Name: Allison Lewis (nee Morris)
Date Attended: 1972 – 1977
Favourite Memory:
I have very fond memories of my time at Catwg Primary and the school and staff had a profound effect on me.
I remember Miss Matthews who was a very bohemian woman whose style I stll try to emulate to this day! She was a very kind teacher who also taught me guitar.
A much older teacher, Miss John, was also a firm favourite of mine, who was like a wise owl to us.
I still remember a block graph she had on the wall for achievement in Maths and English and she gave gifts (which she bought herself) at the end of the school year to those who had progressed the most. It was so motivating for us and I remember receiving a beaded purse with 50p in it!
Mr Martin Davies was our year 6 teacher who was a snappy dresser and always cracking jokes. There was a shortage of classrooms at the time, so our classroom was created in a corner of the hall out of various shelving units and cupboards. I thought this was amazing as it felt like one big den to us! Whenever anyone knocked to come in I remember him saying ‘Come in to my parlour said the spider to the fly.’
Mr Phillips was the headmaster at the time and I remember his slicked back hair, small spectacles and brown suit. He was very strict but fair and was the ‘all seeing eye’ over the school, so his nickname was Cyclops or Cycie for short.
I remember him telling me off for running and being loud in the corridor one day and I received the humiliating punishment of standing on the dreaded ‘Black Squares’. There was a tiled area in reception with black and tan tiles and if you were naughty, you were made to stand in shame on the black tiles for everyone to see! It definitely worked as my mother was the school secretary at the time and I remember the shame of her seeing me standing on them.
I also loved playing in the woods and long grass during our playtimes as it felt like one big wilderness to us and it’s so lovely to see the school grounds look very similar to this day. I was very fortunate to have attended Catwg Primary as it was a very happy time for me and I’m still in touch with my fellow classmates 50 years on!
Life Since Catwg:
Since leaving Catwg Primary I went on to study a Business degree in Portsmouth and worked in London for BP Oil. I then came home and set up a T shirt printing business called Rhagorol Celtic Clothing, receiving the contract to supply the t shirts for the National Eisteddfod when it came to Neath . I also supplied many of the schools in the area with their school uniforms.
I went on to have three children. Meg is a teacher, Ioan works in insurance and my eldest is Bronwen Lewis who is a singer and radio presenter. It’s lovely that she has visited Catwg Primary herself to perform for the children.
I now head up the charity, Call of the Wild Development Trust, that runs Resilience Programmes free of charge for children in local schools, improving their mental toughness and giving them access to outdoor adventure activities.
I recently had the pleasure of returning to Catwg Primary to deliver our Resilience Programme to the year 6 children there and what a rewarding experience that was!
It brought back wonderful memories and is it still a great school with superb staff.