JIMMY
ROBERTS' DONKEY
Jimmy Roberts was the tenant farmer of
Church Farm, now demolished and occupied by the housing development of St
Mary’s Walk. He had a donkey and cart which he used to let out to anyone with a
light load to move. Hilda Brooker's father had eight bags of runner beans to
take to Sandy station to catch the train which took vegetables every night to
the London markets, so he hired the donkey and cart. All went well but slowly until he came to Sandy Hills. Neddy
decided this was too much for a donkey and refused to go any further. No amount of persuasion would make him move
until my father took off half the load. He had to leave four bags of beans by
the roadside, and make two journeys to the station. Needless to say he heard a lot about it from his fellow men and
never hired that donkey again. (Hilda Brooker’s notes)