Cheers! Former residents of The Friars in Oxford knew how to celebrate.

This picture was taken in 1975 when members of that wonderful city community relived the good old days at a reunion.

They lived in the many rows of terrace houses in St Ebbe's before redevelop- ment decimated the area in the late 1950s.

The 1975 reunion was the fourth to be held at the Town Hall, and so many people wanted to attend that it was spread over two Saturday nights. It was organised by Leslie Sloper.

The guest of honour that year was the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Olive Gibbs, who described herself as an "enemy in the camp".

She was born and bred in the neighbouring area of St Thomas's and young people in the two communities were implacable enemies.

They often launched fierce attacks on each other, physical and verbal.

After confessing to reunion guests her allegiance to St Thomas's, Mrs Gibbs recalled an incident in her youth when a pitched battle between the two factions raged.

It happened on waste land in Oxpens Road, where the cattle market was later held and where Oxford & Cherwell College now stands.

She said: "We were defending the Oxpens against the Friars when the Mill Street gang swarmed over the Black Bridge and stabbed us in the back.

"It was then that I got this dimple in one cheek, which is not matched on the other it is, in fact, a battle honour."

On a more serious note, Mrs Gibbs said it was unfortunate that both the Friars and St Thomas's had disappeared they were closely-knit communities, where people helped each other.

"We have got to make sure, by doing everything we can, that similar communities which still exist in the city are preserved."

After the wholesale demolition in St Ebbe's and St Thomas's, the city council then changed its policy and decided to preserve communities like Jericho.

Any more memories of the Friars?