100 years of education celebrated

PUPILS past and presented packed out a primary school in Warrington to celebrate its 100 years of education in the town.
There wasn’t a spare seat in the house as people visited Alderman Bolton Primary School in Latchford to celebrate the school’s centenary.
Current pupils performed a musical show while the older former pupils re-lived the memories of by-gone days.
Former Mayor of Warrington Harry Whitehead, 85, became a pupil at the school in 1931.
He said: “There used to be unemployed men on street corners on my way to school. They came every day hoping to be picked up for work. It was a time of poverty; I do not remember ever having a coat and some children didn’t even have shoes.”
Brenda Elwell, who started in 1952, can distinctly remember the headmistress of the time, Ms George.
She said: “She was strict, but fair and what I do remember about her was her jingly jangly charm bracelets. You could hear them before you saw her and knew to behave.”
The oldest former pupil in attendance was Alice Fairbrother, who will be 97 in November.
She said: “We didn’t speak to the boys – well not in school hours anyway. What happened outside of school gates is another story.”
Current headteacher Lyndsey Glass, added: “The whole event has made us realise how special the school is to its community and how important schools are for the future.”
Picture shows Alice Fairbrother and George Crompton, former pupils of Alderman Bolton