Clare Short
Once Upon a Time
To be published by NSPCC and Continuum International Publishing Group, on 29/04/04
Dear NSPCC
I find it impossible to pick out “the most memorable” event of my childhood. It is like the request for a favourite book, word or personal hero. There are so many people and books and memories that are important to me.
But on Sunday I drove up the road where I grew up. To most people it would seem like an ordinary, short road in my Ladywood constituency, with terraces of tall, thin Victorian five bedroom housed on both sides of the road. But for me the road is full of happy memories – of children skipping, playing rounders, hopscotch, cricket and other games – boys and girls playing hard and competing strongly, but having endless hours of fun.
Next door to us lived two brothers – Dennis and David. Dennis was a little older than me and we were friends and competitors. He tended to get the presents first – hula- hoop, yo-yo, stilts, or whatever. He would bring then out to play and after a time give me a turn. We would begin with a few rounds. But by the end of the weekend we could be up in the hundreds, hula-hooping or yo-yoing, and ever further and faster because of our competition with each other. And then I would begin to try to persuade my Mum that I too needed a hula-hoop or yo-yo. But she had to be fair to my sisters and brothers, so I usually had to share with Dennis until a birthday, or until I had the patience to save my pocket money, at which I was not very good.
The biggest competitions we had were stilts and swimming underwater. The stilts started with a few stumbles but by the end of the weekend we were both skipping across the road and back for long periods without a stumble.
In those days cars coming down the road were very unusual and it was only occasionally we had to halt.
Some Saturdays a group of us would go together to the local swimming baths with my father there to supervise. Dennis and I started to compete over swimming underwater. An hour or so later we could dive from the diving board and do the length. But I couldn’t do a whole width the next time I tried! After that Dennis went to secondary school and started giggling over incomprehensible jokes and we drifted apart. He joined the Sally army because he said he wanted to learn the trumpet. I do not know what became of him since.
Simple things: a street of playing children, very few cars, lots of happy memories. On top of that was the spice and achievement of my competition with Dennis. I hope he is well and happy now.
Best wishes,
Clare Short
