Who Do We Think We Are?
We held a local History Course through the WEA at The Digital Lounge from September to November 14th.
During the course the participants interviewed one another using the following questions.
How long have you lived in Seacroft?
What do you enjoy about living in Seacroft?
Where did you work in Seacroft?
What would you like to change about Seacroft?
And the following are results of their interviews:
Archive CR
She was born in Hunslet and moved to Seacroft when she was 5 years old. She has lived in the same house since 1959 when her parents were the second tenants in the new build. She went to school in Our Lady of Good Counsel and then Mount St Mary’s school and Becket Street which is now the site of the Oncology building at St James’s Hospital.
Her memories of Seacroft are of a vibrant area, with lots of leisure facilities. She went to dances in the Village Hall on Saturday evenings and concerts at the bingo hall. She remembers seeing Billy J Kramer, Mike Reid and various rock and roll groups. The highlight of the week was going to bingo at Our Lady of Good Counsel School and at the Gala Bingo Hall. There was a fair on the Village Green twice a year which she really enjoyed, and as she entered her teenage years she spent a lot of time at a coffee bar in Crossgates.
Employment
CR worked at Barratts Shoe Warehouse on the Coal Road picking orders: EJ Arnold Printing Works on Coal Road and had a Saturday job cleaning in Harehills.
She particularly likes the familiarity of the area and the good bus service which enables her to reach different parts of the surrounding area.
CR feels that the area has lost many leisure facilities due to the demise of the old Seacroft Centre. She would like an indoor market and a fish and chip shop. The old town centre had three cafes, which have now been lost.
WA was born in Hunslet in 1938 and attended Hunslet National School. Then he went to Leeds Central High School. He thinks Seacroft is a lovely place to visit and although he has lived in Crossgates since 1965 he spends a lot of his time and gives his expertise to enterprises in Seacroft. When he moved to the area he began attending St James Church where he played the organ, and then became interested in developing Seacroft Village Hall. He has been on the committee for 25 years and been instrumental in making it a vibrant place for the community to carry out leisure and education interests.
WA would like to see more social facilities for young and old in the area.
VA was born in Holbeck and went to Ingram Road Primary School and then to West Road High School. Her first job was as a nursery nurse and then she worked at Moore house Jam Factory. She courted and married Bill in 1961 and then lived in Beeston until 1965 when they moved to Crossgates. She attended St James Church in Seacroft until 2006. V’s mother lives in Swarcliffe and she helped to run a club for people with learning disabilities for the over 40 years.
MR moved to Seacroft from Hunslet and has lived in the Inglewoods since 1967. She thinks it is a quiet area now compared to a few years ago. She’s worked around Crossgates and had a job packing lollies at Treats and the White Rose, packing sugar. She has also worked at William Pell tailoring and Ernest Wise, packing fruit and veg. She went in to a job on Osmondthorpe, food packing. She then became a carer for her mother. M has lots of hobbies including tracing her family history, walking her collie dogs, singing in a choir, playing on her WI games and she also likes watching soap operas and writing and receiving letters from her many pen pals. She would like ‘problem people’ to move out of the area and have nicer neighbours. She would also like a hardware shop in Seacroft.
JM has lived his whole life in Seacroft. He is now 20 years old. Initially he lived at Parkway Vale, an area that has recently been demolished. He then moved across the road to live at Parkfield Way. He attended The Denise Healey Youth Club and Kentmere Community Centre. He spent time at the old Seacroft Chapel on York Road and was really interested in the Music athons, before the Church Chapel was rebuilt. He has appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post various times. He attended St Nicolas School and Seacroft Grange but left before he graduated. From there he went to Leeds City College, Thomas Danby and South Leeds Beeston Campus to continue his education.
