This 2020 intergenerational project enabled Falkirk’s younger and older generations to share and compare experiences. Participants used a series of ‘pen-pal’ style interviews, with questions and answers recorded separately and remotely, between P6 and P7 pupils from St Margaret’s Primary School, Polmont, and senior residents in the area. The children came up with their own questions, based on themes such as leisure, technology, and childhood memories. The project was facilitated by Rebecca Wright.
With thanks to our interviewers (seven school pupils) and interviewees Fergus Cooper, John MacLean, and Lawrence Phillips, and to St Margaret’s Primary School.
In our first interview, pupils asked:
What was Callendar Park like when you were younger?
The answer? Full of life! Listen to find out about local characters and activities.
What do you remember most about growing up around Falkirk?
Memorable events include the last ship on the Clyde and sledging on sheets of corrugated iron…
What was your first job and what did you spend your money on?
Find out what kinds of jobs Larry, John and Fergus, local senior residents, did when they were younger…
What was the football like when you were young?
One of our locals went to a game with 22,000 fans in the crowd, more than double the number you often get today. Those were the “great days” you could walk right up to the goal posts!
How much do you think Falkirk has changed since you were younger?
Locals tell us about the swinging sixties and thriving industries.
What technology did you have growing up?
Find out about life when the radio was the main kind of technology people used and clockwork trains were all the rage!
What programmes did you used to like on TV?
Hear about the one programme that everyone watched on Saturday night…
What kind of house did you grow up in?
Hear about the sense of community in the tenements and playing outside all day.
