Thomas Rigby's in the centre of Liverpool was the venue for a gathering of 18 friends and former colleagues on Thursday 13 June 2024, organised by SCARA. The majority were from the Liverpool and Manchester offices, and some had worked with them from Beagle House, but four attendees had also served at sea with the company.
The start time was arranged for 12.30 but this was an informal 'do' with people arriving at Thomas Rigby's throughout the afternoon. Some took the option to extend the day by having dinner at the Elif Turkish BBQ restaurant in nearby Bold Street.
The day chosen for this gathering coincided with the first of three Taylor Swift concerts in the city, with 55,000 'Swifties' (fans of the American singer) heading for the Anfield football stadium. With tickets apparently changing hands at around £2,000 on the day, it seems unlikely that anyone at the reunion will have joined them!
The listing of two Mike Chapmans here is not a typo... For a number of years the company had a Mike Chapman in Liverpool and his namesake based in London. This occasionally caused some interesting incidents, some of which had to be retold!
Although regular gatherings informal gatherings have continued to take place in both Liverpool and Manchester in the interim, this was the first SCARA reunion in the area since September 2021. One of the conclusions from the day was that it shouldn't be another 3 years before the next event. A return date in 2025 is therefore anticipated.
Mike Chapman, David Cross, Barry Fletcher, Steve Illingworth, Brian Craven, John Bennett, Steve Tite, Clive Palmer, Maggie Baguley, Mike Chapman, Ed Van Dorp, Chris Evans, Vicky Revill-Whelan and Neil Pritchard
The venue: Thomas Rigby's on Dale Street in central Liverpool
Ed Van Dorp, John Bennett, George Heyes, Chris Evans and Neil Pritchard
Clive Palmer and David Cross
Chris Evans, David Cross (welcoming everyone as chair of SCARA), John Bennett and Ed Van Dorp
Trevor Hopkins, Mike Chapman and Maggie Baguley
Participants:
Maggie Baguley
John Bennett
Mike Chapman
Mike Chapman
Brian Craven
David Cross
Ed Van Dorp
Chis Evans
Barry Fletcher
George Heyes
Trevor Hopkins
Steve Illingworth
Clive Palmer
Neil Pritchard
Vicky Revill-Whelan
Mark Shields
Steve Tite
Carl Yates
David Cross with John Bennett
Clive Palmer with Steve Illingworth
Neil Pritchard, Steve Tite, Carl Yates and Brian Craven
The two Mike Chapmans... Ex-sea staff/Beagle House version on the left and Liverpool on the right!
16/06/2024