All The Young Dudes... Carry the News

Z- A of Troon... Y is for "Young Wives and Mothers, and Yoof Club. 

Yes, I have decided to reverse my A-Z, due to the ongoing dark, dismal and dreary weather.   However you are not getting two Z's, I only had one Z..

So, this is the Parish Church Hall, erected in 1838 as the new Parish Church, but superseded in 1893, when Hippolyte Blanc, Edinburgh Architect was brought in to design and build the Parish Church as it exists today.

My earliest memory of the Church Hall, was as a toddler, heading to the hall with my mum, while she attended the Young Wives and Mother's Group.  The toddlers, set lose to run free for a hour or so, while demented young mothers, talked to other like minded mothers, to try and maintain their sanity. 

As I grew, this hall became my Sunday stop  off point.  First at the "baby Sunday school", then through Miss Hinderwell's, Mr Hardie's, and then Miss Guthrie's classes.   At 12, or 13, after Bible Class I was given the option of joining the church, or teaching in the Baby class.  I chose the baby class; in my mind the lesser of two boredums.

When I stopped with the Sunday schools, there was Youth Club; Wednesday nights.  There was no religion involved, just badminton, table tennis, music, tuckshop, games, and occasionally a box rolled out for us to bounce over the top of. 

One night however, when the minister was going through a rather evagelistic period, we were greeted with helium balloons, and a request to gather together to watch a film.   It was some film about a minister getting involved with New York Gangs, and "converting" them to God, and taking them off the streets, and making them all "good people". 

The people at that Youth Club were all "good" people.  Not one of them in attendance would have lifted a hand in anger, or even dropped litter.  We were all "good kids".  I have no idea what the imagined impact the film would have on us was.    The balloon was an aide to the film.  So wonderous would it be in all its magnificent redemption theme, that we were asked that as soon as we felt the word reach us, we were to let the balloons go and rise to the ceiling.  

There was no way in earth anyone was going to be left sitting holding their balloon at the end of that one.   So at the end, the ceiling was full of balloons.   Job done.  We were all saved. 

The church hall is still exceptionally busy - line dancing classes, keep fit classes, blood donation, coffee mornings, Car boot sales,  boy's brigade, and of course the still-running Sunday Schools.      I still venture to the coffee mornings, and one thing always catches my eyes. 

In the hall to the rear, there are windows to either side of the clock - they are inside windows - windows to let light into the stairwell.  It was on this stair well, at every single Christmas Party I attended, that Santa would appear.   

After much singing of jingle bells, and much ringing of sleigh bells;   a hush would fall on the hall, a slight glow would appear at the window, and there, the outline of Santa, he would push the window open, utter, "ho ho ho" and wave to us, before descending the stairs and giving us all our gifts. 

Every time I'm in that hall, I afford that window a glance, and the memory of that time of complete innocence just floods back, I'm four again, and I'm so excited that pee'ing my pants is a complete and utter possibility.