Former pupils of Peele Community College is looking for old friends
A former pupil of Long Sutton's Peele Community College is hoping to reunite old schoolfriends - in the year they all turn 70!
Susan Nicholls, nee Reeve, who attended the Little London school shortly after it opened, thought it would be a good idea to see how many of her old school pals she could find and to organise a get-together - especially for those, like herself, who missed last year's diamond jubilee celebrations at Peele.
Susan, who grew up in Long Sutton, said: "I thought it would be good, as we all turn 70 this school year - from September 2018 to August 2019.
"I absolutely loved school, especially sport, and I didn't want to leave. The only lesson I didn't really like was geography! Saying that, both of my sisters were also very musical and I wasn't at all, so music wasn't a favourite either."
Teachers who Susan remembers include the head Mr Noon, Miss Rose (PE), Mr Bird (English) and Mr Mallett (geography and form teacher).
The Peele County Secondary School was built as a four-form entry school for 600 pupils, with the leaving age of 15 in 1958.
The first head was Alan Noon, of Nottingham, and in the early days, the boys did woodwork and metalwork, while the girls did needlecraft and cookery and the school farm kept chickens, turkeys, ducks and rabbits, as rural studies was a strong subject.
Peele was the second school in the county to have its own swimming pool. Funds were raised and the pool was officially opened by athlete Sir Chris Chataway MP.
Susan has drawn up a list of names she can remember from the 1960-61 intake and hopes they would like to get in touch and that they may know others:
Patsy Kirkham, Vivien Eyre, Kathleen Moore, Susan Kingston, Veta Griffiths, Elizabeth Guest, Pamela Bates, Anne Coe, Valerie Istead, Pauline Bailey, Ivy Smith, Joy Booth, Aileen Pope, Elaine(?) Shailes, Christine Chapman and Jackie (Batchelor).
David Leadbeater, Peter Bettinson, David Wall, Peter Longman, Michael Burton, George Bailey, Ian Swinburn, Fred Parnell, Michael (from Gedney Dyke).
l Contact Susan on 07931 823825.