Growing up in Hollingbury - Part II

I can remember my first Christmas in 88 Birch Grove Crescent. When I woke up on Christmas morning, I looked across the room to see my brother staring at me from under his blankets. It was around six o’clock and he sat up and saw the presents at the foot of his single bed, he jumped out of bed and said to me “Can we open them now ” I answered him by ripping open the first present I could reach. I went to open my last present which was a bit further away as if it needed to be opened last, it was a bicycle pump.

The best ever present

I leapt out of bed and ran into my mum and dad’s bedroom. They were half asleep, but my dad lifted his head and told me to look outside on the landing. It was second hand, and it had been painted blue but to me it was the best present that I had ever had. I went everywhere on my bike. It was my freedom. There were four of us and we all had bikes, so we rode up to Old Boat Corner. That was where Stamner Park started, and that was where we would get the branches to make our bows and arrows.

Taking pot shots

We tied our branches to the cross bar of the bikes and rode home. Once we had made our bows and arrows, we went to the rear of the Birch Grove flats which was overgrown with bushes and practiced using the bows. Sometime if someone took a short cut, we fired at them. Nothing to worry about, the bows were not strong, and the arrows were not very straight.