SEPARATE playgrounds, under 18 discos at the Corn Exchange and buying sweets on the way to music lessons.These were all some of the memories recalled by ex-Copleston High School students 25 years on.

SEPARATE playgrounds, under 18 discos at the Corn Exchange and buying sweets on the way to music lessons.

These were all some of the memories recalled by ex-Copleston High School students 25 years on.

More than 100 former pupils and two staff attended the class of 1978 gathering at Suffolk County Council Social Club where they enjoyed a disco, buffet and swapping stories.

One former classmate came as far afield as Spain for the event organised by Glenn Tooke, Tracey Bailey (nee Griffiths), Carol Holbrook (nee Bowman), Helen Bartlett (nee Pettingale) and Martin Sheeran.

Reminiscing Tracey, of Pardoe Place, Ipswich, said: "I remember white shoes, flared jeans, floaty gypsy dresses.

"There was a Heath Row Youth Club and we used to go there and I remember the under 18s discos at the Corn Exchange which used to end with the song Hi-Ho Silver Lining.

"When we used to go to music lessons we always turned up late because we used to go the sweet shop Gaiety Box by the Foxhall Road roundabout which is now Thomas' Cycle Shop.

"There also used to be slit playgrounds," said Carol, a trainer for Sainsburys who now lives on Bucklesham Road, Ipswich. "The boys didn't have the same playgrounds as the girls.

"We also had to stand outside the head's room at the beginning of assembly so when everyone came out they knew you had been naughty."

Glenn, 41, a project manager for BT who lives at Cavendish Park, Felixstowe, said the gathering took a year to get off the ground.

"It started with a few e-mails via friendsreunited.com and then Helen said why don't we have a reunion?

"It was good fun organising it," said Tracey, who works for Suffolk College.

"We got together on a six week basis in the pub and there was a lot of reminiscing." Maths teachers Bob Pegnall and history teacher Pete Dawson, who are both still at Copleston, also attended.

The reunion, sponsored by Sewells Garage in Kesgrave, and was in aid of the Suffolk branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Society as one of their classmates has been diagnosed with the disease.

Builder Trevor Kingdom, of Hervey Street, Ipswich, is friends with the two classmates he hung around with at school, Steve Prescott and Gavin Duthie. "It seems like yesterday," he said.

First test tube baby was born in Britain.

Britain's Prime Minister was James Callaghan

The jogging craze reached its height and Lycra took off

Every girl wanted a pair of Wonder Woman Boots

Brian and Michael painted matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs in their musical tribute to LS Lowry.

Other hits included Abba's Take a Chance On Me, Bee Gees' Night Fever, Rod Steward's Do Ya think I'm Sexy and Commodores' Three times a lady.

Bands like Boomtown Rats and The Jam led the New Wave revolution with sharp suits, mohair jumpers and Slim Jim ties

Popular films of the year were Grease, Superman and Midnight Express.

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