Bygone days at Holt - customer Ian shares his memories of the Hub
Welcome to our new customer blogger Ian, who has been with us for many years and is keen to share his experiences.
Holt’s bygone years
Hello everyone, my name is Ian. I joined Holt training centre on 5th October 1981 - this is now known as Independence Matters Holt Community Hub.
Since joining Holt training centre, I worked in many workshops, alongside my friends - I made pavement slabs, wine racks and cheque book covers (and the studs that hold them together). I hope to find some photos of the workshops and share them with you over the coming weeks.
I look forward to sharing my journey over the last forty years with you all. In the picture below you can see I am a lot younger, with lots of hair. Look at those older cars!
My memories of the Hub
When I started at the Hub, I did a lot of contract work, we made wallets for cheque books that were made from leather. We had machines that pressed the studs into the wallets. I also oversaw the machine that bent the metal to make wine racks. I also bagged the dowel rods and nails. I counted how many went into each bag and operated the bag sealer making sure not to catch my fingers in it. I was also involved in making wooden road signs for the county. We made signs for footpaths, bridleways etc.
On the last Tuesday of every November, we held a cheese and wine evening for customers, carers and the public. It was a lovely event, and many attended. Some customers and I would stay behind after our day at the centre to help prepare the table. We placed a variety of cheeses onto a plate beside a nice bottle of wine and waited for them to all arrive.
Before the tree house was built, (which some will know as the old Sure Start Centre) the Hub used to grow vegetables on that field. We would then sell them to the public. We also cooked some of the vegetables in the Hub kitchen, they tasted lovely, they were so fresh.
We also had the Special Olympics at Thetford where we won medals just like our GB team are doing now. I can’t remember what we won as it was a long time ago. So, whilst I refresh my memory, I hope you enjoy your weekend.
Until next time take care.
Ian
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