Ulverston hosts Laurel and Hardy fans from all over UK
SCORES of Laurel and Hardy fans descended on Ulverston to celebrate the iconic comedy duo.
Fans arrived in Stan Laurel’s birthplace to celebrate two of the most popular comedians of all time on the day of the town’s annual carnival gala day.
There has not been an official parade on Ulverston’s Carnival Day since the Covid-19 pandemic, however the ‘official’ worldwide Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society, Sons of the Desert, named after the 1933 film, held an unofficial one.
The comedy convoy started around 1.30pm at the official Laurel and Hardy Museum at Brogden Street.
They were then joined by Laurel and Hardy lookalikes Gary Stanley Slade and Robbie Graham and went to entertain the residents at Elmhurst Residential Home.
Gary Winstanley runs the Wigan branch of the Sons of the Desert.
His partner Julie said: “It was a good day, we always enjoy meeting up with Sons from across the UK.
“There were representatives from Tents from Wigan, which is us, Birmingham, Bradford, North Shields, Carlisle, Liverpool, Oldham, Manchester, Widnes and Brighton and Hove.
“We met up at the museum, which is always nice as we can catch up with our friends that run it, then sang our Sons anthem before our short parade to the statue.
“There we sang the song again and took lots of photos. We were grateful it didn’t rain, although we did have to hold on tight to our banners and hats.
“After that, some Sons went back to the museum but others went to Elmhurst Residential Home, where we had been asked to go along to entertain the residents.
“The Laurel and Hardy lookalikes joined us, where we sang various songs from the films, and the residents shook hands with our mascot – Jiggs the monkey, from the film Dirty Work – which is the Tent from Wigan.
“The residents seemed to enjoy it, and the Sons that went said they were glad they’d gone, as it felt good to do something nice for others. We then rejoined the Sons at the Stan Laurel Inn, where we chatted and drank for several hours.”
To find out more about the worldwide Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society, Sons of the Desert, visit the Facebook page.
