BRAZILYMM66+60

WHEN WORLD CUP FEVER GRIPPED A CHESHIRE VILLAGE 
Ten years ago 250 people packed into the Lymm Hotel for a night of celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the time that the hotel was briefly home to the 1966 Brazil World Cup squad, that included iconic players like Pelé, Garrincha and Gilmar. That night in 2016 the memories flowed as freely as the wine, with memories of kickabouts with the stars, autographs, photos and even the lending of kids’ bikes to the players so that they could ride round the village. The reminiscences were fuelled too by an outstanding display of photographs and memorabilia. Much of it was provided by avid local collector Neil Perkins, with the whole event being organised by the newly formed Lymm Heritage group. What was meant to be a one evening affair ended up running for almost a week as the BBC picked up on the story, featuring it on their home page and with regional news programmes also turning up to promote the story.

Much has changed in Lymm in the ten years since that night. The historic hotel was demolished in 2019 to make way for retirement apartments. Pelé, sadly, has passed away. But on the plus side the village does now have its own Heritage Centre, a charity that was launched back on that night in 2016. And it is in the Heritage Centre that you can now see and hear again the whole story of that famous 1966 visit in the form of video and storyboards as well as a gallery of photographs, many of them newly restored using the latest technology. The exhibition also includes a rediscovered hotel visitor book, never before seen in public, containing the signatures of the whole team and staff plus several of the other teams who visited around that time.

Whether you’re a football fan, a local history enthusiast or just a lover of nostalgia we think you will enjoy Brazilymm66+60.