PAWS’ May meeting saw 43 members listening to Christine Beedle MBE talk about “The Essex Scrubber”. Christine was a very inspirational speaker and started off by talking about buying her cleaning business and obtaining her first contract with Willis Corroon in Ipswich, cleaning Norman Continue reading “PAWS May – The Essex Scrubber”
44 members attended PAWS AGM on 28th March. The formal part of the evening was dealt with first with Jackie Manning reading out her President’s Report for the year followed by the Treasurer’s Report by Jane Anderson. The current committee were re-confirmed for the current year with Lorraine Davies being confirmed as President and Caroline Wilson as her Vice.
Fashion Show
The AGM was then followed by a Fashion Show provided by Lisa Merrett from Alaric Fashions. Models for the night were (from left to right in the photo), Alex Henderson, Janet Sheehan, Vivienne Ohmke, Jackie Manning and Bry Mogridge, who all did an amazing job. After the show members had the opportunity to browse and buy.
Lorraine ended the evening by presenting Jackie with a bouquet of flowers and thanking her for all her hard work and said she was looking forward to the forthcoming year.
PAWS next get together is on 25th April when Lucy Allen will talk about “A Stuntwoman’s Life”. Membership is currently full but visitors are very welcome at a cost of £5.00 which includes refreshments.
Details of all meetings and speakers can be found on the diary of the home page of this website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring either of the following committee members:
At our last Meeting on 28th February, 39 members plus 5 visitors came along to hear Alan Bourne give us the History of Perrywood Garden Centre.
The Perrywood Garden Centre
Perrywood is an independent, family-owned garden centre and nursery run by Alan, Karin and their children Simon & Hannah in Essex. We work hard to produce and source quality plants and products for your home and garden. Whether you are a plant enthusiast or want a day out with the family we have the products, customer service and facilities you are looking for. Our large covered areas allow you to visit whatever the weather, and you can enjoy a home cooked meal or cream tea in our light, bright modern coffee shop. Our 10 acre site is surrounded by beautiful countryside, backing onto woodland and views over the Kelvedon valley.
Alan Bourne & Members
Named after local wood
Perry Wood is next to the site and lent its name to the business back in the 50’s when Alan Bourne’s parents, Mary and Les, bought the land and called it Perrywood Nurseries. They started out growing potatoes and pick-your-own strawberries.
After working for Colchester parks department, and seeing the supermarkets begin to take over the strawberry market, son Alan Bourne started to grow plants to sell from the front of the property and took over the business with his wife Karin in 1984.
Over the next 30 years they gradually grew the site into an award-winning garden centre. It now attracts customers from all over Essex and further afield. Two of Alan and Karin’s children – Simon and Hannah – now help run the business.
A truly interesting and informative evening and we hope to follow this up with a visit and tea.
Our next get together is on 28th March and is our AGM and therefore a closed meeting. Members will also be treated to a Fashion Show with the opportunity to browse and purchase should they so wish.
Find details of all our meetings and speakers on the diary of the home page of this website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring either of the following committee members:
On 10th January PAWS met in their temporary home at St, Mary’s Church in Peldon. 33 members turned out to hear Ian Frewer talk about his “Life in Spain as a Journalist”. Ian started his talk with a brief History of Spain itself covering such facts as:
1936 saw the last legal burning of a witch in Spain,
the expulsion of 150,00 Jews in 1492, and
the various invasions over the centuries.
From the mid 80’s he had a holiday home in Spain and in the early 90’s he moved out there permanently. He worked on the Costa Blanca News covering such stories as
Tigers in Torrevieja,
the bombing of MacDonalds by ETA, and
Working Girls to name but a few.
He then joined a local radio with a friend on a live show covering music, local news and interviewing local celebrities. He moved back to the UK about 9 years ago. Ian was a very interesting speaker and we all enjoyed the talk and the refreshments afterwards.
Next Meeting
PAWS next get together is on the 28th February when the speaker will be Alan Bourne. Alan will talk about “The History of Perry Garden Centre”. Membership is currently full but visitors are very welcome at a cost of £5.00 which includes refreshments.
Details of all meetings and speakers can be found on the diary of the home page of the Winstred 100 website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring either of the following committee members: Alice Holmes 01206 735510 or Jane Anderson 01206 735505.
On Tuesday 13th December 2016, 36 members arrived at the Granary Restaurant for the PAWS Christmas meal. There was lots of laughter and chat. Everyone enjoyed the chance to relax and talk to other members in the festive atmosphere. The meal was appreciated by everyone, though most were beaten by the quantity. We all had a present from ‘Santa’s Sack’, which ranged from a Bell from Santa’s Sleigh to flying birds and jumping insects! After coffee and mince pies it was time to go home, all agreeing that it had been a most enjoyable evening.
Next Meeting & Talk
Our next get together is on the 10th January, 2017 when our speaker will be Ian Frewer. His subject “My life in Spain as a Journalist”.
