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Caption
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In the 1920s the Northern Omnibus company offered Gateshead Council eight old charabanc buses to be converted into holiday homes for the underprivileged and undernourished children of the Gateshead Riverside.
One coach was converted into a wash room, another coach was converted into place for cooking and dining.
The other six buses were converted into sleeping accommodation for 36-42 boys, Gateshead built wooden huts for the teachers who went with them, I believe the children came by rail to Blackhall Rocks Station.
A Mrs Stevenson from Blackhall rocks did the cooking and cleaning .
I was told that Mr Earnest Chicken the Blackhall Colliery Manager had a flight of steps made to get the children down to the beach where they could explore the caves under the cliffs, all the children were given a new shirt and shorts and a pair of plimsoles.
The field on Blackhall Rocks Beach Banks was given to Easington Council by the Lord Mayor and MP for Hartlepool, Cuthbert Sharpe, he said it was for pleasure purposes only, it is now call the Picnic Site at Blackhall Rocks .
The children got their fresh water from the Blackhall Rocks Hotel, and also used the hotel toilets,
In about 1934 all the local Councils put money together to build a much larger holiday camp for the Gateshead Council to house 750 children, this was built in 1935, so that school children from as far away as Middleborough and up to Newcastle, also Durham and Darlington children could have one weeks free holiday .
At the outbreak of WW2 the camp was taken over by the army and homeguard, when the war ended the camp was taken over by squatters until about 1965 when the squatters were rehoused into Peterlee New Town, then the camp was demolished. There used to be a huge notice board near the entrance of the camp which said "GATESHEAD SCHOOL CAMP FOR BOYS AND GIRLS"
Photograph and caption from Bob Williams
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