Ingrid Bergman in Wales
Fifty miles to the West of Trelawnyd way back in the 1950s a major Hollywood movie was filmed. The harsh mountains of Snowdonia doubled for a war ravaged 1930s China in Ingrid Bergman's " Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" , a film I adored as a child because it had a boy's own adventure feel about it as Gladyd Aylward led her 100 children across the mountains to safety
Today, strange as it would seem, I was reminded of Inn Of The Sixth Happiness.
For, as I was feeding the animals a long crocodile of chattering children appeared down the lane led by one of the school helpers with a flag on a long stick.
I stopped to watch as the entire village school filed slowly past, each child and teacher in their bright green florescent jacket. I spied Animal helper Pat marshaling the line and she called out that they were all off to the neighbouring village of Dyserth. " We are all going to the Church " she called pulling a face......... " across the fields"
We never had such a treat when I was in primary school
I snapped this photo of the end of the crocodile as it snaked across the sheep fields ( you have to look
very closely in the centre to see anything) and thought just how lucky the village is to have kept this thriving and popular little school. We lost the post office and the shop , but at least Trelawnyd school is safe for the time being. The school provides the village with a noisy heart.
Now the school children are driven in from a wide area between three villages and before 9 am and after 3 pm and our lane is often gridlocked with cars picking up and dropping off....a minor irritation given the positives that the school brings..
As the line continued to snake past, I spied affable despot Jason' s daughter, who waved energetically. I waved back and I heard her explain to her classmates just who I was
" He's a close family friend" she informed her classmates seriously
Just out of interest, I took a look at the Trelawnyd School website this morning.
I kind of like the school's aims which are listed there
Work hard
Be excellent
Take pride in our work
Learn about faith
Be kind
Use welsh everyday
Be healthy
Look after our school and world
Take responsibility for our actions
Make good decisions
Have fun