Young of yesterday celebrate happy days at Tipton youth club reunion

Laughter filled Brook Street Community Centre in Tipton as former members of Bloomfield Road Youth Club gathered.

Dating back to 1925, the club's old premises were demolished in 1978 but it did continue in partnership with Tipton Green Methodist Church until 1986 before disbanding.

During its heyday the club was the main place for youngsters of the town to meet up, and activities included games, annual camping trips to Earlswood in Warwickshire, bonfires and sports days.

The club had a boys section where membership started out as people aged seven and over, but became any boys who were able to take part in the activities with some members aged three at one point.

There was also a youth and girls section, with many long-time members graduating into the ranks of organisers after their membership ended.

It also boasted its own sporting teams, and one of the club's oldest members was able to make the reunion this weekend, which was months in the making, with stalwarts first discussing it last July.

Samuel Caddick, a retired toolmaker at Triplex now aged 82, was the oldest member of the former club to attend the event, which for him triggered thoughts of the days when he played inside right for the club's football team in the West Bromwich Amateur League.

The grandfather-of-four, who now lives in Coseley, joined the football team in 1953 and played until 1956.

In his first season, the club finished runners-up in the league and he also remembered one campaign which saw the team through to the semi-finals of a knockout cup.

Mr Caddick went on to referee from 1958 in the West Bromwich Amateur League and Wolverhampton Works League, before graduating to the Worcestershire Combination and West Midlands leagues.

Of his time at Bloomfield, he said: "We had some pretty good players I remember. Our ourstanding player was one lad called Reg Pulley who played inside left.

"I was hoping to see him but I haven't spoken to him for years. I know two or three of the team have passed away since, which is a great shame.

"It was a good level we played at but we didn't use to congratulate ourselves like they do nowadays - it just used to be a pat on the back if you scored and had done your job."

Old films of some of the club's milestone events and anniversaries were playing throughout the event, as cine footage from 1963-1986 had been converted into DVDs.

Children could be seen trying to flip pancakes in old photographs, while some images captured old sports teams and bonfires held at the club's annual camp.

Roger Hill, the former boys club leader, and a retired former owner of CBS a Dudley architectural ironmongery company, went through the boys club and youth club himself before becoming one of its leaders.

The 66-year-old, who lives in Mansion Close, Dudley, said around 145 former members, spanning four generations, had attended the reunion.

He added: "For me, my favourite memory is just the comradeship. The club's motto was loyalty and service and I think that's really shown in the number of people who came."

Patrick Hoban, one of the organisers of the event, and who now lives in Kingswinford, attended with his brother Michael, better know as 'Mick' who signed as a professional football players with Aston Villa in 1969 before relocating to the USA to play professionally there from 1971.

Mick, aged 62, flew over from the States to attend the reunion.

Patrick, a semi-retired marketing manager and grandfather-of-six, said: "It's a fantastic night for a lot of reasons.

"The community did not have a lot, we had hard-working parents and we had this club and it gave the youngsters of the town a lot."

Elizabeth Skilbeck, a retired teacher and who was known by her maiden name of Tinsley for many of the years at the club, said: "What's great about meeting up with all these people again is we only have to get into the same room and it's the old gang again and we don't stop laughing."