ECHOES of the old minors' matinee of his childhood, during the golden age of cinema-going, still drift into the mind of Terry Jennians as he spends a comfortable sunshine retirement in Florida.

Terry, formerly from Windlehurst, St Helens, writes of that bygone boyhood time when the borough could boast at least 10 cinemas, ranging from deluxe picture palaces to outright fleapits!

His list includes the Capitol, Savoy, Scala, Hippodrome and Oxford in the town centre. Then there were the outlying Palladium, Thatto Heath Empire, Sutton Empire (better known as Sutton Bug), the Parrvillion (Parr Dog) and Haydock Picturedrome (Haydock Bug). Further over the border was another popular venue, Prescot's Lyme House.

"I well remember the Palladium", writes Terry, "where the upstairs balcony was just a platform about a foot higher than the stalls below". And, he adds, watching cowboy films at the Oxford was something of a hazard. As the screams of excitement rose to a crescendo among the 'penny crush' matinee kids, and the screen hero's gunfire intensified, chunks of shaken plaster often fell from the rapidly crumbling ceiling.

"My all-time favourite childhood experience has to be the minors' matinee at the Cap (the Capitol Cinema, later to become the Y squash and fitness centre)".

Squeezed in

'Uncle' Jimmy Brown, sent out on stage to lead the community singing, had to fend off a barrage of orange peel, apple cores and rolled up choc-ice papers thrown by the impatient audience of kids - many of whom squeezed in free when their pals held the emergency door ajar after distracting the 'fire bobby'.

The matinee interval brought the appearance of Blonde Alice, peddling her wares up either aisle and calling out: 'C'mon kids, who wants half a choc-ice for threepence?'

Young minds were set racing by the adventure films and thrilling follow-up serial productions. After the show came the journey home on foot, recalls Terry, "with your school mac tied, cape-style, at the throat with just one button, transforming you immediately into Zorro, the Rocket Man or the Lone Ranger.

"I fought many pretend battles with my mates all the way up North Road and through 'Vicky' park. Those were the days, my friend! We hadn't much money but we certainly had fun!"

WHAT a delightful look back to a vanished age of simple pleasures. Anyone else got a reminiscence to share?