NEWSLETTER NO. 11 - Jul 2006

An Apology

Proof reading for Newsletter no 10 was appalling - only the editor is to blame! His only defence is that at the same time ‘The Day Wadhurst Changed’ was in its final stages of production - and the priority was to get as few errors in that as possible! Hopefully NL11 is better proofed.

Chairman’s Report

As the summer break arrives, a look back at the last six months of the Society's life seems not inappropriate - it also helps fill the page as the flow of articles has fallen away this quarter!

We have had six meetings - all attended by around 100 members and visitors; all proved a mixture of entertaining and educational - and none disastrous. We also ran the astonishing evening to mark the 50th anniversary of the RAF Meteor crash which wrecked part of the High Street and killed two elderly members o f the Wadhurst community; the pilot and navigator also lost their lives. The count at the door suggested some 340 people crammed into the Commemoration Hall for a two hour presentation, fronted by Heather Woodward and supporrted behind the scenes by a mass of research by Rachel Ring. £670 was sent to the Hall & Institute and was put towards the stairs at the back of the Hall.

A direct spin off from that event was ‘The Day Wadhurst Changed - Friday 20 January 1956’. 850 copies were printed and the remaining stock level is now only 390; sales have more than recovered the costs of production. ‘Victorian Wadhurst’ has also covered its costs; of the 1000 print run, 445 copies remain.

Membership is also going well - at the last count we have 73 family memberships and 158 singles. Add on 2 honorary members and 1 corresponding and we have 380 ‘members’. Small wonder our finances are healthy.

Outings are also doing well: the Chichester trip was heavily over-subscribed and Bletchley Park in October is nearly sold out. The summer barbecue still has some tickets available but, if last year is any guide, will be another howling success.

The only minor cloud is the progress in and membership of some of the task groups - see inside for further details - and enjoy the summer. Next meeting - Oct 13. Michael Harte