How nice to hear from you, and of course I do remember you from my Meols childhood. Your Mum and Dad were great pals with mine and i loved it when they came round to our house in Beachcroft Road. The Sandtoft was a great small hotel – the sort of place that might make it in to Alastair Sawday guidebooks in today’s market. You can imagine the irony of trying to place Dad in a residential home and turning up at what WAS the Sandtoft and which now is a very nice residential home.

I did go and visit your mum a some years back at Melrose Avenue. The first time I went by myself on a spur of the moment decision and it was lovely to see her. She seemed in good spirits, but being less mobile, life was not so easy for her. Later i took my Mum round in a wheelchair from her residential home in Birkenhead Road. They were of course delighted to see each other, for your Mum, who was more alert and “with it” at this time, it must have been sad and quite poignant to have seen my Mum as a shadow of her former vivacious self. Glad to hear that she moved nearer you .

I will pass on your message to Susie who has recently been widowed. She lives in Reepham, Norfolk and Carole who still lives in Hoylake. We go up to see her a few times a year, also over to to see Susie who is nearer us (we live in Milton Keynes).

Best wishes, mason

The Coronation was just after we bought our first television set, a Ferguson. I can remember setting out the chairs in a cinema format in our living room and I think I created some sort of tickets to be handed out. We were all at Meols Primary School then and I remember Mr Corkhill spending hours and hours painting banners, and Irwins the grocers at Station Approach handing out paper crowns to wear.

Brindy was a wonderful dog and if I think I can find a picture of him to email you. Do you remember Mrs Goldrei’s dog who used to wait for Harold, the postman, at the big house on the corner of Forest Road and then accompany him on the rest of his round!

I married Gladys Aynsley who lived at number 3 Beachcroft – 41 years ago – and we now live in Milton Keynes and our two daughters live in London. Some years ago I saw Karen in Olney and she told me about your Mum still going swimming every day! We also met Geoff Fletcher at a 60th party at Chicheley Hall earlier in the year. Your Mum and Dad were of course stalwarts of the Hoylake Swimming Club, and there must be hundreds of children who were taught to swim by them. Not me unfortunately, I have still failed to learn. I spent my visits to the Hoylake Swimming pool as a “spectator”.

Have forwarded your comments to Susie who lives in Reepham, Norfolk. Not sure how she can get in touch with you direct though.

Ann Gillies (nee Fenney)

… and Sue, my Mum and Dad enjoyed many good suppers at your parent’s hotel, The Sandtoft. When he was much, much older and I was spending time trying to persuade him to move to a residential home , The Sandtoft was one of the homes he consented to visit. After a very brief visit (they were always brief visits) he came out saying that it wouldn’t be suitable as “there were too many people with sticks.” Oh dear!

US KIDS THOUGHT IT HAD BEEN DONE BY A BOMB!!

THE HULL OF A BOAT FOUND IN THE SEA WALL WAS THE “EMBLEMATIC” SHE WAS LOST IN 1883. HER SKIPPER WAS JOHN ECCLES MY GREAT GRAND FATHER,SHE WAS OWEND BY HIS FATHER JAMES.
SHE WAS BUILT AT WHITEHAVEN IN 1874 AND COST THE GREAT SUM OF £750!

I remember the sandbagging continued after dark with the help of floodlights. I can’t remember whether it was a big tide or not, but you can be certain there was another tide 12 hours and 25 minutes after the one that did the damage.

If the smooth bit of wall is still standing I give credit to Land and Marine, they cannot be responsible for collapses anywhere between Kings Gap and Egremont!. 50 years and over 34,000 tides have passed.

The Promenade is built on sand, and the tide will seep in through any crack it can find. On it’s way out take some sand with it. The result is would be a void under the pavement. Step softly! Except over “my” bit of course!