Childhoods when summers were summers and winters had snow

There are the skewed exam results and the sheer amount of time away from the classroom … with some starting holidays earlier than ever thanks to lockdown.

I really enjoyed my school holidays in the 70s and 80s when summers were summers and winters had snow.

When I was growing up in Sheffield we had limited ways of keeping cool. Air conditioning, fans or wearing white linen and a fedora wasn’t an option back then especially for kids playing in woods and parks or derelict buildings. White linen? I don’t think so. We had many a scorcher during the holidays of yore. For those lucky enough we had the lidos. I spent many a happy day at Millhouses Lido. It was a long bus ride for those, like me, living in Pitsmoor but at 2p a chuck it was not a financial hit for any kid in South Yorkshire back then. In my youth lidos and swimming pools were accessible to all. Those were the days when men, women and children alike walked proudly with their tightly rolled towels tucked under their arms.

When was the last time you saw that?

Millhouses Lido, set in the wonderful Millhouses Park. Not only did it have a lido but outside of its confines it had a paddling pool … free to all.

Further on up a small incline was the deep water paddling ‘lake’ – certain death for non swimmers.

I bravely went on the boating lake many times with my brothers and sisters. I braced myself and paddled for our allotted time. I was always relieved to come through the experience unscathed. Years later on my return as an adult looking into the lake, maybe with clearer water, the boating is barely two feet deep and it would appear I was never in danger.

During the 70s as a Pitsmoor lad, we had to move home due to the slum clearances of that decade.We moved further from Millhouses to Norwood, Sheffield 5, which made Millhouses more difficult to get to.

Luckily for me I was introduced to Longley outdoor swimming pool, coincidentally in Longley Park. This was within walking distance of my new home so no two pence bus ride required. The sun was hot in the 70s – who remembers 1976 for instance?

We had outdoor pools and even though weather was hot, the water was cold,very cold!

I’m not sure if the water came straight from the Arctic but if that was the case, I wouldn’t have been surprised. That is probably where there always seemed to be more people around the pool than in it.

Sadly Millhouses and Longley Lido are now just a memory to those of us of a certain age.

Fortunately we still have a wonderful paddling pool at Rivelin Valley for the very young to cool down.

Further afield we have Hathersage outdoor pool in the beautiful setting of the Peak District. Unlike Longley, this pool is heated and can be used all year round so there is none of the breath-taking cold water shock of years gone-by.

Swimming is a wonderful way to cool down, exercise or just have fun. It may take place in larger more glamorous pools these days but that comes at a price.