Nottingham Coop Fridge Department


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In the 70's I worked at the original Nottingham Coop, as an apprentice electrician.

At that time Frank, they had their own Refrigeration Department.

People might remember The little red bull nosed vans. God knows what they

were but they used to carry som weight!

I remember rigging Generators at all the shops to run temporary lighting, and

keep stuff going when the power cuts occurred!

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At that time Frank, they had their own Refrigeration Department.

I know some of the lads that were there, Pete Robinson, now passed on bless his sole, Mick Greenwood, Simon Redgate. The started up their own company later on when the co-op changed tactics.

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Strooth Frank!

I knew Pete very well. We were apprentices together.

Petes dad was one of the chief executives with the Coop at that time.

I first worked with him in 69 when we built the Coop on Westdale lane.

The 'moon landing' always reminds me of those summer days working with

Pete and others.

He was never well, I always admired the guy for taking a heavy job despite his

medical condition. He often showed that he was having difficulty in standing,

But would continue to work. I think he was in continual pain to some extent.

I heard he died young, Very sad, It must be some years ago. RIP Pete. :sorry:

The other Guys names I dont remember, But the Chap in charge for many years

Was Stan (surname?) A great guy too.

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Small World eh Mick

Pete lost both legs and was confined to a wheelchair but it didn't damp his spirits. When they set up RGR Refrigeration he handled the office side while Mick and Simon did the site work. They did some sub-contracting for me in the early 90's.

Simon's some relation to my brother in law

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I hasd the idea they were some where Meadow Lane way?

I think an electrician friend, Phil Matthews, also a member here had some connections with the company at some stage?

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Yeah - started off in Carlton near the First Frame Snooker club then bought/rented a place on the corner of Little Tennis Street.

When the Co-op "outsourced" the fridge side the lads all left and started up on their own and really carried on as they always did - working for the Co-op :rolleyes:

I don't know where it all went wrong but in hindsight, non of the lads were businessmen and when the Co-op work dried up - well you can guess

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  • 6 years later...

I know some of the lads that were there, Pete Robinson, now passed on bless his sole, Mick Greenwood, Simon Redgate. The started up their own company later on when the co-op changed tactics.

Only just read this. I remember Pete Robinson very well. His brother Paul was my apprentice at the Meadow Worshop. I remember thier Dad, Bert, he was the senior personnel manager I was the main AEU shop steward at Meadow Lane and had many meetings with Bert, a very nice bloke, didn't know about Pete. we all lost contact when I was made redundant in 1994
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Worked with Pete Robinson on new installations 1968-75.

He was very bad on his legs and appeared to be in constant pain.

He still carried out heavy work and I never once heard him complain.

You may have known the EETPU Steward, Mick Martin, who often worked at the Lane?

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  • 2 years later...

Sorry for the late reply Mick. knew Mick Martin very well. I think perhaps you knew some of the garage staff at Meadow Lane, sadly many have gone now but a few of us are still around, it's sad to see that no-one remembers the old Co-op on the Lane and what a big influence it had in Nottingham.

I can still remember the annual dinner dances in the Elizabethan Rooms, we all had some great times then. In the garage we used to think it was like working for a big family.

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Question. can anyone remember the old Nottingham Co-op logo, I seem to remember that it was an anchor inside a shield intertwined with the lettering, NCS. I've looked on the internet to find it but no luck. My Grandaughter doesn't believe me when I tell her that all the Co-op vehicles were painted red with this logo on the doors. Used to be a sign of their political leanings. Also I remember that the doors of 243 Derby Road had the same logo etched into the glass.

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Memories of my very first job from school in the confectionary department 1955 for nine months. bakery was next door. I used to take fresh cobs etc to the canteen a few doors down which was upstairs, I remember the dairy. I think there was a soft drinks dept. also a first aid building.

I seem to remember there was a private garage opposite the soft drinks dept that split the two roads out of meadow lane. In the confectionary dept there were two flights of wooden stairs and every friday we would have to scrub each step with a wire brush and dust down with sawdust.

Down the cellar were two huge steel vats each filled with treacle and glucose. A safe place at christmas when one of the big pork pies went missing. the boss was a tall thin chap by the name of Sam ? Harry Lambert was the short pastry.foreman. The half bow window of the cake decorating dept. i believe could be seen from the lady bay bridge. The strong smell of bitterlins must have been somewhere nearby.

