Brooklands - I'm impressed by your memory!
Coventry used to be a great place to fly from, but I've not been there since Thompson moved in. However, if you're after cheap rates on a C152, you may find
AWA (Armstrong Whitworth Aviation) worth a look at. It's a 'flying group', rather than a school or syndicate. You pay nothing up front, just a membership fee of around £100/yr and an hourly rate (around £70 the last time I looked), plus it's good availability.