Sweet shop

Today was my Godmother Aunty Betty's funeral in Oldham.  She married my Dad's cousin Roy Ainsworth 60 years ago and they stayed living just around the corner from where my Mum and Dad grew up in Oldham.   Travelling back to where I spent every Christmas holiday with a never ending supply of aunts, uncles & cousins around, for the first 15 years of my life was a real blast-from-the-past experience.

Betty worked for Patrick Steptoe of Louise Brown fame, for years, but they never had children of their own.  Perhaps because of that, Roy and Betty were especially thoughtful and generous Godparents.  I still have handmade wooden toys and trinkets in the house from the Ainsworth's (and so I gather from today, do several others too).  

This however, is a photo of my Granddad's sweet shop on  Gainsborough Avenue back in the day.  My Dad's family lived in the two rooms above the shop for a time, and after he married Mum I can remember visiting and being able to choose stuff from the 'penny tray' (and the upstairs rooms being filled with boxes of stock). 

Many things have been sold there since then,  fruit and veg , rolls of material, dresses and now a travel agent.  Last night the shutters were down and we thought it might have closed forever, but today we were delighted to go in and chat to the owner who was happy to be included in the photo.

A very few more photos for Dad here .

RIP Betty Ainsworth, much loved and missed.