A short week at the CCA but a busy one, so let’s get started. Grinders removed the concrete from the external wall ready for the repointing. At eight on the dot the lads arrived to re-point the wall. It’s a big one, so it wasn’t to be a quick job, but David and Chris set too as though “The Great Wall of Brady Square” was nothing. Then came the rain, so out came the plastic sheeting which needed to be held down with sandbags.
Dyno-Rod arrived to put the cameras down the drains, for a full survey, and all was well. They just need a good clean out. So the CCA are waiting for … another quote. So what’s new.
JLA came to assess the electrical work which is yet to be completed, Richard, the CCA’s lovely surveyor met Gary from ACT, who popped in to tell CCA that the scaffolding is due to come down Monday next week. Marion is delighted, because now the windows can be cleaned, inside and out.
Blinds are being fitted Thursday of the coming week; and it really does seem as though everything is all starting to come together.Tthough, as with all such projects, there is still a little more to do. Wonderfully, another delivery of hats for the Sea-farers arrived and the team is still in awe of the kindness of the community.
Brian Mason, has been steadily working on the CCA’s new signage though it’s not quite ready, but the team is enormously grateful for the push, pull signs Brian has made and which are placed on the swing doors. In fact, Marion insisted to Margaret that Brian is a star. Heavens, high praise indeed.
Cultural Creatives are starting their courses this week: ten weeks every Wednesday and an eight-week course every Thursday. The girls were amazed when they came in and saw how much progress had been made since their last visit.
Aimee and her dancers are taking the opportunity to get some extra practice in while on school holidays, and before Aimee jets off to Benidorm for a Hen Party. Benidorm, yes Benidorm. Margaret wonders if we should warn Benidorm. Marion told her not to be a party pooper.
Phil and Dean are here to plaster the internal side of the door that was blocked up. It will be painted when dry and then the CCA will have a computer room up and running.
Marion and the team have quite a photographic gallery along the walls: framed photos of the many who have been involved in the project, with people strolling down the corridor to see who is up, and looking for themselves. As Marion said, ”Let’s hope we don’t offend anyone, it is not intentional, we are working through a multitude of pictures that bring happy memories of our journey together.’
Friday is the CCA’s free coffee morning with prize bingo, pies, cakes, cream scones and much more. ‘The chit chat is amazing,’ says Marion. ‘It is always a reminiscence session which we love, takes us back to childhood days in good old Brady Square, a bit of nostalgia, hide and seek until dark, conkers, penny sweets and picnics with jam butties and a bottle of water to share among us all. Happy days.’
Margaret and Dick turned up to join in the chat on Friday. Margaret had some photos of her mum, Annie Newsome, and her Uncle Stan and Auntie Isobel. One of which was of Uncle Stan in his arab headress. It was taken, Margaret thought, in the war when Stan was stationed in North Africa. ‘Mum always said she thought Stan imagined he looked like Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia! It always made her giggle.
Margaret chatted to Geoff Millington, who initiated the original mural painted by the children of the then Biddick Primary School in 1983. Geoff (shown with the CCA print, hanging in the Brady Square Room) has promised to write the story of the mural in more detail and the CCA cannot wait. While chatting to Margaret, Geoff realised that sitting nearby was the mother of one of the children, so off the pair of them went, recapturing memories. Frost Magazine was thrilled to see the magic of the the Columbia Community Association in action. How hard the team have worked to reawaken the centre to provide a central meeting place. Applause please.
Everyone clearly had a great time at the coffee morning, including Margaret and Dick who were thrilled to be back, and to be guzzling lemon drizzle cake. Such a shame they had to nip off before the bingo, with its fabulous boxes of Thorntons for the winners. Why? They had to snatch some fish n chips then dash home or two small dogs would sulk for eternity, as they would accuse ‘the grown ups’ of being away ‘forever’. Margaret and Dick will be back in a few weeks, to listen to memories of Brady Square, and try to gather them together to be kept at the CCA for all to read, and maybe others will add their own. How great that would be.
Information: Columbia Community Association Columbia uk Community Forum