George Michael fans gathered in Goring at the end of June for a celebration of the singer, who lived in Goring before his sad death last Christmas. The weekend – which would have been the star’s 54th birthday – was the culmination of months of planning by the team at the Catherine Wheel who turned their annual music festival into a two-day tribute called Spinning the Wheel, after one of his songs.
As well as renowned tribute artist James Bermingham, eight local bands provided free entertainment. The pub raised £2,795 for the Terence Higgins Trust, one of George’s favourite charities, through collecting buckets, a special Club Tropicana pizza, festival glasses and an auction by fan club The George Michael Lovelies.
Landlady Vanessa said, “We served more than 2,000 customers over the weekend, some from as far away as Canada and Australia. We’re already making plans for Spin the Bottle 2 next year.”