Harry Styles fans head to Holmes Chapel on 'pilgrimage' in attempt to meet singer

Annalese Gammell and mum Paula, from Australia, spent $20k on a three-week trip to the UK, with tickets to see every single one of Harry's gigs. Credit: MEN Media

Masses of Harry Styles fans - including a mother and daughter from Australia - have descended on a Cheshire village to follow in the footsteps of their idol.

Thousands of 'Stylers' have been catching the train to Holmes Chapel, making a 'pilgrimage' to the famous singer's hometown.

Passionate fans have travelled from across the world to watch the pop star perform, as he kicked off the UK leg of his 'Love on Tour' with two sell-out dates in Manchester.

Among fans is Annalese Gammell, 19, and mum Paula, from Australia, who have spent $20,000 on a three-week UK trip, with tickets to see every single one of Harry's gigs.

Heading to Holmes Chapel was high on their list of things to do when they arrived in Manchester for the start of the gigs.

Harry Styles fans pose next to a picture of him in the bakery where he used to work. Credit: MEN Media
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Annalese said: "I've been a fan since One Direction, I just love Harry. He is...everything.

"I can relate to his music so much. Just listening to him helps my anxiety, his songs really just do that. Matilda is the best. I cry lots when I hear him sing that."

Mum, Paula, said: "Yes it's cost a lot of money but she missed her 18th and 19th birthdays because of lockdowns in Australia.

"We had originally booked tickets to all of his gigs in Australia but when they cancelled we thought 'well let's make it up and go to the UK instead'."

Harry Styles, 28, first shot to fame at the age of 16 with boyband One Direction on ITV's The X Factor.

It was thanks to his appearance on the talent show that fans first got a glimpse of his life in Holmes Chapel, including his part-time job at the local bakery, W Mandevilles.

Fans outside Harry Styles' old workplace. Credit: MEN Media

Staff at the bakery say there has been a constant stream of fans queueing up for a photograph with a life-sized placard of Harry back in his bakery days.Friends, Kaylee Abbotts, 21, and Danya D'Souza, 22, both from Brisbane in Australia, saw their trip as the perfect opportunity to visit Harry's home town too.Danya says: "We'd seen videos and photos of people coming here so we thought while we were in Manchester we'd come to see Harry's home town.

"There were hundreds of fans on the train and we've met loads of girls from America and Australia."It's just been so nice. We've never been to England before so to explore Manchester and Holmes Chapel has been lovely."

Fans have left thousands of messages on a wall in Holmes Chapel. Credit: MEN Media

As well as visiting the bakery, fans have signing and taking photos with a wall on the Twemlow railway viaduct.

It is where Harry wrote his name during the 'This is Us' biopic, a film about One Direction.

The wall is scribbled with thousands of signatures and messages to the singer.

Some of the them read: "Give love, choose love, love everyone always," and "I love you, thank you for being you, I'm so proud of you Harry."

It comes as the first trailer for much-anticipated romantic drama My Policeman is released, which sees Harry Styles star alongside The Crown's Emma Corrin.

The film is based on Bethan Roberts’ 2012 novel and will see the chart-topper play police officer Tom, who is in a complex love triangle in 1950s Britain.

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