Building The Bridge

A Memory of Runcorn.

I was sat in my classroom at the parish school in church street and I had just put away my plastic counters after a hard maths lesson ,I was only 5 ( and 1+1 was very hard)my teachers name was mrs oats she was lovely and as I sat gazing out of the window I noticed this huge construction being built in the distance ,I asked my dad when I got home that evening what it was , now , as we traveled on the transporter bridge every saturday to visit my grandparents in simms cross Widnes this was of great concern to me and dad explained as best he could to a 5yr old what it was and that we would have to walk over it instead of using the transporter The next day in school I noticed the big arch hovering in the sky and I cried my eyes out . The teacher called for my parents to take me home as I was inconsolable, when I finaly calmed down I said I couldn,t see my nan and grandad anymore because there was no way I was walking over that big archway in the sky as I was too frightened I would fall off ,but when they told me a road was going to be underneath and they drew me a picture of it I calmed down , but I had several nightmares I can tell you untill i saw it for real when the bridge was finished. I remember going with my school to the grand opening and we were all standing along the spur road , if you were posh and had money you bought a flag from the school for sixpennies but like us if you didnt you bought a hankie for threepennies , that is a memory that will stay with me always ,oh happy days. carol