Frecheville Community Centre

FRECHEVILLE COMMUNITY CENTRE AND ZAKES

1) The first time Frecheville Community Centre (FCC) had the pleasure of receiving a visit from me was one lunchtime in 1966 when I was 12. I had been told by a class pal at Birley Secondary Modern School prison camp that FCC had a tuck shop. We children at Birley School weren't allowed off the premises during school hours, but rules are made to be broken, and that's just what I did. On this particular day I quickly necked me school dinner then escaped via Cowie Hill and Fox Lane to arrive at FCC. I went through the double doored front entrance and a few yards away right in front of me was a window like hatch, the tuck shop.

Serving at the hatch was a polite lady of pensionable age who showed a readiness to be of assistance. I asked the grey haired lady for 5 Woodbines. When she turned to go to the back shelf for the fags I quickly reached over and snaffled a couple of bars of chocolate and deftly pocketed them. On receiving my fags, I paid for them and turned to go. As planned, I came back 2 minutes later and requested a book of matches. The lady turned to get the matches and because I had room in my other blazer side pocket I served myself another round of chocolate. I had made sure not to grab chocolate bars with crinkly wrappers because I obviously didn't want to get caught.

Apart from the grey hair the only other thing I can remember about the lady was one of her arms was swollen, puffed up making it look as if she had Elephantiasis Filariasis. Anybody remember her? Passing Frecheville Pond on the way back to school I threw into the water two squares of chocolate in the hope Clarence the one eyed fish and his girlfriend Clara would enjoy having a nibble a piece.

I did repeat performances at the tuck shop on several occasions, and I felt reight proud of myself for the downright daringness. Thinking about it again through the years I must admit, I feel most unproud of myself for swiping the stuff. I have at times seriously considered whether to leave something in my will to FCC when it's time to be pushing up daisies, or in my case dandelions. Sheffield Forum gives one the opportunity to cleanse their conscience by confessing sins of the past, although I am far from being a flannelfoot.

2) In the early 70's if I wasn't working I'd at times go in the early afternoon weekdays to FCC to play snooker with the old men who used to go there daily. The snooker room had two full sized tables, and the tables were surrounded on three or four sides by leather look benched seating in bottle green. I didn't go there to gatecrash then hog the table(s), but to mainly have a chat and learn from the elder folk (like I used to do at Hollinsend Park bowling greens). I avidly listened to what they had to say about years gone by and also of their wartime experiences. The only 2 persons I can remember by name are:

A) Bill Wood. Bill had Denis Healey type eyebrows and lived nearby on Churchdale Road. He enjoyed playing bowls and billiards, he was a keen gardener too. He didn't get on too well with the other 15 or so men there because of his slight aloofness. I think Bill had a few bob. Nice man.

B) Charlie Corbridge. Charlie was a small frail man when I knew him, he also had a short leg and wore one of them tall boots (built up). He also used a walking stick. Charlie on occasion played snooker, but he was more famous for cracking witticisms in his frail voice. He always had me in stiches and I could have listened to him for hours. The other men just used to roll their eyes, probably because they had heard the jokes a thousand times over. Charlie once sold me a snooker cue for 30 bob, and two years later ('74) I had it made into a 2 piece cue, done at Smith Brothers, Rotherham for 4 quid. The cue has travelled with me all over the world and I still have it in my possession. It is an half inch shorter now because it splittered when I was using it Hannover, Germany but a South African (Rich the Titch) friend did a great repair job on it. Charlie Corbridge lived on Fox Lane, a great bloke.

I'm so sorry I can't remember more names of these men who did so much for this country. Unfortunately they will all be dead now. Bless them all.

P.s. I have just remembered 2 instances from the early 70's which you may find amusing, I certainly did.

Charlie Corbridge at his best.

1. One of the other men who was a slow, deliberate and careful player got down to play a shot. Whilst addressing the white ball he swung his cue back and forth at least a dozen times as if he was sawing his thumb off, then Charlie piped up by saying: "If he goes any faster, he'll stop". This made some of us loudly laugh, and the laughing got louder because at the exact moment Charlie delivered the quip, the other bloke played his shot and miscued.

2. One of the other gentlemen had been telling me about his time during the war. Then Charlie beckoned me over to him, and said .... "Don't believe a word he tells you, he was on the battlefield when the first shot was fired, and by the time the second shot was fired, he was back at home, hiding under his bed." LOL.

Part 2.

