A former Tiller Girl has been reminiscing about her time on stage performing for the royal family as the Queen celebrates her official 90th birthday this weekend.
Jennifer Povey, 74, who lives at Lauren Court care home in Blacon, Chester, will be glued to the TV on Saturday (June 11) when the Trooping the Colour ceremony marks Her Majesty’s special day.
She often talks affectionately to her carers and friends of the days when she was involved in show business and danced in front of Queen Elizabeth II.
It was in 1955, as a young dancer in the Blackpool Tower Ballet, that Jennifer performed for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the first Royal Variety Performance staged outside London.
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Held at the Opera House Theatre in Blackpool, Jennifer brushed shoulders with stars including Morecambe and Wise, George Formby and the Tiller Girls – a famous dance troupe formed by John Tiller in Manchester in 1889.
And four years later, at the still tender age of 16, Jennifer Povey was proud to be successful in joining the Tiller Girls, famous for their high kicking, precision routines.
Jennifer remembers standing tall for former Tiller Girl Miss Barbara Aitkin, then choreographer of the group, as the girls were selected because of their uniform heights and weights, as well as how high they could kick.
During the 1950s the Tiller Girls became the premier dance troupe on British television and were seen regularly on ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’.
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And it was at the 1959 British Variety Performance that Jennifer remembers her appearance in front of the Queen Mother. Presented by Bruce Forsyth and with guests including Cliff Richard and the late Arthur Askey, Jennifer talks fondly about the evening.
“I got to speak to Sir Cliff Richard and he was only a year older than me. I can also remember being dared by the other Tiller Girls to sit in the royal box before the Queen Mother arrived!
“It was an honour to perform for the royal family and I have been lucky to meet other celebrities including Ken Dodd and the late Liberace.”
Jennifer’s talents also saw her perform alongside the late Carry On star Bernard Bresslaw as first principal girl in Aladdin.
“I used to take sandwiches and refreshments to Bernard and he told me I was his favourite Tiller Girl. He collected kewpie dolls and had them all around his dressing room.”
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Jenny then went on to appear in the Cheshire Observer in October 1963 being given the title of Chester’s first ‘Miss Beautiful Bowler’.
In 1990 the late Bob Monkhouse opened Rufus Court in Chester, where Jennifer owned an antique shop. “Bob remembered me from my Tiller Girl days and I will certainly never forget them.”
Celebrations to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday took place at Lauren Court on Friday (June 10) with the home decorated in Union Jacks and bunting while residents attended an indoor street party dressed in their best outfits and hats.
