A VILLAGE school is gearing up to hold an exhibition showing its 87 glorious years of educating local children.

The photographic exhibition will be held at Bere Regis School in the School Hall on Saturday July 2 from 2pm until 5.30pm.

It tells the story of education in Bere Regis from the Old Boys School at Barrow Hill and the Girls School at Shitterton, to the mixed school at Bere Heath and then from 1929 the images that have made up the fascinating and emotive 87 year history of the school at Rye Hill.

The old photos are timely for the school, as its community looks ahead to a new era with a new school currently being constructed.

The exhibition will be staged as part of the Friends Of Bere Regis School Summer Fayre and organisers are appealing for more photos to be added.

It is being put together by Mark and Alison Bennett and local author and historian John Pitfield.

Alison said: "This is a great opportunity for all that have attended the school, to come along have a cup of tea or coffee and meet others on this special afternoon, as you view the images in the exhibition.

"There will be a memory board if you wish to have any of your memories of the school recorded for our archives."

One of the photos featured in the exhibition is from 1934. In it we can see what looks like some of the younger children of the school, with some of them not looking too happy about having their photo taken!

Alison said: "It does look like life was quite a bit harder then. It was before the wars and the children coming to the school were all from families of rural village people who were working the land."

In the photo from 1966 we can see a teacher, Mr Drew, sat in the middle.

Alison said: "He was someone who I think quite a lot of people from would remember. He lived down on the heath."

Another of these fascinating photos features some sort of event being held outside the church in the 1930s.

"I'm not sure what this event was," Alison said.

"I think it was something like a carnival, it looks like there was a procession float outside. You can see many people in hats and just looking at the school building it looks very new."

Another of the photos requires a little more explanation - a sword dancing ritual in 1958. It looks as though youngsters would walk round in a circle holding a structure made out of wood.

There is a long line of local people who have been educated at Bere Regis, Alison said.

"I went to the school, my mother went and both my son and daughter and grandson went to the school. So that's four generations of the same family.

"I do have very happy memories of my time there."

Anyone with photos of Bere Regis School from its past who wishes to donate them to the exhibition should take them along on the day.

The fete will include stalls, arena events and refreshments on sale during the afternoon and will feature live music in the evening.

There will be copying facilities on site at the exhibition so that if anyone has any old school photos they wish to bring along to contribute to the exhibition, they can be copied and returned on the same day.

All are invited to the exhibition on July 2, especially ex-pupils of the school, Alison said.

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