Newsletter 12

October 2003

LOOKING BACK

In December of this year the Embroidery Project will be eight years old. The Steering Committee will have met to plan things over that time on nearly 80 occasions. Every year has seen us enjoying new events and receiving greater and greater support from our local community. The Queen honoured us in 2001 and last year the embroidery was exhibited at The Houses of Parliament. This year has been no exception, and we can look back on new departures and see marked progress towards achieving our proposed Centre in the Walled Garden

ORCHARD MEADOW – MEDIEVAL FAIR

We have been particularly lucky this year to have had wonderful weather for most of our outside events, the one exception being the opening of Orchard Meadow on the 19^th April when it was particularly cold. However this did not prevent all the local groups, including ourselves, having a great day and being able to appreciate the immense contribution the Meadow can make to the life of the village. Organised by Laurie Maskell on behalf of the Lower Sunbury Business Association, the day was amazingly well attended, considering the temperature. The display of falconry was breathtaking, and the axemens’ wood chopping showed how easy it is to demolish a huge log if you have strong muscles and the right tools. Hopefully this event in the Meadow will become an annual affair, a firm fixture in the village calendar, and looked forward to as much as the Regatta.

PICNIC IN THE PARK

Another event, which we hope will become an annual event, was promoted by this year’s Mayor – our local councillor Gerry Ceaser - in aid of his mayoral charities, and held in the Walled Garden on the evening of 6^th September. This proved a spectacular success. Those who attended were invited to bring a picnic and listen to a concert of film music wonderfully presented in two parts by the 40 piece Linden Wind Orchestra conducted by Roger Phillips. Each item was knowledgeably introduced by our own committee member Robert Shaw who found a new public role in doing so. Kevin Knight of Knight’s Glass and Chairman of the Sunbury Regatta provided a superb platform on which the band arranged themselves, beneath tents loaned by the Mayor. The garden was magically lit by a young technical team from the Youth Theatre under the ever professional eye of Ian Dow. Sound was laid on by Martin Pope which ensured that Robert’s mellifluous introductions were heard by everyone. The Walled Garden’s gardeners were as supportive as ever, and Derek Hogg was delighted to help at the entrance as well as helping to set the venue up with his colleague Robbie Williams. We are immensely grateful for all who helped to make the evening such a success in these many ways, and just as importantly to Spelthorne Borough Council for allowing the event to take place. Dress was optional and picnics could be enjoyed in whatever way chosen, but some groups came furnished with tables, table cloths, chairs, rugs, flower arrangements, champagne and candleabras, and even wore evening dress. Everyone clearly had great fun, but whatever sort of picnic people brought or whether they sat on the grass or at tables, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and hopefully our Local Authority will allow us to put on a repeat performance next year.

MUSIC WHILE YOU EAT

Early in the year we welcomed suggestions for fundraising from one of our embroiderers, Corinne Sharp. Corinne seems to have boundless energy and produces groups of musicians for many occasions. At the drop of a hat she introduced and played in the wind band for the Picnic, but earlier in the year in May she and a few friends toured local pubs and restaurants regaling the eating public with gypsy music. Restaurateurs and publicans were very supportive and matched the contributions from the public, and we are grateful for their support. Corinne rapidly followed up that event by persuading her mother to open her lovely garden at Finchampstead in support of our fundraising in June, and soon after delivered her first batch of delicious grapefruit marmalade for sale for the benefit of the project. Later in the year she provided background music for the Monksbridge Open Day. Her contribution has been immense, and she has not finished – for 2003 she will be providing the music for our second Christmas evening at the Riverside Arts Centre on 20^th December.

OPEN GARDENS DAY

In July we held our first Open Gardens Day, and soon after St. Mary’s Church opened a further group of gardens in aid of the church building fund. Both were a great success and proved that the British really are a nation of gardeners. It was great fun on both days to see local people travelling between gardens following their maps and endeavouring to make sure they had visited every garden that was open. We were very lucky to have Malcolm Hill mastermind our day for us and have available his experience as Show Secretary for a number of Horticultural Society shows. Hopefully he will help us again next year, as this would make another memorable annual village event.

