The inaugural newsletter was published to coincide with the November 1997 ‘Work in Progress’ exhibition at St. Mary’s Church Hall. Although it was originally intended that further editions would follow annually, its success led people to ask whether updates could be given at shorter intervals - hence this earlier than expected newsletter.

The first newsletter was kindly distributed by Albert Skinner with the morning papers. From its inception however it was hoped that the project would reach and involve as many Sunbury residents as possible, and this would help ensure that it belonged to the entire community. We are therefore grateful to LOSRA for distributing this newsletter with theirs which will achieve the wider readership hoped for.

The exhibition repeated the success of the previous one, with an increase in visitors from 150 to over 400 during the course of the day. Much newly embroidered work was shown for the first time, and benefited from new display tables designed and made by members of the organising committee. These enabled the work to be displayed more effectively, and it is hoped that the display system will be further improved during this year.

We are again grateful to the St Mary’s Parish Hall Committee for the use of their Hall and for allowing us to use it again this coming November.

The project is meeting the programme originally planned. Most of the tent-stitched hassock patterns and panels illustrating local organisations’ symbols were complete by last December ready for making up into the two supporting panels next year.

Almost all the embroidery items for the central ‘Village’ panel and the eight side panels are being actively worked on and should meet their deadline of December 1998. Pam Judd and John Stamp have both nearly completed the two side panels depicting the Conservation Area and Swan Upping, and all those who have seen them are astounded by their excellence. Equally stunning are many of the houses as well as wild life pieces depicting irises, swans and other birds.

Since Christmas the members of the committee have been preparing an updated masterplan on stable drafting film of the main central ‘Village’ panel. Each item has been carefully redrawn from finished items or accurate templates in order that account can be taken of the variations that have occurred as the design has developed. We now have a final plan for this panel which will not only allow the making up to proceed smoothly next year, but has also allowed opportunities for additional pieces to be identified. As a result, this panel will now include vignettes of Rope Walk, The Avenue and Sunbury Park, as well as London Irish Rugby, Sunbury Sports Association Cricket and Bowls, and Golf at Hazelwood Golf Course amongst others. In addition it has been found possible to add more riverside plants and local wildlife. Their inclusion means that more items now need to be embroidered and more help is needed. 

Our previous newsletter explained the need for financial support to pay for materials, literature, the display system, and the ongoing maintenance of the embroidery once finished and in place. Our estimate was that we needed to find £5,000 for each of the three years 1997, 1998 and 1999, and a smaller amount in 2000. The support we received last year from individuals, firms and organisations was outstanding, and when these donations were added to monies raised form the Sunbury Regatta raffle, the 1997 Work in Progress exhibition and the sale of notelets, we exceeded our 1997 objective and raised £5214.72. We had to outlay £2192.67 which leaves a healthy balance to put towards the maintenance fund and allow work to continue. The notelets of the St Mary’s Church embroidery sold well and have already covered their costs, and we are having two further cards printed of the Swan Upping and the Conservation Area embroideries which will be on sale soon.

We now have to reach this year’s budget, and we hope the individual sponsorship scheme launched with this newsletter will help, but would welcome any other sponsorship. 

We are lucky that already this year Pat & Betty Spavin allowed us to exhibit at the Flower Pot Hotel where they presented us with the proceeds of a collection totalling £205. We have also received a nice donation from The Rotary and a further donation from Brian Vaughan. Thanks to all of these.

The accounts for 1997 have now been audited, we are grateful to Sheila Passey for carrying out our first audit.

John Williams kindly reported back from Sunbury, Georgia, USA, which is now represented by a historic museum as the town no longer exists. Paul Watts has been making contact with other North American and Australian Sunburys. We hope that the various oversees Sunburys will be represented in the final embroidery, and plan at the moment to incorporate at least their town emblems in the supporting tent-stitched panels.

During the 1997 Work in Progress exhibition, visitors’ opinions were canvassed on the attraction of a personal sponsorship scheme. This idea grew from the committee’s desire to involve as many local people as possible, by giving those who were not able to help in running the scheme, or who were daunted by the prospect of doing some of the embroidery to contribute in a different way.

The response was universally positive, and some visitors were even anxious to be included there and then. Sadly at the time the details of the scheme had not been worked out. That omission has now been rectified and the following proposal is launched with this newsletter.

It is proposed to subdivide the central ‘Village ‘ panel into 1026 squares, each approximately 2"x2" as illustrated on the reduced facsimile of the panel. Individual sponsors will be able to select a square or squares for the suggested minimum donation of £5.00 per square. For example square A12 would sponsor the water vole’s snout and his front body and paws. It is intended that the sponsor would receive a copy of the reduced panel with the sponsored square or squares identified with colour. If all the squares are sponsored the donations received will total £5130 towards the cost of the project.

The sponsorship scheme will be offered at all the public events the project attends this year, and donations can be accepted at the time. Squares will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, and alternatives offered if the squares you would like have already been taken.

Please involve yourself in this project and sponsor a square or two. All the time spent and work carried out is voluntary, but photocopying, literature, postage and, more importantly, the embroidery hanging system and the ongoing maintenance fund all require substantial financial support.

It will be appreciated that as the finished work is made up in 1999, the location of individual items may need to be slightly altered.

The organising committee continue to research the support system to be used for the final embroidery hanging, and hold meetings with others who have carried out similar work and learn from their experience. To this end, and at their own expense, some committee members will visit Fishguard in West Wales in mid-May to see the superb tapestry prepared to illustrate the last invasion of Great Britain in 1797. We are anxious to hear of other embroidery projects which might provide useful information, and any committee member would be pleased to receive your suggestions in this respect.