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Home > Personal Stories > Community Life > Church and the Girls' Brigade
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Until recent decades, the church has traditionally been a centre for cultural and educational activities and a home for an active programme of service to the community. Organisations such as the Girl's Brigade were established to promote Christian belief and behaviour in girls, and as such were part of the church. Annual events in the church calendar were focal points of community celebration. Many people remember Whitsuntide, and through the ages it has been many a young girl's dream to be chosen as May Queen and take part in the Whit Walk. Click on the images to enlarge. |
Christine Cawley in her Whitsuntide clothes. Image reproduced by kind permission of Brenda Cawley.
Betty Brothers (then Jones) with her brother and sister dressed in their best clothes on Whit Sunday morning. Betty is in the middle. Image reproduced by kind permission of Betty Brothers.
Rosa's children - Paul, Gill and Carol - dressed up for Whitsuntide. Image reproduced by kind permission of Rosa Allender. "We had everything new - socks everything - and I can remember that lovely smell of new clothes that I only ever got at Whitsuntide. And that was shoes, socks and everything. We always had a new dress for Whitsuntide and then on the Whit Monday we used to go to what was known as the Whitsuntide sing in the parks and they had the sports and everything and so we had a more or less cheaper type dress. My mum used to lay things away. She used to put so much away each week for our new clothes." Rosa Allender "You had to have new or it were a stigma. There were some really, really poor people because there was not a lot of work. You used to get a cheque from Banners. Afterwards your clothes were saved for best. They was always saved for best. A lot went in the pawn shop after Whit Sunday." Alice Mitchell "And we went to our neighbours and relatives to show them our new clothes. Our relatives used to give us a penny. People used to turn your dress up to see if you had new knickers." Clare Beech "I remember going in the Whit procession as a Girl Guide. When I were only about six or seven. We had a navy blue uniform and a big plate hat like a plate. Blue. With a piece of elastic under the chin. And we walked miles. Our uniforms were serge and they used to rub your skin and make your skin all raw. We just followed the band." Eileen Bailey Memory Leaves which might be of interest:
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