He then transferred to Wakefield College – Skills 4 Change Campus to study Motorbike Mechanics. Although he has never had a paid job, he has volunteered at St Vincent’s Community Shop on Ramshead Hill, The Sue Rider shop in Crossgates and at the Revive shop in Seacroft. He has also worked at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in the costume hire department. In 2014 he published ‘Dare I disturb the Universe’ which is a collection of short stories and monologues. He also got engaged and plans to play at the East Leeds FM Music athon at the Chapel in December. He appeared on the preview for Made in Leeds on channel 8. He signed on to Job Seekers Allowance for the first time in November and started a web site specialising in electric bicycles.
CM was born in 1953 and has lived in Seacroft all his life. He went to Grange Farm Primary School, Asket Hill and Foxwood High School. While he was there he enjoyed Arts and Maths and Woodwork but was not keen on English. He enjoyed school dinners and games sessions. As a child he ran messages for builders working at the estate. He also worked in the local fish and chip shop removing ‘eyes’ from potatoes and cutting fish in the back.
He was also kept busy running errands for his grandma. In 2014 he is looking for a job and has gained enough expertise to help other people with their job searches. C has spent a lot of time researching maps of the local area through the ages. His hobbies include walking, fishing and reading horror and war stories.
SB she moved in 2000 to Cross Green and returned to Seacroft in June. She enjoys taking part in activities at The LS14 Trust and also being close to all local amenities. She has worked all around Seacroft looking after elderly people in their own homes. From this she then moved to work in Wood View on Eastwood to look after residents there. She would like to have a shop that sold old fashioned sweets as her grandad worked for ‘Weatherspoons’ she thinks that sweets nowadays do not taste the same as they used to.
PF was born in Belle Isle and went to school in Belle Isle and Woodhouse. He moved from Halton Moor to Seacroft in 2012. He went to Belle Isle in 1959 and Woodhouse in 1969. He likes cricket and worked and got the cane in both schools. He helped the milk man for 2 shillings and 6 pence and helped is grandma bake at Christmas. He was the only one allowed to help in the family. He moved to Seacroft in 2012. He does not work in Seacroft but goes to A4E looking for a job. He is a volunteer at The Digital Lounge and spends time at the library. He has been on courses at The Digital Lounge and achieved is Food Hygiene certificate through them.
During the course the participants interviewed one another using the following questions.
How long have you lived in Seacroft?
What do you enjoy about living in Seacroft?
Where did you work in Seacroft?
What would you like to change about Seacroft?
And the following are results of their interviews:
Archive CR
She was born in Hunslet and moved to Seacroft when she was 5 years old. She has lived in the same house since 1959 when her parents were the second tenants in the new build. She went to school in Our Lady of Good Counsel and then Mount St Mary’s school and Becket Street which is now the site of the Oncology building at St James’s Hospital.
Her memories of Seacroft are of a vibrant area, with lots of leisure facilities. She went to dances in the Village Hall on Saturday evenings and concerts at the bingo hall. She remembers seeing Billy J Kramer, Mike Reid and various rock and roll groups. The highlight of the week was going to bingo at Our Lady of Good Counsel School and at the Gala Bingo Hall. There was a fair on the Village Green twice a year which she really enjoyed, and as she entered her teenage years she spent a lot of time at a coffee bar in Crossgates.
Employment
CR worked at Barratts Shoe Warehouse on the Coal Road picking orders: EJ Arnold Printing Works on Coal Road and had a Saturday job cleaning in Harehills.
She particularly likes the familiarity of the area and the good bus service which enables her to reach different parts of the surrounding area.
CR feels that the area has lost many leisure facilities due to the demise of the old Seacroft Centre. She would like an indoor market and a fish and chip shop. The old town centre had three cafes, which have now been lost.
WA was born in Hunslet in 1938 and attended Hunslet National School. Then he went to Leeds Central High School. He thinks Seacroft is a lovely place to visit and although he has lived in Crossgates since 1965 he spends a lot of his time and gives his expertise to enterprises in Seacroft. When he moved to the area he began attending St James Church where he played the organ, and then became interested in developing Seacroft Village Hall. He has been on the committee for 25 years and been instrumental in making it a vibrant place for the community to carry out leisure and education interests.
