In September 1982 I went to college. I had an interview at Torbay College to do "Hotel & Catering Management". Whilst I was in Torquay my mum received a phone call from Gwent College and on the basis of their conversation with my mum offered me a place. To my parents minds it was settled - it was "God's will" that I went to Gwent College to do "Business Studies". I found out two years later that the next week a letter had come for me from Torbay College offering me a place, but my parents kept this from me. Had I known at the time, I would have not hesitated in packing up my belongings and moving to Torquay to take up that place. Perhaps my parents sensed this and wanted to prevent such an open flouting of "God's will". There was a lot of tooing-and-froing during the first half term, and no-one would have thought badly of me if I had gone to Torbay. However, it was not to be.
I must say I hated Gwent College, and came to loathe the town of Newport. I did do some touring out and visited Monmouth amongst other places. We had a course trip to Brynmawr on the day that the new pound coins came out; very excitedly we found a bank in Brynmawr and got our first pound coins. Then £1 had spending power, nowadays £1 is loose change.
I also took the opportunity of being in Newport to get involved again in the Boys' Brigade, and became a non-commissioned helper in the 1st Newport. I was privileged to be able to attend the 1983 Centenary Service in Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff.
I did not flourish at college. I scraped through the first year and eventually (after retakes) got a first year pass - which they tell me is an A level equivalent. I dramatically failed my second year, and my one A level (or this A level equivalent) remains my highest academic qualification.
Famously I stood for the college executive for the post of Executive Officer Clubs & Societies, standing openly as a Liberal Party member. I got elected with 23 votes, that was over half the votes cast, and there were two other candidates. I think most of my votes came from my course members and from the Christian Union; but 23 votes was a pitifully small total. There were three campuses to the college - Caerleon (where the halls of residence were, and the teacher training site), Allt-yr-Yn (where my course was based, the Business & Technology site) and the Art College. Only 2 votes were cast ALL DAY at the Art College - both of whom were Christian Union members, so I presume I got both the votes.
Speaking of the Liberal Party I attended my first Assembly whilst at college, which was in the Winter Gardens in Bournemouth. That was fun! I made some good friends some of which I am still in touch with. I was also on the by-election trail (which may have accounted for me doing so badly at my studies), and went to help the Liberal Party candidate at a number of by-elections. The first was in July 1983 at Penrith and the Border, followed by Chesterfield (March 1984), South-West Surrey (May 1984), Stafford (May 1984), Portsmouth South (June 1984) and Enfield Southgate (December 1984).
Showing posts with label Boys Brigade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boys Brigade. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Saturday, 24 August 2013
The road to 2013 part 9
In May 1972 my parents resigned as full-time officers of the Salvation Army. The constant moving around was having a detrimental effect on our family, and by this time I had been to 7 schools.
They became instead Envoys (the Salvation Army term for a non-commissioned officer, or a part-timer in charge of a local corps) and we moved to 9 Station Street, Tewkesbury. We were to live in the small house in Station Street for 5 years - up that point the longest stay I had had anywhere. The house was next to the Warner's bus garage while we were there.
Nowadays a car park sits on the site of the bus garage.
The little Salvation Army hall in the town has been demolished to allow for road widening. The hall was in Nelson Street which really was a narrow road. I do not have a picture of the hall, but the map below shows the location (on the map it is referred to as "Lecture Hall").
.jpg)
One abiding memory is that of the Steam Fair on the Ham, and the Mop Fair in the streets. All the main road traffic was diverted down our street, including the service buses. There is a picture of the Mop Fair on the corner of East Street. If you look at the map above, the road running at right angles to Nelson Street at the top of the picture is East Street.
In the summer of 1972 we had an outing to London and visited the British Museum; the purpose of the outing was the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition. The queue was huge, and snaked round one half of the car park, and then snaked round the second half. I remember we parked the car in the suburbs and caught the tube into central London. There was also a wonderful "British spirit", people would keep places for those who were having convenience breaks, or, like us youngsters, visiting the rest of the museum.
Our holiday in the summer of 1972 was to return to Oldways End in Somerset (see part 8). That was to be Mrs Fanthorpe's last letting summer, otherwise we would have carried on going there. I got very friendly with her pug.
The next summer we went to Penygroes in Caernarvonshire. We visited Caernarfon Castle and Harlech Castle, and attended the English Baptist church in Caernarfon. In Caernarfon Castle there was still the dias in which the Prince of Wales had been crowned, although not the throne if memory serves.
