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Hi, I’m Sandra, ninth of ten siblings. I was
born on the 16th. August 1957 in Whittle Drive Ormskirk,
as I grew up on this estate I soon found lots of friends, most of us kept
together through our school years.
I followed most of my brothers and sisters going to West
End infant school and then to Greetby
Hill junior school.
I remember our school days where happy days, my
school friends to name a few, Sandra Nicole, Christine Wilson, the Macdonald
twins and Kathleen Hore, ‘Kate’ she was
a big friend of mine, we got into many scrapes together, these were real
happy days.
I had a party when I was 10. I have a Photo took in
front garden. Back left Yvonne Burns, me, Irene Jaworski, middle right, A Macdonald twin Janice or
Jeanette both were same, Kathleen Hore, Susan
Ashcroft, Christine Wilson, then the other twin with Andrew Wilson and our
Graham.
It was my only party and I don’t remember any
one else having a party. I was very happy because mum had made me a new gold
dress with a kipper tie, I loved it.
I wish the photo was in colour. Mum made so many of
my clothes and knitted all our woollies, she could make them like those in
fashion and I was never short of clothes. I didn’t get hand downs
either as I followed 3 boys.
I remember Marilyn having a pair of shoes with zips
up the front of them, I loved them and wished they’d fit me, I wanted
Jacqueline’s dresses as well cause they had darts in (where a bust
went) and I don’t recall Marilyn’s or Dorothy’s having
darts, so I obviously wanted a bust like Jackie, as it happened I ended up
with more than them all put together.
I remember we often travelled alone to New Brighton
for the day or to the ‘Silver blades’ Ice rink in Liverpool when
we were only 10 or 11 years old, today this would not be safe to do so, but
life then was much safer. Sometimes we even had our Graham and Kate’s
brother Billy in tow.
At 11 I went to Wigan
Road school, I wasn’t really the
academic type as most of you know, I read the ‘Bunty’
more than school books but I guess I muddled through with Kate who was still
my best friend, our friends from Greetby Hill were
still with us.
We laughed a lot at school, how could we forget
‘Miss Lathom’ she was always going on
about how much makeup we had on, or, our heels were too high, or, our skirts
were to short,
It’s just as well she couldn’t see the
kids of today with piecing and afro hair styles, she would have died.
I haven’t forgotten the ‘humming’ Dickie Thomas, our deputy headmaster, who would shout out
‘YOU with the red tie’, we all wore RED ties.
Looking back I have good school memories, I enjoyed
playing Hockey and Netball, I used to read and compose poems, I still do.
I can remember most people in my class although I
haven’t seen them since leaving school, what has happened to Karen
White, Dianne Bromley, Neil Hussy, Kevin Jordan or Eileen Roughly the list is
endless.
I remember Jackie liking Mick Jagger
& the stones, Mally liked Donovan & Paul
McCartney and Dot liked Roy Orbison. They all
shared a bedroom at one time and the walls were covered in pictures and
posters of the pop stars.
Pics from the
"Jackie" magazine and the "Mirabelle". I remember them
all getting ready to go out with boyfriends and me wanting to go with them. I
wasn’t very popular when I moaned to Mum to let me go with them coz she
would tell them to take me.
Later I got my own boyfriend when I met the
boy’s mates Ray Holburt was my idol. He sent
me a birthday card when I was 10 and I still have it, it was so special to
me.
Ray played in our gangs as we got a bit older, him
and his brother Tony. Lots of lads off the estate came & hung around on
the car park opposite our house or on our back field. We all played games
like "Sides in --sides out "", a game in the dark with
torches. One side hid in the field, and the other side searched for them with
torches. It was a grown up game of hide & seek I suppose. Ray Holbert played and their Tony, Ronnie Edwards, Gary
Woods, John and Eddie defiantly and maybe our Eric and me and our Graham if
they let us. I wonder who else remembers ?
My bedroom walls were dedicated to David Cassidy.When I was small I remember Dad coming home from
work across the front field on a Friday night and me and Graham running to
meet him coz Fridays meant he had spangles or penny arrows bars for us in his
pockets.
As we got older we used to play card games at night
as a family. We played ‘Can I Have’, Doug & Glad, John &
Lynne, me, Mum, Eric, Eddie, Lots of us played, whoever was in, Mum loved
playing cards. We’d have toast or crumpets for supper and all sit in
the front room around a coffee table and play. Sometimes the lads brought
their mates in to play as well.
It was bad in our house if you were watching telly
or sat doing nothing, if you moved you had to say "No one get my
place" to reserve your seat when you came back, otherwise it was gone.
But no one sat in Dads chair if he was in, but he did go to bed early.
We had a holiday in 1966, we went to Butlin’s at Phwelli,
Great, all of us didn’t go, Dot, Dougie or
Colin didn’t but the rest did.
Eric I remember went horse riding I thought he was
brave. I joined the Beaver club, played all the games, joined in the marches
& singing, swam & HAD A FABULOUS time, if holidays could last
forever.
The next holiday we took was to the isle of Man.
I’d say it was about 1971. Jackie & Trevor came, Mum & Dad,
Graham and me. We went on the ferry from Liverpool, it
was like going abroad to me. We stayed in a B & B Guest House, The
Clifton I remember, I thought we were so posh and so
elite.
I remember it being so warm on the beach. Our
summers seemed so much longer & warmer when I was young. Then in winter
the snow was so deep on our back field that we used to fall backwards into it
and no one could tell where we were.
I remember going to Southport on
the bus, a return ticket, admission to the indoor swimming baths, a hot chicken soup on the way out of the baths and a ride
on the fairground, all for Half a Crown. We went as often as mum would give
us any money.
One time in Southport, Ray Holbert,
me, Kathleen Hore and our Graham, one of us kicked
a scrunched up £5 note on Lord Street, well we thought we were Millionaires,
Loaded, we split it 4 ways and thought we’d never spend it all but we
did, we hit the pleasure beach and went on all the rides we wanted, we had a
‘Ball’, I wonder do the others remember it. We had a day to
remember!
After school in 1972, I started work and worked in the Accounts Department at
Ormskirk Photos, a Laboratary
in Ormskirk that developed photos from chemists and
shops etc.
Later I met John Anstey
and married in 1978. We lived in Wigan and
then moved to Atherton, after a few years we divorced.
I then met Phillip Nutter. We lived together and had
a son Phillip Jnr. in May 1985. Phillip and I
parted in 1991.
I stayed in Atherton and met Paul in 1995. Phillip
my son still lives with us.
I work in a Local betting shop and have been there
for 22 years. I seem to have settled in Atherton and found a nice little
niche for myself. We holiday in Turkey whenever we can and as often as
possible. We love it.
We visit Altinkum mostly
and have met many friends who we are still in contact with.
Updated 4 Jan.2009
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