Last of the Summer Wine............................ June 2011

At the beginning of this week, on Tuesday morning, I drove up to Rossendale once more, to stay for a few days, visiting several people, then meeting up with Ken Stott and Peter Fisher, (pictured.) We were to begin the initial filming of the dvd about our childhood spent in the community of streets known as "Woodcroft".  

Why? Some people have asked. Because we all want those early childhood years to be preserved. It was a different way of life. A time of close community, where we lived without  television, (me till I was about 11), enjoyed the radio, and had no telephones in our houses, no mobile phones, no i-pods, i-phones, computers, no inside toilets, our mothers had no washing machines, and no dryers, not many had a car, no central heating, and no fitted carpets............. 

In those days after the war in the early '50's, our parents lived with rationing.

 But we were happy.    

Oh we can look back through rose coloured  glasses, I am well aware of that, except, when we all meet up, those folk from the Woodcroft community, that sense of closeness and affection for those years we shared is very tangible and real...................

The last time I met Peter and Ken was at the "Woodcroft Reunion" in 2001, 10 years earlier! 

So here we are again, 10 years on!! 

And yes, sure the years have added grey hair, and the rest(!!) and as Peter commented on one of the photos we took how much we now look like our parents! 

So, Peter is busy collecting local history, and old postcards, not to mention his sets of superb photos at   http://peterfisher.smugmug.com/. All of this takes time and effort and well done to Peter and Ken, who himself, is taking the time to film and edit the dvd which is in High Definition.Meeting up with the various people, where they are able, who are taking the time to travel to Woodcroft to be included as a vox pops interview. I've just looked up the meaning of the phrase and it translates as "voice of the people"  which is exactly how it will be. 

 Sometimes when I hear myself talking about uploads and downloads, editing photos, and other such very basic terminology, I think what a long way we have come from those 

early days. 

Ken set up his camera equipment and microphone, in the garden which was once a part of Pickles' farm. Of course, like he said, put people in front of a camera and immediately you are very aware of it! But he asked Peter and myself to sit on one of the old stone slab "benches" and just talk about our memories of living there as children. 

He had brought with him the script which my sister has written for a "voice over". This will be read by young lady from "Radio Rossendale" who sounds like Jane Horrocks. So if we ran out of things to say we could refer back to various things which were included, of which there are many.

Well, like an episode from "Last of the Summer Wine" the two of us began............and all those precious moments came tumbling out. Oh how we laughed and as each delicious anecdote was told, it reminded us of more and more.................!! 

It really was a case of " Do you remember when...............?" And off we wandered again down that childhood track. 

How long did we talk? A good 30 minutes!! And, of course, being one of the Smith family, I can talk for England once I start! But Ken was pleased, and his wife, Lynne, who had accompanied him, though not being involved herself, said that she had thoroughly enjoyed it, as it mirrored her own childhood memories, being born in Burnley, which is over the moor from Rossendale. 

There are more people who are going to be filmed, and this is interspersed with old photos, and footage of the area. Ken is busy now editing the bit in which Peter and I are included. And listening to them talk about how to put it on the internet was a foreign language! The file will be very large! 

Then the dvd will be marketed and 

the proceeds go to the local hospice. So thanks Ken and Peter, and look forward to meeting up again.  

And here is the original farm garden, in the picture.