Just Good Friends target Christmas No 1 spot

The festive season is still months away, but the Just Good Friends group donned Christmas celebration gear in April because they have a very special target in mind.

The companionship group is a registered charity which has proved a great success since being founded in St Annes by Bev Sykes 12 years ago.

It now has around 250 members, who meet regularly for socials, trips and other get-togethers.

Their latest Tuesday afternoon gathering at the Victoria pub in St Annes was given over to a special performance of a song written specially for them which was recorded with the Christmas No 1 spot in mind.

"If Lad Baby can do it with his songs about sausage rolls, why not us?” said Bev, as she joined the rest of the group in a rousing rendition of Just Good Friends To Me, written for them by St Annes-based Simon Slater, who under his stage name Johnny Roxx, has provided the entertainment at Just Good Friends’ regular gatherings for many years.

“Johnny wrote the song some years ago and I’ve always thought what a brilliant song it is and what a shame it’s not been taken any further, so we came up with the idea to put it forward for Just Good Friends Christmas Charity Number 1.

"It’s a lovely song about loneliness and how meeting friends, having someone near can help combat your loneliness and isolation.

“I truly believe it explains what we are about and we're hoping it will reach No 1 for Christmas. It needs to be done this early to stand a chance of topping the charts by then and even if we don’t it’s great fun, as all our gatherings are.

"Johnny said he needed to video some of the event, so we asked the Victoria if we could do Christmas at their venue, all dressed up as if we were going to a Christmas party, and they even decorated the pub as if it was Christmas, with a Christmas buffet.”

The song has been reimagined for the Christmas No 1 bid, with the aim of promoting awareness to the charity and the hard work that’s being done.

"Just Good Friends’ values are about love, kindness, respect and being there for each other and it works. We have all become a family with more and more people joining us all the time,” added Bev.

Simon aka Johnny said: “Coming to Just Good Friends gigs has been a very humbling and an amazing experience, to see everyone come together and enjoy themselves and what a fun lot they are.”Just Good Friends member Bernie Worsfold said: “Having the Just Good Friends group is a necessity providing a means for lonely people to become part of the community and the Charity Christmas single is a good way of advertising what we do, as people don't always realise until they get involved with us.”

Fellow member Jean Pritchard added: “I really hope it can be the Christmas Number 1.”