HISTORY
Didn’t we have a lovely time the day we went to …. Skegness! Throughout the year Miss Crowson and her helpers organised whist drives and socials to raise money to pay for the transport and tea. The outing took a great deal of hard work and planning and it was a highlight of the year for children, as most people in those days could not afford a holiday of any description. The Church Sunday School outing of August 1927 in three modern buses owned by Mr Haines was made possible after Mr Haines applied for licences to travel to local towns and drew up a timetable. Until then, his first bus had been a twenty seater with an entrance at the rear. On Saturdays they went to Hop Pole and took passengers to Spalding for the evening. It was so popular, as so many people wanted to come home late, that they were standing down the centre of the
aisle and there was no room for Mr Haines’ daughter, Lizzie, who had to sit on the outside step with the door open. There were no designated bus stops; Mr Haines and his drivers stopped wherever his passengers wanted. Only those who can remember the 1920s can appreciate the excitement of preparing for the day, which caused almost an exodus from the village. The row of buses looked impressive lined up along Church Gate – they were small thirty seaters with a maximum speed of thirty miles an hour. People converged on them from all directions: Mothers loaded with bags while guiding their toddlers, older children with buckets and spades, fearing the buses might go without them. Friends greeted friends and all greeted Miss Crowson to find out which bus to board. When everyone was settled the Vicar, continued >
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