Childhood playtimes.

 

After over a 100 years the fair ground at Porthcawl is to close this coming October. A very sad happening, but the County Council want the land for houses! No need for me to say, Porthcawl people are very upset and there is a group set up to oppose it.

I visited this fair as a child with friends, we used to spend hours here. My Aunty Rene, my father's sister,  worked on the cash desk of the Water Chute so I had loads of free rides. School friends who had parents working there shared toffee apples and doughnuts and I had many a Ghost train ride free too.

My own children loved it too. One summer my Aunty Glad, who brought me up wanted to have the children visit by themselves. So I left my daughter and eldest son there for a week and they and Aunty Glad had a lovely week..so then she asked could the two youngest boys stay the next week. They were 12 and 9 years old.. The third evening she phoned to say they were missing! They went out after lunch and then at 8 pm they hadn't come home, and she had just walked to the end of the road to the main road, and an ambulance had just gone past! 

Of course no mobiles in those days and so I phoned the chip shop, as I had gone to school with the owner's son. He said he'd go and look for them, I suggested they were probably in the amusement arcade and had lost track of time. And that's where they were, happily winning and losing pennies. eating sweets. My school friend said, he knew it was them, because when he asked them if they were my sons, they were full of  'sorrys'  because they thought I was there and had driven the 232 miles to give them 'what for'!

My Aunt was very pleased to see them and relieved.. but surprised to see my school friend shepherding them through the gate into the house.  

 They did stay another time, but with strict instructions to be back at 6.  Did I stay out till all hours when I was their age? Of course I did, we all did in those days! Did you?

Dh and I walked past the fair ground the other day, still the loud music, the screams of people on the rides and the smell of doughnuts and chips, happy days.

Chrisxx