The Salvation Army’s Strawberry Field in Liverpool, England, unveiled a rare, limited-edition 12-inch vinyl acetate of John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band’s seminal hit record, Give Peace a Chance and Remember Love, in honour of its 55th anniversary this past July.

Already home to a unique John Lennon exhibition, this new addition is one of only 50 in the world and will be a temporary feature at the popular visitor attraction and of interest to the masses of Beatles fans who visit the city.

Rare Record

The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom and Ireland was among 50 charities gifted the vinyl acetates from Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon. Each organization was given the record to use to raise funds “for peace and love” and The Salvation Army has now revealed its plans to put the gift on display at its visitor centre at Strawberry Field to help raise income for its charitable works.

The Liverpool visitor attraction provides the perfect venue to house the rare piece of Beatles memorabilia due to its historical connection to John Lennon, and ongoing significance as an international landmark of peace and love, which threads through The Salvation Army’s work and John Lennon’s legacy as a champion for peace.

Originally released on July 4, 1969, the double-sided 12-inch acetates were hand-cut on the lathe at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, synonymous with the legendary work of The Beatles. Produced and executive produced by Sean and Yoko, each rare record is stickered, uniquely numbered and features a machine-printed signature from Yoko herself, making them highly collectable. 

Imagine

The record can be seen on display in the visitor exhibition at Strawberry Field, where proceeds from ticket sales will help support Steps at Strawberry Field, a series of individually tailored programs aimed at helping people with learning difficulties or other barriers to employment. Providing employment skills, work experience and volunteer placements, the scheme has helped hundreds of young people find fulfilling employment opportunities thanks to the personalized support provided. The limited-edition acetate will then be sold at a future date to raise further funds to support The Salvation Army’s work at Strawberry Field.

To spread peace and goodwill—and with Sean and Yoko following its journey closely—the rare acetate joins many symbols of peace located within the grounds of Strawberry Field, including the Strawberry Field Bandstand with its “Imagine” mosaic floor, a Ukrainian Peace Monument and the piano on which John Lennon wrote Imagine.

Inspirational Messages

Trainees and graduates from the Steps to Work program joined The Salvation Army’s Major Kathy Versfeld, mission director at Strawberry Field, to unveil the vinyl acetate in the Strawberry Field exhibition, where it is now on display for public viewing.

“It is an honour for us at The Salvation Army to receive and display this gift from Yoko and Sean at Strawberry Field,” says Major Kathy. “This recognition of The Salvation Army’s transformative work in communities across the country is truly humbling. Given Strawberry Field’s symbolic and historical connection with John Lennon and its ongoing significance as an international landmark of peace and love, it seems the perfect place for this unique piece of history to be—a place which meant so much to John Lennon.

“We are excited to offer visitors the opportunity to see the record in our exhibition,” she concludes, “where their entry fee will support our charitable work helping young people with learning difficulties and barriers to employment to find meaningful paid work. I pray that people who come to see it are inspired by its messages, and the sentiment of Yoko and Sean’s gesture, to join with us in this global movement of peace and love.”

Strawberry Field

Strawberry Field is a visitor attraction located in Liverpool at the iconic site immortalized by John Lennon in The Beatles’ hit, Strawberry Fields Forever.

Strawberry Field was purchased by The Salvation Army in 1934. The organization opened the site as a children’s home in 1936, and for nearly 70 years, the site supported some of Liverpool’s most vulnerable children until it closed in 2005.

Telling the story of John Lennon’s childhood, and the writing and recording of the iconic song Strawberry Fields Forever, the Strawberry Field attraction is home to an interactive visitor exhibition, which includes the original Imaginepiano, the original red gates and the magical gardens where John played, climbed trees and dreamed as a child.

Through archival footage, photographs, timelines and specialist media guides, visitors to Strawberry Field can experience where John Lennon played and what happened behind the famous red gates.

Profits from the visitor experience and commercial operations go toward keeping the gates open for the good of the local community and to help fund Steps at Strawberry Field, a series of programs aimed at those with learning difficulties or other barriers to employment.

Photos: Jason Robert