‘SOUND IT OUT’ about ‘DOWN YOUR WAY’

Description:Betty Pickering reading her poem at the Down Your Way Event, July 2010
Photography by Tricia Crummay

This poem was written by Betty Pickering, a Castle Vale resident, about the Down Your Way project that Sound It Out delivered between 2008 – 2010.

‘There’s a big get together of youth and old age
Over at Chivenor House on one of the days’
Would maybe be happy thought entered my head
And would do what they told me whatever they said
‘Hello everybody’ came the loud greetings call
‘We are all here to greet you and will be having a ball’.

Kids from Chivenor School, Mr Jones class
Talked and laughed with us about now and the past
Taped it and kept it for a plan to be made
By the folks from ‘SOUND IT OUT’ about ‘DOWN YOUR WAY’
Castle Vale Estate folks who were joining in
Were enjoying themselves and all wore a broad grin
Singing and saying lots from the tape
The kids and us old ones thinking, ‘it’s great’.

There was Nicola, Dave and sweet Bobbie
Helping us out and keeping us jolly
Teaching us lots of jobs we must do
Sticking together like ‘NELSON’S VICTORY’ crew
They are the team from ‘SOUND IT OUT’
What a delight and what a great SHOUT

So hope the kids know more about old Castle Vale
And the life the old un’s told them as a tale
No baths, no TV, no games to play, nothing like there is today
So fingers crossed that all are like me
Happy and pleased and delighted to be
All together and making a show
And of course now awake to things we didn’t know.

So ‘HIP HIP HIP HOORAY’
And a big thank you from us all
To Nicola, Dave and sweet Bobbie
Who taught us how to recall
The past the present and what it’s all about
And of course how to ‘SOUND IT OUT’.