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Garden Party 
I have worked for Lydney Town Council for forty years. This year I was chosen to
go to the Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. We went to Ross-
At Buckingham Palace they gave us sandwiches, tea and cake and later ice cream. We
saw the Queen and one of her sons. Later we went for a walk around the park and
saw the different sights. The next day we caught the coach back to Ross.
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A Kick in the Teeth!
Just after the foot and mouth I was working on a farm with sheep and cattle. The cattle were very wild and jumpy because they'd been shut up for quarantine.
We were getting some ready for the slaughterhouse and putting them in a loading pen. The lorry came and we loaded them in. I went back to the pen and undid the gate for the other cattle to come through and they came rushing through like wild animals and one kicked out with his back leg and kicked me in the side of my face and the next thing I knew I was on the floor. I thought they would trample me.
I got up and out of the pen then I noticed I had five teeth knocked out and a sore
jaw. I went home and then to hospital but I spent the next three weeks getting over
it.
Since then my sounds don't sound what I want them to make -
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My Story
After I left school I didn’t have a job for a long time, my mum and dad supported me so that I wouldn’t get upset about not being able to read. I went on a training scheme, they would find you a job, that helped a lot. I got work with Remploy and worked for 28 years. That was ok because everyone had some problem, they were understanding.
When I finished there I started some cleaning jobs on my own. My husband said I should
start my own business but people used to leave notes for me about what they wanted
me to do, I couldn’t understand and used to get upset. I didn’t tell anyone because
I was ashamed.
I told someone whose husband had help with FRED and she gave me the number for FRED. I was a bit nervous about ringing but my husband encouraged me to ring so I did.
I feel better in myself, I’m more confident. I can write things down and fill 
forms
on my own and ask my reading coach for help to check things. I want to learn to
drive and my reading coach is helping me with my theory test. I like reading the
books (Turning Pages) and I try reading at home more on my own.
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Some Personal Stories from our Learners
A Day Out at Highgrove
Two years ago we went to Highgrove House and the lady showed us around the gardens. It took us about two hours to look around Highgrove gardens.
Then we went to the Westonbirt Arboretum and we saw all kinds of trees. We climbed up to the tree bridge to see how big the trees are.
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A Game of Darts
We play darts in the staff rest room in the park and we play the game in our lunch
break. We play different games of darts and sometimes I win and sometimes I lose.
When you play Killer, you throw a dart at a number then the other player has to throw a dart at your number so you lose a life and it leaves you with two lives left. Once you lose your three lives you are out of the game.
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A Day Out in Blackpool
We got picked up at home at 9.45 to take us to Cinderford to catch the coach. Then
we went to Ross and on to the motorway to head to Blackpool. On the way we had a
one hour break at the service station.
Once we got there, we had a rest before we went down for tea and a meal. We went for a walk after tea across the seafront.
One day we went to the waxworks museum -
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