Bristol class of 1949 making merry after 60 years

When they first set foot in Merrywood Grammar School for Girls way back in 1949, little did these women know that they would be friends for life.

They are still in touch 60 years on and 36 of the Merrywood 49ers, as they like to be called, made it to a very special reunion yesterday.

The group shared laughs, memories and stories at a celebratory diamond jubilee lunch at the Beeches Hotel in Brislington.

49ers secretary Mollie Judge (née Chivers) baked a cake for the occasion – decorated by her husband Tom – which everyone enjoyed.

There was also a quiz based on the ex-pupils' maiden names – as those are the names they still remember each other by.

"It was a wonderful occasion," said Mrs Judge, 71, who now lives in Hertfordshire. "The reunions seem to get stronger and stronger. When we started 13 years ago we weren't sure how to approach each other, so many years had passed. But now we've got to know each other so well and when we get together we're like a bunch of schoolgirls all over again."

Fellow organiser Joyce Padfield (nee Wilshire) said: "It was a fantastic day and everyone enjoyed themselves.

"Of the 90-girl intake of September 1949, at least half of us are still in contact. We are scattered all over the world but everyone tries their best to make the reunions."

One ex-Merrywood pupil, Sylvia Sheppard, came all the way from Florida to meet up with her old classmates.

Grandmother-of-three Mrs Padfield went into banking when she left Merrywood, working with National Provincial and NatWest.

All of the 49ers remember the school in Downton Road, Knowle, for its strong discipline, but one which gave them a great start in life, both academically and as young women.

Mrs Padfield, 71, who lives in Wrington, added: "It was just a brilliant school. Our headmistress, Miss Dick-Cleland, was fantastic and she was way ahead of her time. She was strict but she believed that we could achieve what we wanted to in life and she instilled confidence in us all. There's a great camaraderie between us all and we hope the reunions will carry on for years to come."

The 49ers are still in contact with some of their teachers, including needlework teacher Sonia Barry and PE teacher Jean Pickwick, who are now in their eighties.

Long after the school was no longer a grammar school, and Merrywood Girls' and Boys' merged in the Nineties, the building became redundant.

After a series of arson attacks in 1996 it was demolished and The William Budd Health Centre was built on its grounds.

But for the 49ers, and hundreds more women who studied there, the memories live forever.