'For many children it was like a second home'

More than 150 people came to the reunion at the Supermarine Club in South Marston.

One of the event's organisers and a former deputy leader of the club, Brian Roberts, 48, said: "It was an emotional reunion. There were even a few tears shed.

"The whole day went really brilliantly. We started out with a bit of a game of football among some us who used to play when we were members.

"We then sat down to watch the FA cup and catch up with each other.

"It was wonderful to see all those old faces after all these years. It was like being a kid again."

The Walcot Boys' Club was opened in 1961 under the authority of the National Association of Boys Clubs.

Based in a purpose-built building in Burghley Close, where the Walcot Dome Community Centre now stands, it was open to boys aged 11 to 18 as a way of diverting their energies into constructive activity.

Generations of boys from the Walcot area spent much of their free time at the club, under the wing of group leader Brian Bennett, now 67, who also attended the reunion.

Mr Roberts, who now works as a builder and has three children explained: "It really was a great part of our lives. It was open seven days a week and there was always something for us to do.

"Sport was the main thing that everyone took part in. At one stage, the club fielded seven football teams. Not only that, but we did boxing, snooker, table tennis . . . pretty much everything.

"I was a young lad with a lot of energy and I dread to think what I might have got involved in if it had not been for the club.

"It really kept us on the straight and narrow. We did all sorts of other things as well, such as orienteering and potholing. It is a shame that these sort of clubs have died out.

"I remember that we used to have a television room there. It was only a small black and white television, but when Tom and Jerry came on, we packed the room out."

The club eventually closed in 1985, when council funding was cut.

Founder member Stanley Iles, helped set it up in 1961.

He said: "I have some really fond memories. There was an amazing atmosphere. There was never any real misbehaviour, although I remember once that the kids piled snow against the doors as a practical joke, blocking us in.

"We were furious at the time but we saw the funny side of it later.

"For a great many of the children there, it was like a second home. I got involved after someone came knocking on my door asking for donations for the club.

"The sheer range of activities that we used to get involved in amazes me when I look back on it. You just would not be able to run a club along similar lines nowadays.

"The safety rules for activities such as this would have meant that we would have needed many more members of staff. I often used to be on my own in the place, looking after more than a hundred lads.

"A lot of the boys have gone on to do great things, and one notable member was the singer and songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan.

"As well as all the sport, we would do things such as orienteering and pot holing.

"The driving force behind the club was the first group leader, Brian Bennett, who put a huge amount of work into making sure that it worked. Years after it closed, I would sometimes meet some of the people who had gone to the club.

"Those who have children of their own say they now realise what hard work it must have been for us."

On Saturday, Mr Iles presented Mr Bennett with a framed picture of Old Town's Christ Church to mark their appreciation of his work.

Mr Iles said: "For us living in Walcot, the church dominated the landscape and is very much part of the place."

The Walcot Boys' Club was the second one to be built in Swindon Penhill had the first.

The clubs were seen as a way to get young boys off the streets and groom them to be more responsible young men.

They existed all around the country, particularly in disadvantaged areas where there was a pressing need to keep young men away from anti-social activities.

The National Association of Boys' Clubs was formed in 1925 to provide a common forum for these clubs which competed against each other in a wide variety of sporting activities.

Famous people as diverse as entertainer Frankie Vaughan and athlete Steve Cram have spoken of their fond memories of their time as members.