In the 1970s, going to the circus was a huge deal. Duffy’s circus came to town maybe once a year, but that didn’t mean we got to go every time. There were five of us in the family and unless we had our own money – forget it!

So, the few times I did get to the circus I really enjoyed it. My favourite was always the acrobats, which was – if I remember correctly – a couple of girls, maybe a guy too, on a swing and a rope, and performing all sorts of gymnastics on the floor. Sure, I thought it was amazing.

I did like the clowns. Some kids cried at them and I could never understand why. They made me laugh, even at a very young age.

Back then they had an elephant or two, a pony, a couple of monkeys, and always a little dog. There may have been other animals; I don’t remember. They stopped using animals in their show in 2018. I’m glad about that!