MONKSBRIDGE

Once again, in September, Alan and Della Pasco welcomed visitors to their lovely riverside garden, and the weather was perfect. Kevin Knight and David Newman again provided trips on the river in their traditional boats, and were joined by Martin House with his spanking new craft. All were busy taking people on trips up and down the river, and we hope they enjoyed doing so as much as we appreciated their help. The day was helped by Laurie and Tony Maskell’s wives who brought their teddy bear along to allow people to guess his birthday, and if you didn’t manage to pick a birthday for him then, you can still do so at the outfitters in the Avenue Parade. It was good to be able to welcome Sunbury Neighbours to this event in view of the outstanding work they do for the community in helping provide transport to those needing assistance to get to clinics and hospitals, and we understand they managed to recruit some new members on the day. Their services grow year upon year and new helpers are always in demand. Alan and Della have already offered us a repeat performance next year, and we are pleased to give our public thanks for that, and for allowing us to use their garden this year.

OTHER EVENTS

In addition to all these events, the project attended The Shepperton Fair in June and the Halliford Village Fair in July. The theme of the Halliford event was Toyland, and it was once again very well attended. It is an event which we really enjoy going to as it feels like a village community event full of fun, and enjoyed by everyone in a very relaxed way. Later in July we supported Spelthorne Borough Council’s Fun Day at Laleham, and in August we again put up our stall at the Regatta for this traditional village day. Then on 17^th October we saw a new development, resulting from a discussion between our Events Organiser Gerry Cook and Kempton Park. They allowed us to use their Paddock Suite for an evening of ‘Soul and Blues’ with music provided by Gerry Cook and friends. Interval supper was lavishly provided by a team of supporters under the leadership of Jeanette Stamp. The evening was practically a ‘sell out’ and all seemed to enjoy the music, the food and dancing. Our sincere thanks are extended to Kempton Park for allowing us to use their facilities, to all those who helped make the evening a success, and to the many local people who came and supported the event. Happily Kempton Park have already agreed to us using the Paddock Suite again – but more of that under Future Events.

CAN YOU HELP ?

Every year we run more and more events, primarily to swell the funds and reach our target for our Walled Garden Centre. This year has been no exception, as can be seen from the review of events above. Each has to be planned, organised and run, in addition to our opening of the Workshop, other fundraising, monthly committees and numerous sub-committees. This can all be very tiring after eight years, particularly when equipment needs to be moved and set up. CAN YOU HELP ? Ideally we need some younger people, still strong of muscle and able to move sometimes heavy loads without exhaustion! If you think you can help or know someone who’d like to be involved, Gerry Cook, our Events Organiser would appreciate a call on 01932 780087. Or you could phone the Workshop between 10a.m. and 4p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

THE WORKSHOP

The Workshop continues to be open four days a week, and is valiantly ‘manned’ or ‘womanned’ by our embroiderers. They still receive a steady stream of visitors who are amazed at the quality of the embroidery. Invariably they talk to friends, and then they come, and later talk to their friends, and so the reputation of the embroidery gradually reaches a wider and wider audience and the name of our village and knowledge of our community spreads. As the project grows however, the restrictions placed on it by the limited space in the Workshop becomes increasingly apparent and our new building becomes more and more important. Our embroiderers continue giving their talks and slide shows, and by the end of the year will have given over 18, and 10 are already in the diary for 2004. This year they have visited Hounslow, Addlestone, Ashford, Lyne, Shepperton, Staines, Twickenham, Chertsey, Tolworth and Ottershaw, and will be talking in Hanworth, Uxbridge, Weybridge and Great Bookham next year, as well as returning to other groups in places already mentioned. Pauline Tregidgo, Carol Tompkins and Wendy Woods continue to support the Staines Community Centre helping with their cross-stitched panels, and appear to gain as much pleasure from teaching in this way as do those present. This ‘outreach’ work fulfils our wider Community Objects as set down in our Charity Deed, and indicates the sort of teaching programmes we will be able to mount once we have the new building up and running.

