A Resident at HC-One’s Roseberry Court Care Home in Redcar, Cleveland enjoys a reminiscent visit from her best friend of 79 years.
June Walker, a Resident at Roseberry Court, and Dorothy Townsend’s friendship started when Dorothy, aged 2, moved next door but one to June, aged 3, in Ayresome Street in Middlesbrough.
The girls remember playing with Harold Shepherdson who lived next door. Harold went on to play football for Middlesbrough before becoming their manager and then progressing to become England’s trainer and manager. They also both remember taking out the younger children in the street for walks in the park, including Harold’s younger sister, Valery.
Both June and Dorothy remember going into the air raid shelters together and singing Little Sir Echo as they went.
Both girls went to Ayresome School and on Dorothy’s first day, teachers went and got June to console her as she was getting rather upset. June went on to become Head Girl at Ayresome School and they went on to send her to The Festival of Britain in London in 1951.
Dorothy moved to Nottingham when she married in 1984 but the distance couldn’t keep these two apart, they went on to become bridesmaids at each other’s weddings, godmothers to each other’s children and enjoyed holidays together in cottages around the UK.
They remain really close to this day and Dorothy often travels up to visit June at Roseberry Court and her sister Norma for holidays.
June Walker commented:
“I remember calling Harold Shepherdson’s mam Grannie Shep and my mother used to make me put my rollers in; I hated that job because she didn’t have much hair.”