Shop name is end of an era

There was a name missing which was synonymous with good quality, old-fashioned reliability and service.

I refer to the name of TW Holdsworth, which is now to be replaced by Westoe Dog Grooming.

Good luck to the new business as time does move on.

My dad, Arthur Hall, used to work for Mr Holdsworth as a lad, collecting broken wirelesses and returning the mended items on his bicycle.

By the time my dad returned from the RAF in the war, Mr Holdsworth had died and the business was run by Mrs Holdsworth and one of her daughters, Kathleen.

My dad gained a lot of experience with radios from his RAF days and together with Mr Howard Murray, whom he had met in the RAF, they bought the business and the Hall family moved into the flat above the shop.

My bedroom was the back attic and in winter I can remember that icicles would form on the inside of the windows.

My dad built a new bedroom on the huge landing for my brother, Michael, and we were very happy there for about 11 years.

My dad went on to sell and repair televisions when they first came out, and I can remember my aunties and all my cousins coming to our house to watch The Coronation as we were lucky enough to be able to borrow a TV from the shop.

My dad would also mend any small electrical items as well as bikes, while Mr Murray and Miss Lily Bruce served in the shop.

When my dad retired, the business was bought by Mr Norman Fay, who kept the name but concentrated on the bicycle side of the business until his tragic and untimely death.

The shop has remained closed ever since and so I am pleased that a new venture is about to begin, but sad to see the name go.

Definitely the end of an era.

Dorothy A Wadge (nee Hall),

East Boldon