Summer 1974 saw us holidaying in Shropshire. The only memories I have are a visit to Stokesay Castle and Sunday meetings at the Salvation Army in Shrewsbury.
In 1975 we were back in Caernarvonshire, by now called Gwynedd. This time we were staying in the village of Groeslon, and we visited the beach at Dinas Dinlle every day (rain or shine).
Our final summer in Tewkesbury (1976) was a "staycation"; our family had 5 members and each of us chose a day visit to somewhere. Mum chose the Avoncroft Museum near Bromsgrove, Paul chose Skenfrith Castle, David chose Birmingham, I think I chose Worcester (to give me chance to observe Midland Red buses probably) and I think Dad chose Snowshill Manor and the Cotswold Rare Breeds Centre.
I had a further two schools at Tewkesbury, three years in the local junior school (Tewkesbury Church of England school) and two years at secondary school (Tewkesbury School). I had piano lessons for a time in Cheltenham on a Saturday morning. I used to catch the Bristol Omnibus Lodekka into Cheltenham, changing onto a town service operated by a two-door Bristol RELL. After the lesson I would go into Cheltenham and have coffee and a scone at Geraldines, and then go to the Coach Station to watch the mass departure. I got friendly with the lady in the Bristol Omnibus bus office, next door to the Coach Station, and when they got a new timetable, she would keep the old ones for me. I then used to catch the Midland Red bus back to Tewkesbury.
One day I caught the Midland Red bus to Evesham. I went to the Midland Red office there and bought a Hereford & Worcester timetable. They didn't have the other three timetables, but was told that the office at Stratford-on-Avon would have them. I caught the X91 to Stratford, bought the three timetables (Warwickshire & Oxfordshire, Leicestershire & Derbyshire and Salop & Staffordshire) and caught the X91 back to Evesham. My parents were unimpressed at my extra journey to Stratford.
On one occasion I also went to up stay with my Nan in Old Hill. I caught the National Express 414 coach from Tewkesbury to Brierley Hill were my Nan met me. I think this was probably one of the best holidays I ever had. I went along to the Home League at Cradley Heath Salvation Army with her. At the end of the week she put me back onto the 414 coach for my journey back to Tewkesbury. Another time we went up to the motorway junction just south of Bromsgrove, and my Uncle Ron & Aunty Margaret drove down to the south junction; there we swopped my Nan over, and she came to us for one Christmas. I really loved having my Nan, and she is one person who I miss most.
My brothers went to cubs, and later scouts. I went along to cubs on one occasion, and they played a game of British Bulldogs. I decided this was not for me. One of my best friends at school was in the Boys' Brigade, and he invited me along. This was far more to my taste, and I had two very happy years in the 1st Tewkesbury.
In 1977 we attended a street party, a couple of streets away, to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. The actual Jubilee was 6th February 1977, which was a Sunday. I was then, as I am now, in awe of the Royal Family, and had had a series of "Royal Papers" for a spell. I decided to buy all the papers on 6th February. That was at the time very daring. We did not buy anything on a Sunday, and of course the Sunday papers were expensive, as indeed they are now. I remember being very disappointed, because apart from a few front pages there was very little of content for the Silver Jubilee inside.
My mum was very involved in the Tewkesbury Amateur Dramatic Society (TADS), and I was an extra in a performance of "The Happiest Days of Your Life" - we wore school uniform and had to periodically pass the French windows to give the impression of the action taking place in a working school. My mum played the Girls' School Headmistress. In another production, "Toad of Toad Hall", she played the judge.
On 6th January 1977 the was a school trip to the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly, London, to see the exhibition Pompeii AD79. Another school trip was to Warwick Castle.
In August 1977 we moved away from Tewkesbury to Atherstone in Warwickshire. I really didn't want to leave the town because it was so pleasantly situated.
They became instead Envoys (the Salvation Army term for a non-commissioned officer, or a part-timer in charge of a local corps) and we moved to 9 Station Street, Tewkesbury. We were to live in the small house in Station Street for 5 years - up that point the longest stay I had had anywhere. The house was next to the Warner's bus garage while we were there.
The little Salvation Army hall in the town has been demolished to allow for road widening. The hall was in Nelson Street which really was a narrow road. I do not have a picture of the hall, but the map below shows the location (on the map it is referred to as "Lecture Hall").
