An amateur film produced by James Madden showing community events and activities attended by residents of Lobley Hill near Gateshead during 1979. After a brief montage of Lobley Hill the film changes to families paddling in the river Ure neat Aysgarth Falls in North Yorkshire. Back at Lobley Hill a garden fete takes place on the grounds of the local church, All Saints Hillside. The final part of the film shows a flower festival taking inside the church and the vicar greeting his congregation...

An amateur film produced by James Madden showing community events and activities attended by residents of Lobley Hill near Gateshead during 1979. After a brief montage of Lobley Hill the film changes to families paddling in the river Ure neat Aysgarth Falls in North Yorkshire. Back at Lobley Hill a garden fete takes place on the grounds of the local church, All Saints Hillside. The final part of the film shows a flower festival taking inside the church and the vicar greeting his congregation following a service. Credit: Pathfinder Films Title: Old Lob's Diary Title: Lobley Hill 1979 The film opens with a montage of views around Lobley Hill including a suburban street, a parade of shops along Lobley Hill Road, and pedestrians and cyclists crossing a busy dual carriageway via a footbridge. An outing to North Yorkshire shows a number of families with young children sitting along the banks of the River Ure at Aysgarth. Parents watch their children as they paddle in the water. A young girl removes her socks and puts on sandals while around her other children change into bathing costumes. Along a weir in the river families stand in a line, the children paddling in the water. Older boys remove their socks and watch another boy in swimming trunks paddling in the river. He turns his head, sees the camera, and smiles. Two boys with their trousers rolled up wade through a deeper part of the river. Two women carefully walk through a shallower section each carrying a child on their backs. Paddling across the river they all dry themselves on the bank, a view of the nearby falls ends the sequence. On the grounds of All Saints Hillside Church in Lobley Hill a large crowd gathered for a fete. Two men, one wearing a dog collar the other mayoral chains, stand a little distance away from a number of costumed children. A woman walks past carrying a large bunch of balloons. The man in mayoral chains steps onto a small platform and makes a speech to the crowd. Prizes are presented to a number of costumed children and several older women look through an assortment of items laid out on a table. Along the side of the church, the man in mayoral chains attempts to throw ping-pong balls into fish bowls. In another area of the garden, a map has been placed on a pedestal, and participants in the game have to guess where the treasure has been buried by marking its location on the map with a pin. In another part of the garden, a shooting range has been set up and a man watches over a boy shooting darts at paper plate targets. A young woman walks past carrying two large jugs of orange juice which she serves to children at a table. The costumed children seen previously pose together in the middle of the lawn. Children crowd around a table where a couple handing out items. The bell tower at All Saints Hillside changes to a poster promoting a flower festival taking place at the church. Inside various displays of colourful flowers are arranged around the building. Following a service, the vicar of All Saints Hillside talks with his parishioners as they come out of the church where the film ends. End credit: The end. A James Madden production