The Veterans Community Hub based in Newton Aycliffe arranged unforgettable birthday celebration meeting for Muriel Scott, a 101 year old Aycliffe Angel.
She was so happy as she was not expecting anything and we were happy to see the smile on her lovely face. All our team surprised Muriel with some nice handmade gifts. A delicious handmade cake along with a brass casing memorable pen with poppy clip.
A hand made SA80 replica wood rifle was a source of amusement. After showing the process of woodcarving we presented Muriel with one of our beautiful wooden bowls. The event was kindly attended by representatives from BBC Radio Tees and Great Aycliffe Town Council.
Muriel shared a couple of great memories:
When Aycliffe Village School opened (April 1898) it was a big event when “the new school opened, now when I started school, the old school was demolished by then, I went in to have a look and there was a lady standing at the gate, just as they do now. I knew her as she lived next door to me. She asked my mother Is she not going to start school Mrs Scott?”
“No” my mother said “She is not able to start school until she is 5.” Unfortunately I was only 4 and I had to go back when I was 5. It was not long after that it was my 5th birthday and I would be able to start but I remember clearly being really annoyed because I couldn’t start that day with the other children. It is funny, I don’t really remember going back to start but I do remember being so disappointed not be starting that day.
“I also remember the solar eclipse in the early 1920’s, there were lots of students who came and stayed all night in the school and they went out to watch on the quarry tops to see it. I remember going along and I would not have been very old as my sister, who is 3 years younger than me, was in the pushchair and I was walking so I wouldn’t have been very old. I remember it coming very dark. I remember that, yes.”
“I remember when the football was on and the whole village came out to celebrate Newcastle winning the FA cup. We all stood on the top of the bank and they paraded the cup for us to see.
“I also remember them putting the electricity in to the village because we used to have gas or paraffin lamps. Also the stand pipes in the village where we would have to carry water for the house. When we came home from school my mother would say ‘go and fill the buckets’ and we would have one against the old fashioned fireplace, one against the boiler, for washing up etc., and then 2 in the pantry for drinking and the last one under the scullery sink to catch the waste water which we used for the garden etc. So I remember a lot of big changes, when we got a washing machine, oh my, my mother thought it was wonderful and she would say ‘are they done, are they finished’ She couldn’t believe it because she would be on all day with a wash tub and mangle with a wooden poss stick. I remember coming in from school and she would say ‘I’ve only your Dad’s overalls to do and then I am finished’. It took the whole day and she’d use the little ‘dolly blue’ bags to bring the whites back up.”