Silverdale and .......

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Richard A Thackeray
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Post by Richard A Thackeray »

keyholekate wrote: Silverdale is still going strong RichT,today Leeds kids go for a five day trip,kids who are neglected or poor or live with domestic abuse . And if you are one of those kids i think they would enjoy the Silverdale Camp of today. My apologies, I was going from what I remembered of the area when we caravanned up there.I know there'd been a camp up there, but never took any notice whilst we were there.

j.c.d.
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Re: Silverdale and .......

Post by j.c.d. »

After talking about Langbar school camp, Ilkey last week and how awful it was in the late 1940s I asked my sister about her experiences at Silverdale. she said it was worse thing that has ever happened to her. Her words more or less....
"We went somewhere in town on a Saturday morning and were bathed and had our hair washed, my friend and I protested as we had had a bath the night before ( understandable as most kids came from houses that did not have a bath). we then had to change into a rough hairy red sweater, red skirt and a red blazer with the badge L. P.C. when we got off the train the man and women never seemed to stop shouting at us. at the camp the food was awful and at night there were about 20 girls to a billet. a man walked up and down in the dark and hit any girl with a rolled up newspaper who whispered or spoke.. we cried quietly every night, a mixture of homesickness and being frightened of the regime.
We never saw the sea and when a man asked us what the L.P. C. on our jacket stood for we said Leeds POSH chlidren instead of POOR. I was glad to get back to Leeds."
Last edited by j.c.d. on Mon 18 May, 2015 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Leodian
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Re: Silverdale and .......

Post by Leodian »

As a young lad when I would have been about 8(ish) I know I went to Silverdale but I have even less recollection of that now than I do of when I went to the Leeds School Camp at Langbar (see another thread) when I would have been around 10(ish). I vaguely recall at Silverdale going down some grassy sand dunes to the seashore.
A rainbow is a ribbon that Nature puts on when she washes her hair.

Peterdavidshaw
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Re: Silverdale and .......

Post by Peterdavidshaw »

I went twice to silverdale.....i think it was because my mum was friends with my head teacher.

I used to love the sports day we had....i remember winning a few events and getting 50p to spend at the ice cream van.

Also have a memorie of the first time i went not being able to go in the pool because of a veruca.....i had to get a veruca sock.

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sparky415
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Re: Silverdale and .......

Post by sparky415 »

Can't beat a bit of nostalgia....
Come on Leeds United!

loiner99
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Re: Silverdale and .......

Post by loiner99 »

I remember as a young lad being sent on convalescence to Hornsea. But other than that I have no information. Can anybody help?
batchoy

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Leodian
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Re: Silverdale and .......

Post by Leodian »

loiner99 wrote:I remember as a young lad being sent on convalescence to Hornsea. But other than that I have no information. Can anybody help?
Hi loiner99 :).

I also recall going there but other than a big lake (Hornsea Mere) I don't remember anything else, nor even why I was sent there as I don't recall ever being so poorly that I needed to convalesce. I don't even know when it was except that it was very long ago. I've never been to Hornsea since.
A rainbow is a ribbon that Nature puts on when she washes her hair.

gemh83
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Re: aww I know you posted this a long while ago but I've just read it. Also brought a tear to my eye!

Post by gemh83 »

keyholekate wrote:In 1967 aged 7 I went to Silverdale with my sister who was 10. My mother was a single parent back in those days which was quite rare but she was an orphan in Mount St Mary's all her childhood ,was under the care of the Nuns until she was 21.She met and married our Dad ,an Irish chap who left when I was nine months old and the youngest of four children.We were all she had and she was all we had,no Grandparents or Aunties or cousins so I guess we really qualified for the "poor" children's trip to Silverdale.My mother kept telling us we would see the sea,it was always a regret for her that she could not take us on holidays . I remember the morning we went,my Mother tied her headscarf under her chin and we set off for somewhere down Great George street,me and my sister had matching dresses with spots on and red sandals with crepe soles and a bag with our toiletries,some toothpaste and a flannel. We queued to change in to Silverdale clothes which felt strange wearing other peoples clothes but we got used to it and boarded the bus.Our Mother kissed us and said "be good,look after each other and enjoy the sea".She also promised to send us ten bob by post for the second week .I think she was very emotional that day as she waved us off.On the bus we sang "one man went to mow" above the cries of some girls who were already homesick and those that were travel sick too."Ten green bottles" turned in to thousands before we got there ,it seemed a long journey.As my Mam promised I did see the sea,it was miles out!I was scared of the quick sand that my sister kept telling me I was walking in . The scenery from Silverdale was really beautiful and we saw spectacular thunderstorms over the bay.The sky at night was orange and black.We had trips in what to me seemed a forest and for the first time ever I saw a dead sheep ,I thought some murderer was on the loose killing sheep.We made friends with other kids and had arguments with other kids but all in all it was team building stuff years before its time.We had to help with the peeling of the spuds and making the supper of hot chocolate.Each morning at breakfast the post was given out and our ten bob arrived with a letter hoping that we were been good and our Mam was missing us and she would see us soon. A trip to the village post office crocodile style to cash the ten bob postal order along with the others was great,I bought a plastic purse with a map of Morecambe on and a comb and a pen with Morecambe for my Mam and some rock for my brothers.We went to the church too ,someone attending the church gave money to buy us all an ice cream. I liked the outdoor swimming pool in the hot weather and the team games we played.A couple more trips to the Giants footprint and the wishing well .I wished I was at home ,I was missing my Mam by now. I am amused when people say that it was terrible judging it on today's standards.Yes, as someone said thank goodness for Easy Jet,I think a lot of kids gained something from Silverdale if only it was the fact no matter what your circumstances and how you were living its a lovely feeling coming home .Even now me and my sister still laugh at our adventure and the fella who used to threaten with the slipper if we jumped from bed to bed ,my sister also buried some pennies in the grounds for when she went back again ,she must have liked it. And for my mother,she was pretty chuffed her kids saw the sea.

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