LH4671 Boxing Day in Litherland, 1971

1971 – BOXING DAY IN THE PARK, LH4671 This short film was made in Litherland on Boxing Day exactly 54 years ago today. It shows a 13-year-old me and my 15-year-old cousin Wil messing about in the garden of the prefab and the park next door. You will see the rocking horse in action and plenty of slipping and sliding on the swings, and snatches of footie. On display are our Christmas presents that year: Will’s new pair of Doc Martin’s AirWair boots and my own - a leather “casey” football, still bright orange. The football skills on show are unconventional and owe more to amateur wrestling than organised sport. There is a glimpse of the Hatfield Rovers sign, followed by more slipping, sliding tackles. There are some early attempts at trick photography on the roundabout and more messing about on the witches’ hat. Also, a comic moment when young Ed heads behind a bush for a wee and returns looking very pleased with himself. The film ends with Will’s funny little dance, more messing about on the slide, a brief strong-man act and a climb up the slide the wrong way, with a final burst of misplaced confidence. It is an unpolished, carefree record of how it really was all those years ago, on a cold Boxing Day in Litherland. Original 8mm film digitised as LH4671.