June's Celebration of Stanley

My name is June Tailford and I live in Stanley. I’ve been here for more than fifty years now, in the same house. I was brought up just outside of Stanley in a little village called Craghead. My dad, Bobby Gibson, was a miner, along with his three brothers. They all worked at Craghead Colliery. Sadly, my died quite young, he was only fifty four.

We lived on Kimberely Terrace, known locally as the Colliery Flats. Those houses aren’t there anymore. It was one down, two up, with no central heating, no indoor toilet or bathroom. The toilet was down the stairs and across the yard. But despite all that, there was such a strong community spirit. The village had sports days and carnivals, and everyone looked out for each other. When the pit finally closed after more than a hundred years, lots of familiies had to move away, and the place really changed.

There was always something happening in the community when I was growing up. I remember the big sports day so clearly. The infants, juniors and seniors all went down to the local football field. There were races for the kids and if you won you got a prize, as well as races for the mums and dads. It was a proper day out for everyone.

My primary school was called Bloemfontein, but we called it “The Font”. It doesnt exist anymore. The address used to be Craghead, but these days it's known as the The Middles. Things have changed, but to us, it’ll always be The Font. When I was growing up, I went to Oxhill Youth Club, which is still running today. Mostly though, we made our own entertainment. I never felt the need to go to the youth club all the time. I was born in 1949, so I went to school through the 1950's and 60s. I remember how Front Street used to be. The transport along the street made a huge difference, it was busy and alive. Back then, we didn't have big retail parks, so you did all your shopping in town. There were furniture shops, grocers, you name it. You didnt need to go anywhere else.

I’m a member of Stanley Past and Present because I’ve always been interested in history. My aunt, who passed away last year at the age of 103, had some amazing memories of Stanley. We’ve got some wonderful photographs too. I remember Jack Hare, a really good historian who lived in the area, he used to show films and slides at Civic Hall about Stanley, Craghead and the surrounding areas. I always went. Everyone there was interested and it always started good conversations. I do think Stanley has had a bit of a bad press in recent years. I came across a podcast about the town through Stnaley Chatterbox, a page on socail media where everyone goes to find out what’s happening. The man doing the podcast showed the good bits of the town, though he didnt go to the top of the street where there's a mess of building. Still, it was nice to see the positives.

I think it’s great that Karbon Homes have bought the Board School and want to do something for the community. The council offices next to it are over a hundred years old and just stadning there now. When the Board School stopped being a school, they still held events there, I even went to some. The last time I went to the council offices was to get my bus pass. The Imperial Pub at the end of the street is a beautiful old building, and everyone's thrilled that someone's taken it on. There’s so mcuh potential in Stanley because of all the buildings with history and character.

My name is June Tailford and I live in Stanley. I’ve been here for more than fifty years now, in the same house. I was brought up just outside of Stanley in a little village called Craghead. My dad, Bobby Gibson, was a miner, along with his three brothers. They all worked at Craghead Colliery. Sadly, my died quite young, he was only fifty four.

We lived on Kimberely Terrace, known locally as the Colliery Flats. Those houses aren’t there anymore. It was one down, two up, with no central heating, no indoor toilet or bathroom. The toilet was down the stairs and across the yard. But despite all that, there was such a strong community spirit. The village had sports days and carnivals, and everyone looked out for each other. When the pit finally closed after more than a hundred years, lots of familiies had to move away, and the place really changed.

There was always something happening in the community when I was growing up. I remember the big sports day so clearly. The infants, juniors and seniors all went down to the local football field. There were races for the kids and if you won you got a prize, as well as races for the mums and dads. It was a proper day out for everyone.

My primary school was called Bloemfontein, but we called it “The Font”. It doesnt exist anymore. The address used to be Craghead, but these days it's known as the The Middles. Things have changed, but to us, it’ll always be The Font. When I was growing up, I went to Oxhill Youth Club, which is still running today. Mostly though, we made our own entertainment. I never felt the need to go to the youth club all the time. I was born in 1949, so I went to school through the 1950's and 60s. I remember how Front Street used to be. The transport along the street made a huge difference, it was busy and alive. Back then, we didn't have big retail parks, so you did all your shopping in town. There were furniture shops, grocers, you name it. You didnt need to go anywhere else.

I’m a member of Stanley Past and Present because I’ve always been interested in history. My aunt, who passed away last year at the age of 103, had some amazing memories of Stanley. We’ve got some wonderful photographs too. I remember Jack Hare, a really good historian who lived in the area, he used to show films and slides at Civic Hall about Stanley, Craghead and the surrounding areas. I always went. Everyone there was interested and it always started good conversations. I do think Stanley has had a bit of a bad press in recent years. I came across a podcast about the town through Stnaley Chatterbox, a page on socail media where everyone goes to find out what’s happening. The man doing the podcast showed the good bits of the town, though he didnt go to the top of the street where there's a mess of building. Still, it was nice to see the positives.

I think it’s great that Karbon Homes have bought the Board School and want to do something for the community. The council offices next to it are over a hundred years old and just stadning there now. When the Board School stopped being a school, they still held events there, I even went to some. The last time I went to the council offices was to get my bus pass. The Imperial Pub at the end of the street is a beautiful old building, and everyone's thrilled that someone's taken it on. There’s so mcuh potential in Stanley because of all the buildings with history and character.