Our Chair, Andrew Wakefield, takes charge of the AGM [Full size image 24kb]
Visitors to the Museum since September have enjoyed free entry again as the exhibits had to be taken down to allow access to the central heating units which needed overhauling. Thanks to volunteers Eric Shaw and Eric Trim who have worked tirelessly to get all the Exhibition back in place.
Since September the Education Team of Meg Thomas, Mary Hart, Auriel Glanville and myself have been working on a project "Wonderful Things" set up by the London Museums Agency to get London museums and schools working together across the curriculum.
We were approached by teacher Ellen Walkinshaw of Burntwood School, a Beacon school for girls in the London Borough of Wandsworth. She was doing a project on "The River Wandle" and wanted our Museum to participate, which we were happy to do.
On Saturday 8th November the girls and their teachers enjoyed a day on the River Wandle, visiting Merton Abbey Mills and the Snuff Mill at Morden Hall Park and culminating in a tour of the Museum and a Printing Workshop. The whole day proved most successful and our thanks go to all the Volunteers who helped make this exciting day such a resounding success.
Another successful day was the visit from Raynes Park Townswomen's Guild (Visits Section), who enjoyed seeing our block printing video and then watching a demonstration of block printing by our Volunteer Printer Mary Hart. When invited to 'have a go' themselves only four brave ladies volunteered! We are always happy to accommodate Adult Groups with a Textile Printing Demonstration/Workshop.
The latest Volunteers' Lunch Meeting took place in mid-November. We hope to arrange a Volunteers' Outing when the New Wimbledon Theatre opens in February 2004.
In September a group of Members and Volunteers visited Maidstone Museum in Kent, new home of our Curatorial Advisor Simon Lace. Simon, who used to be Curator of the Museum of Richmond, is now Curator of the Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery , which is a much larger complex and a very challenging post. He gave us a personal guided tour round the many different galleries which covered very many different subjects ranging from dinosaurs to Japanese art.
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Our Chair, Andrew Wakefield, takes charge of the AGM [Full size image 24kb] |
The Annual General Meeting held at the Snuff Mill on October 25th was a successful event. Following the business side of the meeting WIM Member Colin Saunders gave a very interesting slide presentation on "The Vanguard Way" which connects with the Wandle Trail and provides a continuous path to the South Coast. It was interesting to hear how the Vanguards Rambling Club was formed by a group of ramblers who met in the guard's van of a train returning from Axminster and Seaton in Devon. Colin wrote the book "The Vanguard Way" and brought along copies of this book and others about assorted Walking Trails in London and the South East.
Thanks to Colin for his entertaining lecture and to Mary Hart for providing the excellent refreshments.
The new Wandle trail project by Groundwork had its launch last month attended by us. See article below.
The BBC contacted us in connection with a new TV program about William Morris, with which we were happy to assist. This appears to be on the back burner at present, possibly because of the sudden receivership of the Sanderson company which has custody of the William Morris Archive.
Now that the Red House, William Morris' home in Kent, has been opened by the National Trust, we are trying to arrange a suitable members visit.
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CHRISTMAS PARTY
Please put it in your diaries |
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Ed - Oct 2003
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