I was born 24th June 1945 and I am the youngest of eight children, wrote Sylvia James. My maiden name was Parry, being the youngest daughter of Hugh and Mary Parry.

I was born in Cae Garreg and moved to Lon Bach to live in 1950 when my grandmother died and my mother moved in to look after her father John Jones known to us all as Tada. He used to tell us of his younger days as a soldier in the South African war as well as the First World War.

My mother was a faithful member of the Salvation Army and we were sent to Sunday school there, our Sunday School trip was by train to Rhyl; oh what happy memories.

I remember going to our local grocery shop, Parrys on Llanberis Road, to buy sweets with a ration book and a threepenny piece. Times were hard then for our mothers with no domestic appliances. I remember my mother had a big gas boiler which she used out in the backyard and she used to borrow a huge mangle from the lady next door.

I started school on the 5th June 1950 at the National School, known to everybody as Ysgol Rad (cheap school). It closed in Jan 1953 and we were all marched up to our new school, Maesincla. I remember being told that they could turn the school into a hospital in 24 hours. I recall being sent to school with rags in my hair so that I had ringlets when I was a fairy. I'm sure that my mother thought that I looked pretty.

Form 5A in Maesincla School with Mr G. Jones, the headmaster, and Mr Hughes our form master. It was our last year and 10 of the pupils passed the 11+ and went on to the Sir Hugh Owen Grammar school while the rest went to Segotium Secondary Modern known as Higher Grade. I am 4th from the left on the 2nd row.

At about the same time, my sisters Winifred, Jean and myself started to attend Shirley Kirk White Slipper Ballet Company, where we took part in The Coronation Revue at the old Guild Hall, and also some pantomimes such as Aladdin.

When we put on our ballet shoes they had hard blocks at the front so that we could dance on our toes; we used to push cotton wool to the front of them to try and stop us from having blisters.

I can recall having a party to celebrate the Festival of Britain in 1951, I think most streets held their own. We had moved to Lon Bach to live but joined our old street, Cae Carreg, for the party.

The infants of the National School known as ysgol rad. We had been dancing in Caernarfon castle during the Children's Festival 1951; I am the 2nd from the left in the front row.

We did not have a street party for the Coronation of the Queen as there were not many children living in Lon Bach, so my mother made one for the children who used to attend The Salvation Army where we used to go.

My best friend in school was Noreen Ellerker who came to Caernarfon to live from York when we were 8 years old. We both passed the 11+ which was called the scholarship.

I remember Catherine Williams, who was a couple of years older than me, carrying me on her shoulders around town and then home where my parents were waiting to throw pennies at the crowd that had followed us; they would chant an old song 'Sylvia ydi gora ' (Sylvia is the best). It was an old tradition that finished many years ago when the Sir Hugh Owen Grammar School became a comprehensive.

I left school in 1961 and went to work at Turner's shoe shop at 27 Pool Street, where I worked five and a half days week, Thursday was early closing, for £2 .18. 6p.

Pool Street was very busy then with traffic going up and down. Now it is a pedestrianised area. All the shop assistants would be out at 9 o'clock every morning washing the front of the shop and cleaning windows.

We had three cinemas in town then: Guild Hall, Empire and the Majestic. I recollect the organ at the Majestic being played by Mr Morgan, and the big lights at the sides changing colour from pink to blue or orange; they were beautiful.

I married my first husband PIERRE LE BON in 1963, who is the father of my five children. Then I married Ildris James in 1993, who was bought up on a small farm in Trefor about 10 miles from here. Paul my eldest, was born in 1964, has been in the RAF for 18 years and served in the Gulf War, but all of that os another story.