The Liverpool children's home that provided the inspiration for The Beatles' classic 'Strawberry Fields Forever' was closed for good yesterday after 68 years in business. Strawberry Fields Children's Home housed hundreds of children over the years, but can no longer afford to stay open. The home's assistant manager Pete Burns told reporters yesterday: ""It has been a very emotional time for all the children and staff. I can't praise the staff enough. They have been 100% committed to the children and the home over the years - so much so that it has become like another family for them. The quality of care here was second-to-none. What is so lovely is that siblings have come to us as a unit with maybe four or five brothers or sisters."
John Lennon lived near the orphanage as a child and reportedly felt a particular affinity with the establishment after his mother died - so much so he left the home £50,000 in his will. The song was released in 1967, with another Liverpool inspired track, 'Penny Lane', on the flip side.