Pilling Coffee Feast by Annie Higginson

The Coffee Feast was held on August Bank Holiday Monday, which was the first Monday in August.

The procession left the Church of England School at 1.00 p.m. the Pilling Brass Band; following was the vicar, It was headed by The Rev. Thomas Pearson wearing his cap and gown with his wife walking beside him. Next were the churchwardens and a few more adults, then came the children. The girls and young women wearing white needlework dresses which were fashionable in those days. We walked as far as the Wesleyan Chapel, turned round and stayed at the Church for a short service, then walked along Damside and Fisher Row and returned to the school.

Tea was at 4 o'clock; there was not a set table for the children, only for adults and visitors. The children sat on the forms they sat on to do their lessons when at school and we had to take our own cups. The food was brought round in baskets. I suppose we would have ham sandwiches first, but I do not remember. I remember we had seed cake and fruit cake, that was all, no jellies or trifles.

We had sports after tea. There is a grid in the school yard over a drain. Mr. Tom Dickenson from Fernleigh, Bradshaw Lane, used to stand on this grid.  The races started from the gate into the Plantation and we had to run round Mr. Dickenson and back to where we started from. The prizes were three pennies, two pennies and one penny. Mrs. Bleasdale always had a stall with sweets and pop.

The Sunday School prizes were given out in the school at 7 o'clock. There was a dance in the school starting at 9 o'clock and I remember seeing folk dancing to the band in the yard. (During the First World War Jack Little played the piano for dancing at the Coffee Feasts.)