Simon Freeman's review of Pleasure Gardens Of Sussex by Mark Dudeney and Eileen Hallett (The Argus Weekend, October 13) brought happy memories flooding back of my childhood days in the late Twenties and early Thirties.

Islingword Road Mission Hall was just around the corner from where we lived and many of the kids from the area went to Sunday School there.

Each year, during mid-June, we had our annual outing to Victoria Gardens and, except for Christmas, this was the highlight of the year.

We would save up our ha'pennies and pennies for this special day and mum would have us up early and dressed in our best clothes to be outside the Mission Hall by nine o'clock.

Three charabancs would be waiting to take us to the station.

Our mums went with us and the journey to Burgess Hill seemed like the other end of the country.

We took our own lunch but tea was laid on for us. Many of the swings, boat rides and entertainment were free.

On one side of the park were fields full of marguerites and, shortly before the end of day, several of us would pick bunches of them to take home.

Then it was up the lane towards the station, passing the men working in the factories making chimneys, and on to the train returning home.

When nearing Brighton, everyone would join in singing: "We're on our journey home, we're on our journey home, God bless the railwaymen for bringing us safely home."

As we walked along the platform and passed the train driver, every kid would wave to him and say "Thank you".

If Mr Groves and everyone at Islingword Road Mission Hall in those days are up there listening, may I say thank you, on behalf of myself and all the kids, for giving us such great days out.

-Frank Edwards, Craven Road, Brighton