Sir,

Last Friday’s Blast from the Past photo must have brought back happy memories to many households in the Pentlepoir and surrounding area, ours being no exception, I also understand it had a few mentions on Facebook!

Our eldest son Richard Cookson played Fagin and the other main characters were Oliver - Oliver Griffiths, Artful Dodger - Martin Badham, Nancy - Amy Harris, Bill Sykes - Rebecca Mansell (I actually still have the programme for the production which was performed on December 13, 1990).

This was just one of many wonderful productions staged at Pentlepoir School under the guidance of headteacher Mrs. Trevina Vincent and her wonderful staff.

I am sure we are not the only parents who will always be grateful for the excellent education our children received under the guidance of Mrs. Vincent and her staff at Pentlepoir School and it saddens me to see the building site which it has now become.

Our two sons, Richard and James, were encouraged in school with their writing and storytelling and after university have both found employment in the TV and media industry, Richard working for the BBC as the script editor for the Dr. Who series during the period when Dr. Who celebrated its 50th anniversary.

There are many more parents out there like us who owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Vincent and her staff for the wonderful start our children were given on the education ladder, something that sadly is not always the case today when too much emphasis is given to modern technology and the basic skills are overlooked.

Frank Cookson