"Everyone just wanted to have a good time"

After my plea for 50s and 60s memories Penny Powell wrote in with her account of the time.
She said: "Born in 1950 I remember attending a little nursey school in the grounds of Botanic Gardens, doing water play outside in the balmy sunshine what a lovely setting that was.
"Then going on to pre school at Emmanuel and having a daily dose of cod liver oil and this fowl tasting concentrated orange juice yuck! After Emmanuel we started Churchtown Primary. Every season there was a new thing to do in the playground.
"Whip and top, skipping, playing with two balls against the school walls, we played with marbles and my favourite," jacks". From hop scotch to hide and seek we always had great "playtimes". I even enjoyed the school meals.
"All the children had to eat them, no packed lunches. We would have a main course mutton,shepherds pie and hot pots and then a desert jam roly poly or steamed syrup pudding and custard, pink blancmonge or crunch.
"The summers were hot and the winters were cold. No central heating, coal fires and ice on the inside of our windows. We all had to wear gabadeen macs and berets!!
"The teachers were strict and made sure that we held a pen correctly, spoke proper english and even made us all stand and sit correctly. You would feel the cane if you mis-behaved.
"On to Secondary school where the girls were taught Mother and Child welfare care, domestic science and sewing, we were even taught to ballroom dance.
"Sadly we girls were ill-prepared for the corporate world, we were only ever expected to marry, have children and be house-keepers.
"We were never encouraged to sit GCE's how sad was that. In the mid 60's everything changed The Beatles were on the scene wow. What a great time that was.

"We would head for the outdoor pool with massive transistor radios, the smell of ambre-solaire almost knocking you out, sunbathing for hours in the hot long summer days and eyeing up the young bronzed life guards mmmm!
"We would smother ourselves in oil and fry oh dear if we knew then what we know now, think we had an ozone layer then. Late 60's we go and see all the live bands at the Floral Hall, screaming at The Hollies and Manfred Mann.
"I remember meeting Paul Jones afterwards, chasing their car to the Royal Hotel where they were staying and getting their autographs. We would go dance the night away on Friday and Saturday nights at the old Palace Hotel and The Kingsway watching the Cabaret first then up to the Starlight Room where ex Radio Caroline DJ's would play great music all night. We felt perfectly safe going into town at night there was never any trouble, everyone just wanted to have a good time.
"They were really great times growing up in such an era. The first generation to feel really free. Carnaby Street dictating the fashion yet no one seemed to suffer with anorexia or bolimia. We all just got on with things and enjoyed ourselves.
"If you left your job you would just be able to get another job.The boys were made to do apprenterships so most of them ended up with a trade, would it be so bad to take ideas from the 50's and 60's???
"Safe happy and healthy times I am so glad I do not have to grow with the pressures that the youth of today have to put up with. Sorry no photos not many of us owned cameras in those days."