WHEN I was a youngster I lived in the Grove, Coxhoe.

They were happy carefree days.

The war had just ended and people were just getting used to living without the blackout.

Times were hard and we had very little money to buy luxuries and the comfortable life style that we have today.

Our sweet coupons were the only thing that we had to look forward to on a Saturday evening.

But times improved after the war the street lights came back on. We could afford to go to The Avenue cinema, in Coxhoe, which cost three pence for kids and six pence for our parents.

Many children built pigeon lofts and we would buy stray pigeons from the farm as a hobby.

As I got older I was asked to look after a elderly gentleman’s pigeons because he worked shift work at the quarry. I eventually own my own pigeon loft and was a member of Coxhoe racing pigeon club.

I often wonder why more children do not take up the sport of pigeon racing but, after looking at the price of pigeon corn and the cost of racing pigeons, I think it is getting too expensive.

Jimmy Taylor, Coxhoe.