Entertainment

Pensioners ‘eat, sing and boogie’ at Liverpool gay bar – Liverpool Echo

Pensioners from across Merseyside say a Liverpool bar gives them the opportunity to ‘eat, sing and boogie’ as the community comes out of isolation and lockdown.

Every Wednesday, Kitty’s Showbar on Tithebarn Street, on the outskirts of Vauxhall, hosts a pensioners’ lunch club providing entertainment and a free two-course meal to all who attend.

Staff at the all-inclusive LGBT-friendly bar launched their lunch club in August 2021 to help give back to the community.

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Dozens of people from Walton to Wirral flock to Kitty’s for a chance to mingle to enjoy their weekly free meal.

While the pensioners munch down on British delicacies like bangers and mash, fish and chips and scouse, resident pianist Mr Piano Man plays tunes to get the crowd buzzing.

Energised visitors get up to dance, sing and perform their own renditions of classic karaoke hits.

One woman, who has attended the lunch club every week since its inception, described Kitty’s Showbar as a ‘second home’ for the community amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

She told the ECHO : “It’s just really nice to get back out and see friends again.

“Some people aren’t quite ready to go back to bigger venues yet.

“But no matter how many people come it’s always a great atmosphere.”

Friends gather at Kitty's Showbar for their weekly pensioners' lunch club
Friends gather at Kitty’s Showbar for their weekly pensioners’ lunch club
(Image: Oliver Adams/Liverpool ECHO)

Another group of friends travelled from Staffordshire to attend the lunch club.

They said: “We heard how friendly the bar was and we’ve travelled from one end of Liverpool to the other to find this place.

“Everybody’s so kind, this is one of our favourite cities.”

Alongside the lunch club, the bar is also hosting a free coach trip to Blackpool where pensioners will enjoy a day out to Blackpool tower’s ballroom.

Drag queen and bar co-owner Kitty Litter, who helps feed vulnerable communities in Liverpool twice a week, said the ‘gay-owned’ bar welcomes everybody to its events.

Kitty said: “I want to bring the people of the city back together and get everyone smiling again.

“It’s all about giving back. Our city has been through some dull times recently and it’s great to finally get back together.”

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