Lena Sugars

Born in 1927, Lena moved from her family home in Yardley Hastings to Turvey upon her marriage to Alf Sugars, at the Congregational Chapel in Yardley Hastings in 1957. Lena remembers her family, grandparents and friend. Lena recalls her schooldays, leaving school at 14 years old to work in the offices of a boot and shoe manufacturer in Northampton.

Upon moving to Turvey, Lena secured a position in the offices of Frederick Gale, builders’ merchants in Bedford, until her retirement 30 years later. Lena speaks of the shops and her neighbours in Turvey. Lena enjoyed sewing and making her own clothes once she had retired. Lena comments that the people in Turvey are always friendly.

Memories of an initial meeting with Mr. Horace Gale, a builders’ merchant in Bedford

“Yeah, well I went to get a job, you see. When I got to Bedford, Mr. Horace was just getting ready to go to London, he was just getting ready to go to London, and he said, “What religion are you?” So I said, “I’m Chapel.” So was he. He said, “You can have the job.” Interviewer: Did that make a difference in those days, if you went to the same church or chapel do you think? LS: Well, I never went to the same chapel as him because I was still at home, you see. But anyway, I got this job and I started at Gales.”

Memories of her neighbour, Mrs. Bamford and attending the Congregational Chapel off the High Street, Turvey

“I went to the one opposite … across the road. Mrs. Bamford used to go to chapel, she was chapel, she come from Lavendon you see and she went to the chapel at Lavendon. And, I used to go very often with her, you know then, to the chapel.”

Memories of the bus route through Turvey, before the new road by-passing The Loop, was built in 1936

“I used to come through (Turvey) on the bus, because they never had a road cut through, you had to come, when you … when I come from Northampton, you come round and you stopped outside the pub (the Three Cranes). That’s where the bus used to drop you, then come round and then get on the main road again.”

A transcript of the full interview with Lena Sugars may be found in the Voices Collection of the Archive.