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Church Socials


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Anyone remember the very innocent social dances at churches like St.Patricks, St.Thomas Mores and St Charles atAttercliffe? They also held them at a little chapel on Herries Road, which is now a funeral directors.

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I do remember our next door neighbour on the Manor going to St Theresa's school hall once or twice a week to a whist drive and or a beetle drive, I never understood it.

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It seems surprising but back  in the 1930's & 1940's , apart from cinemas , chapels & churches were the centre of most  social activity. As well as weekily activities many put on  a show each year such as light  opera (Gilbert & Sullivan) . My family attended Grimesthorpe Wesleyan Reform Chapel & the photos show productions of HMS Pinafore & Iolanthe probably taken 1930's wirh my mum in dad Jim & Marjorie Moore (nee Morris) in them. THe standard of these shows was quite hight too.. In the 1950's & 1960 there was an active youth club there who put on shows too.

GWRC hms pinafore with mum & dad  late 1930s.jpg

GWRC Iolanthe probably Les Cusworth Jim Moore Ken Morris late 1930s.jpg

GWRC late 1930s mum & dad.jpg

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This church community activity extended into the 1960/70's with Shiregreen Congs, for instance, producing at least one play a year, having regular dances and socials as well as pea and pie suppers. A deal of fun and with not a drop of alcohol in sight! Sadly, we all seem to be too "sophisticated" to enjoy such simple pleasures these days.

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We had regular socials at Handsworth Methodist.  The men of the church always put on a concert on New Year's Eve, great fun for us all.

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Greenhill Methodist put on the occasional social evening in the old Chapel on Greenhill Main Road.

I remember going along with my mates to see a local guy put on his escapology/magician act, another time was to see a pop group, "don't remember their name"  well it was 1959, first time we'd seen a local group play live music!

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My first post here!

Have fond memories of my family's involvement with performances at Grimesthorpe Wesley Hall (my parents married there) and me hiding behind the bins as a small boy so as to avoid giving a solo to the old folks gathering!

Later memories of very frequent variety concerts, social evenings, dances at Low Shiregreen Methodist Church plus all the fun of writing, producing and performing together in the annual pantomimes (which ran for a week and sold out). I confess to doing my best to entertain as Buttons and one of the Seven Dwarfs ( not telling which one!) and my father always took the part of the Dame.

Still have copies of the scripts somewhere. Happy, innocent, times!

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Sadly, Beck Road Meths is no more!….. I remember going to the odd social evening as a young man

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St Hilda's Windmill lane. Dances, guides, brownies, fetes, fancy dress, jumble sales. Shows etc. always something going off and our early life revolved around church. Another church now gone - we got married there and celebrate our 60th anniversary next month.

Shiregreen school on Bracken road after school - called a play centre. Dancing, different rooms had different interests be it just reading, craft work, jigsaws, games. 

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I'm afraid it's no use bewailing churches closing, there is just no need for as many these days.  Only 42.6% of the population according to the 2021 census were Christian (and interestingly a third of Anglicans according to a 2013 survey doubted the existence of God) with irreligion being the second highest category.  churches built for congregations of 1,000 make no economic sense when only 10 or 20 attend weekly.  There's no money to maintain buildings, pay the clergy or even heat the place.  Best thing is to close it, flog it off, and combine the congregation with a nearby church or chapel.  Add to this that centres of population move, a church in an industrial estate has little purpose, and modern housing estates rarely plan for new churches.

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They were definitely important to us in the 1950s; as working class families we had little else to look forward to, which was what I was highlighting it.  We were still reading B/W books and if we were lucky after 1953 watching B/W TV.  Obviously times have changed and it would seem old fashioned in this modern age though there are lots of social groups now that advertise on such as facebook for the young and old. I am just grateful that as a young child they were there for us to brighten our childhood and to have something to look forward too. 

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St Hilda’s has gone the way of so many estate churches….as ,indeed, have very many estate pubs and WM clubs. Demolished!

Christianity,has been in decline for decades with too many traditional Church congregations ageing , membership falling and as a consequence, struggling to keep the roof water tight let alone pay for heating, lighting and the Ministerial oversight…..unlike the local Mosques where they queue to gain entry.

Strangely enough ,disused factories and warehousing are often being used by the modern wave of untraditional churches which attract many young people and students.

The need for social activities seems to have also gone the way of all things. Times change, habits alter …..but tribalism still reigns supreme in the case of sporting activities …..specially with football!

Perhaps being just a tad cynical it seems to me that protest marching and demonstrating is the nearest thing we have today to Social activity.

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