I was born in a terraced house in Hunslet. At the bottom of the streets was an open space and on sunny days I could be found sitting on the pavement opposite this space, with my dog - making pompoms using the cardboard top from a milk bottle and any odd scraps of wool leftover from mum’s knitting.

I was usually watching for the roundabout man who came with his horse pulling a tiny roundabout on wheels which had four seats on it. The man made it turn by winding a handle at the side of it. He charged 1 penny a go or a jam jar. Jam jars could be taken back to shops in return for a penny. So he was quite happy to accept a jar which most kids had. And my mum saved jam jars for me so when he came I could always have a go on a roundabout because she did not always have a spare penny.

Every bonfire night all the neighbours pulled together and there was always a big fire for us children on the spare ground.