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David Wood’s story this week starts with a ball, a couple of jackets, a rope & a piece of chalk and that was all that was needed for 1950s children to have a good time, how things have changed.

David goes onto say, we played football and cricket in any open space we could find, all we needed was a ball and a couple of jackets for goal posts.

The girls played hopscotch and skipping, all that was needed for those two games was either a piece of chalk or a short length of rope.

In the school holidays we were up at the crack of dawn and off to Bathpool, Tunstall Park or the swings with our jam butties and bottles of water.

Harry Tiptoe, so called for the way he walked, worked on Burgess’s farm at Woodstock, always wore wellies and was one of the most cheerful people around.

My cousin Albert Tilstone, never went anywhere without his camera bag on his shoulder. Jack Walker who farmed at Park Farm, which was down the lane by the station, wore leather gaiters from his ankles to knees.

Stan Bourne, who’s wife Eva had the shop in Heath Street was an insurance man, he always had sweets in his pocket for his customers children. A man, I never knew his name, apparently suffering from shell shock during the war, stepped over things that weren’t there on the pavements.

When I was at the Church school, probably around 1956 a mine shaft opened up in Elgood Lane, my cousin and his friend were delivering papers there and they almost fell into it.

I can honestly say that even though we did not have lots of money or luxuries I did have a very good, well spent, well educated, loving childhood.

We didn’t have televisions, computers, play stations, cars, washing machines, fitted carpets, duvets, central heating, double glazing, fast food and all the things we take for granted today.

What we did have was, hard working parents, good teachers, discipline, freedom to roam, snow drifts in winter, sunshine in summer and lots of fresh air all the year round.

What we had but didn’t want was, freezing cold winters, smog, Asian flu and outside toilets but we put up with them because we were told that things would get better and they did.

It has to be said that although the Winters were cold, they did kill all the germs, well almost 99% of all known germs “so they say” ha! ha! until next time happy reading of these very interesting stories of yesteryear Goldenhill and Sandyford.