The first time I went to The Florrie was in about 1975, because all my mates from school, St Finbar’s went there, and I boxed over the road in the Golden Gloves. I was there from 4 ‘til 9 after school every day, Tommy Bache and Georgie Trebble were my trainers. But I used to come to The Florrie to visit my mates upstairs at the boxing gym. If they were any good they’d get sent over to our gym. I remember all the faces.. the Athertons, Shaun Lloyd, John Highland, John McGovern, Michael Foley, Mark Gallagher, John Gallagher. Any of the boxers my age would remember me, I used to batter them! My sister Michelle Foster was here all the time, around 1977 she lived here! Girls were allowed in then. Most of the time it was a run down bombdy! Everything was sectioned off, you weren’t allowed in certain rooms because they were falling down! Everything was rotten. In later years, about 2000 before it was done up, I used to walk past with my daughter every Sunday, tell her stories about The Florrie. When I saw the scaffolding I said to her it was going to reopen. She’s grown up now, just the other day she said "Isn’t it funny how you used to tell me about The Florrie all the time, and now you’re the caretaker?"

Boy oh boy did this bring good memories back, we would have been lost without the florrie. I came from a large family and lived on northumberland st I went to school at welly rd Every mon to fri you were guaranteed a fine dinner for a shilling mashed spuds gravy veggies and a good protein. But I am sure it was the people who worked there that made this very special for me, the one lady that I’ll never forget use to bring her child’s comics like the beano and such in on a weekly basis and let us take them home. I left England in 1974 for the u s a had a very good life here and have a wonderful family, I still have lots of family in Liverpool and try to get back when I can. I went to the old st cleopas school and worked on the new one before I left in 1974 I’ll be 70 next year if god spares me. Thank you for all you do.

I joined the Florrie in 1957, had my interview with the Warden ( Mr Hodgson, I think) and followed on from all the men on my family in was was a real local tradition. Learnt to play billiards and table tennis on the canteen area, desperately waiting to be old enough to go upstairs to play billiards on the big table! Played basketball for the Florrie team as a lanky school kid, and quickly learnt just how ' non-contact' the sport wasn't!! I spent hours in the weights room trying to emulate some of the ' big' guys who ran the show there. I remember using the library up in the ' haunted' tower, and being amazed at the hefty old encyclopedia that gathered dust there. Had my first trip away from home on a Florrie summer camp in the Lake District. I lived in Toxteth St, then Beresford Rd, attending St Cleopas, Wellie Rd and the the Collegiate. The Florrie played big part in my childhood, and that of my brother, Pete and Mike and offered opportunities that certainly enriched my life and broadened my aspirations.

The rebuilding of the Florrie is something to behold - I was born in Greig Street (now long gone) just a short walk away I left Liverpool 1970 aged 19 now live in Australia. My father uncles and cousins all involved with the football team he use to rope me in on the line marking the pitch down at otterspool - who remembers Larry Kings ropemaker next door to the Florrie In Welly Road - Rectory street and the bombed out houses - the horse drawn garbage trucks - thank you all for a wonderful job of restoration.