1) The only two people I remember by name who gave their time to make things happen at FCC were Stan and Betty Eyre. They had a sweet looking daughter called Carol. The Eyres if I recall correctly, lived at closeby Brushfield Grove. I spoke a few times with Stan, but I saw and spoke with Betty mostly. Betty treated me in a very friendly way and always complimented me on my famous flashy patterned shirts. She certainly knew how to make me feel important. The other ladies who worked there were also good to me, especially a small dark haired one who I saw on Saturdays (she was a little older than Betty). I wish I could remember all their names because they were all glittering diamonds.

I was at the centre one Saturday morning to attend a Jumple sale at 11 o'clock. I managed to buy a Herringbone patterned overcoat for myself, a table lamp and a set of plates to get round me mother. LOL. Anyway, I asked Betty if it would be okay for me to practice snooker for an hour in the snooker room (where else). She agreed to this, saying that she and other volunteers would be there for at least another hour or so. I got change (sixpences) for the light meter and off I went to practice. In the snooker room I closed the curtains and just had the snooker light on. In one corner there was a little table and upon this table was an ashtray. There was only one thing missing that stopped this being paradise, but that came too when Betty came in and asked me if I would like a cup of tea. Over an hour later Betty came back in to tell me they were closing and going home. She saw the look of disappointment on my face, then said I could stay but to make sure I slammed the door (back door) shut behind me when I left. To show such trust was a magnificent gesture from a magnificent person. Thankyou Mrs Betty Eyre.

The volunteers always seemed to be busy doing something at FCC on Saturdays, and it became a regular thing for me to come up to practice snooker. I always slammed the door behind me afterwards. I lived at Gleadless Townend at the time.

2) A friend of mine who supped in the Old Harrow was called Keith Wilcock (Benj), and we used to play lots of snooker at Faulkners on Cambridge Street in town. I told him about my playing at FCC and he showed an interest in playing there with me on Saturdays. I went up to FCC during the week to ask Betty if it would be okay for me to bring a friend with me on Saturday, she had no objections, so Benj and me pleayed for a couple of hours on the Saturday. Afterwards we had a chat about things and decided on playing longer sessions in future.

The following Saturday we arrived and went straight to the snooker room and hid the bags we had come with. We then went to the main hall to say hello and present ourselves. We played snooker like last time, then when the staff left for home we gave them 15 minutes in case any of them had forgotten something, then came back.

Nobody came back so we got our bags out from under the table. In Benj's bag he had a flask of coffee and sanwiches, in my bag I had a flask of tea, sandwiches and my carpet slippers. We played until just turned 6 o'clock then tossed (flipped) a coin to decide which one of us was going down to the shopping parade for the Green 'un, more fags and pop. After the break we played more snooker until turned 9 o'clock then packed up because we wanted (needed) to get to the Old Harrow for the last hour. We had decided a couple of days before we wouldn't take booze to FCC because we wanted to play snooker seriously.

During the following week Betty asked me how long did me and my mate play snooker on the Saturday. I knew there was a reason for her to ask this question and told her we had lost track of time and played 'til 9 o'clock. She told me she had wondered because there had been lots of tanners in the light meter box. She went on to say it was fine by her because FCC needed every penny it could get.

Our long snooker sessions came to an end about 6 weeks later because the new football session was looming. I collected football autographs as my main hobby which meant I didn't have time to play snooker on Saturdays. I have a thread on History and Ex Pats called, collecting autographs where you can see loads of signed football pics. I can't remember if Benj continued playing at FCC with somebody else.

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Extra: If any of you readers have read my memories on other threads, you will know I got up to tricks and little scams. I discovered one at FCC in the snooker room which I'm proud I didn't take advantage of. After the wonderful way I was treated there it would have been so, so wrong of me if I had of done so.

When I arrived in the snooker room on Saturdays the little padlock for the light meter box was always laid upon that box. I understand that to get the money from the box meant taking the padlock off. After the money was taken why wasn't the padlock put back on again? When the padlock is not on, one can pull out the drawer and the snooker table light would come on automatically and stay on. This means I could have put money in the drawer for an hours play (3 or 4 sixpences), and played nine hours and nobody apart from me would have known. During the week though, the padlock was always on and locked. A strange one that.

More extra:

(A) FCC hosted before WW2 a snooker match atween Joe Davis and Charlie Simpson.

(B) FCC was opened at 15:00 on Monday 21st June 1937 by Sir Enoch Hill JP

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1419179

Please see the new memorial Zakes.