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Jimmy Cricket & co a hit at golf club 150 150 mhamer

Jimmy Cricket & co a hit at golf club

Jimmy Cricket with Buzz Hawkins from the Bradshaws, and impressionist Johnny More

Jimmy Cricket will return to a golf club in north Manchester later this year following a recent successful charity show there.

The fundraising event, A Night with the Stars, took place at Blackley golf club and was in aid of the Red Cross and the Ebola crises appeal.

The fundraising event took place at Blackley golf club and was in aid of the Red Cross and the Ebola crises appeal

Jimmy graced the club alongside Buzz Hawkins from the Bradshaws, the impressionist Johnny More (all three are pictured above) and a host of other performers.

Tony Horsfield and Eric Devereux, both very good friends of Jimmy, were the organisers of the event.

It must have been a good night, as Jimmy has already been asked to return to the same venue for his own comedy evening that is being organised by the club captain and his entertainment team.

And the latest Golden Wellie winner is… 150 150 mhamer

And the latest Golden Wellie winner is…

Jimmy Cricket’s latest Golden Wellington award has been presented to Danny Tujeshyn, who manages the restaurant at the Royal Toby Hotel in Castleton, Rochdale.

The famous entertainer decided to recognise the great hospitality and service Danny has provided to all who have been to the restaurant over the years, and also for all the assistance he has provided in helping the venue to host the Wooden Hut Club.

The club – of which Jimmy is a member – is a regular lunchtime get-together for the show business fraternity in the north of England.

Jimmy Cricket with Royal Toby manager Danny Tujeshyn

As Jimmy is a founding member, it just happened the club started meeting at the Royal Toby because of its proximity to the M62 motorway.

From its first convening several years ago, the club continues to meet at least six times a year at the Royal Toby restaurant and for its Christmas gathering it puts on a festive show for the elderly population of Rochdale.

Over the years, these lunchtime get togethers have featured notable performers such as Bernie Clifton, Graham Grumbleweed, Johnny Casson, Smug Roberts, John Henshall, Arthur Bostrom, Buzz Hawkins, Fred Fielder, Freddy ‘Parrot Face’ Davies and many more.

The latest club gathering was during the afternoon of Tuesday 21 October and Jimmy used the opportunity to thank in front of club members Danny’s contribution in helping to organise these luncheon events.

He also awarded Danny with the October Golden Wellington award (picture above).

Jimmy said: “I have been going to the Royal Toby restaurant for years, ever since I moved into Rochdale in the mid 1970s.

“It is my favourite restaurant because I am a fan of good food and good service. A lot of the latter has been down to how the restaurant has been run over the years and Danny has been a tremendous manager.

“When we started these Wooden Hut Club lunches several years ago, Danny was happy to host them – to the point where club members view the restaurant as its official home, even though we now have guests travelling over from as far as Chesterfield and Chester.

“This means there is no push to move the luncheon club to a venue in Manchester or Leeds as Danny always makes us feel very welcome and can be spotted wearing one of our Wooden Hut club badges!”

Entertainers get together for lunch 150 150 mhamer

Entertainers get together for lunch
Jimmy Cricket with entertainer Eric Devereaux, swing singer Andy Prior and comedian Austin Knight

Jimmy with fellow comedian Austin Knight and singers Eric Devereaux and Andy Prior

The latest luncheon arranged for Jimmy Cricket and some of his friends from the showbusiness fraternity in northern England took place earlier this summer.

The Wooden Hut club is the periodic and informal get-together arranged for the fellow entertainers.

It takes place at the Royal Toby restaurant in Castleton, Rochdale, which is ideally located because of the easy access to and from the M62 motorway, and is jointly organised by two of Jimmy’s good friends – BBC Radio producer Steve Garner and Rochdale-based performer Eric Devereaux.

This latest edition of the club was at the beginning of June and was also attended, among others, by comedian Smug Roberts, Buzz Hawkins from the Bradshaws – the radio and television comedy – actor John Hensall and impersonator Johnny Moore.

