Sunday 23 July 2017

Joy in the Churchyard

Everything was perfect - except for the weather - for our Joyslide Community Fund day in St James's Churchyard - and even the rain didn't dampen spirits too much.

Hook-a-duck, the ever popular coconut shies, the Helter Skelter, DJ Danny, bouncy castle, barbeque - all free, thanks to support from United St Saviour's Charity (who funded the whole day, including refreshments and publicity) to Grosvenor, owners of the Biscuit Factory who funded the Helter Skelter, and local firm, Ice Cream Union, who provided their delicious Bermondsey-made ice cream free of charge.

In addition, we had visits from the London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police, and the kids
enjoyed meeting the firefighters and police officers, and seeing the inside of a real live fire engine and a police car.

Just to bring home the reality of their work, a 999 call meant that half way through the event the fire engine had to switch on its blue lights, turn on the siren, and race off to a real life emergency elsewhere in the borough.

Meanwhile, inside the church local historians Gary Magold and Graham Taylor had mounted an exhibition about the original Bermondsey Joyslide, the work of Ada and Alfred Salter, and the Peak Frean's biscuit factory, which proved very popular with visitors, and led to many reminiscences, particularly of fun times on the joyslide.

And thanks to the Dockland Ringers (left) there was the chance to visit the bell tower, see how the bells are rung and even to have a go. Thank you to them.

The whole day was designed to be the launch of our Bring Back the Joyslide Project ( see the website here).

The orginal slide was the brainchild of Arthur Carr, chairman of Peek Frean's Biscuit Factory, and it was good to have his great grandson, Christopher Carr, with  us for the event alongside the project's patrons, Jon and Simon Dyer from Albins, who both went to St James's School, and were frequent sliders down the joyslide when they were youngsters.

Here are some more photos of a great day:












Finally, the Helter Skelter departs for home:


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