Joerg Ungethuem

February 24 2012

Part of Springfield's Enrichment Programme:

Joerg Ungethuem will be describing life in East Germany prior to the
wall coming down. He will also be talking about the exciting moments as the wall was breached and  explaining how life has changed for him and his family since that momentous occasion.

Please contact Pauline on 01695 424 344 for ticket enquiries.

ADRIAN TINNISWOOD

March 24 2012

Part of Springfield's Enrichment Programme:

Following the success of Adrian's talk on Sir Christopher Wren, we are delighted to welcome back Adrian Tinniswood to the Theatre of Dreams for a talk on The Barbary Pirates

Please contact Pauline on 01695 424 344 for ticket enquiries and dates

ASA MURPHY

May 4 2012

Asa Murphy makes a welcome return to Springfield Court and the Theatre of Dreams, this time with a trio of musicians, performing his classic swing and jazz numbers.

Please contact Pauline on 01695 424 344 for ticket enquiries.

ALISON BEVAN

May 25 2011

Part of Springfield's Enrichment Programme:

We are delighted to announce that Alison Bevan has agreed to return for another of her highly inspiring talks, this time on The Birmingham Boys

Please contact Pauline on 01695 424 344 for ticket enquiries.

VINCE BEVAN

October 5 2011

Part of Springfield's Enrichment Programme:

We are delighted to announce that Vince Bevan, husband of Alison Bevan, will be giving a talk about his experiences as a photo journalist.

Please contact Pauline on 01695 424 344 for ticket enquiries.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

The Pearl of Africa Children’s Choir

________________________________________

Giacomo Puccini's LA BOHÈME

We are pleased to announce that we are in preliminary negotiations with a local opera company to host the incredible Puccini opera,
LA BOHÈME

We are aiming for somewhere in June, 2012. Keep checking into Springfield Court.org for any updates. This will be an exquisite evening and one not to be missed!

________________________________________

Broadway at Springfield Court Nursing Home!

The Theatre of Dreams, Springfield Court Nursing Home, Saturday 18 June 2011

The show-stopping talent that was on show on Saturday evening at Springfield Court and the Theatre of Dreams was unparalleled. It is not unusual to attend a first-class concert at Springfield Court, but Saturday the 18th of June saw a new level in entertainment in Aughton.

The show started with a delightful and insightful talk from one of Britain's most notable and respected speakers, Martin Bell (former BBC war correspondent and the United Kingdom's Ambassador for UNICEF). Martin delivered a perfectly pitched speech about a world in turmoil, his "favourite time" in Bosnia and the "War Against Terror" in Afghanistan. This man is so adept at speaking, incredibly he was able to throw in some very funny anecdotes and well placed jokes to balance the mood of his talk which made it all the more interesting and palatable. He also dipped his toe into the oceanic quagmire that is the political expenses debacle, offering some amusing poems by his hand, which appear in his book,
"A Very British Revolution: The Expenses Scandal and How to Save Our Democracy".
Martin's passion for fairness, peace and equality is felt in his talks and each one of us who were fortunate enough to be there felt a connection with him and at no point felt patronised or bored. He is a remarkable man and I look forward to his next visit to Springfield Court.

Making her third appearance at Springfield, incredible Broadway Sensation, Jeri Sager performed her one-woman show, "Broadway by Jeri". Her vocal talent really does need to be heard! She belts out, seemingly effortlessly, the most incredible renditions of show-tunes and cabaret numbers and all with a smile and a humbleness that is awe-inspiring. The Gershwin brothers, Ira and George would most certainly have joined in the standing ovation Jeri received for her rendition of "Summertime". It truly was a vocal powerhouse and something, I think, that will stay with me a long time.
Having started her career at the age of twelve, singing in her local church, Jeri quickly fell in love with the art of singing and it didn't take long before her talent took her to the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. where she studied Opera. It was inevitable that her voice take her to the bright lights of New York City where she made her Broadway debut as "Frumah-Sara", in the Tony Award winning, 25th Anniversary Production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF!
Jeri has enjoyed critical acclaim for her portrayal of "Fantine" in LES MISERABLES and "Eva Peron" in EVITA and has toured extensively around the USA, Asia and Europe. And here we are, in Aughton, enjoying this amazing woman.
Jeri's voice goes down like a fine old whiskey. She has an incredible range that can touch the softest part of your heart and then without warning, can stun you to silence with its immense power and strength. Her joyful stage presence and banter with both band and audience is infectious which always leaves an audience wanting more. And more! She is a wonderful performer and a sensational singer and I can't wait for the rest of the country to catch up and see what we here in a little pocket of the Northwest have been priveleged to experience.

