The appeal of amateur dramatics was particularly strong in Forest communities. Extending the school leaving age led to a widening of the school curriculum and plays and operatic traditions became a key part of the school year leading to end of term performances. Post-war dramatic groups such as the Wesley Players, and the MINTEC Players (Mining and Techology College) blossomed and were popular with participants and audiences. A few persisted after television grew in popularity in the 1970s, particularly Christmas pantomimes.
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Collieries had produced a proliferation of brass bands, and in the twentieth century these became more diverse, including women and detaching themselves from the collieries that had closed. National and local contests encouraged and enthused bands and choirs. Choirs such as the Whitecroft Male Voice Choir regularly performed for the BBC.
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Forest children had a unique childhood during and after the Second World War. The ‘friendly visitors’ from all over the world to the Forest were replaced with a burgeoning sense of freedom and opportunity. The school leaving age was raised, and more diverse educational choices became available. The ‘eleven plus exam’ or grammar school entry examination was an early crossroads in young people’s lives. A University education no longer became the exclusive opportunity for the wealthy. Guides, Scouts, Life Brigade and youth organisations proliferated and became a part of every child’s after school life.
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The Forest population was never as homogenous as frequently claimed and the War, as well as leading many to leave the Forest, attracted many new people to marry into Forest families or whole families to migrate into the area. Courtship and pre-marital sex were still hazardous pursuits due to the lack of widespread family planning until the 1960s. Getting your ‘fern ticket’ was common parlance for sex in the Forest, a retreat for many young people from homes that were overcrowded and dominated by traditional values. Unmarried mothers and same sex relationships were stigmatised throughout the late twentieth century.
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In the early nineteenth century pubs remained an important part of the landscape and became the focus for various clubs such as the Water Buffaloes (RAOB), comprising mostly male membership. Cider making was a domestic pursuit sold on farms and in pubs. Pubs and working mens clubs were the base for rabbit competitions and pigeon racing, both became widely popular and whole family pursuits. The Forest had a strong rugby club tradition with Lydney, Cinderford, Berry Hill and several others playing at County and National level. These catered for younger people who also had opportunities with Guides, Scouts and other youth organisations.
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The strong non-conformist tradition held sway over the Forest before the Second World War. Whilst Anglicanism and to a much lesser extent Catholicism, were well supported in the towns by the white-collar community, Methodism and its rich network of competing chapels and Sunday schools were at the heart of community life in the villages. These traditions dramatically collapsed in the 1960s and 1970s but had been the focus of many Forester’s early years.
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The last half of the Twentieth Century saw people in the Forest have more leisure opportunities and improved education affording a flourishing of literature, much of it written by working class authors. In the 1970s there was a national interest in memoirs and novels that reflected working peoples’ lives and experiences. This facilitated older authors such as Winifred Foley the opportunity to publish their memoirs and reflections on Forest life. A new generation of Forest young people, such as Dennis Potter, were able to go to university and produce work grounded in their Forest experiences. Harry Beddington continued a tradition, started by F. W. Harvey (who died in 1957), of writing prose and poetry in dialect. Education in life-drawing, ceramics and other fine arts were available at the Lydney Art School, and some Forest students later went on to study at the prestigious Cheltenham Art College.
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