Happy memories of a real community school

FORMER Harthill Primary School pupil Karen Wade contacted The Chronicle with her memories of the school after seeing the photos in the recent Nostalgia pages.

Mrs Wade, who now lives in Oldfield Road, Ellesmere Port, said: "Miss Crouch was the headmistress. Mrs Lowe taught the infants, then it was to Mrs Edmunds' class, Mrs Frost's class, finishing in Miss Crouch's class for the last year. Miss Crouch retired soon after we started and the new headmaster was Mr Gilbert who lived in Burwardsley.

"We moved from Tattenhall Primary School to Harthill so my sister started in Mrs Lowe's class in the infants and I went into Mrs Frost's class. This will have been around 1978/79 when I was eight or nine.

"Mrs Frost had actually taught my mum when she was at Holly Bank School as a little girl, and she still lives in Tattenhall!

"The school really supported the local community. Mrs Vaughan from Broxton was 'fortunate' to have a van and brought most of the children in it. I think there were around 84 children in the whole school at that time - although they did not all quite fit in the van.

"I remember the harvest festival service we used to have in Harthill church opposite, which is now also closed.

"Everyone would bring in a selection of food which would all be placed around the altar for the service and then given out to the local community. My mum has a local fruit farm, so I would usually bring a box of apples fresh from that year's harvest.

"We had a netball team and we used to go around the different local schools competing in matches. We had a sports day in the sports field down the bottom of the lane.

"We used to make things to sell on the different stalls that were there. I remember making water bottle covers in school with pretty stitching on them. We also did may pole dancing. Boys and girls danced together around the pole making the ribbons twist into different shapes.

"My nephew and cousin's son recently attended Harthill school but they have now had to move to Saighton school.

"It is sad that these community schools have to close, but unfortunately everything has to be costed out and goes if it is not efficient. Why couldn't the local schools have amalgamated into one? I am sure this was looked into and comes down to how many children will be coming into the schools in the following years.

"I remember my time at Harthill with fond memories and feel sad that the local community do not have access to such schools whose input into the local area brought families together.

"Well I hope you have enjoyed my memories, it has certainly made me think about very happy times."

A service of thanksgiving for the history of Harthill School at Burwardsley Parish Church in March was attended by more than 120 former staff and pupils.

Headteacher Mo Morron said: "It was like friends reunited with Harthill pupils from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s talking about old times. Some had never seen each other since they left school."

Are you researching your family tree? Ask a question about your ancestors for Chronicle readers to answer or send us your memories of past events in Chester, old schools, people or places.

Contact Rebecca Edwards on 01244 606415 or e-mail rebecca.edwards@cheshirenews.co.uk.