has been closed to the public for years, there’ll also be an exhibition centre where visitors can find out more about John Lennon and his connection to the site, as well as a place to explore spirituality. It’ll look something like this:





The next phase of the project is to raise the money needed to move these plans from vision to reality. And that’s where you come in. To find out how you can donate, purchase merchandise and support the project, visit www.strawberryfieldliverpool.com

You’ll be helping young people like Jordan Clark to overcome their learning difficulties, get jobs and to make a contribution to the community:

One of the fundraising projects saw a group of young people from the City of Liverpool College and the Salvos’ Steps to Work Programme come together to form a choir and record their version of John Lennon’s legendary ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. They did it at the Abbey Road Studios in London, no less:

To hear the song in full,  click here.

Jules Sherwood, Development Manager for The Salvation Army, said: “We believe Strawberry Field is the final piece of the Beatles jigsaw in Liverpool and once open will offer a magical experience to visitors who will be able to follow in the footsteps of the young John Lennon.”

“The very latest technologies will be adopted to create an exhibition where visitors will enter a space where “nothing is real” as they experience the wondrous, intertwined histories of the house, John Lennon and the writing and recording of the iconic song. The gardens will be filled with messages of peace and love which we hope will inspire visitors as Lennon himself was inspired.”

Strawberry Field is an iconic part of Liverpool’s history, as well as an important part of the local community in Woolton. The Salvation Army has owned the site since the 1930s and ran a children’s home there until 2005. Lennon was inspired to write ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ after climbing over the wall and playing in the grounds. For him, it was a special place which had a lasting impact on his life.

You can donate here, plus there’s lots of cool merch in the official Salvos store: