JUNIOR CLUB

Met every Wednesday night at St James's Methodist Church, Woolton, in Liverpool

Wednesday 14th December 1977 was the first meeting of St James's Junior Club for 7 to 11-year-olds. A few years later, the age range was increased. "First-Halfers" for children of Junior School age met at 6.30 pm, then "Second-Halfers" for children in secondary school met from 7.45 pm. I was leader of this Club until I left Liverpool at Easter 1989.

There was all sorts of fun and games - we hired a bouncy castle on occasions, went swimming, nature-rambling and organised outings to places like Morecambe Pleasure Park, Southport, Alton Towers and Knowsley Safari Park. Some of the members starred in the Methodist Circuit Pantomimes (three of which were captured on video). We held football matches against other Methodist Youth Clubs, and the older element took part in exchange events with the Howden Clough Methodist Youth Club, only a few miles from where I now live.

TOP ROW: Maxine Gandy, Julie Taylor, Gaynor Coates, Sandra Wooding, Joy McMillan, Alison Draper, Suzanne Wooding,

Jenny Salmon, Brenda Garner

MIDDLE: Joanne Gandy, Beverley Robinson, Julie Rooney, Julie Swash, Julie Spencer, Sharon Merrie

FRONT: Fiona Doig, Emma Evers, Neil Carpenter, Steven Swash, Ali Doig, Barry Carpenter

JUNIOR CLUB - 12th JULY 1978

JUNIOR CLUB - 20th JUNE 1979

TOP ROW: Nicholas Byrne, Peter Sharples, Ian Muat, Darren Frost, Julie Swash, Gillian Paul, Sharon Edwards, Beverley Robinson,

Zoe Moncrieff, Bethan Davies, Kate Sharples, Fiona Doig

FRONT: Ali Doig, Richard Blackburn, Alan Greenhalgh, Cosette Jones, Heidi Frost, Angela Muat, Rachael Blackburn, Alison Sharples.

Pictured on Woolton High Street after a day in Southport are:

BACK ROW: Tony Salmon, Joy McMillan, Betsy the dog, leader Don McMillan, Ewen McMillan and Sharon Edwards.

MIDDLE ROW: Carol McDonald, Suzanne Gillin, Paul Robinson, Katie Gillin, Jason Mort, Nadia Ellams, Ali Doig, Nicola Olsen, James Royds,

Jonathon Royds, Lorraine Flaherty.

FRONT ROW: Andrew Marsden, Jason Tunnicliffe, Steven Swash.

The bus belonged to Liverpool Community Transport and had started life in 1962 with Halifax Corporation. It was a Leyland Tiger, registration PJX 34. I drove this beast regularly in the early 1980s and once got it up to 65mph on the downhill stretch of the M58. Co-incidentally, its sister, PJX 35 is now preserved in the Dewsbury Bus Museum.

JUNIOR CLUB - 23rd JULY 1982

This was the occasion of the departure of Rev Brian Stocks after eight years as Minister of St James's Church. You might recognise me presenting him with a gift from the Junior Club.

You might also recognise Kevin Lowe, David Gillin, Kim Mooney,

Nicola Stoddart,

Liz "Bizz" Hayter, Andrew Burrows and Helen Warder among many others.

Following his retirement a few years later, Brian Stocks returned to St James's Church, and he's still there!

JUNIOR CLUB - 10th JULY 1985

This was the annual barbecue on Oglet Shore - a small beach on the banks of the Mersey near the end of the airport runway at Speke.

Those were the days when you could build fires on "Oggy" Shore without being arrested.

Groups of parents were recruited to transport the youngsters down there by car. We gathered driftwood, twigs and branches, made brick "ovens" and cooked sausages, beefburgers and even baked beans over the fire, with a total disregard of kitchen hygiene and fire safety!

Sadly, this sort of expedition would not be allowed nowadays. Insurance wouldn't cover the parental cars. Parents would not be allowed to help us without Criminal Record Bureau checks, and the whole thing would have to be "risk-assessed" beforehand.

The chef for the evening was Billy Burrows, whose son, Andrew, is standing at the back (right) waiting for a second helping! Also featured: Tony Mills, Kevin Lowe, Hazel Smith and Susan Budd.

JUNIOR CLUB - 16th JULY 1986

THE ROYAL IRIS CRUISE - 7th JULY 1987.

The Methodist Circuit Education & Youth Committees from the Merseyside area clubbed together and hired the Royal Iris for an evening cruise on the Mersey each year. This was for the older members - the "Second-Halfers" - who were aged 13+.

Pictured here are:

STANDING - Les Fairhurst, Billy Lowe, Gary Smith and Edna Lowe

SITTING - Tracy Riley, Nicola Stoddart, Tony Salmon and Kevin Lowe.

Sadly, the Junior Club is no more, the Royal Iris lies rusting and half-sunk in a dock on the River Thames and some of the people pictured on this page have passed away......... I wonder where all the others are now?

There is another photograph of some members of the Junior Club taken on an outing to Morecambe in 1987. It is posted on the FRONTIERLAND page of this website.