Betty Richards at Middleton-on-Sea

Other children would ask me, “Does your mum work?”
“No,” I'd reply....

Only from the distance of 46 years since her death, can I see that this wasn’t strictly true.  Mum didn’t have any paid employment, but her involvement in the local community practically amounted to a full time job.  I’ve done a thorough trawl of old copies of the Bognor Observer and in particular, the Town and Country Gossip columns to catch up on her activities.  The writer was “Belinda” who didn’t do gossip as we understand it today – the weekly column wasn't a catalogue of mean swipes or taunts, it didn't go in for ghastly Jerry Springer-type revelations or Twitter-style trolling but rather provided a comprehensive summary of all the social and fund-raising activities in Bognor and in the outlying villages where everyone got a mention, where achievements were celebrated and where communities and their activities – from bee-keeping, flower arranging, drama productions and fund-raising events were valued.  Warm wishes are sent to the poorly and congratulations offered to those who’ve recovered from a recent illness. Of course, the more names that are mentioned in any local paper is likely to increase sales but the benefit to all those village communites was an overwhelmingly positive one.

Our family’s connection with Middleton goes back a long way.  My grandfather Harry Callander was a partner in a ladies clothing company called Callander, Davies and Ricks which was founded in the early 1900s.  Davies (whose first name I don’t know) had a house by the sea at Elmer and in the early 1930s, his friend and business partner Harry Callander bought nearby Beachcroft in Southdean Drive, Middleton which he then bequeathed to his daughter, our mum, after his death in 1941.  Davies’ daughter June married Don Hansford of Hansfords of Chichester so the family connection as outfitters continues to this day.

In March 1945, our family (Ann 8, Sally 7, Robert 3 and me 13 months) left Stanmore and returned to live in Middleton.  Mum immediately involved herself in local affairs by putting herself up for election in the Chichester council elections and on to the Middleton Parish council where her campaign for the election focussed on 'houses first, and then youth centres and playing fields."  She noted in a letter that “the church has games in the Church Hall, but you’ve got to be confirmed first to join, which is rather bad luck on all the other creeds.”  She was elected to the Parish Council and served on it for many years.  From September to May she ran weekly Keep Fit classes though these came to be known as Health through Stiffness – those fierce toe-touching, leg-lifting exercises rendered all us children paralysed with stiffness but were very popular among members of the club. (Mum's earlier involvement in PE and Fitness can be found in this earlier blog Post)

Other activities mum organized were Knitter Natter sessions where friends gathered to knit or sew together with a broad general rule that you couldn’t say anything about anyone that you wouldn’t actually say to their face….a far cry from many Stitch ‘n Bitch sessions that were also popular!  Mum wrote plays for us which we performed in the garden or, when the project grew, would involve many children from the community and were performed in a community hall.

Her most ambitious project started soon after the family's return to Sussex.  Mum was dismayed to find that the beaches were still closed in the summer of 1945 so she organised a month of sporting activities for children from 10 am to midday three times a week at the Middleton Sports Club during August.  This became established as an annual event and went on to run from 1945 until the early 1960s.   At least 130 children with an age range of about 8-16 attended and would all assemble round her famous lists written in green ink that were pinned up on the notice board indicating the activities for that morning.  It might be hurdling practice followed by a game of rounders before a session of long jump in the distant shady corner of the sports field.  Other activities would include high jump, cricket skills, tennis and running races over various distances.  We were in either the Red or the Blue team and it was run like a military operation with voluntary support from many members of the club. Anyone who’s used a database and spreadsheets will know just how laborious it must have been doing all the lists by hand as these things are quick and simple to do now using a computer but mum sat at the dining room table after supper and wrote everything out by hand. 

As well as these morning sessions there would also be the annual Reds v Blues cricket, tennis  and rounders matches overseen by Mollie and Peter Kemp.  So many families came to the neighbourhood to rent a house for their summer holidays or to stay with local grandparents as this was before the era of cheap foreign travel and they were glad to participate in these organised activities before spending the afternoon on the beach. 

Sports Day itself was held on the last Saturday afternoon in August.   Wearing our white sports strip and team bands we would march behind the flag-bearing captains to amplified military music of Sussex by the Sea.  Then the competitors would wait in a roped-off collecting ring while the loyal group of marshals, all volunteers, would get into place to summon competitors, start races, measure jumps, collate results and prepare lists for the prize giving where the winners were awarded little brass medals and neatly engraved trophies.  Mum presided over it all wielding her megaphone in one hand and her lists in the other.

These sports sessions were much appreciated by the Middleton community and many of the participants, now grandparents themselves, look back fondly on those purposeful August days in the far off 1940s and 50s.  Here below is a letter from a local resident following the fourth annual Sports Day:

Dear Mrs. Richards, 31^st August 1948

You have doubtless had many congratulations on the successful sports of the children last Saturday but as entirely disinterested spectators, my wife and I feel we must let you know how very much we admired the absolutely perfect organisation of everything which you were responsible for.  It was simply wonderful and added much to everybody’s enjoyment.

We were greatly struck too by the sporting spirit shown by the competitors- no grousing from losers nor undue elation from the winners – which reflected vast credit on your admirable training and must have pleased you.   So with renewed congratulations, yours sincerely, WW Pigott.

Poor mum was outlived by her whole group of loyal friends - she died in 1972 aged 62.  A member of the Middleton Sports Club wrote this about her:

Only when one tries to pay tribute to someone of Betty Richards' calibre one realises that words, either spoken or written, can indeed be inadequate. It is surely one of life's unexplained ironies that she, who did so much for the fitness and health of others, should herself have been stricken down long before the normal allotted span of life.

Through the years no one contributed more to the well-being of our club. Two long spells as a director; organiser in recent years of the annual fete and the keep-fit classes, and before that for many years the August games and sports for children - long since grown-up and many now with children of their own - which gave so much pleasure both to them and their parents, are perhaps the main things she would wish to be remembered by, and one often wondered how, even with her abounding energy and cheerfulness, she found so much time to do so much for others while at the same time devoting herself above all to Wilf, her family, and her grandchildren. To them all our deepest sympathy. Our world is the better for her having been a part of it, and the poorer for her passing from it."

Davina Davies (rh) being presented with the Team cup by Leo Afford. 
Betty Richards (centre) with the rest of the team behind Davina

 

Practising the high(ish) jump

Mid morning break

Into the longjump pitch

Setting off to sports day 1954 - me with mum 

Betty Richards

From Town and Country Gossip by "Belinda"

From Town and Country Gossip by "Belinda"

The 1954 Middleton Colts Cricket team which included young
 Mike Brearley (Cambridge, Middlesex and England) front left)
and Mike Griffith (Sussex Captain - dark trousers)