John, a member of our We Grew Up In Hereford memories group on Facebook, tells his story:

"I remember I couldn't wait to finish school and start being part of the world and earning some money.

"I was 15 in the December 1965, but had to wait until Easter to finish school.

"Mother would have had me doing anything for work, but luckily there was a job at WH Smith's. I had my interview and started work on the Monday – there was no little holiday for me first.

"I was excited but nervous the first couple of days, but soon settled in. I would have dinner in the Matabou cafe, then I found that downstairs in Ascaris were there were little booths that you could draw a curtain around.

"I had my first pint in the Anglers in Union Street, but I had been having a pint in the Unicorn so was used to drinking.

"Mr Reynolds, the manager, liked toffees so I used to buy joke ones with a vile taste or extra sticky, then leave them around for him. Every so often I could hear him heaving, and another time his dentures stuck together.

"Getting to work was a trial. The bus service was terrible sometimes.

"I was pleased when I got my first scooter [see scooter memories below] and could get about on my own, but scooters weren't good in bad weather.

"I remember it pouring down and I couldn't see a thing. I came along the straight just before the main gate at Credenhill and the road was flooded. I hit it at 60, the bike stopped dead and I somersaulted over the front and onto the grass.

"I got back on soaking wet and carried on to work, but progressed to cars as soon as I could!

"On a weekend we sometimes would go camping at Borth.

"Wales was booze-free on a Sunday, so we had to take our own.

"I don't think little Borth was ready for noisy teenagers driving fast up the main street.

"I remember coming back from one of those jaunts. I had a big old Rover car and was coming down the hill past the Forester Inn when the back end dropped and there was a loud grating noise.

"I could hardly hold it on the road. Then I saw my back wheel heading down past me.

"I managed to get into the pub car park at the bottom of the hill. Needed a few drinks to recover, but I'm still here to tell the tale!"

Robert Joseph Clements and his scooter on a visit to Hereford in 1975

Me and my scooter

Members of our We Grew Up In Hereford group on Facebook have been sharing memories of their scooters.

Robert Joseph Clements posted this evocative main picture of himself astride his scooter on a visit to Hereford in 1975.

Meanwhile, Andy Collier remembered buying his first scooter from the now gone Bedfords in Whitecross Road, Hereford.

Former scooter rider Valerie Brian Tipton recalled visiting Geoff Bedford's shop for the first time 53 years ago.

Several people wrote of their memories of Bedford's.

Russell Prosser said he bought his new three-wheeler Bond Bug 700 ES there in 1973.

"Happy days!" he said.

Adie Ray added: "I bought a Suzuki T250 Hustler and then a Suzuki GT380 from Geoff Bedford. I loved the place."

Paul Richards said: "Fifty-one years ago I went there on my SX150 to buy my first crash helmet."

On a more personal note, Garry McCaughey said: "Geoff Bedford and his family were our next-door neighbours for several years. Lovely people."