We were also lucky enough to have the extraordinary Jordan Bennett making his Springfield Court, Theatre of Dreams debut! A native New Yorker, now residing in Florida, USA, his accent is Bronx meets Golden Girls - I like to think he would laugh at that (prepare yourself for a Court Communiqué apology), but his Bronx accent does pipe in occasionally.
His show, "An Unusual Concert" was greeted with rapturous applause and great warmth. He is a musical genius with enough wit and charm to sink the many ships he performs on.
He begins his show with an hilarious ironic voice over (I asked if it were him - it is not), stating that almost every show Jordan has been involved in has sunk - (concerts aboard the Queen Mary II notwithstanding). He has the cheek to challenge the audience to stay, which certainly is an unusual way to begin a show and of course, once he appears, we get an idea of the treat we're in for. This guy can sing! And he can make us laugh! He begins the show with a quirky number that leaves the audience a bit baffled - are we in for one of Simon Cowell's rejects from the "America's Got Talent" show?? Any doubt, however, is short lived as Jordan belts out pure vocal gold in his first song. He is a rare gem - obviously not taking himself painfully seriously (as is the pitfall of many-a-star) and his repertoire is often funny, sometimes moving but above all, fantastic. When prompted for any requests from the audience, hands shot up throughout the theatre. As the numbers (some old, some not-so-old) were shouted out one after the other, he appeared to welcome them as one would a list of items requested as a task on an episode of The Apprentice. I'm sure I wasn't alone in presuming (and foolishly so) his apparent reluctance to settle on any one request was because he perhaps couldn't perform any of them. How naive of me. He took up position at the piano and performed his very own medley: "All Songs Ever Requested". It was a musical masterpiece and left me (and I'd wager many other audience members) with a large portion of humble pie to chew on for the remainder of the song.
His encore, "If I Were A Rich Man", was performed with absolute hilarity and perfection. I'd pay just to see that number alone! Indeed, if I were a rich man, I'd be seeing him perform aboard the QMII on a weekly basis!

Both Jeri and Jordan were supported by a wonderful band, The Duncan Waugh Band. The music was expertly played and both Jeri and Jordan gushed and were effusive in their praises. Duncan Waugh and his 7 piece band are destined for greatness indeed!

Springfield Court's Theatre of Dreams is becoming a stage to be reckoned with. Many comments following the show on Saturday were that one would have to visit the Westend in London to see a show of equal standard. Go Springfield Court! Certainly a care home with a difference!

Reviewed by Peter Hammill

______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________

On Friday the 18 March this year, we were lucky to have the Liverpool Male Voice Choir entertain us with their repertoire of both old and contemporary songs.

Here is a gallery of images taken from that evening.

(a new window will open in your browser)

________________________________________

We recently celebrated the Chinese New Year with a performance from the
Liverpool School of Kung Fu. View the images here

(a new window will open in your browser)

________________________________________

The images of the recent Springfield Court Christmas Party featuring Abba Sensation are now available to view here

If you would like to purchase any of the photographs, please let Pauline in reception know the number of the photo you're interested in.

________________________________________

A VERY SUCCESSFUL EVENING

Last night (Saturday 19 June), saw the grand opening of Springfield Court's THEATRE OF DREAMS, officially opened by our dear friend, Tony Addison. The brilliant Tenorissimo performed with such eloquence and gusto, they were the perfect show to open the new extension.

