Residents at Milton Court in Newport have been enjoying a trip down memory lane thanks to the arrival of a shove ha'penny board in their communal lounge.
The block of flats in Ringland is for residents aged over 55. During one of the meetings with Liz Davis, NCH’s area housing manager, they told her about the sport and how they needed a special slate board.
It’s played by using the palm of your hand to ‘shove’ a coin along a slate board marked with lines, also known as beds. The aim is to get your coins to stop in the ‘beds’ and not touch any lines.
Liz hunted around eBay and Facebook Marketplace and picked up a board for £90 using the neighbourhood team’s CanDo budget. Neighborhood managers hold this pot of money to buy items or make small changes in communities.
Resident Andrew Williams, 60, said: “We love having the board in our lounge. The rules are easy to follow so anyone can join in.”
Resident David Hurley, 76, said: “I used to play shove ha’penny all the time in the pub called The Friendship. It’s now closed down so we had the idea of having it in here. So that’s what we did. We got one and started to play. We’re going to get some teams together and start playing.
“It can be a skillful game but also a stressful game. You need patience, it’s a good game. It’s easy to play but hard to master.”
Liz said: “When some of the residents mentioned this game I thought it should be easy to get hold of a second-hand board. It took a bit of searching around online. They were so pleased when it arrived. One resident said her late husband used to play, and although she’s not yet confident to play against others she told me she loves to have a game on her own in the morning when she pops in the lounge for a cup of tea.
“The board is bringing neighbours together for a social chat and a bit of fun which helps build a better community.”
