The year Edwina picked on the eggs

It was an odd sort of year, which saw Edwina Curry saying nasty things about eggs – before resigning; the House of Lords decided it was OK for the media to publish extracts from the book Spycatcher, even though most of us had already read it – there’s nothing quite like banning a book to ensure it swiftly climbs to the top of the best seller list.

In Horsham, a group of children had stars in their eyes as they started rehearsals for the rags to riches story Annie, at the Horsham Arts Centre.

The 24 girls and boys were chosen from more than 400 who auditioned that September and they looked excited to be performing with some big name stars.

Peggy Mount played the thoroughly nasty Miss Hannigan, while Jack Douglas played the goodie of the piece, Daddy Warbucks. Also starring were DJ Ed Stewart – who recently died, aged 74 – and Crossroads star Lynette McMorrough.

Two girls were chosen to play Annie – Alison Hamilton, 11, and Claire Brennan, 13. Among the orphans were Emma Wilford, 17, and Suzanne Cottingham, 14.

Did any of these budding young starts go on to tread the boards professionally?

The young actors weren’t the only ones to meet a famous face in 1988.

At Broadbridge Heath Sports Centre, Mark Rowland, who won a bronze medal in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Seoul Olympics dropped in to lend a hand during the half-term ‘monster multi-sports fun week’.

The children in the picture certainly seemed excited to meet him!

Elsewhere, plants and gardening were the order of the day when green-fingered youngsters at Itchingfield School were presented with bulbs and vouchers after winning a Sussex Rural Community Council competition for projects which today would be dubbed ‘environmentally friendly’.

Among the children were Adam Booker and Emma Muggeridge, both aged 10, and Michael Husband, aged 11.

Our final picture shows some of the boys of Dorset House School, who had pulled on their running shorts to raise money for terminally ill children.

They took part in the Internation Caribou Run, raising an impressive £2,000 for the World of Dreams Foundation after an hour-long jog around their playing field.

The design on their shirts was drawn up by 12-year-old Duncan Hill.

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