After Tenorissimo's first act and following a most delicious dinner (thanks Andy & Wendy), speeches were read from Linda & Colin with a rather charming, impromptu one from a member of the audience! Linda gave a wonderful speech, thanking the building contractors for their patience, consideration and hard work, also taking the opportunity to thank Pauline for her support and friendship and of course, thanking the directors of Springfield Court, Margaret, Bob, Wendy & Colin for this superb evening and the wonderful things they do. Colin then presented the building contractors with a framed photograph of the extension, including the new bedrooms and theatre. Colin himself was gifted a bottle of Whisky and Wendy, a lovely bouquet of flowers.

Tenorissimo performed their second act with as much verve and wit as their first. This was enhanced by Morgan Lee James inviting one of the building contractors onto the stage for a shave during his rendition of The Barber of Seville!

The evening wasn't completely without incident with the smoke alarm being activated a few times due to the smoke machine in the theatre, but it certainly didn't mar the celebrations and the evening came to a close at midnight with the audience leaving on a high, eagerly awaiting the next exciting event at Springfield Court.

_________________________________________________________________________

PAST EVENTS AT SPRINGFIELD COURT NURSING HOME

ALISON BEVAN

November 25 2011

Part of Springfield's Enrichment Programme:

We are delighted to announce that Alison Bevan has agreed to return in Autumn for another of her highly inspiring talks, this time on Laura Knight.

Ex-Liverpool Footballer, Phil Thompson Feat. Rachael Russell

December 5 2011

Phil Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions. After retiring as a player, he later served Liverpool as assistant manager and, during the 2001–02 season, acted as caretaker for 6 months while manager Gérard Houllier was ill. He is currently a pundit on Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports and is a regular Visiting Fellow at the University of Liverpool where he teaches on their Football Industries MBA.

Phil joins us for a chat about his days on the football grounds as a professional footballer and Liverpool Captain during the 1970s and 1980s.

Also appearing is the fabulous singer, Rachael Russell. Rachael has been very busy since her last appearance at Springfield, working in Theatre and upon Cruise Ships. We are thrilled to have Rachael back to perform her stunning repertoire of favourite songs.

7.30pm arrival for an 8pm start. £10 inc meal and drinks.
All proceeds to Help The Heroes Fund

THIS WILL BE A SELLOUT SHOW, SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, WE SUGGEST YOU REGISTER YOUR INTEREST WITH PAULINE NOW: 01695 424 344 or Pauline.Lunt@SpringfieldCourt.org

Springfield Court's Staff Christmas Party feat. The Searchers and Bobby Kaye!

December 17 2011

Especially for the staff of Springfield Court, as part of their Christmas celebrations this year, we have booked comedian, Bobby Kaye and The Searchers as our entertainment for that evening!

It's bound to be a great night!

Jim Fitzgerald

January 21 2012

Jim Fitzgerald Sings Josef Locke

Jim Fitzgerald, one of Tenorissimo's brilliant voices, will be performing a solo show at The Theatre of Dreams with a selection of pieces by Josef Locke. Not to be missed!

Also appearing that evening is Billy Nelson, a local singer who will be performing his favourite classics from the 50s and 60s. And poet, Ian Kenyon. Since being “retired” last year he has been a regular contributor to Radio Merseyside’s “Late Show” as “The Huyton Poet” with over 300 of his “Instant” poems being broadcast. Ian performed at Peter Grant’s “Poems, Puns & Punchlines” charity show, part of Liverpool’s Festival of Comedy in 2010 & 2011 and has recently started up his own poetry show “Rhymemaster Entertainment” in order to take performance poetry into places where it has never before been (and it hasn’t been far yet!!). Part Time Poet & Part Time Stand Up Comedian, Ian usually sees the funny in most situations, a difficult trick these days.

Please contact Pauline on 01695 424 344 for ticket enquiries.

Springfield Court Limited - Registered in England No. 2351770
Registered Office: Shorrock House, 1 Faraday Court, Fulwood, Preston PR2 9NB
Directors: W. Wilkinson | C. Wilkinson | R. Pollitt | M. Pollitt | L. Burrows

website designed and created by peter hammill | hubphotography