WA would like to see more social facilities for young and old in the area.
VA was born in Holbeck and went to Ingram Road Primary School and then to West Road High School. Her first job was as a nursery nurse and then she worked at Moore house Jam Factory. She courted and married Bill in 1961 and then lived in Beeston until 1965 when they moved to Crossgates. She attended St James Church in Seacroft until 2006. V’s mother lives in Swarcliffe and she helped to run a club for people with learning disabilities for the over 40 years.
MR moved to Seacroft from Hunslet and has lived in the Inglewoods since 1967. She thinks it is a quiet area now compared to a few years ago. She’s worked around Crossgates and had a job packing lollies at Treats and the White Rose, packing sugar. She has also worked at William Pell tailoring and Ernest Wise, packing fruit and veg. She went in to a job on Osmondthorpe, food packing. She then became a carer for her mother. M has lots of hobbies including tracing her family history, walking her collie dogs, singing in a choir, playing on her WI games and she also likes watching soap operas and writing and receiving letters from her many pen pals. She would like ‘problem people’ to move out of the area and have nicer neighbours. She would also like a hardware shop in Seacroft.
JM has lived his whole life in Seacroft. He is now 20 years old. Initially he lived at Parkway Vale, an area that has recently been demolished. He then moved across the road to live at Parkfield Way. He attended The Denise Healey Youth Club and Kentmere Community Centre. He spent time at the old Seacroft Chapel on York Road and was really interested in the Music athons, before the Church Chapel was rebuilt. He has appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post various times. He attended St Nicolas School and Seacroft Grange but left before he graduated. From there he went to Leeds City College, Thomas Danby and South Leeds Beeston Campus to continue his education.
He then transferred to Wakefield College – Skills 4 Change Campus to study Motorbike Mechanics. Although he has never had a paid job, he has volunteered at St Vincent’s Community Shop on Ramshead Hill, The Sue Rider shop in Crossgates and at the Revive shop in Seacroft. He has also worked at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in the costume hire department. In 2014 he published ‘Dare I disturb the Universe’ which is a collection of short stories and monologues. He also got engaged and plans to play at the East Leeds FM Music athon at the Chapel in December. He appeared on the preview for Made in Leeds on channel 8. He signed on to Job Seekers Allowance for the first time in November and started a web site specialising in electric bicycles.
CM was born in 1953 and has lived in Seacroft all his life. He went to Grange Farm Primary School, Asket Hill and Foxwood High School. While he was there he enjoyed Arts and Maths and Woodwork but was not keen on English. He enjoyed school dinners and games sessions. As a child he ran messages for builders working at the estate. He also worked in the local fish and chip shop removing ‘eyes’ from potatoes and cutting fish in the back.
He was also kept busy running errands for his grandma. In 2014 he is looking for a job and has gained enough expertise to help other people with their job searches. C has spent a lot of time researching maps of the local area through the ages. His hobbies include walking, fishing and reading horror and war stories.
SB she moved in 2000 to Cross Green and returned to Seacroft in June. She enjoys taking part in activities at The LS14 Trust and also being close to all local amenities. She has worked all around Seacroft looking after elderly people in their own homes. From this she then moved to work in Wood View on Eastwood to look after residents there. She would like to have a shop that sold old fashioned sweets as her grandad worked for ‘Weatherspoons’ she thinks that sweets nowadays do not taste the same as they used to.
PF was born in Belle Isle and went to school in Belle Isle and Woodhouse. He moved from Halton Moor to Seacroft in 2012. He went to Belle Isle in 1959 and Woodhouse in 1969. He likes cricket and worked and got the cane in both schools. He helped the milk man for 2 shillings and 6 pence and helped is grandma bake at Christmas. He was the only one allowed to help in the family. He moved to Seacroft in 2012. He does not work in Seacroft but goes to A4E looking for a job. He is a volunteer at The Digital Lounge and spends time at the library. He has been on courses at The Digital Lounge and achieved is Food Hygiene certificate through them.