Keith' Story - Chapter Four

Lesley, the love of my life and Christianity

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In 1977 Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee, and in July the country were given a day off work, and encouraged to join in the celebrations.

So being very loyal, all the neighbours in Gayrigg Court decided to have a street party for the children during the day, and an adult party in the evening.

At this time I had a very full and active life.

My job took me to all parts of the country including staying overnight in places like Durham, Bolton, Portsmouth and a week each month in London.

Added to which I was very involved the Chilwell Olympia Squash club, being the secretary, treasurer, and playing three times a week, I also played cricket for the Beeston Methodist C.C. every Saturday and I shared an allotment at Pasture Road, Stapleford with my dad.

So I kept well clear of the organizing committee, but, I was asked if I would organize some games for the kids including a penalty competition and a tug of war. Also, being a regular at the White Lion, (or Top House as it was always referred to) in Bramcote, I was asked to obtain a barrel of beer for the evening.

One evening I came home early from the Olympia to find a meeting of the neighbours going on at our house and met the girl who lived at No. 27 - Lesley Browne. I had seen Lesley many times playing games in the court with the children, but up until that point I don’t ever recall us speaking.

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The party took place on Sunday July 10th, and the day was taken up organizing children’s games on the school playing field and a tea party in the court.

After the children had gone to bed the adults had their party and during the evening a record player was brought out and we were all dancing in the court.

After a while I found myself dancing with Lesley and we passed a table on which were the remnants of the children’s party including a large blancmange moulded into the shape of a rabbit. Lesley said she had always had the desire to hit someone in the face with a blancmange as in a comedy film, and I made the mistake of suggesting she could do it to me not thinking for a moment that she would take me up on the offer. On our next circuit, as we passes the table, much to my surprise, she picked up the blancmange and I got it full in the face. I left the party to get changed and to wash off the sticky mess then returned seeking revenge.

Lesley was sitting with a group of friends no doubt still laughing over the incident and so I walked over to her, pint in hand, hooked my finger in her neckline, and poured it down the front of her dress. It was from these unusual beginnings that a friendship began to grow.

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In an effort to keep the social interaction alive in the court, it was agreed that a group of us would go swimming to Bramcote baths every Sunday morning with the children, and as both Lesley and I were regular attendees we grew to know each other better. Also, Lesley was working part-time at The House of Ashley Peake in Beeston, I often gave her a lift into work. Later in the year a Christmas party was arranged at the Conservative Club with the same group of people.

In 1978 yet another court meeting decided on coach trip to Blackpool, and I agreed to be the treasurer, which meant a visit to all the houses every Friday evening to collect each family’s contribution to the fund. It was during these calls that Lesley and I grew closer as we chatted about our situations. We also challenged each other that if the trip took place we would swim in the sea. On Sunday May 21st the coach collected us off we went to Blackpool, and it was memorable for the moment when Lesley and I stripped to our swimwear and plunged into the freezing sea, much to the amazement of the others.

During this period unbeknown to me, Lesley and Len were having troubles in their marriage and this led to Len moving out.

Lesley felt she could not continue to live in the house and so applied to the council for a house swap which happened very quickly and so on Thursday June 1st she and the boys moved from 27 Gayrigg Court to live at 182 Inham Road, Chilwell. I managed to borrow a van and spent all day moving furniture between to the two houses. Meanwhile, my relationships with Margaret was also deteriorating, so much so that later in June I cancelled a planned holiday for us all in Tenerife and booked a holiday for Margaret and Sharon in Majorca.

 

Friday July the 7th 1978 was a great watershed in my life when, after 20 years of married life together, I left Margaret and moved in to 182 Inham Road with Lesley, Simon, who was 12, Christian, who was 9 and Woodstock the cat.

I went to see Margaret’s parents Jim and Norah in the first few days, and they were very understanding about the situation. Jim said I was welcome to visit them at any time. I also felt it was important for the family, for peace of mind, but mostly for Sharon that we did not have a vitriolic divorce, so with Margaret’s agreement, I conducted the divorce without the aid of solicitors, and signed the house over to Margaret to give her security.

The result was that we have kept a sociable relationship, and avoided embarrassment for others at family gatherings.

After several years of paying a mortgage I was now back to paying rent to the Broxtowe Council, and although finances were difficult and relationships in the family were strained at first we were very happy, and nothing seemed to matter. The allotment became very important to us as it supplied us with all our vegetables throughout the year. We bought a large second-hand freezer and stored our summer surplus for the winter.

We also went to the Nottingham Cattle Market regularly and bought chickens, rabbits etc which I plucked and skinned then froze.

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For the first three years, until she went to University, Margaret refused to allow Sharon to visit me, and so every Thursday after playing squash I spent a few hours at 21 Gayrigg Court. Although I found this rather awkward and sometimes embarrassing, I was determined to keep a good relationship with Sharon.

My admiration of Lesley knew no bounds as she totally understood whenever I visited Sharon and was even willing for me to spend several weeks in the summer decorating the exterior of the house.   

After leaving Chilwell Comprehensive School, Sharon moved to the Beeston College of Further Education, and began to study travel and tourism, as she hoped to have a career in the industry.

Earlier in the year Lesley had been confirmed in the Church of England, and so when we first lived together I became used to her going off to Church on Sunday evenings, and bible study on Wednesdays. I had no problem with this until one evening when the vicar, John Williams came to visit us.

He came to say that someone had told him that we were living together and not married, and the informant felt it was wrong that Lesley was still receiving communion. John said that having been informed, he had no choice but to tell Lesley that although she was still welcome to come to worship she was not to receive the bread and wine. This made me very angry and I told him if that is how Christian people behave, then I wanted nothing to do with the church or the people in it.

That summer, and for many years after, Len took the boys to Weymouth for two weeks holiday, which meant we too were on holiday. But as money was tight we spent most of our early holidays at home, with an occasional few days in Whitby.

As Lesley continued to work at The House of Ashley Peake she had Thursdays off and so each week she would accompany me for the day, which meant we had many enjoyable days in many parts of the country, including London. The buyer for Thomson Holidays at the time was Janet and we became very good friends, and went for lunch on many occasions. We even spent a memorable weekend with her at her home in Edgware.

Dad had to leave his job at Bell Fruit as he began to suffer from vertigo and they were afraid he was not fit to continue as a printing machine minder. He then took a job in the warehouse at Metool, a tool hire company in Stapleford even though he was over 65.

Lesley’s received her decree absolute from Len on Thursday September 7th, but it would be another two years before mine was completed due to the delicate negotiations and the absence of solicitors.

Later that year Mr. Derek Barnes, the headmaster of Eskdale Junior School, retired. As all three of our children had attended the school we were invited to a ceremony at Bramcote Hills School, and by some coincidence we appeared on the official photograph, which appeared in the Nottingham Evening Post.

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