I began my primary school education at St Marychurch Church of England Primary School, known locally as Hartop School, in the autumn term of 1938.  This was of course before the days of school transport or parents with cars.  We walked to school and it was quite a fair step, mainly uphill, from home to school.  My mother would take me to school in the morning, collect me again at dinner time, no school dinners, return me to school after dinner and again, she would collect me at the end of the school day.

Perhaps this is where my love of walking began. When I joined the school the head mistress was a Miss Edmunds, a lovely homely lady, not at all intimidating for us little people who were starting school and away from home for the first time.

John Gale