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Video: Forgotten film hoard found at Leeds club
A treasure trove of rare film has been unearthed chronicling the activities of a historic Leeds youth organisation.
For decades the old forgotten film and audio reels were gathering dust in a box beneath the stage at The Hunslet Club.
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The secret stash offers a window to bygone ages in which mainly features the club's activities amid the austerity of the immediate post-war years.
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Footage of the Queen's visit to South Leeds in 1958 and film of members activities shot for a BBC Children's Newsreel in 1956 are in the hoard.
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Also found were audio tapes of musical performances in Leeds and an edition of a popular 1950s radio show featuring interviews with children in Leeds and praise of the club from a young Richard Attenborough.
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The material is missing from radio archives and has not been heard for over sixty years.
Colour footage of football and rugby matches from the 1960s and 1970s are also among the finds to come to light.
The tapes were found by Jason Slack, a worker at the club, on Hillidge Road.
He said: "I was under the stage which has all sorts of old stuff stashed under it looking for something when I chanced on the box. It immediately caught my interest so I pulled it out to take a closer look."
Preserving the ageing films to copy them to a modern format took specialist attention by the British Film Institute and Leeds film expert Adrian Sadler.
Bill Rowe, a volunteer with Poplar Radio, an internet-based community radio station in Bramley, had rare equipment capable of playing the audio tapes.
The club is interested in hearing from anyone who features in any of the material, or their surviving relatives, who might have memories to share of the events.
Jason said: "If anyone recognises people on there, please let us know.
"This year is the club's 70th anniversary and we've got lots of celebrations planned including a big reunion on November 13."
The Hunslet Club runs dancing, football, boxing, gymnastics, drama and fitness activities for young people aged four to 18.
Founded as the Hunslet Boys' Club in 1940, the club has nurtured the talents of hundreds of young people, including championship boxers and professional footballers and rugby players.
The club now also runs a vocational education centre for students to gain qualifications in practical work based skills.
Anyone interested in attending the reunion should contact the club on 0113 2716489.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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