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 Success stories 

Colin Earl, Brian Perkins & Ian Smallman

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In 2000, Colin Earl from the Hilltop estate asked me to try and get in touch with Brian Perkins who he had not seen for about ten years. John Draper informed me that Brian had actually visited the site and so I put an appeal out. Within a couple of weeks, Brian sent e-mail to the site and he and Colin are now in touch. I also received e-mail from Ian Smallman (below) who saw the appeal and is now living in Ward Green. Ian said he remembered Brian and Colin from 1957 when they mated about together on Hodroyd Cottages. I have now put Ian in touch with Brian and Colin.

Hello Gary,

I opened up your site today and found that Colin Earl wanted to contact me. You said that Colin was not on the Internet at the moment and that you would pass on a message. (Brian's message has been passed on to Colin in confidence). If possible could you also get me Colin’s contact details so that I can write him a full letter? I must say that your web site is an excellent source of history on our village and even though I have not lived there in 33 years I still am and will always be a Brierley Boy. I see that you have photographs. The teachers I remember are Mrs Thorpe, Mrs Fox and Mr Balmforth Headmaster. I will have a look and see if I have any Photos and if so I will send reprints over to you for your collection. Well Gary I would like to thank you for helping me out in Contacting Colin and I wish you all the best. If anyone else wishes to contact me could you please just pass on my contact details. 

Brian Perkins AUSTRALIA 

Thank you for your E-mail Brian and I am glad that I have been a help to both you and Colin. I have passed on your details to him today and he was really pleased, I am told that he has spoken about nothing else all day. He informs me that he is going to write to you with his address as soon as possible. I am a little bit busy at the moment and I don't have time to go through the full collection of photographs, (I have over 1000 now) especially with my next exhibition just round the corner, but one particular photograph that springs to mind is one of the Three Horse Shoes trip to Southport flower show (Do you remember?). There was only one person on it that I didn't have a name for, but someone at the last exhibition named the chap as YES!! You've guessed it Brian Perkins. In the New Year I am hoping to add lots of photographs to the web site and if I come across any that you are on,  I spoke to Mrs Thorpe by telephone last week although I have not actually seen her myself for at least 32 years. I was surprised to learn that she still lives in Brierley, Mrs Horton another Brierley schoolteacher still visits her. Sadly Mrs Fox passed away a few years ago and the last I heard of Mr Balmforth was that he went into a home about three years ago when he began to suffer bad health. Keep in touch with the site, as I am sure you will find it more interesting in the New Year when I start doing the archive pages.

January 2002

Gary
I have just been reading about Colin Earl & Brian Perkins I was born in 1946 at 17 Hodroyd Cottages (Pit Row) which was 3 doors away from Colin and directly opposite Brian Perkins. When we were all young we played together and from 1957 Brian and I were in the same class at the Brierley Grimethorpe Secondary Modern School. We did a lot together along with Raymond Cotton who was sadly killed in a tragic accident at Grimethorpe Pit in 1967 which was just after I left Grimethorpe. I'm still living in the Barnsley area Ward Green to be exact and I have seen Colin several times but not to speak to so if you see him give him my regards It would be nice to contact Brian again if you would kindly pass on my Email address Keep up the good work.


Cheers Ian Smallman  

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