Jean speaks to Lynne and Vina who reminisce about coming to the park for the last 60 years

you're on Candid Camera. And Lynn, Thanks for coming today to the lady bes. And, um, would you like to tell us a bit about your experience of using Longford Park? How long you've been using the park? Yes. Well, well, I first came to LA Park when I was about six

Because I came to the open air school. That which which is no longer there. Now it's all down and all my school life

I spent there up to 15. So of course we was in the park a lot. Then we used to have Well, we used to go out into the park, the PE, sometimes instead of staying in the playground, if you like

Uh, well, you took over because you've got to say something about the school. Yeah, OK, well, you were in how many classes? There was four classrooms in the school and a hall. I forgot about the hall, and there was about I'd say, roughly 20 to 25 Children that were in each class at the time

Always special. Needs special needs. I mean, I can never understand why I had to go, because I didn't seem to be an ill child, but obviously I must have been

I can't remember why I went eczema. Was it for eczema? Might have been. Yeah, well, they took you to school for eczema because you have treatment

You used to have a nurse. Come. And the doctor used to come every now and again

And we used to get weighed and our height measured when it was coming up to a term so they could put on you report if you grown any and if you lost weight or gain weight or whatever. If you were under nourished because you were there with three meals a day. That's right

Yeah. You used to come in in the morning. Some morning you'd have Or a hot milky drink which was called Milo, which is absolutely delicious

Never had it since, but, oh, it was lovely. I bought it and I've never been. And then you had a big 32 course meal at lunch time

Then in the afternoon before we went home, everybody got a sandwich and another bottle of milk. Sometimes it was dripping, but it lovely. It was lovely

It really was. And like I said before, I mean, we used to come into the part as you got older into classes. One and two were for the younger end, so I went from through them all

Then three and four was when you were sort of top of the class off the top of the school, if you like, And that's where we're top of the class. No, no, not top of the class. But that's where we used to go into the our teacher at the last class

Number four was called Mr Whelan, and he was a devil for being outside. They go outside and we have to come out into the parking all where there's run around this place. Not all of it, obviously, because we're supposed to be poor the Children at the time, but he made us do it

And then, if you're coming from Cromwell Road to the school, if you look to the the right, there's a big oak tree down in the middle of the grass, and that seemed a million miles for us because we used to have to run from the gate right down. That and the last one back had to do it twice, so you made sure whether you were quick or not, You didn't get back last. You made it

So I think I said enough now for now, I think I'll pass over to my friend now she a bit more OK, Lynn is talking about the classrooms, and, um, they were all it was called the open air school. So, of course, all the doors were open. No matter what weather you had the doors open and you eventually play, uh, outdoors

And you did your lessons indoors. Lynn and I joined most of the, uh when we got to the 3rd and 4th, we did netball and rounders and any other sport that was going. We used to stay after school, um, and then walk home because in the early days, um, we had two buses, one came from Old Trafford and one came from Stratford, um, fetching the Children

And they dropped you off Cromwell Road and you walked or marched because you was supervised by a teacher and you walked into school and then did assembly and then say when It was the netball time with Lynn. And I used to stay over and do our netball. Didn't we did

And when walk over the big bridge. You know, they say Mary's bridge in our short and pumps, they were a pump. No trainers

It was just pumps. So we were late home from school then particular days. But I say we had a good times, very good times in the in the school

We have reading test and we and we had all the tests. And then we had a greenhouse and you were allowed to go and do planting in the greenhouse and learn about the plants because it was all about fresh air, fresh air and learning. So I say, we did that till we were both 15

Then we left school, but saying that that's about our school. We've always been lovers of Longford Park. I live local

Lynn lives in Prestwich. Whenever we have a day out, we come down to Stratford. We always come to Longford Park

Don't do. We sit down in the park and have and we walk around and and reminisce. And it it's always been a very, very, very dear to our house

This place very dear. So when I was able to finish work at 60 I joined the bowling. Uh, which I was really, really hoping I would be able to

And they invited me. And, uh, I was very, very pleased to be a member of the ladies bowling team. There was a lot of ladies there, but afraid it's dw off

And this is what we're hoping to do now is to promote the park and the bowling for the ladies and the gentlemen, because it's such a lovely a lovely park. I say there used to be a lot more going on. There used to be a cafe

