As Cavern City Tours is sold - Thank You

With the news that Cavern City Tours is entering a new chapter, I wanted to say a personal thank you to the people who have been such a big part of its story and in turn, mine.

Founded in 1983 by Bill Heckle, Ron Jones, and Gerry Murphy with Dave Jones joining the following year, Cavern City Tours helped build Liverpool’s Beatles visitor industry at a time when its potential was still far from widely recognised.

1991 was a defining year. The company took over The Cavern Club and began operating the daily Beatles tours, initially using a double-decker bus. In 1994, that was replaced by a 1966 Bedford VAL, the same model used in The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour film, painted in the familiar psychedelic colours. The Magical Mystery Tour became a central part of the company’s story and mine too.

Alongside George Guinness and later Julia Baird (John Lennon’s sister), they helped build something whose contribution reached far beyond Mathew Street. The Beatles Convention and International Beatleweek, the Mathew Street Festival and the Beatles statues on the waterfront all form part of that history. Their work helped create experiences, jobs and friendships that have meant so much to people around the world.

But for me this isn’t a post about the history of Cavern City Tours - I’ve written that post before. For me this is a thank you.

When I worked with Lee Jones at Liverpool City Sights, I would always hear about Dave Jones. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t get to work more closely with Dave and learn as much from him as I would have liked. But I’ll always treasure an afternoon when he showed me around The Cavern Club and Mathew Street. We went for a walk, chatted, and I got to spend time with someone whose work had helped shape the industry I’d become part of.

But how my journey with Cavern City Tours began was when one day Bill Heckle called me and offered me a job on the Magical Mystery Tour. Believe it or not, I initially turned it down! But after going in for a meeting with him, I came away convinced that this was the right company for me to join.

Looking back at everything that followed, I’m very grateful I picked up the phone and went to that meeting. That invitation led to 4 years in the Head Office, 8 years of guiding, meeting incredible people from around the world and great experiences.

With Bill, there have also been countless hours together, many pints (some practically forced down me) and even a trip to Benidorm. For two years we sat next to each other in the head office, and he would regularly call me over to his desk to show me a news story. Along the way came endless stories about his life and adventures. Those everyday moments mean as much to me as the big occasions.

Then there’s George Guinness. My memories of George in the office come with a Steely Dan soundtrack. We’d have afternoons listening to music, and on Fridays he’d be the first to head down to the pub and get the weekend started. We always had great fun together.

And Julia Baird is someone I feel very fortunate to have got to know.

I first met Julia at The Beatles Story in 2015 and had my picture taken with her. When we met again at an event in 2017, we got chatting about religion, and she recommended books for me to read. After I joined Cavern City Tours, I helped with her website and would regularly receive messages asking for a hand, something I always felt honoured to do.

One day, after guiding competition winners around Liverpool, I ended up at The Cavern with Julia. We were the last ones standing, watching a Neil Young tribute act and talking about The Cavern, life, religion and family.

Eventually, I mentioned her brother John, something I’d always been reluctant to bring up. I told her that when I spent time with her, I didn’t find myself thinking about him. By then, she was Julia: someone I knew and respected for her own life, her experiences and everything she had done. So much more than “John Lennon’s sister”.

These are the memories I’ll carry with me from this chapter. Alongside the tours, the music and the big events, there were afternoons in the office, conversations over a pint and people who gave me their time and their trust.

They trusted me lead tours of The Cavern Club for the first time in the clubs history, they trusted me to grow their social media accounts almost from the ground up and they trusted me to guide and eventually be manager of their Magical Mystery Tour, I’m grateful to them for their trust.

A few years ago, I wrote a much longer history of Cavern City Tours for The Cavern’s website. It feels like the right moment to share it again and recognise just how much went into building the industry and place we know today.

To Bill, Dave, George and Julia, and everyone who helped build this chapter of Cavern City Tours: thank you. For what you’ve done for Liverpool, for the music and the memories, and for the opportunities you’ve given people like me.

And Bill, thank you for making that phone call.

Here’s to the next chapter of The Cavern!

Read the full article of Cavern City Tours history that I wrote in 2021 here