Membership is currently full but visitors are very welcome to attend at a cost of £5.00 which includes refreshments.
Contact & More Information
Details of all our meetings and speakers can be found on the diary of the home page of this website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring either of the following committee members: Alice Holmes 01206 735510 or Jane Anderson 01206 735505
Peldon, Abberton & Wigborough Society is 10 Years Old!
10 years ago a decision was made to break away from the WI and become an independent ladies social group based in Peldon. We continued with monthly speakers with talks on a wide range of topics to include history, gardening, fashion and much more. So, no more Jam Continue reading “PAWS November – 10th Anniversary”
At the October meeting, our president, Jackie, welcomed Phil Lyons who had come along to talk about A Sailor’s Life.
Phil started with the fact that 21 men from Colchester and the surrounding villages had served at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21st October 1805. At that time Britain had the greatest navy in the world, with 108 ships but after the battle, they possessed 152 ships as they had captured those of the French and Spanish.
Boys as young as 7 served on board, often at sea for over 2 years before setting foot on terra firma. Crews were recruited by press gangs and quota men who rounded up paupers and criminals to serve in the navy. Interestingly 2 of the Colchester men joined voluntarily. Life on the ships was a mixture of boredom, terror and sheer hard work. It took 8 men to hold the wheel in calm weather and 12 men in a storm, then there was always a danger of catching the wheel and being thrown overboard.
Food was poor with maggots in the meat and weevils in the ship’s biscuits, but men did not complain as at least they were fed. To prevent scurvy, Nelson provided his sailors with onions not limes! The best part was the daily ration of grog, a mixture of half a pint of rum mixed with 4 parts of water, and a gallon of small beer served daily. This provided the men with 200 units of alcohol a week!
The sailors slept in hammocks, caught rats for fun and were flogged for any misdemeanour. 50% died from malaria, yellow fever or typhus and many were wounded in battle. Desertion, mutiny and cowardice were hanging offences!
So was a sailor’s life a merry life? I leave you to decide.
Next Meeting
Our next meeting is our 10th anniversary celebration on the 22nd November, as such it will be closed to non-members. You can find details of all our meetings and speakers on the diary of the home page of this website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring either of the following committee members:
At the meeting on September 27th, Jackie introduced the speaker for the evening, Andrew Wiltshire from Danbury. Andrew has written a book entitled “Beatrix Potter’s Secret Code Breaker.”
He started his talk with a series of questions “How much they knew…:
… about Beatrix?
… her homes?
… had they seen the film Miss Potter?
…. about a secret journal she had written? Only one member knew this, to the rest it was a mystery.
He then explained that Beatrix eventually lived at Castle Cottage in the Lake District, after her marriage to William Heelis. However, she originally used the neighbouring Hill Top farm as her ‘writing room’ in which to write and illustrate her much loved children’s books. These two properties, with others and over 4,000 acres of Lake District countryside, were left to the National Trust in 1943.
Before moving there, Beatrix had written, for 15 years in a secret cipher-code of her own invention, a Journal describing observations on her family life in London, the politicians and artists that her parents knew, and many other fascinating details of her life in late Victorian times.
These documents were eventually found in Castle Cottage after Beatrix’s death. Andrew continued by telling us that he knew Leslie Linder, the code breaker. He first spent five years looking for a way into the code. He then spent a further eight to translate and bring to life the 200,000 words that Beatrix had written. These were in many exercise books, and on very many loose pages.
Linder’s Quest
This quest became Leslie’s ambition so too, sharing what he found; he did this by publishing Beatrix’s journal 1966. During the 13 years of this work he amassed what has become the world’s largest collection of Beatrix’s art and writing. He eventually donated the collection to the Victoria & Albert Museum before his death in 1973.
Illustrations of the code and some humorous examples of what Beatrix had written were complemented by photographs of Leslie’s life and family background. Andrew presented a fascinating insight to someone whose past is now forgotten and a period of time, Beatrix’s early life, that is also, hardly remembered.
Several questions from members, as well as some of them also recollecting Buckhurst Hill, the town where Leslie lived, closed a very interesting talk.
Next Meeting
PAWS’ next meeting is on 25th October and Philip Lyons will talk about “A Sailors Life”. Visitors can attend regular meetings at a cost of £5.00. You can find details of all meetings and speakers on the calendar on the home page of this website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring either of the following committee members: Alice Holmes 01206 735510 or Jane Anderson 01206 735505
Bows ‘n’ Belles with MusiciansOne of the dancesTraditional Clog
PAWS July – Bows ‘n’ Belles
Our meeting on 26th July, was our annual July Social, and was well attended with 44 members and 2 visitors. We first attended to business and then had a wonderful Fish and Chip Supper. After supper we were entertained by Bows “n” Belles, a Colchester Clog Dancing Group. Continue reading “PAWS July – Bows ‘n’ Belles”
Next Meeting & Talk
PAWS October – A Sailor’s Life