Oh, yeah, the rest. Yeah, one thing we did when we were in the school, no matter what age, you went for a rest in the afternoon and he had a little bed and a blanket and a pad which was kept in a room with a fire going most of the time to keep the blankets and the pads warm. And the young young ones, they they that they they did have a little sleep

But as he got older and you went further along, um, there was a lot of shenanigans going on, even though you were supposed to be resting and everybody talking and that's the only time I ever got slapped for being Ted was talking when I was supposed to be going to sleep, allowed to do that now. But I was one for sleep, and I would just put my head down on the cover was over, and I was asleep because I was there for a I was very, very under under nourished, you could say in them days. Yeah, so still have a rest now, in the afternoon

And we did go back to the school. It worked out. It was 98 1985 No

2005, wasn't it? No. To the open day. Yeah

Yeah. 2005 when they before they closed the school, it was they were having rebuilt it and an open day and things. And there was just one teacher there

That was the class one teacher where she ended up being the headmistress. Or was she deputy head when we came headmistress. Was she the headmistress? Yeah

So she took us around to the classroom and she said, Now you won't think these two ladies came here and they were very poorly Children. And look at them both, You know, It was a lovely school. It really was

I mean, education. I mean, you didn't have the education the kids have today. I mean, it's I mean, we just on our reports that could affect them

I've still got everyone in. I used to be good reading, writing comprehension and arithmetic, and then they used to put a little note at the bottom that the class teacher, how you've done and everything. And like I said before, I always told you what weight you were when you joined what you were at that time and how what you gained or lost or anything

I mean, if I'd have had more time, I could have fetch it and let you have a look at these things, you know? Yeah. I wonder if Paul Cooper would want those, you know, because he's got this website. I'm sorry

I'm interrupting here. I'll tell you when you were at school. I know it was 60 years ago, but what was the park like then? You see the paint a picture of you know how different it was absolutely beautiful

Yeah, there was lots and lots of, uh, rose gardens and flower beds. And they say there was a cafe here, and, uh, and toilets that you could use, and people would generally walking around and and really enjoying it being well maintained, which you can see now that, you know, things are not as maintained as it should be when you walk down this sunny, sunny, sunny side. You know, I neglected that

That used to be so nice, didn't it? The big houses, it was. I just commented on that. Now

I mean, our our grown parts of it. Now it it used to be absolutely glorious. Yeah, there were a lot more flower and, like the Rose Gardens over there, I mean, they have little bridges over

Yeah, the bridge is gorgeous. This and the big the house as well. When that was there, you know

Did you ever go to the house to dances or anything? Well, we came to the pageant. We didn't go in the house. No, no, we wasn't really allowed or in that sort of group

Um, we used to come on pageant day anyway, and obviously, when the fair was here, all the time was always on the fair, and, you know, so can you just adjust this now It's now the sun's going. We can see that. You've just got it right

There we are. OK, now, Um but no, that there wasn't as many cars coming in the park. And was the pets corner there? No, no, no

Pets corner? No, that came later. And was there a Parker who said Don't go on the grass with a sign saying that you couldn't go on the grass? I can't remember signs being up anywhere, but I don't think people did go on the when, like they wouldn't go on a bowling green, you know? I mean, like, I mean, they probably these days, but we didn't. You knew

That was for if you like grown ups for them to go on to the bowling green. But it was just a beautiful park. I mean, the trees

I mean, all our nature walks were in this park picking up all the different leaves and then going back to the classroom and trying to remember what you've been told while you were out in the park, you know? I mean, we all we all have little gardens at the school. Every classroom had a patch of land in the ground to do their own plan and everything you have to grow. And we have bird tables and everything the nature and that it was just a lovely place that it was in a park

You felt it was beneficial to your health is why we were sent him the space in the open air. It's good in the winter when you had to come running back in the the only time we had the windows closed in the school. Like it all the classrooms with bench with doors open now glass, glass work

The, uh, the only time they were closed properly was when it was foggy. Other than that, it was at least one door open double door, open every classroom come winter summer to get nice. And if you were lucky sometimes in the summer, they'd like to take your desk outside into the playground and do your school work outside on the odd occasion, and we had a great big lawn, which is still there now, and the shed where we used to have the rest

We used to have our sports day. That's where we have the sports day and the day every day. Yeah, it was really good

Yeah. So and not many of the parents came, though. No, no, no parents could allow

