Raspberry festival,1959

We just had to share this British Pathé video link depicting the Raspberry Festival in Montrose, Angus, in 1959.

RASPBERRY FESTIVAL



The chef frocker spent her early childhood in a small village five miles outside the north east Scotland town and was once left in her pushchair outside Woolworths while her mum and aunt got the bus home without her.  How could they when she looked this cute?

Alison


Although slightly too young to have appeared in the very vintage footage above, Alison's mum may possibly have made the costumes for the tutu-clad tots on the ballet school float around 2.45m in. The original and unique principal of the Esk Academy of Dancing, Miss Beryl Couper, is still going strong after 58 years in the ballet business and putting the latest generation of young dancers through their paces. Alison has treasured memories of her 1960s cygnet role in Swan Lake and not so fond memories of pointe shoe blistered feet!

Berry picking in the summer and tattie howking in the autumn (for which local schools closed for a fortnight  - and still do every October) not only kept all of us local youngsters gainfully occupied and healthy in the great outdoors, but also supplemented the pocket money nicely.

Here's another wonderful British Pathé video (no sound) from the following year which brings back happy memories of a carefree childhood and we're all still loving that 50s and 60s fashion!

RASPBERRY PICKING AND CARNIVAL IN MONTROSE