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I always think that the plastic milk crate was one of the world's greatest inventions. One of the everlasting sounds of my childhood/youth was the continuous crashing of metal crates and bottles as the float went over uneven ground. All went relatively quiet when the plastic crate arrived.

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Don't forget the electric floats were not just for milk. There were also greengrocery floats and the enclosed one for bread.

Ex-Mundellans will remember the co-op bread van, which called daily at morning break-time. We'd all rush to be first in the queue for our cobs, crisps, kitkats etc.

Litcho1, apart from the wheatsheaf and the NCS shield shown on red float I'm unfamiliar with any other logos. I can't think of any connection that would involve an anchor.

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  • 3 years later...
On 4/30/2015 at 9:45 AM, TBI said:

Don't forget the electric floats were not just for milk. There were also greengrocery floats and the enclosed one for bread.

Ex-Mundellans will remember the co-op bread van, which called daily at morning break-time. We'd all rush to be first in the queue for our cobs, crisps, kitkats etc.

Litcho1, apart from the wheatsheaf and the NCS shield shown on red float I'm unfamiliar with any other logos. I can't think of any connection that would involve an anchor.

The Meadow Lane workshop was known as Anchor Works. The original logo was an anchor with the NCS superimposed on it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/30/2015 at 9:45 AM, TBI said:

Don't forget the electric floats were not just for milk. There were also greengrocery floats and the enclosed one for bread.

Ex-Mundellans will remember the co-op bread van, which called daily at morning break-time. We'd all rush to be first in the queue for our cobs, crisps, kitkats etc.

Litcho1, apart from the wheatsheaf and the NCS shield shown on red float I'm unfamiliar with any other logos. I can't think of any connection that would involve an anchor.

Sometimes it is very rewarding to go through posts from some years ago, and to turn up some diamonds. 

This is one. I clearly remember the van arriving at the gate (the only one where cars could get into Mundella) and they had Pork Farms pies and for me, a special treat would be a sausage roll. I have been vegetarian* for close to 3 decades now so cannot really remember what sausages taste like, but I recall enjoying the sausage rolls. 

 

My dad worked for GNCS and got me a Sat'dy job for me whenever he could. One short lived one was on the milk floats from Beechdale Road. Walking from Bobbers Mill Road to Beechdale was a torment at 4am. I used to get back home for about 11am and go back to bed. Nowadays it would be said to interfere with the circadian rhythm or the body clock. 

 

*The meat in a pork pie I can live without, but I have experimented with hot water crusts and veggie jelly, but still have not perfected the absolute, undeniable best ever porkless pie. The search goes on. 

 

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Don't hold too much nottstalgia for pork pies, mercurydancer. This is what I wrote a few months ago:

Quote

When I was in the UK last Christmas I noticed in Chichester Sainsbury's that Pork Farms Pork Pies were still available. I indulged myself and bought one. What a disappointment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Far from being a full-of-flavour meaty treat, the pie was an abomination of rock hard pastry, NO jelly and tasteless fatty meat. As happens so often, a superior local brand loses all character and quality when taken over by some big conglomerate. 

 

I should add that I gave some of the pie to my carer to try. Bearing in mind he is French and used to eating all sorts of strange things, he spat it out and declared it as inedible.

 
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I asked this question of friends a few months ago. We can all remember pork pies having jelly but none of us can remember when it disappeared.

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We used to have a pork pie night most weeks in our local at early doors. Those of us who’d been travelling that day would bring in a pork pie and and we would all sit in judgement. That was when pork pies really were pork pies. I believe Jack Bailey’s from Upper Broughton was one of the best (shop sadly closed). We once arranged a home made pie competition which was keenly supported. I rather naughtily exhibited a Pork Farms pie and I won! I had to confess- couldn’t live with the guilt! :biggrin:

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Pork Farms didn’t win their gold medals with a pie from their production line. An ‘insider’ told me that they had a specialist pie maker for such occasions and only the prime ingredients were used. One of our pub competition entrants took lessons from said ‘piemaker’ (it was that serious!) and still he didn’t win. :biggrin:

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