Fergie favourite is latest Wellie winner 150 150 mhamer

Fergie favourite is latest Wellie winner

One of Sir Alex Ferguson’s favourite entertainers has won Jimmy Cricket’s latest Golden Wellington award.

Eric Devereaux has had a stellar career as a compere and male vocalist, his notable stints during the cabaret heyday of the 60s and 70s including being a host at iconic venues such as Cadishead Conservative club  in Salford.

Jimmy Cricket presents Eric Devereaux with the golden Wellington award

Jimmy presents Eric with the Welly award

He was good friends with Hughie Green – the legendary presenter of Opportunity Knocks – and was well-known on the Greater Manchester club circuit, with close ties to comedian Bernard Manning and impressionist Mike Yarwood among others.

Eric continues to be one of the favourite performers of Sir Alex, to the point where he has become an annual fixture for the former Manchester United manager’s birthday celebrations each year.

He moved to Norden in Rochdale to retire a few years ago, having been based for most of his life in Failsworth.

Rochdale-based comedian Jimmy presented the June Golden Welly award to Eric for a lifetime in showbusiness during one of  jam night concerts which he arranges every other month at St Vincent’s RC Parish Centre in Norden.

Eric is also one of the organisers of an informal northern network of performers who get together periodically to socialise over lunch at the Royal Toby restaurant in Castleton, Rochdale.

The network, known as the Wooden Hut club, has over the past five years attracted the likes of Jimmy, Buzz Hawkins, Smug Roberts, Bernie Clifton, Arthur Bostrum, Freddy ‘Parrot face’ Davies, Johnny Casson, Andy Prior, Graham Grumbleweed and many more notable entertainers.

Jimmy said: “Eric is so deserving of a recognition of his talents and of the wonderful career in showbusiness he’s had over the years.

“I just wanted to acknowledge this in my own way. In fact, the award was only a small part of the evening and the main focus was an interview I conducted with Eric that lasted the entire second half of the concert!

“This chat was a tremendous trip down memory lane. Everyone present was just amazed at the stories Eric told and also wowed by the photos he brought along to prove what a remarkable life story he has and continues to have.”

Bumping into an old friend… 150 150 mhamer

Bumping into an old friend…
Jimmy Cricket checks out the measurements of the new stall

Jimmy checks out the measurements of the new stall at Heywood Indoor Market

Jimmy Cricket bumped into a friend whom he had not seen for some time when he attended the 10th anniversary celebration of Heywood Indoor Market.

Her name is Jennifer Shaw who has in the past been a promoter of shows and an events organiser.

Some of the shows she has promoted have involved Jimmy and Buzz Hawkins of The Bradshaws fame.

Jennifer still organises golfing events, but recently she has turned her attentions to a haberdashery stall on Heywood Indoor Market which she took over around a year ago.

Said Jimmy: “I was really delighted to see Jennifer again and wish her well with this new venture.”

Meet the Wooden Hut Club 150 150 mhamer

Meet the Wooden Hut Club
Members of the Wooden Hut Club

Members of the Wooden Hut Club

November saw the latest gathering of the informal showbiz fraternity group that Jimmy Cricket attends, which is lovingly called the “Wooden Hut Club”.

Conveniently for Jimmy, the location where this get-together takes place is in Rochdale. It was felt Rochdale was well placed on the M62 between Manchester/Cheshire and Yorkshire for his showbiz pals to get to. After the first ‘do’ was successfully held at the Royal Toby Hotel restaurant on Manchester Road in Castleton, the club have met there ever since.

This gathering has been meeting on and off for last four years and, as you can see from the photo, there was a large number who attended the last lunch showing it is well supported. This is probably because it is a rare chance for showbiz professionals to come together and catch up with the industry news – and of course reminisce about old times.

Some of the individuals in the photo with Jimmy are: Buzz Hawkins from ‘The Bradshaws’, ‘The Comedians’ producer Johnnie Hamp, impressionist Johnny More, BBC radio producer Steve Garner, comedy script writer Phil Collinge, the wife of former BBC radio comedy producer Mike Craig, Treflyn Jones from Target television and entertainer Eric Devereaux.