There is in existence at the Birmingham Records Office in the Central Reference Library an Acocks Green Wesleyan Sunday School cash book. This commences in 1869 by listing the proceeds of the Anniversary services as amounting to £4 0s 4d. In 1879 there is an entry for a children's treat with the expenses thus:

Whether the children drank their tea milkless or whether it was donated is not recorded. Alan Fitton states that one of the earliest records in the old minutes book is one for 1891 when it was resolved: "That the Sunday School trip take the form of a ride to a field at Knowle in a canal boat." There is also placed on record the fall from grace of one young scholar who played truant, preferring a walk through the fields to Solihull to spending his afternoon in Sunday School. One is happy to read, however, that he was induced later to see the error of his ways and that he purged his offence by unbroken attendance over a number of years.

Towards the close of the century a number of items of serious business occupied the attention of the Sunday School Council. The following minute, dated November 11th, 1898, states: "Resolved that the secretary write to the secretary of the Trustees with regard to the draughts in the Sunday School." Hardly had this matter been disposed of before the secretary was instructed to write a further letter, this time to the superintendents, emphasising the necessity for keeping better order in the school. Before the century closed this official wrote yet a third protest, asking the Trustees whether it would not be possible to have the schoolroom cleaned and renovated at once. Apparently this had but little effect, for on September 22nd, 1900, there was a demand for a deputation to be received on the subject. It is not stated whether satisfaction was ever forthcoming.

It was early in the present century that a system of Sunday School prizes was first introduced. These took the form of the value of one penny for every three marks over forty attendances. In 1914 a medal scheme was started whereby a bronze medal was awarded for one year's attendance, a silver one for four years and a gold medal for seven years good attendance. There was the proud record of the Daw family: here the seven children duly collected seven gold medals. Miss Kit Mahoney, one of our present members, is also the possessor of a cherished gold medal.

In the first decade of the twentieth century the numbers in the Sunday School increased rapidly. The 'Circuit Magazine' for 1910 records: "January - the Sunday School at Acocks Green is full to overflowing - literally. Every available room is called into use and some five or more classes are held in the Chapel." The enlargement and interior reconstruction of the church in 1927 meant the loss of the schoolroom, formerly the first chapel. For a time the Sunday School was held in the council schools in Westley and Warwick Roads, a very unsatisfactory arrangement with the additional cost of rent at £100 p.a., no mean sum in those days. Large gatherings such as Sunday School Christmas parties were held in the Tin Tab.

The following are the reminiscences of two former Sunday School scholars who attended regularly in the early decades of this century and which were given to the writer in 1983:

"The incentives of the Sunday School. were appeals to our acquisitive spirit. Regular attenders were invited to a big Christmas party, complete with conjuror, and to the summer 'Sunday School Treat', when we went by train in reserved compartments from Acocks Green station to Lapworth, or from Spring Road Halt to Henley-in-Arden or Earlswood Lakes, there to enjoy tea and games and races and fair ground delights, as a race of professional caterers for the host of such 'treats' had evolved. We also had the chance to qualify for book prizes and even medals. There was a bronze medal as a reward for one year's perfect attendance, twice every Sunday, never late and never absent except for sickness or absence on holiday. (If you were away from home, simply going to a church service was acceptable - even going to my Auntie's Sung Mass). Four consecutive years with such an attendance record qualified one for a silver medal, seven for a gold one. The seven children in our family duly collected seven gold medals; I still have mine. Between us we must have enjoyed, or endured, well over five thousand Sunday School sessions. A religious weekly published a group photograph of the family that could boast of such an achievement! The Sunday School Superintendent who championed the medal scheme most vociferously was, not surprisingly a 'self-made' man, albeit one of great goodwill and charm. He himself won what most folk would regard as big prizes; he became managing director of one of Birmingham's greatest firms, a Member of Parliament and a knight. We were thus brought up with the idea that assiduity and effort paid dividends. In my heyday as a young Methodist in the 1920s I regularly attended five services and meetings on a Sunday, and what is more I did it not only from habit but from choice. My own financial contributions as a boy were perforce meagre. I recall one occasion when by mistake I slipped a shilling on to the collection plate instead of the halfpenny I had intended: I told one of the society stewards about the calamity, and was promptly given my 11d change."

The superintendent referred to above was Peter Bennett, later Sir Peter, and finally Lord Bennett of Edgbaston, M.P. The second memory of Sunday reads thus:

"There was, in the Sunday School, a class for young men. We were all - about a dozen of us - in our early twenties and were "taught" by Harold Sharpe and Bernard Lowe who had some difficulty in interpreting Biblical passages to sceptical young men. Question: 'How could Sampson have caused the deaths of 3000 Philistines who were on the roof of a temple measuring only twenty-two ft. by sixteen ft. by pulling down the supporting pillars?' And answer came there none, but we had listened and we have remembered."

With the opening of the purpose built Sunday School buildings in Botteville Road in 1933 there began the greatest expansion and attendance of scholars in its history. In June, 1934, there were 650 children and 85 teachers; this was the peak year and reflected the appeal of the school to the children and parents of surrounding housing estates and

the growing number of families within the church. In the closing paragraph of his 1935 history Alan Fitton records the names of Sunday School general superintendents. They read: Mr Carpenter, Mr Ward, Mr King, Mr Corley, Mr Wright, Mr Vernon Bailey, Mr Peter Bennett, Mr Rolfe, Mr Pardoe, Miss Ward, Mr Wilks, Mr Leslie Dawand , Mr Keith Barfield. The years between 1935 and 1949 are un-recorded, but other superintendents included Mr. Andy Dawes, Mr. Alan Fitton, who held the post for twenty years, and then Mrs Marjorie Taylor, who was superintendent for fifteen years until 1979. Since then the post has been vacant, although Mrs Enid Smitten has been the leader for the past seven years, filling the post in all but name.

