THE turkeys, chickens, pork and hams, are all ready and prepared for their customers.

This is the scene at the former Albert Warttig's butcher's shop in Sheffield Road at Christmas in 1956. Susan Smith (nee Warttig) remembers Christmases like this.

She was 10 years old when the photograph was taken."The white smock had been specially made for me and I had gone to the shop during the lunch break at Park Road School for the photograph to be taken."

Also on the photograph is her mother Gladys who is standing behind her, her father Albert at the back on the right, Maurice Clayton, left at the front, and her brother Harry, front right.

Maurice Clayton worked for her dad from being a boy and then when Albert died in 1965 he took over the shop with the help of his wife, Jean. Later, John, Maurice's son ran it until he had to retire due to ill-health.

Maurice died in April this year a week before his 80th birthday.

Albert also had another butcher's shop on the other side of Sheffield Road which opened on the day Susan was born in 1946. Her brother, Harry, also ran a shop in Sheffield Road at the same time. Grandfather Henry Warttig was also a butcher.

Susan said the shop was very busy at Christmas time. "Customers used to love the pork pies and the family would be baking all through the night. They also baked loads of other Christmas goodies.

Maurice's wife used to help and everyone had to work very hard to keep up with the demand."

The Warttig family lived on the premises and the bakehouse was downstairs.

Among all the Christmas fayre in the window was a sign which lit up in bright colours. It said: "Merry Xmas."

The shop is now a Chinese takeaway.