Community Woodland for Llangennech & District  

A Day By The River
Chris Thomas

I lived in the Allt in Llangennech in the early 50s. The housing was primitive with no inside or even outside, plumbed sanitation and no inside water supply. But life to my young eyes was idyllic. We could roam without fear of cars or molestation and every neighbour was an "auntie" we could run to for help. In my memory summers were long and hot though it could probably be proved otherwise.
No-one I knew ever had a holiday or owned a car. There were two special days in the calendar, the Sunday school trip on a steam train to porthcawl or Barry and the day of THE PICNIC.
Every summer the mams from the Allt would plan at least one picnic on the riverbank. What joy! Sandwiches were packed in greaseproof paper, usually jam or potted paste, and bottles of Llan pop made in the village. An old pushchair would be used to carry bags, balls and swimwear. Sun cream was unheard of. The mams would lean against the trees and enjoy a guilt-free cigarette. The children would paddle in the sparkling water and leap over stones to reach the opposite bank. There was usually someone who fell in, often me ! We would play ball games and for some unknown reason collect ladybirds in matchboxes , not something I'm proud of in hindsight. A drawback of these games was that a child sometimes fell into a cowpat - they would be taken howling to the river to be washed down.
At the end of the day we'd all trail uphill home, sunburnt and sleepy and content.