Only eight days after the outbreak of the Second World War the Quarterly Meeting decided to gather information about Sunday School scholars who would be removed from the district owing to evacuation. In Acocks Green mass evacuation of children from the Council school did not take place until late November, 1940, a fortnight after the most devastating Birmingham blitz. On the night of November 19th/20th, 1940, 615 died and 1,084 civilians were injured in the city, and many homes in the Acocks Green area were wholly or partially destroyed. The war not only destroyed the lives of many but also the social patterns of whole communities and never again did the number of scholars equal that of the 1930s.

In January, 1945, when the war was reaching its final stages, the chairman of the Leaders Meeting, the Rev. W. Russell, announced an anonymous gift of £100. The interest from the sum was to be devoted to the work among young people in accordance with the wishes of the donor. The trust deed stated: 'The donor is convinced from her observation and experience that great good has resulted from the attendance of teachers and other young persons of the Sunday School at weekend conferences and summer schools both on account of the instruction and the association with other similar minded workers. This money is therefore being given in order to make such attendance possible for some who would otherwise be unable to attend and to perpetuate in some measure the work that the donor has sought to do among the young people at Acocks Green.'

It is now known that the donor was Miss Ethel Watson, for many years a class leader, local preacher and Sunday School teacher. Later she was Sunday School secretary from 1956 until her resignation through ill health in 1964. By that time she had been on the staff for fifty-eight years. "Wattie" as she was known by many is still remembered today with gratitude for her work among young people. 'Miss Watson's Fund' has fulfilled the designs of its donor and many young people have been helped to attend the annual weekend youth conferences at Barnes Close, near Bromsgrove. In recent years the fund has benefited young people from other churches in the circuit as well as those from Acocks Green.

From before the beginning of this century until 1964 the annual Sunday School anniversary services (three on Sunday and one on Monday evening) have been one of the highlights of the church and school year. At a meeting held on December 17th, 1902 "some conversation ensued as to the stability of the platform used for anniversary purposes." There was no need to worry in later years as the platform was annually erected by local builders, Messrs Williams & Boddy of Station Road, Acocks Green, and then dismantled and stored on their premises until the next anniversary.

The anniversary practices were also the subject of much discussion and in 1902 a strong protest was made against these being held after the evening services. It was argued that not only was this a bad time for the children but it was also an "undue interference with the liberty and rights of the preacher." Years ago the anniversary training was much more intensive than in later days, though the results were not necessarily better. Reference to one of the old rehearsal sheets reveals the fact that practices were held for trebles on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and for the altos at different times on the same days. The choir, who had always assisted at the anniversaries, had five special rehearsals, from 6.0 p.m. to 7.0 p.m. on five consecutive Saturdays. How thoroughly things were done is shown by the announcement at the bottom of the rehearsal sheet that "no child will be allowed the use of a hymn paper on the platform. All words must be memorised." This held true for many years end there are still Acocks Green Methodists who can sing choruses from 'Messiah' or the 'Elijah' without need of words or music.

Beginning on the lowest tier of the anniversary platform as primary and beginners the children progressed as the years passed to the heady heights of the top plank where it was possible for the first time to examine at close quarters the memorial windows of the chancel. It was not by chance that the hymns sung by the Beginners Department always occurred just before the collection. Church treasurers and society stewards knew that a moist parental eye might increase the contribution twofold. Little girls self importantly arranged the folds of the skirts of their anniversary dresses around them whilst small boys either rolled, or sucked, the ends of their ties, or pulled surreptitiously at the bows adorning the heads of the girls in front of them. During each service at least one scholar would drop his or her collection, either by accident or design, through the slats of the platform and to be overcome by confusion or triumph at the deed. Despite strict instructions from the conductor to look nowhere but at him there would be a few stealthy waves of the arm from the serried ranks to parents in the congregation. Other children, mindful of the instructions, would sit in an agony of embarrassment, studiously ignoring the frenzied arm waving from parents, who so far forgot themselves as to half rise from the pew in an attempt to alert their offspring as to their whereabouts. The names of past conductors will be remembered by some of today's congregation - Owen Morley, J.A. Sheasby, Edgar Cowin, Bob Pardoe, Denzil Little, David Walker and Sue Dowling.

By 1959 the Sunday School Council was told that it was becoming increasingly difficult to persuade children to attend anniversary practices. For the next decade the format of the service changed from being devoted solely to choral items to dramatic presentations, involving all the children, imaginatively written and produced by Mrs Freda Stagg and Mr Pat Welch, Mrs Marjorie Taylor and Mr Roy Hiatt.

A trend, already discernible in the 1960s, was emerging. Junior church members, as they were now termed, were drawn increasingly from the families of regular church worshippers and less from families with no other connection with the church other than that their children were sent there each Sunday.

From numbers of 250 in 1952 the Junior church had shrunk to sixty-one children in 1978 with a corresponding decrease in teachers. Despite house to house visitations and invitations by staff and cradle roll secretaries the numbers fell further. By the early 1980s there were few families with young children amongst the regular worshippers and this was reflected in the Junior church numbers. Writing in 1986 it is good to report that this downward trend has been halted and even reversed and although numbers of Junior church members are still only in their teens the dedicated efforts of the staff give a brighter outlook for the future.