He ain't heavy: How Everton chairman Bill Kenwright made the Hillsborough charity single that will be Christmas No 1
By Mike Walters | 2012-12-21 22:35:16.0
Holding hands in the centre circle, the two mascots became powerful symbols of the fight for justice.
In her blue Everton shirt, Beth Garner-Watt, 11, wore No.9 while seven-year-old Mikey Clare was Liverpoolâs No.6 in red for the night.
On the big screen, the names of 96 innocent supporters who died at Hillsborough were displayed in a scroll of remembrance â and then the strains of The Holliesâ No.1 hit, He Ainât Heavy, Heâs My Brother filled the night air at Goodison Park.
Whoever chose that record as an expression of Merseyside unity in the campaign to unveil the truth about a scandal was a genius.
Step forward, Everton chairman Bill Kenwright.
In a year when football won few new converts with its toxic recontamination of racism and hooliganism, Evertonâs gesture of solidarity with the fallen at Hillsborough, shortly after an independent review panel had exposed the cover-up which smeared their names, was riddled with class.
And Kenwrightâs choice of He Ainât Heavy was so inspired that the Justice Collective cover version, featuring Sir Paul McCartney and Robbie Williams, is running neck-and-neck with X Factor winner James Arthur for the Christmas No.1 spot.
Arthur can hold a tune, and he is a fine ambassador for Saltburnâs red sandstone cliffs, but if there is any justice for the 96, the song featuring Beth and Mikey on the CD front cover will top the charts when you carve the turkey.
Even if Everton win the Cup or qualify for the Champions League this season, they wonât top Kenwrightâs flash of inspiration.
In consultation with Trevor Hicks and Margaret Aspinall, leaders of the Justice for the 96 campaign, he had toyed with playing Youâll Never Walk Alone before that 2-2 draw with Newcastle in September.
Kenwright wrestled with his conscience as he considered the implications of a gesture which would be the equivalent of giving airtime to Blaydon Races at the Stadium of Light, Blue Moon at Old Trafford or Delilah at Vale Park.
âWhatever anyone says, there has always been a closeness between Everton and Liverpool,â said the great theatre impresario. âSure, there is a rivalry - we all know they want us to lose and we want them to lose - but there has always been that affinity.
âI was brought up on walking to Anfield or walking to Goodison with my mates in our different coloured scarves, and certainly the bond between Evertonians and Liverpudlians over the Hillsborough debacle, not only the disaster at the time but what happened since, was something everyone on Merseyside railed against.
âWe were all euphoric at that moment when we heard that, at last, those families - people like Margaret and Trevor, who had fought and fought and fought - had an opportunity to say, âYou were wrong, we were right and our families deserve more respect.â
âWe talked about Everton playing Youâll Never Walk Alone at Goodison Park for the 96, which I didnât believe would be inappropriate in any way, shape or form.
âI remember we battled with that one, and then all of a sudden I thought, âHang on a minute - what about He Ainât Heavy, Heâs My Brotherâ.
âThe song just seemed to sum up everything about the relationship between Everton and Liverpool.â
Kenwrightâs creative input is acknowledged on the Justice Collectiveâs cover sleeve, but this time he does not want the credit: he just wants the Holliesâ reworked classic to top the charts, which would be the equivalent of laying a holly wreath at Anfieldâs shrine to the 96.
In another touch of class, Everton beamed a giant hologram on the outside of the Kop earlier this week - Beth and Mikey holding hands under the slogan âLetâs make it No.1 together.â
âI donât think it deserves praise. Itâs just an idea based on human nature, and those families deserve it,â said Kenwright.
âShall I tell you what I think? As far as Iâm concerned, thereâs no âifâ -it will be No.1. Not only do I think it would be a great injustice if it didnât go to No.1, Iâm sure it WILL be No.1.â
Last year, the Military Wives denied X Factor winners Little Mix, a coterie of scalded cats, the honour. The road is long, with many a winding turn, but hereâs hoping another deserving cause defeats the commercial juggernaut this weekend.
