THE Heswall Society recently presented Heswall Library with a copy of a "History of Heswall Boys' Camp".

The history and recorded audio memoirs were prepared with a lottery grant from Awards for All.

Dennis Clegg from the Heswall Society is pictured below presenting the history of the camp to principal librarian Paul Irons.

Heswall Boys' Camp was founded in 1904 by the Liverpool Reformatory Association to provide holidays for children in its care.

In 1934 it was bought by the Liverpool Boys' Association as a general holiday camp for visiting children from Liverpool. In the post-war years it attracted groups from across the UK and abroad.

The history of the camp includes the stories of some of the organisations which used the camp and audio interviews with people who had holidays there or who were volunteers.

One of the organisations, the Heswall Disabled Childrens' Holiday Fund, was created in the early 1960s to provide holidays for disabled children. Heswall man Alistair Shaw was instrumental in setting up the fund.

One of the early disabled visitors was Bert Massie, who came to the camp every year from Sandfield Park Special School. He went on to become Sir Bert Massie, CBE, who was chair of the Disability Rights Commission until its closure at the end of September 2007 and is a commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

On the CD he relates how the Heswall Disabled Childrens' Holiday Fund provided his only chance of a holiday and talks about his various adventures and the outings organised by local people.

The history also relates the changes of the 1970s and 1980s,  the improvements to the facilities at the camp and its decline and eventual closure.

Principal librarian Paul Irons said: “There is a great deal of interest in local history and this document will be a valuable addition to the local history section of Heswall Library and other copies will be held in the Wirral archives and at Bebington.   

"It shows how the Boys’ Camp became very much a part of the local community and tells some fascinating stories.  

"We are particularly pleased to have the various personal reminiscences on the CD. They take us back to a different era and bring that era to life.  

"Not only will it appeal to people interested in local history but we hope it will also be a useful resource for local schools."

Do you have any memories or photos to share about Heswall Boys' Camp? If so e-mail lornahughes@wirralnews.co.uk or write to Memories, Wirral News Group, 76 Hamilton Street, Birkenhead CH41 5AN.

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