IT happened about 80 years ago, but the memory of her big visit to the capital city still burns brightly in the memory of Annie Parker.

And she now wonders how many fellow survivors are still around to recall the Wembley Exhibition of her childhood when three girls and boys from most of the local schools were chosen to be mini-representatives at the big occasion.

"I was one of the lucky ones," says Annie (nee Bracken), now 88 and of Bernard Wood Court, Birchley.

The kids were collected at school and provided with little camp beds and paper sheets in case there was a squeeze on accommodation in London during the run of the big exhibition.

"We had lovely meals and were taken every day to different parts of London," says Annie. "What a time we had - and the corporation paid for everything!"

She can't remember the exact year when this all happened (any reader able to oblige?) but she recalls her pride in being asked, on return, to visit every class at her school to recount the big adventure.

AND, no doubt, there were plenty of envious glances from the rest of those kiddies from the hard-up 1920s unfortunate enough not to have been selected for that treat of a lifetime.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.