“It’s a Scouse thing.” We defend for the people”

Singer Rebecca Ferguson paid tribute to the ‘epitome’ of Liverpool in a stunning performance at the city’s town hall.

A huge treasure hunt was launched today mapping locations in Liverpool relating to John Lennon, with more than 500 points on the map – forming an artwork depicting a portrait of the Beatles singer. It comes before the release date of Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection. A similar map of Tokyo, featuring an image of Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, was also produced.

To kick off today’s launch event at Liverpool Town Hall, Rebecca Ferguson, who grew up in Huyton, Woolton and Anfield, performed two Lennon songs including Imagine, saying he was the “epitome” of Liverpool’s music scene and a big inspiration to her .

Read more: Sir Keir Starmer’s wife’s NHS work and the food rule for their children

Read more: Lucy Letby blurted out three words after being told she would die in prison

Rebecca performed to a crowd of around 30 Lennon fans who queued hours before the event to get their free map and special surprise.

Speaking to the ECHO, Rebecca said: “John Lennon and I grew up in the same village and I think he’s so cool. I love what he stood for, I love that he was a militant. He has that spirit in him. which I just love, I think it’s a Scouse thing.

“So when I was asked to be involved, I said yes, although I was a bit nervous because it’s about Lennon and his songs, but I’d like to think he’d agree. It was great (to play his songs), a great day and I’m glad his fans enjoyed it.”

She went on to talk about how much her city means to her and how important Saturday morning was. She added: “It was really nice (to be part of Liverpool’s history) – I love my city. I try to get home as much as I can, I can’t live here just because of work, my work is down. south but I like coming home and being around people And it’s normal to be honest everyone is friendly so whenever I’m asked to do something for Liverpool I’ll do it.

“Now I tend to do a lot of things in Liverpool, I do things for the council, for Maggie’s charity (which works to help people with cancer) and I get back to my roots, which has been wonderful to do. And then I get to spend more time at home and I love people to be honest, it’s nice to be normal, all my family are up north and my friends so it’s nice to come home and have a night out.

She called Lennon the “epitome” of Liverpool music.

She said: “I spent a lot of time while I was pregnant campaigning for the creative industry and it was really hard. It used to be like the wild west, but now there is something in place. When I was campaigning for one of the songs I would listen to is “Power to the People” by Lennon, I just think it has that spirit about it.

“He cared about justice in the world and I hope I did him justice today. It’s beautiful, it’s a nod to my city and a nod to one of the amazing greats who came before me, someone who paved the way for Liverpool. He is the symbol of it, he and the Beatles are everything to Liverpool.”

For more information on all Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection formats available or to pre-order, click here.

Rebecca Ferguson also has a show at the ECHO Arena this December.

Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by subscribing to the Echo Daily newsletter here