Everybody came from different round the area, so they probably couldn't get. My parents couldn't get in my They had other Children as well. We lived over in Stratford anyway

I lived in Old Trafford when I first came here, and then we moved to Stratford when I was nine. I think it was so I continued up so I could been on both school buses, the the old one and the the bus. And they were free three shillings

But some people struggle with that, um because they came from deprived areas so they would get I mean, there was Children at the school that were really million times worse off than what we were my mother. To find Three shillings was a lot because I was the middle one of seven, so it was very difficult. And I'm the eldest one of five

So it wasn't easy to find, but I mean it still three shilling was a lot of money there, You know, this is in the fifties no uniform or anything, but we did still come to the park. I mean, coming to the park when we all that way over getting over the bridge and everything. Got to walk around the park and at your picnic

Yeah, so So, um, and a bottle of water. So since you've retired, you've come back to the park and you join the bowlers. And was that for fitness? Did you were you wanting to sort of keep fit and healthy, doing the bowling fit and healthy, but also the social side of it? Because I'd worked nights for 27 years, so I wasn't able to do any sort of socialising

Uh, it was all sort of bed and work. I wasn't able to join because of shift work. Um, not saying that I didn't enjoy my 27 years of being a nurse, you know, But, um, I wanted some social activity, and joining the bowls was one of them

And, uh, I'm still here now, 14 years later. Yeah, so I really enjoyed it, But I've seen a deterioration in the park and the bowling and and different things that's going on in the park. And one thing I want to mention is the potholes are on the roads and the path, the path and in the car park, the main car park over in Ry Bank

Absolutely terrible. And and it shouldn't be left because it's going worse and worse. Um, and I think something should be done about it

So if there was some money available to improve the park, is that one thing that is the main road More cars? When we were on the lockdown, it was so busy, wasn't it about, um, that you could barely get a space in the car park? People was riding round and round and parking in the side streets and and it's all good favour for the park. People wanted to come in and and have some fresh air and walk around because it is such a beautiful park. But it didn't do anything for your cars

No, all the potholes. And I don't think they could improve to make it bigger or anything like that, because there's not the land. No, no, no

They did her a refurbishing of this one here, didn't they? A couple of years back. Um, but they only did half of it, and it's still, um not big enough, you know, for the cars that are coming in and it really you can't stop people from coming in, um, to the park. No, you can't

Really. But again, it's a maintenance, and we need We need people to do the pathways and the hedges. And you think that's the main issue, Really? Or is there anything else that you think needs to be done? If we did get some funding, you know, to improve any any area that you, you the toilets to to to open the toilets because everybody needs toilets

And if they could do it some way of I know they can't be supervised at all. Can the toilet, you know, day and night. But, um, people need portal or something like that, you know, pop up toilets, Uh, like that they do in town, You know, things like that that they can they can use because they use in the cafe over there now, and you can use the toilet there

But we have had people come here and say, you know, can we use your use your toilet when you've got young Children? Very difficult. Yeah. The toilets are already open when the cafe is

That's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is there anything else that you feel needs improving or any other comments you want to make about the the park? And you know how you feel about the benefits of the park or disadvantages? Anything else for me when I've come on When, Like I said before, like when we come and have our lunch in the park and we have a wander around to do them Rose gardens up and that that would be lovely

That was all done because it was beautiful or any other little beds. I mean, just flowers. It'd be lovely, like some more flowers, like it'd be lovely

I mean, there's plenty of trees around and shrubs and just proper, colourful flowers. Yeah, because it used to be nice here at as well. Where they shed thing is not to call it

I mean, that was all long and lovely. I mean, it's still a bit it's all right now, but I mean, it's nothing not patch on. When we were here all the time, volunteer there helps to maintain not making much

Sometimes you tied into nothing. Can you really? Because you need the money to fund things. That's what you need

I think another thing they need to look at is the drainage, because there are times when you can't walk around the path because you're totally flooded. I believe there's a problem because they blocked off something, haven't they? And then whenever it rains the reservoir, Yeah, yeah, yeah, Just out there. I'll ask

I'll ask you in a minute. I don't know whether any of your comments will be getting picked up, but we'll have a little chat. Yeah, yeah, but, um no, the the benefits are

It's still a good It's still a great part. And we will continue to to come and reminisce. That's what we're doing we're doing for as long as we can

Thank you anyway for sharing your thoughts today..