Amateur film of the Ashington Childrens Sports Association 56th Annual Gala in 1955, which records the children's parade, arts and crafts on display, sports, Punch and Judy show, and dancing displays. Title: Ashington Children's Sports Association Founded 1901 Title: Presents Title: Fifty-Sixth Annual Gala Credit: Cameramen: E.E.Dance, T.Gray Credit: Associate Producer: J.T Gibson Credit Produced by J.G Morton Title: Children on Parade A Salvation Army band march down...

Amateur film of the Ashington Childrens Sports Association 56th Annual Gala in 1955, which records the children's parade, arts and crafts on display, sports, Punch and Judy show, and dancing displays. Title: Ashington Children's Sports Association Founded 1901 Title: Presents Title: Fifty-Sixth Annual Gala Credit: Cameramen: E.E.Dance, T.Gray Credit: Associate Producer: J.T Gibson Credit Produced by J.G Morton Title: Children on Parade A Salvation Army band march down Alexandra Road in Ashington, playing tubas and trumpets. Following this, groups of children (some smiling and waving at the camera) are led by teachers, down a street lined with terraced houses. A shop front labelled ‘James Walten’ is visible behind the procession. Next, a frontal shot of the colliery band, which includes a little boy walking towards the camera and then urged to one side, before more vibrant crowd scenes with children wearing an array of colourful summer dresses, the boys wearing blazers and shorts Title: About 7000 children receive half-crown each On the Hirst Welfare field an overhead shot as the crowd comes to a standstill, queuing up for raffle tickets and evidently enjoying the gaiety of the occasion. Parents with push-chairs and prams make their way over a curb, before watching the day’s events as the children take part in cross-armed racing, egg and spoon racing and sprints. Title: Some Parents Like to See Arts and Crafts Exhibition Parents queue to see a miniature model village labelled ‘Safety First’ which appears to offer instructional guidance to children on precautions to take when playing outside. Displays by the ‘Upper Infants’ consist of sowed patches, purses, cakes, buns, biscuits and model trains. Title: While Others Like to Watch the Display in the Arena The camera pans across lined spectators at an athletics track. Little girls are lead by their teachers across the middle of the field. Shots of the boys dancing with girls holding ribbons, later doing the ‘Ring a‘ Roses’ dance. Many of the boys wear tank-tops and shorts. A girl in a red dress conducts an assembly of other girls playing the triangle and tambourines. The children watch a Punch and Judy show. Includes shots of the faces of the young children in the audience. The young girls sing in a choir as parents sit on the grass observing and enjoying the occasion. Girls are then filmed enacting their own dance sequence and then the little boys are singing with gusto; gathered before a conductor who wears a grey suit. The children then perform folk dances, with the boys wearing kilts and berets. Shots of the dance-steps are intercut with the audience of parents, families. Older boys (‘Upper Infants’) then perform Morris Dancing before their applauding schoolmates. Older girls from Park School play the recorder top sheet music as a woman in a flora dress conducts. The older girls then perform sword dances. Parents children and teachers are seen making their way out of the sports ground. Title: ‘And So the Day Ends’ The End