Lady Anne Dodd, the wife of Sir Ken Dodd, has donated money to fund a new set of glass-stained windows to St Anne’s Church as a part of his estate.
The Liverpool legend who earned his fame through his comedy genius and ability to make people laugh continues to give to his beloved city as his wife makes generous contributions in his name.
Sir Ken Dodd’s history with the church goes back to 2008 when he attended a service where the parish choir played in a congregation.
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After attending this performance of Olivette Calvary, Sir Ken said "if you ever do it again let me know and I'll come listen", and from then on they put the show on each year and almost every year he was there, true to his word.
After Sir Ken passed away, Geoff Williams, who works at the church, asked his wife Lady Anne if they could make it a memorial performance every year. As the years went by, the church decided that it would be a “lovely idea” to honour Sir Ken with glass stained windows with the lyrics of his favourite hymn.
The design was created specifically for the church and it was important to them that Lady Anne was present throughout the entire process, from the designing aspects to picking the window’s colour.
The church windows were unveiled on its 132st birthday last Sunday, September 25. In its celebration the church blessed the windows and had the choir sing the verses from the beloved hymn, Mr Williams said: “The impact on Lady Anne was incredible, she was very emotional.
"She was elated, I wanted to give her first dibs on seeing the windows before anyone. She stopped in her tracks, and there's one pane in the last window that says 'In memory of Sir Ken Dodd' and she stood there with her hands on the pane and you could see the emotions going through her."
Mr Williams added: "She's using Ken's state for good causes all over the area. All of these things are for the benefit of the community and it's so generous of her."
Describing the difference the windows have made to the church, he said: "The porch is now bathed in light when it was once dark and an unwelcoming place."
The church spoke of their gratitude to Sir Ken and Lady Anne for their support and generosity throughout the years. Mr Williams added how Sir Ken’s presence always filled the room with joy and how “he was so engaging”, he was always the last person to leave after making sure everyone who wanted got a photo with him.
Along with the windows, the church has a photo of Sir Ken with the church’s choir hung up in pride, Mr Williams described the frame as one of their “prized possessions”.
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