Dame Shirley Bassey honoured with bronze plaque at The SSE Arena in Wembley

Dame Shirley Bassey has been given a bronze plaque on the ‘Square of Fame’ at The SSE Arena in Wembley, London.
The 82-year-old musical icon was honoured on Wednesday (18.09.19) with the plaque – which is imprinted with her name and handprints – in Wembley Park’s ‘Square of Fame’, which is situated outside of The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Shirley received the accolade to mark 60 years of live music and entertainment at the London venue, after the ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ hitmaker first performed there during a legendary performance that inaugurated the arena as an iconic concert venue.
The star’s plaque now sits alongside other stars in the ‘Square of Fame’, including Madonna, Alice Cooper, Kylie Minogue, Lionel Richie, Bryan Adams and the late George Michael.
Speaking in a statement, Shirley said: I am honoured to have been asked back to The SSE Arena, Wembley, after 60 years to unveil my handprints in Wembley Park’s iconic ‘Square of Fame’. It is incredible how much Wembley Park has transformed over the years and I am delighted that my bronze plaque will forever be included in one of the UK’s largest collection of handprints next to so many iconic artists."
The ‘Goldfinger’ singer performed to a crowd of 9,000 people in 1959 during the first ever concert to take place at the venue, which was known at the time as Empire Pool, Wembley.
Shirley’s performance was part of Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘Record Star Show’, which was a charity fundraiser that also featured Petula Clark, Max Bygraves, Lonnie Donegan and Humphrey Lytlleton.
John Drury, Vice President and General Manager of The SSE Arena, Wembley, said in another statement: "We are so honoured to have Dame Shirley Bassey revisit The SSE Arena, Wembley, unveiling her handprints to celebrate a momentous 60 years of entertainment – it’s a nostalgic reminder of the amazing artists we have had perform here and how many are still to come. The Dame’s performance was such a significant occasion for The SSE Arena, Wembley, entertaining thousands of guests – we look forward to entertaining many thousands more over the next 60 years!"