We have had several requests for School visits but were not able to accommodate them owing to the Vestry Hall Meeting Room being fully booked, or Volunteer helpers being on holiday. We are expecting Ricards Lodge High School for four educational visits in September .

Outreach:
I'm afraid the Mitcham Carnival was a washout this year with very heavy rain so only a few pounds were taken on the stall. Abbeyfest on the Green was a better day and about £50 was raised for Museum funds. Our thanks go to Volunteer helpers Ellen Eames, Eric Trim and Derek Huxtable who manned the stalls at both events.

Members Events:

Past::	The Walk round The Watermeads led by Eric Montague took place in June and proved an interesting and challenging evening as the intrepid walkers had to plunge through the long undergrowth and fend off the many Wandle insects and at times hack their way through overhanging brambles and tree branches. Our thanks to Eric for leading us through the "jungle" and preparing the track earlier in the day.
Current::	The Annual General Meeting is now booked for Saturday 6th October at the Snuff Mill Environmental Centre in Morden Hall Park from 12.00 noon till 2.00 pm. Lunchtime refreshments will be provided. Afterwards there will be a slide presentation by Chris Heels the National Trust Warden on "The River Wandle in Morden Hall Park" with slides provided by Volunteer Eric Shaw. Put this date in your diary now! Full details to come nearer the time. As always, we will be running a Raffle to help subsidize the event, so please bring a prize with you, if you can.
Future::	There are plans afoot for a New Year Party in Ravensbury Mill - more information in the Autumn Newsletter.

Investing in Volunteers:
The working group has met five times during the winter and spring and has completed Phase II which is an initial self assessment of our provision for volunteers. We have now started Phase III which is preparing an Action Plan which identifies key issues and areas to work on. We are having a pause during the summer months while members are on holiday and some of us are now starting to review all our policies. We hope to continue our Working Group meetings in September.

Volunteers:
We could do with some volunteers to help with designing and building Exhibitions. If any of you have artistic and creative skills, or know a friend who has, and have some spare time to help us in this field do give us a ring at the Museum on 020-8648-1027.

Events for which we should like your support:
Sunday Opening Roster

We did not have a very good response this year to our request for help with Sunday openings. If anyone is free on the first Sunday of the month from September onwards can they please telephone the Museum.

Members' Subscriptions:

There are still some members who have not yet renewed their subscriptions for 2000- 2001. A reminder slip is enclosed and prompt payment would be appreciated.

Other News:
Deen City Farm has now reopened, about which we are all most relieved. The Merton Abbey Mills planning decisions have been reached, sort of - see article. See also the HLF update.

Other Dates for your Diary

Wandsworth Museum

23rd September

Wandsworth Museum - ‘All Change', its current exhibition on travel and transport, including the Surrey Iron Railway, continues until 23^rd September.

Museum of Fulham Palace

23rd September

(Bishops Ave, SW6) ‘Burne Jones and Beyond' until 23rd September.

Honeywood Heritage Centre, Carshalton takes up the Surrey Iron Railway story in its ‘Train Exhibition' from 19th September to 28thOctober.

Finally:
Our congratulations to Lisa Connor, now Mrs Lisa Barnes, following her wedding to Stephen on 1st June. Lisa and Steve are looking to move away from Merton, soon, but we hope they will stay in touch. Lisa's accountancy skills have been invaluable to us over the last 4 years. She has been succeeded as Treasurer by Ellen Eames.

Web Watch:
At Colin Saunders suggestion, we have now added a web version of the Wandle Trail to the web site [www.wandle.org]. With this, and pages showing the interior of the current museum, as well as Ravensbury Mill, we are beginning to build content which, we hope, you will find useful.