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Pam
Hitchens has spent most of her life in the village of Polgooth.
The
bubbly villager loves Polgooth, chapel life and singing. Her family
has always been a very important part of her life.
Re-wind
the clock back to the end of the Second World War when Pam moved
to the village as a youngster.
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| Polgooth
Village shop and Polmewan flats |
"We
managed to get a little cottage in Polgooth where we had no water,
no electrics, we used to get everything from the village tap,"
remembers Pam.
"From
young we knew that the chapel was a big part of our lives. On Sunday
we used to go three times. We had services in the morning and evenings
and Sunday school in the afternoon. We had to walk to St Mewan School
and would go up Tregongeeves Lane and we did it in rain and snow."
"We
had so much more snow back then. We used to have milk and we would
put it by the fire at school so that we would have it nice and warm
on the winter days."
"I
was Mr Warren's favourite at St Mewan, and that was Tony Warren's
father and Tony lives in the village to this day," says Pam.
Watch
out for the Headmaster Pam!
Pam
may have loved her school days but she was not always a good girl!
"Back
then we had pen nibs at school. I saw one sticking out of the floor
and wondered if I could make one stick in the ground too,"
laughs Pam.
"So
I threw it back in and it went in lovely, then I did it again. I
looked up to see the headmaster watching me. He said 'If that pen
writes you get one slap of the stick on each hand. If it doesnt
write you get three on each hand. Lucky for me the pen wrote!"
Mine
Shafts
"When
we came home from schools we used to go and look down old mine shafts.
I would have a fit if I thought my Grandchildren were doing that
now, but we used to do it all the time! I don't know why we did
it, I guess it was a mixture of fascination and danger."
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| Entrance
to a mine shaft in Polgooth |
"Garth's
father had a dog who fell down one of the mine shafts many years
ago," she says. "He must have been stuck down there without food
and water for a week until someone heard yelping and the fire brigade
were able to get him out."
"We
would eat sour-saps which was a green leafy thing and we would put
stinging nettles in the middle to make a sandwhich!"
Meeting
Garth
"We
had a guild in the chapel which is where Garth and I met. Garth
would ask for my number on the door so he would always have me in
the game. I have been going with Garth ever since I was 12 on and
off. We got married in the old Polgooth Chapel and we had both our
children christened in that chapel."
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| The
old chapel where Pam and Garth married |
"I
loved working with the children," says Pam. "It was a dream come
true when I started the Sunbeam Club. We would have games and crafts,
but we always had a Christian slot where some of the children would
say their own prayer. It was so lovely when you would hear little
four year olds praying for cockerels and for their cats and dogs."
"We
used to put on shows which were hard work but well worth doing,"
says Pam. "I wish I could still do it now, but due to ill health
I had to give up the club."
"I
wouldn't like to live anywhere else other than Polgooth. It is such
a friendly and happy village and everybody looks after each other."
Meet
Pam's husband Garth who has played the organ in the village
chapel for 54 years.
also:
Meet
Polgooth's oldest resident
Find out about the Mays of Polgooth
Take a walk around Hawke's shop
An amazing Polgooth mining discovery
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