Strawberry Field in Liverpool is set to open its famous red gates to the public.
Updated: Feb 15, 2020
Thanks to The Beatles, Strawberry Field in Woolton is famous all around the world. Fans flock every day from miles around to get a photograph in front of the famous red gates, and some even leave their mark by graffitiing on the nearby walls.
However, Strawberry Field is about to enter a new chapter, by opening the gates up to the public for the very first time this Saturday (14th September 2019).
For over seventy years, Strawberry Field provided a home to some of Liverpool’s most vulnerable children. John Lennon would spend his days playing in the grounds, while living nearby with his Aunt Mimi, it was this experience that inspired the 1967 hit single, that led to Strawberry Fields becoming a ‘jewel in Liverpool’s Beatles crown’.
Strawberry Field also made an appearance in this summer’s Beatles themed romantic comedy ‘Yesterday’, the latest film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis.
The centre, which is owned by the Salvation Army, is currently undergoing a million-pound restoration project, and once completed hopes to provide young people with learning disabilities with training that will give them sustainable employment opportunities via the steps to work programme, which is a 12- 18-month scheme in collaboration between Strawberry Field and The City of Liverpool College.
The new centre, will not only be a training centre for those with learning disabilities, but also a have its own café, garden and visitor exhibition. The facilities will also provide vital work experience in catering, retail and visitor management, for those who attend the training hub.
Julius Wolff-Ingham, Fundraising and Marketing Director for The Salvation Army, said: “Strawberry Field will weave together educational, cultural, heritage and spiritual exploration in one bold, imaginative site. It’s going to be a vibrant visitor experience, which we hope will inspire people today as much as the place inspired the young John Lennon.”
The garden will provide a place of tranquillity for those visiting Strawberry Fields, and where visitors will be able to go on a ‘thought-provoking’ tour of the gardens John Lennon knew and loved.
For Beatles fans the new exhibition will provide them with an interactive experience, where ‘nothing is real’, that will not only provide them with the history of Strawberry Field, but also give them an insight into John Lennon’s childhood with the help of multimedia interviews and memorabilia.
Julia Baird, John Lennon’s sister and Honorary President of the Strawberry Field protect said: “I am sure that John would have been thrilled that Strawberry Field is to become a bastion of hope for young adults as well as an inspirational Visitor Experience.”
Every donation that is made via these projects will help Strawberry Fields continue their legacy of supporting young people across Merseyside.
Further details can be found at https://www.strawberryfieldliverpool.com
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