Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
This film is part of Free

Do you remember?
Cowboys, Carnivals and Mayors on the slide appear alongside the most beserk and hilarious donkey race you'll ever see in Sussex
From the collection of:

Overview
This hilarious compilation begins with the Dinnage family and their Irish donkeys followed by a bizarre gymkhana. There's a parade in the arena followed by children playing games on donkey-back. An extraordinary donkey race follows with children and adults joining the racers round the circuit. Next we see a new playground slide being officially inaugurated by the Lord Mayor - who takes the first slide and the film ends with some stunt riding by celebrity cowboy Buck Ryan.
A. J. Birch, who was possibly a founder member of the Haywards Heath Cine & Video Society, made this charming compilation in the early to mid-1950s. In this film, as well as numerous donkey escapades, he captured the very early years of the Beech Hurst Miniature Railway, which began operating soon after Easter Saturday 1954.
Related

Wisdom of the Wild Wisdom of the Wild
Documentary 1940 12 mins
Fun mixture of natural history and wartime public information.

Dog Years Dog Years
Comedy 2004 4 mins
Sweet and funny short about a potty-mouthed dog who loves his owner

Beetle Racing Beetle Racing
News 1959 3 mins
Six legged competitors take to the starting blocks as a Midlands pub brings the sport of beetle racing to the world.

Alligator on Lizard Alligator on Lizard
Current affairs 1971 5 mins Location: St Keverne
Daisy the pet alligator living on the Lizard in Cornwall

Anoop and the Elephant Anoop and the Elephant
Children's 1972 52 mins Director: David Eady
Fun-packed comedy for kids, in which a boy befriends a baby elephant – then teams up with his friends to stop it being sold

Open Your Eyes Open Your Eyes
Amateur film 1967 14 mins Location: Thompson Common
Should you look hard enough, you’ll be amazed at the antics that creatures get up to, says Dorothy Maxey, amateur filmmaker and naturalist.

New Perspectives: Fish Tank New Perspectives: Fish Tank
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Adam Smith of Northumbria University explains why Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age story, about a girl who uses dance to escape, is his favourite film on BFI Player.

New Perspectives: Pusher New Perspectives: Pusher
Short documentary 2025 5 mins
Noah Ball of Northumbria University explains why you should seize the chance to watch Nicolas Winding Refn's debut.

Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A
Inside Film 2025 38 mins
Kyle MacLachlan talks to BFI CEO Ben Roberts about working with David Lynch on the legendary series Twin Peaks.

On Falling - Exclusive Q&A On Falling - Exclusive Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
Writer-director Laura Carreira talks to Nia Childs about her debut feature, On Falling.

Layla - Exclusive Q&A Layla - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 27 mins
Writer, director and performer Amrou Al-Kadhi talks to Rico Johnson-Sinclair about their debut feature.

All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 28 mins
Payal Kapadia discusses her Cannes prize-winning and Bafta-nominated drama with Ashanti Omkar.