One is about a tree which most people would not even notice. It is a Pterocarya caucasica, related to the walnut tree, which stands in the car park near the health centre.

The parish fields land was acquired by the local authority from the Taylor family, who were concerned that the tree should be preserved.

The letter, dated 1964, is to Rear-Admiral A.H. Taylor from Sir George Taylor (no relation), director of Kew Gardens.

In it he says that although the tree was not as rare as the Taylor family might think – there were larger specimens in other parts of southern England – it was still uncommon and it would be most desirable to keep it.

It would be a lovely feature in the car park and would not create any hazard for motorists.

He hoped that his letter would give sufficient grounds to persuade the local authority to spare this splendid tree.

His plea was obviously successful, as the tree can still be seen, midway between the parish fields path and the health centre.

I can remember sledging down those fields on a snowy day about 50 years ago, before a huge wedge of land was gouged out to create the car park.

Our sledge had only wooden runners, so it wasn't very successful.

One summer evening my mother sent my brother and me up to Cooper's shop, on the corner of Shelfanger Road and Sunnyside.

On the way back down through the parish fields, the upper half of which was then ploughed, we found a brick or large stone which my brother used as a shot putt.

Unfortunately in the same hand he had my mum's change, threepence of which we never found. So we had to go home hoping that she would not notice the loss.

My Dad grew up at the waterworks, where his father, Amos, was engineer from 1913 until the late 1940s.

All the Abbott children went to the Church School, so they would have gone daily up and down the parish fields path.

I like to imagine that my Dad walked down that way when he went off to the war. He was 27 and had left Bardwell's timber yard to join the Royal Engineers.

I can just see him, suitcase in hand, wearing a trilby hat and carrying a raincoat, in the way that men used to dress. He would serve in France, Holland and Germany.

He was on the beach at Dunkirk for five days and nights and was nearly left behind when he fell asleep. But two pals went back for him and he went on to live until he was 90.