| |
Christine Skinner (née Russell)
One of my most vivid memories of Helmdon is when we used to gather
in front of the shop (that was when Mr and Mrs Bentley owned it),
probably making lots of noise as groups of kids do, although on the
whole I thought we were pretty well behaved!! Sometimes we met by
the old station. Chris Possinger and Steve Blackwell used to drive
"old bangers" up there, then of course the next generation, Ian, Brian
Somerton, Gill (sis), Lin Humphrey, Jamie Possinger, Pauline Humphrey,
Phil, Mandy, John Brooks and myself, used to meet there too, piling
into these "old bangers". We had a brilliant fireworks party one time.
We lit a massive bonfire and cooked potatoes black, and Bruce McConachie
provided a huge vat of soup. If it was pouring with rain we used to
meet under the bridge in Grange Lane. We must have been mad, but we
didn't like being indoors. We would even sit in the school field on
the seats talking and being silly whilst the grass went white with
frost around us.
We looked forward to the Reading Room Discos. You never knew who you
were going to meet, although generally it tended to be the same crowd.
Chapel youth club brought new faces to the village; Dinger, Aka, &
Sally Wood. We even had a minibus over to Weston to go to youth club
there sometimes. Dinger became a regular to the village on his little
moped. We used to walk for miles in the summer, trekking over to Sulgrave
or Weston or even Brackley if we felt energetic. We thought nothing
of the walk, although, of course, it was safer in the 70s. We all
looked forward to the summer fête, occasionally, in our youth, entering
into the fancy dress parade, but not in our teens, not cool.
I particularly looked forward to Christmas and going carol singing
with Annie Humphrey, Geoff Gulliver, etc. We went all round the village,
ending up in Falcutt at the Lees for food and a cup of tea and squash,
with alcohol for the adults. It was brilliant on a cold frosty night.
When I was younger everyone in our family, except the twins (babies)
HAD to go to Sunday School with Mrs Shellard. Going into Church now
still reminds me of cold Sunday afternoons - the smell, the atmosphere.
I've still got my book prizes I received from Sunday School.
At school we always did a mural on the wall, summer and winter, with
everyone participating. Christmas there was brilliant. We always had
a present under the tree and cartoons on a screen in the canteen.
I'm sure that's why Ian loves cartoons still!!
We used to go scrumping in the autumn, and got caught quite a few
times, especially in the house with the plum tree at the top end of
the village. There wasn't any "us" and "them" and we all played and
associated together.
Older children took the younger ones to school whether it was junior
or secondary. When I first started school at 5 apparently Mum took
me down screaming and crying - I don't remember a thing! I wanted
my Mum, I settled down after a little while with Mrs Ipgrave, and
then said I needed the toilet (in those days there was a top and bottom
playground and the toilets were in the top playground away from the
school). Diane Bearman took me and left me, I went through the school,
then I went through the gate, through the playing field, over gravel
path, and through the Humphrey's field that had all the crab apple
trees in, and home. We lived in Hintons Close then. I probably thought
I was very clever but I got dragged back and had to stay there.
Who can forget Susan Rogers (wonder what happened to her?). She loved
to play "kiss chase" in school with Roger Shellard. I broke my arm
when I was 5 by falling off the small tree stump that was in the playing
field in those days. Mr. Ipgrave used to keep a log of what happened
in the school. He gave all my family our love of poetry, well most
of us anyway!! Barbara Watson took me to Brackley Secondary School
and showed me what to do as I didn't have anyone older to do this
for me.
Mrs Ratledge used to arrange for the children to be in The Merry Comrades
and your birthday was printed in the newspaper. We thought that was
great. Every Christmas we went to the 'rep' in Northampton. The first
thing I saw was Great Expectations and I didn't know what to expect.
I was frightened to death when there was a huge drum roll and the
convict jumped from behind a gravestone!! We all looked forward to
going to the pantomimes except when Netty started coming, and she
was always travel sick so we had to take bags and stop for her!!!
(Sorry Nett) We went without our parents so that doubled the delight!
I have just been on the Helmdon web site again, and seen that my brother
Ian and I were members of the committee of the Youth Club when it
started. I had forgotten that!! |