19 replies to this topic

[rooster]

My Dad used to work there on regular nights at the back end of the 60's early 70's, not sure exactly.
He was there when it shut down and the management turned up in big cars and vans and started to empty the place of all its valuables.
Does anyone remember?

[gilly]

The site got took over by Fishwick,who turned it into abig frozen food/refridgeration centre.Some of the outlying buildings were sub let as ind units.Most of it is still there but a lot of it is empty.

[kizzy]

I worked at Stamina for a short time probably about 1961/62. I worked on an assembly line packing dog biscuits into cardboard bags The bags had to be folded and closed by hand. The place was unheated and stank to high heaven; that and the regular mice found in the factory soon made sure I moved on very quickly.

[gilly]

kizzy, on Mar 31 2009, 11:54 AM, said:

I worked at Stamina for a short time probably about 1961/62. I worked on an assembly line packing dog biscuits into cardboard bags The bags had to be folded and closed by hand. The place was unheated and stank to high heaven; that and the regular mice found in the factory soon made sure I moved on very quickly.

I worked as a maintenance engineer for 1 of the frozen meat producers on there in 1993.You say mice ,i say rats.You say unheated ,i say freezing.You say it stank,i reckon if they could have bagged ours,it could have been used for chemical warfare.Our frozen produce was meant for human consumption,but i wouldn't have give it a dog.Igot out pretty quick as well.

[paul]

i worked at stamina for a short bwhile just before it shut. i worked in the meat room. a very smelly place indeed, but you got used to the stench after fost wick. not a bad place to work though. there were three parts to the works. one for dog food one for cat food and the buiscit side. cant think when it shut, possibly early70s

[brunty]

i worked down sutton in the 60s and it really stunkmind you it cant be as bad as the smell of curry blowing through the air in st helens.

[Griffin]

You haven't smelled anything until you've been inside Winstanley Casings in Warrington Road, Ince. They make natural sausage skins. They had bluebottles the size of rats. I always wondered how big the rats were.

[rooster]

paul, on Mar 31 2009, 01:17 PM, said:

i worked at stamina for a short bwhile just before it shut. i worked in the meat room. a very smelly place indeed, but you got used to the stench after fost wick. not a bad place to work though. there were three parts to the works. one for dog food one for cat food and the buiscit side. cant think when it shut, possibly early70s

My Dad worked in various parts of the factory and like I say, he was on regular nights. He was a chargehand and kept refusing to be a foreman, as he always said, he wanted to work with his mates, not boss round his enemies.
His name was Jimmy Chadwick and I know he had a very good friend called Les Page and I am sure they worked together there.
He told many stories about his days there and they must have been good days as he was very pationate and seemed to relive the moments as he was telling us.
Poor bugger left us 2 years this May, he will have em all in stitches up there with his tales.

[DJGAZZA]

My grandma and grandad actually lived in the flat over the canteen. my grandma worked in the canteen and my grandad was on the security gate. Me and my brother were virtually brought up in the place. My mum and dad also worked there as well

Gazza

[Olliebeak]

One of my sisters worked there (as an office junior) immediately after leaving school in 1969 - she didn't last long as she hated the smell of the place.

[DJGAZZA]

I remember they had a brand of cat food called 'Arisocats' before Walt Disney's film of the same name came out. As Stamina owned the copyrights to the name Disney had to pay to use the name. As part of the fee they took all the employees children to the Savoy to see the premier of the film. Free ice cream and we all got an Aristocat figure (lost mine could've been worth a bit today) That was around the time of the power cuts and part way through the film the power went off and we all had to go back the week after to see it again

Gazza

[rooster]

Edited by admin

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Me and my Brother went too. I think he got a blue cat, I got the white lady one, bugger me if I know the names.
It was a great day out.
Did you ever go to the kids christmas parties?
I can remember one, they weren't too bad, will have to dig out the piccies sat on Santa's knee, or was it yer Grandad Gaz?....lol

[DJGAZZA]

I don't remember going to christmas parties but we must have done. I think i remember my grandad being santa now you've mentioned it.

Gazza

[eddieguff]

My dad once worked there too. Told me it was bought out by Rank-Hovis-McDougal, who then closed it down because it was hurting their own brands in the pet-food market.

[DJGAZZA]

Walked down Baxters Lane last week and noticed they've started pulling it down.Karalius Bros are in there.