Hundreds of local people and many from further afield enjoyed our celebration to commemorate the centenary of the Parade school and its transformation into the Hoylake Community Centre. The celebrations ran for a week from Monday 22nd June to Sunday 28th June.

The celebrations began with a fascinating exhibition of the history of the Parade Centre School and of Hoylake. Talks by local historian Heather Chapman were full to capacity as local people learned more about their history, and in some cases, saw their parents and grandparents on some of the old photographs.

Past staff and students of the old Parade School were invited to a reunion on the Saturday night, which brought together around 300 people from around the world. Guests travelled from as far afield as Australia, Canada and New Zealand to meet each other and to share memories. The Mayor and Mayoress of Wirral opened the proceedings following a tour of the Centre, and everyone enjoyed a piece of a commemorative birthday cake, which was presented and cut during the evening’s celebrations.

As part of the exhibition, volunteers refurbished one of the original school rooms to its Edwardian/Victorian glory, and local school children were invited to “enjoy” a Victorian lesson with their teachers. Many dressed in period costume, and learned their times tables by chanting, whilst others were made to wear the dunce’s cap and kept a wary eye on the cane! Our local MP, Stephen Hesford, and BBC Radio Merseyside also attended classes, providing us with some excellent publicity.

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