.jpg)
One abiding memory is that of the Steam Fair on the Ham, and the Mop Fair in the streets. All the main road traffic was diverted down our street, including the service buses. There is a picture of the Mop Fair on the corner of East Street. If you look at the map above, the road running at right angles to Nelson Street at the top of the picture is East Street.
In the summer of 1972 we had an outing to London and visited the British Museum; the purpose of the outing was the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition. The queue was huge, and snaked round one half of the car park, and then snaked round the second half. I remember we parked the car in the suburbs and caught the tube into central London. There was also a wonderful "British spirit", people would keep places for those who were having convenience breaks, or, like us youngsters, visiting the rest of the museum.
Our holiday in the summer of 1972 was to return to Oldways End in Somerset (see part 8). That was to be Mrs Fanthorpe's last letting summer, otherwise we would have carried on going there. I got very friendly with her pug.
The next summer we went to Penygroes in Caernarvonshire. We visited Caernarfon Castle and Harlech Castle, and attended the English Baptist church in Caernarfon. In Caernarfon Castle there was still the dias in which the Prince of Wales had been crowned, although not the throne if memory serves.
Summer 1974 saw us holidaying in Shropshire. The only memories I have are a visit to Stokesay Castle and Sunday meetings at the Salvation Army in Shrewsbury.
In 1975 we were back in Caernarvonshire, by now called Gwynedd. This time we were staying in the village of Groeslon, and we visited the beach at Dinas Dinlle every day (rain or shine).
Our final summer in Tewkesbury (1976) was a "staycation"; our family had 5 members and each of us chose a day visit to somewhere. Mum chose the Avoncroft Museum near Bromsgrove, Paul chose Skenfrith Castle, David chose Birmingham, I think I chose Worcester (to give me chance to observe Midland Red buses probably) and I think Dad chose Snowshill Manor and the Cotswold Rare Breeds Centre.
I had a further two schools at Tewkesbury, three years in the local junior school (Tewkesbury Church of England school) and two years at secondary school (Tewkesbury School). I had piano lessons for a time in Cheltenham on a Saturday morning. I used to catch the Bristol Omnibus Lodekka into Cheltenham, changing onto a town service operated by a two-door Bristol RELL. After the lesson I would go into Cheltenham and have coffee and a scone at Geraldines, and then go to the Coach Station to watch the mass departure. I got friendly with the lady in the Bristol Omnibus bus office, next door to the Coach Station, and when they got a new timetable, she would keep the old ones for me. I then used to catch the Midland Red bus back to Tewkesbury.
One day I caught the Midland Red bus to Evesham. I went to the Midland Red office there and bought a Hereford & Worcester timetable. They didn't have the other three timetables, but was told that the office at Stratford-on-Avon would have them. I caught the X91 to Stratford, bought the three timetables (Warwickshire & Oxfordshire, Leicestershire & Derbyshire and Salop & Staffordshire) and caught the X91 back to Evesham. My parents were unimpressed at my extra journey to Stratford.
On one occasion I also went to up stay with my Nan in Old Hill. I caught the National Express 414 coach from Tewkesbury to Brierley Hill were my Nan met me. I think this was probably one of the best holidays I ever had. I went along to the Home League at Cradley Heath Salvation Army with her. At the end of the week she put me back onto the 414 coach for my journey back to Tewkesbury. Another time we went up to the motorway junction just south of Bromsgrove, and my Uncle Ron & Aunty Margaret drove down to the south junction; there we swopped my Nan over, and she came to us for one Christmas. I really loved having my Nan, and she is one person who I miss most.
My brothers went to cubs, and later scouts. I went along to cubs on one occasion, and they played a game of British Bulldogs. I decided this was not for me. One of my best friends at school was in the Boys' Brigade, and he invited me along. This was far more to my taste, and I had two very happy years in the 1st Tewkesbury.
In 1977 we attended a street party, a couple of streets away, to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. The actual Jubilee was 6th February 1977, which was a Sunday. I was then, as I am now, in awe of the Royal Family, and had had a series of "Royal Papers" for a spell. I decided to buy all the papers on 6th February. That was at the time very daring. We did not buy anything on a Sunday, and of course the Sunday papers were expensive, as indeed they are now. I remember being very disappointed, because apart from a few front pages there was very little of content for the Silver Jubilee inside.
On 6th January 1977 the was a school trip to the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly, London, to see the exhibition Pompeii AD79. Another school trip was to Warwick Castle.
In August 1977 we moved away from Tewkesbury to Atherstone in Warwickshire. I really didn't want to leave the town because it was so pleasantly situated.
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