THE WALLED GARDEN CENTRE and FUNDRAISING

The question we are most often asked is "How is the fundraising going", or "When will the new building be open?". Whilst we are pleased at our fundraising success, particularly at a time when two other equally important projects as the River Arts Bank Extension and St. Mary’s Church Repair Works are seeking help, we are doing everything we can to reach the building fund target of £325,000. At the time of writing this newsletter, and subject to a hoped-for donation to be confirmed, we have managed to raise all but £89,000. Obviously if that donation does not materialise the total raised or promised will be less good, but considering the size of our community, it still represents an amazing achievement. To add to the funds already raised we continue to approach local and national firms, charitable trusts and other fund-giving bodies, as well as wealthy individuals. In addition our events make a substantial contribution every year, and sales of our merchandise continue to be very successful.

Whilst striving to close the financial gap we have not been idle in pursuing other ways of pushing ahead with other preparations that can be made. Earlier this year the Trustees instructed the architects to prepare detailed drawings, and commissioned an engineer to prepare structural drawings and specifications. This work should be brought to tender stage by Christmas and allow us to obtain tenders for the construction of the building either then or in the new year. Tenders will not only confirm the budget price we have been aiming at, but will also allow us to place a contract as soon as our finances permit. As a Charity we are not able to undertake insecure actions or enter into loans which we cannot support, so we have to be sure of having all the funds needed either in our hands or confirmed as being available. Hopefully we will be successful over the next three months in reaching our target, and be able to start construction, with a grand opening of the Centre later in 2004.

FACILITIES FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

Our Chief Designer John Stamp has been looking ahead and talking to Alan Gifford of The Listeners, a group of visually impaired people, about ways in which they can gain a meaningful experience of the embroidery. John has prepared some models in relief of the Archaeology panel as typical examples of what could be mounted beneath the embroidery which illustrate part of each panel which the visually impaired could touch and gain some appreciation of the work. These touchable reliefs will be supported by audio descriptions of the various panels, and the first example is now on display in the Workshop and is worth seeing as they are outstandingly good items in their own right. Again, this fulfils one of our original Objects as being ‘open to every part of the community.’ Once again one of John’s initiatives is going to bear splendid fruit.

CHRISTMAS and THE WORKSHOP

In addition to the Christmas concert at the RAC on 20^th December 2003, the embroiderers have agreed to open the Workshop on the Saturdays during December so that you can buy your Christmas presents from our wide range of items. The possibilities for present-buying have been widened by some new items. In addition to Corinne Sharp’s Millennium Embroidery Marmalade, we now stock three varieties of Millennium Embroidery Coffee. A jar of marmalade together with a bag of coffee and one of our mugs will be available, all wrapped in cellophane as an ideal Christmas presentation gift. Our 2003 Christmas cards will soon be available, designed on the theme of ‘The First Day of Christmas’ which shows an image of the ‘partridge in the pear tree’, embroidered by Carol Tompkins. And finally, our long awaited commemorative plates will be delivered any day now, and can be purchased, boxed for sending away or wrapping into a neat parcel. Please visit the Workshop and see these new items and support our fundraising by purchasing those that appeal to you.

FUTURE EVENTS

‘A LA CARTE’

Following last year’s great success when Simon Lane presented a musical evening at the Arts Centre, he has agreed to give another evening’s entertainment at 8p.m. in The Paddock Suite at Kempton Park on Friday 7^th November. The tickets cost £10 and a light supper will be included. He will be joined this year by Wendy Bedford with whom he has appeared on stage before. You will need to book your tickets in advance, and if you come along you will have a great evening, if last year’s performance is a guide.

RAY GALTON and ALAN SIMPSON

This evening’s entertainment, at 8p.m. on Saturday 15^th November at the Sunbury Cricket Club, was originally planned as ‘An evening with Norman Willis and Alan Simpson’, but unfortunately events have prevented Norman Willis repeating his last year’s success. However we have been immensely lucky, through his good offices, to persuade Ray Galton to fill in. He will be re-united with his script-writing colleague Alan Simpson, and this extremely rare opportunity to see them together should be outstanding. They are one of the greatest British comedy writing partnerships, having penned scripts for ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’, ‘Steptoe & Son’, as well as films and dramas. Again tickets are £10 and need to be quickly booked in advance as space is limited.

FESTIVE FUN AND MUSIC

On Saturday 20^th December at 8p.m. at the Riverside Arts Centre, you can again enjoy singing together and getting into the Festive mood. Tickets are £6 and need to be booked in advance.