Tony Grant

Time to claim my SSS at the Jennery this year, see you at Union House?

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John Howell

How much was Soft Soled Shoe Allowance? I think you could just about buy a pair of Hush Puppies with it.

The Jennery was on the 4th floor of TVC when I joined but soon moved to Union House. I think too many people were drifting in and pestering them.

Tony Grant

I can’t remember any precise amount, although it did go up from time to time. I doubt you could have bought a pair of shoes of any type though, you could probably just about re-sole your old ones!

John Howell, Alasdair Lawrance, Dave Plowman

I remember Phillips "Stick-a-Soles" were banned. Being quite thin and hard rubber, too noisy, quite likely squeaking on the studio floor.

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Mike Giles, Hugh Sheppard

Mike remembers fifteen shillings for  the SSS Allowance, whereas it was ten shillings in Hugh’s  day…  but was it per annum?

Tony Grant

It was claimed annually, via the SSSA form. I was joking (of course) about stick-on soles, I believe they were frowned on, and in theory, you were supposed to ensure that your shoes made no noise whatsoever when walking/tracking/crabbing/shuffling across the studio floor.

Also, you were supposed to ensure that you wore ‘sensible’ shoes, so that you were unlikely to cause yourself injury by running a ped over your foot. That meant that sandals were disallowed (although one or two free spirits ignored this!) as were plimsolls (which were prone to the aforementioned squeaking on the floor, anyway).

As an aside, in ‘Norn Iron’, plimsolls, or gym shoes, were known as ‘gutties’, and a popular ‘chat up’ was ‘Get on yer gutties and I’ll run you home’.

Mike Cotton

I seem to remember a £25 per annum cleaning allowance for working in dirty studios, which the ABS negotiated.