| Childhood Memories Campaign |
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Singer and model Sophie Ellis-Bextor is the face of Britain’s biggest campaign to collect the country’s favourite childhood memories. Photographed by top photographer Rankin for The Children’s Society, Sophie posed in a tonne of multi coloured sprinkles to highlight the campaign - www.hundredsand thousands.org.uk. Devised by The Children’s Society, Hundreds and Thousands of Childhood Memories is part of a movement to engage the nation and enlist their help in making childhoods better. Collecting cherished early memories from the British public will help to build a picture of what a good childhood should look like and contribute towards The Good Childhood Inquiry – the UK’s first independent inquiry into what makes a good childhood. But this is strictly for adults. You have to be over 18 to take part. 
Sophie Ellis-Bextor says of her childhood memory: ‘August 10th 1987 was the day my little brother was born and I was so excited to be a big sister. Jack’s father is my step-dad and on the day Jack was born I was with my dad who was really happy for me and made me a special coin to mark the occasion. I remember being proud not just that I finally wasn’t an only child any more but also that my parents had moved on to better things since their divorce. Now I have a huge family with lots of brothers and sisters so I guess that date was the start of the happy ending.’ Popstar Sophie Ellis-Bextor was happy to pose in hundreds and thousands to promote The Children’s Society’s childhood memories campaign As a mum, I want my children to have some fantastic memories. Being covered in hundreds and thousands is much more fun than I imagined but the serious message is we really need hundreds and thousands of childhood memories – please share yours.’
Hundreds and Thousands of Childhood Memories is linked closely to The Children’s Society’s Good Childhood Inquiry and already has the backing of Manchester United and The Co-operative.
CELEBRITY MEMORIESBernie Nolan (actress) My sister Linda and I received a pram each for Christmas when we were aged seven and nine respectively. The huge old-fashioned ones with the big wheels. Every evening after school we would go out walking round the back streets near our house, each pushing our prams and chatting about our babies. We had all the lovely clothes for them (second hand of course!) We would do this until we heard our Mammy calling us in for tea. We really treated them like real babies. It was magical! Cliff Richard (singer) It was Christmas and I was in India. Dad’s office was throwing a party for the employees’ kids and at one end of the room was a huge Christmas tree surrounded by loads of presents. One of them caught my eye - it was a bicycle, all wrapped up but you can’t disguise a bicycle! And there, on a big label hanging from the handlebars, was my name - HARRY! (This was many years before I changed my name to Cliff!). I couldn’t hide my excitement and told my Dad. My dad’s reply was devastating. ‘How do you know it’s yours’, he said. ‘You’re not the only boy here whose name is Harry. Later on all of us were seated around the tree as Father Christmas gave out the gifts. It seemed forever before he got to the bicycle. ‘This is for Harry,’ he said. Long pause.....’Harry Webb!’ My heart leapt. It was my best Christmas ever! Anyone unable to log onto www.hundredsandthousands.org.uk can visit one of ten exhibitions across the country. The Children’s Society is a leading national charity, driven by the belief that every child deserves a good childhood. They run a national network of projects, pioneering research, influential campaigning, the UK’s first independent national inquiry into childhood...and more. See www.childrenssociety.org.uk for details. |
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