Browse Sections

• Education
• Special reports

Turning back the clock to ‘good old days’

28/ 2/2006

RAG and bone men and even 'knocker-uppers' are making a return to Rochdale - thanks to a unique partnership spanning generations.

A group of young film-makers have been interviewing pensioners about what life was like in the town 70 or 80 years ago.

Ten youngsters from Belfield, Wardleworth and Hamer have been visiting Meadowfields community centre for the past few weeks to record old folks' memories on film. Pensioners such as 86-year Elsie Preston, who lived in Dover Street for 83 years.

She said: "It's been wonderful to talk to the children and reminisce about growing up in Rochdale.

"We've been speaking about the shops and how much sweets used to cost.

"Dover Street was very sociable in those days. Everybody knew everybody else and there was a lot of pride in the area, but it has changed over the years."

The young documentary makers, whose 15-minute film will be shown at Touchstones Gallery on 31 March, were also fascinated to learn about how rag and bone men plied their trade, sometimes offering goldfish in plastic bags or 'donkey stones' for scouring doorsteps.

They also learned how mill workers were woken from their slumber by 'knocker-uppers' who walked the street just before dawn, tapping on people's bedroom windows with a long pole.

The generation-bridging Who We Are project has been funded by Oldham Rochdale Renewal Pathfinder scheme, which is investing millions of pounds into rundown areas of the town.

Alison Cooper, a Pathfinder community officer, said: "The children have enjoyed interviewing an older generation and getting their perspective on how Rochdale's streets and houses have changed over the years. There is a lot of positive work taking place to regenerate Rochdale and children have been capturing this metamorphosis."