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’You may say we are dreamers, but we’re not the only ones ;        We hope some day you’ll join us, and the world will live as one’’

In 2012 well-known ascot man, Alan Carr, was made the guardian of John Lennon's famous Sgt Pepper’s Gypsy Caravan by a philanthropic client for charitable purposes. The client was moving from a house he had bought from Ringo Starr, who had left the broken remains of the Caravan in his garden! It is of great value, in monetary terms, in its iconic status in Rock & Roll history but, more importantly, in the message of Love & Peace encapsulated by John in his lyrics to Imagine - Alan's favourite record of all time.

On great authority, it’s the greatest find in Beatles history, having thought lost for 50 years, so as guardian it was Alan's responsibility to find a safe and caring home, as well as people who could help restore the caravan and deliver that message of Love & Peace, much needed in these troubled times.

After a year of searching, destiny brought Alan into contact with Samantha Koshare Edouardes, founder and trustee of The Delight Makers Foundation. She was in need of help with their own project called ‘A Thousand Grandparents and Bedtime Stories’ which in short is about a life changing gift of love for the world’s children who have never experienced that moment when grandpa sat you on his knee to tell us those mystical stories.  John also loved children’s stories and found great comfort during his turbulent childhood years whilst living with his Aunt Mimi, especially in ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘Wind and the Willows’ which happens to feature a racy car and a gypsy caravan! Sam’s partner, lovingly nicknamed Maddog, is a world record breaking restorer with a special gift for innovation and engineering. They also both love the Beatles, especially John whose message of Love and Peace is a major part of their very being.

Wind in the Willows by Philip Mendoza        

At last, Alan had found the perfect home so  transferred the Caravan to the Delight Makers Foundation, of which I am now a trustee.

For the following four years the team went on a journey to prove full provenance and obtain legal ownership. On that journey they discovered many untold stories from people closely connected to John - his friends and family, the hippy community of that time, biographers, photographers, the Caravan restorers and many more. We have also built some wonderful relationships with The Beatles History Museum, The Cavern Club and Beatles hubs around the world and received words of support from Julian Lennon and John’s sister, Julia Baird.

The Caravan is now being restored back to the way that John dreamt it, painstakingly preserving every possible piece so that it will return to the public still emanating the life and spirit of John. To give you an example, the broken windows are not being replaced but instead the glass is being resmelted, wood is not thrown away, but lovingly brought back to life and integrated with replacement pieces felled in the same era as the original timber. This is an expensive process, but this is an historic and cultural legacy and a tribute to one of the 20th century’s greatest icons.

With the Caravan now in a secret and safe location and the restoration is under way  fundraising can now begin, to bring it back to life for the world to enjoy. There are 220 million registered Beatles followers around the world without the BRIC nation’s and the Charity hopes you, your family or friends might be able reach out to those fans to help us raise the seed funding for the restoration, so please share this exciting opportunity with them.

The project is called Peacing Together, because that’s what is being done with the Caravan. It will be a catalyst for great things especially when the restoration is complete. A documentary, book and a world tour are planned after the Caravan is showcased  in Liverpool, to the Beatles UK fans. The caravan can then be used to venture out into the world, as a totem and catalyst for all that John stood for, raising awareness and funds for beautiful causes.

The Charity wants to share treasured moments and original artefacts with the sponsors. These come in the many different packages: be-it a Lottery Draw Peacemaker for £36.00 a year up to the Angel of Peace at £50,000, so please take time to look and hopefully join the family of Peace Makers. You can Join on the new website:  https://peacingtogether.org/join-us/