Heaton Park Boating Lake

A Memory of Prestwich.

I recall seeing a film in 1948 in the school hall of Heys Road Boys School of the '1936 Olympics'. This was to educate us in the theme of the Olympics (remember there had been an abandonment from 1936 until 1948 when they returned after hostilities to London. The 'Rowing Event' really interested me and I had plans (never realised) to be a Rower in the next Games. So off I went on my bicycle from Ruskin Crescent (end of St Annes Rd & Ruskin Rd) at 10am every Sunday following 8am Holy Communion at St Mary's to the Boating lake in Heaton Park. I think it was about 6 old pence or 1 Shilling (2.5p or 5p current) to hire a skiff for an hour. Do they still have skiffs - a slim line, one person rowing boat that looked like those I had seen in the Olympics film. Quite often I was the only person on the lake. Many of the old RAF buildings still existed in the park from where they had been used during WW2 as a training base. The park became a place for local teenagers to meet up and some of us from Prestwich St Mary's Youth Club would go there on Sunday afternoons - I recall meeting along with other friends one of our members who was Christine Bullas who was a good singer and who joined Prestwich AD & OS (who became 'Christine Stevens' who a few years later became quite famous as a TV Presenter and appeared in the Film 'Carry on Cleo'.) I wonder where all these old friends are now? Fond memories, Fred Plant

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