The now fading photo is from my old pal, gent's hairdresser and well-known Colner John Hall, who I've known since the 1940s. John, is on our picture to the left near the front with round, NHS spectacles and Brylcreamed hair, ready for the much looked forward to trip to the seaside.

There are around 75 smiling faces on our picture from the past, many of them sadly passed on, but also quite a number still living in Colne today. John's mother, May Hall, is here as are their Hill Street neighbours, Florrie Boyd and her children, Caroline and Stewart.

Also to be seen here are Doris Almond and her son and daughter, William and Aileen. Why, here's George and John Kendall and Mildred and Norman Stevenson as well as Laura and Sylvia Hamlett. Edward and Colin Ormerod are here plus Maureen Cookson, Pauline Bottomley, Colin Machin and many more.

Today, five decades on, the church and Sunday school outings are as rare as pterodactyls flying over Pendle Hill and no more do the express steam trains take dozens of happy church and chapel day trippers to Blackpool, Morecambe and Southport destinations.

All throughout our towns and villages, the once proud and noble places of worship are disappearing, never to return ever again!