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12 December 2011 It was our Annual General Meeting in December and all Committee Members agreed to remain in post. A special thank-you to Brenda for agreeing to continue as President yet again to keep the Branch functioning, in the absence of any willing volunteers to take over. It should only really be a two-year commitment and Brenda has done more than her fair share. Thanks also to Marie for organising a varied and interesting programme of guest speakers and still coming up with yet more new faces and subjects to entertain us with. Also thanks to Anne P for her sterling work in keeping accurate accounts in such good order. Following an exchange of gifts, we went up to the Picasso Restaurant for the Christmas Dinner which was excellent once again, and the new table layout worked really well. It was a good way to end the year. 21 November 2011 David Templeman, the Chairman of Friends of Sheffield Manor Lodge, came to talk to us about "Two Queens and a Countess", these three ladies being Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick. He focused on the lives of the three women but didn't just tell their individual life stories. He illustrated the many differences and similarities between them, their struggles with each other and how their lives intertwined. They were all powerful characters who were strong enough and determined enough to succeed in what was very much a man's world in Tudor times. David is passionate about local history and gave a really interesting and well researched talk. 17 October 2011 John Taylor came to talk about "Britain's Peculiar Legacy of Follies, Myths and Fancies". He showed a selection of slides accompanied by some very interesting stories. 19 September 2011 Councillor Kathleen Chadwick came to talk to us at the last meeting about her year as Lady Mayoress of Sheffield alongside her partner, Councillor Arthur Dunworth who was Lord Mayor in 2007-2008. She told us a little about the history of Sheffield and the Mayoral Office and brought along her diary of engagements for the year and a selection of the many beautiful hats that she wore so elegantly. Kathleen told us some interesting and amusing stories about the places they visited and the people they met nearly every day. Some of us had the pleasure of visiting Kathleen in the Lord Mayor's Parlour at the Town Hall for afternoon tea during her year in office and it brought back some happy memories. It was a very informal and highly entertaining talk with lots of laughs. 15 August 2011 Maureen Taylor joined us at the last meeting to talk about "Garderobes, Grime and Leeches" which was about toilets and hygiene, or the lack of it, in Tudor times. Personal hygiene was very poor and most Tudor people were dirty and smelly and hardly ever bathed. There was no running water or proper drainage, and open sewers ran down the middle of the streets which were also filled with rubbish. This was occasionally removed and the waste was dumped in the nearest river. The houses were built so close to each other that diseases were easily spread by fleas, lice and rats. Maureen also talked about the physicians and how their treatments centred around astrology and bodily fluids, called Humours. It was all quite cringe worthy and makes you glad to be living in these times of clean running water and effective medicines. 18 July 2011 Emma Douglas, the Fundraising and Events Manager for Neurocare, our chosen charity, came to the last meeting. She told us about how she came to be in the job and talked very passionately about her role. They fundraise to buy high-tech equipment for the Neurology Department at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital that the NHS couldn't afford and that would otherwise only be available in places like America. The things they have bought save time, are more effective and therefore save lives. Emma brought Lynne Ryan along with her, whose son was badly injured two years ago when he slipped on the ice and banged his head on the ground. Lynne came to champion the care and treatment her son, Jack is still receiving, as it has been a long road to recovery. She is now actively involved in helping Neurocare by spreading the word about the fantastic work they do. 20 June 2011 I?m sorry to have missed the talk by Ian Bunting of Peak District Mountain Rescue owing to being away on holiday, as I am told he was brilliant. Ian spoke about how the Mountain Rescue was established; what kind of work they do; the call outs they have to make and how they have to raise money to keep themselves going as a charity. One of the main expenses is fuel for their vehicles. They receive no official funding and rely totally on donations. 16 May 2011 Sara Rayner, Pam King's daughter, came to our last meeting to give a demonstration on card making. She brought along a display of ready made samples and also gave us lots of great ideas of things to make. Sara contributed several packs of paraphernalia to our raffle to enable the lucky winners to have a go themselves, and we look forward to seeing what they come up with. Throughout the meeting we all had a go at making our own small, pillow-shaped gift box. As well as providing all the materials, Sara also provided a choice of chocolate bars for us to put inside. It was good fun and we all had a treat to take home with us at the end of the evening. 18 April 2011 Ron Clayton joined us and took us out for a walk on the Blitz Trail. We did a circular walk from the Hotel towards the Wicker, then up to Lady's Bridge, across to the old Brewery, along the riverside and back again to the Hotel. Some of the areas were very new to us and it was pleasantly surprising to discover how the area has been regenerated. He told us about Operation Crucible from December 1940 when Sheffield endured intense bombing during the Second World War and he has some old photos showing some of the devastation at the time. 21 March 2011 Ted Croot joined us again at the last meeting to continue his talk about Orchids that he gave when he came to speak to us about a year ago. I was sorry to have to miss it, as I really enjoyed the first talk but I was away on holiday at the time. I understand that he expanded on the last occasion, and again brought along some very beautiful and colourful slides. He also gave members some good advice on how to rear and retain orchids. 21 February 2011 Our very own Beryl and Brenda gave a talk about the Sheffield Workhouse. It followed on from their research into genealogy. People ended up in the workhouse for all sorts of reasons, often because they were too poor, old or ill to support themselves. Unmarried, pregnant women were often disowned by their families and the workhouse was the only place they could go. Workhouses were not prisons and entry into them was generally a voluntary but very painful decision. The life and conditions inside them were basic and harsh. They were given plain and unappetising food rations and expected to work hard for their keep. Men and women were separated, as were children and it must have been very difficult to be able to leave. Many became institutionalised and wouldn't have known how to support themselves in the outside world even if they had the opportunity. Beryl and Brenda had some interesting pictures from the time showing the buildings, staff and residents and it was a fascinating insight into what a lot of very unfortunate people had to endure. It was also a way of life that many feared. 17 January 2011 Mike Gildersleve came to talk to us about Thornbridge Hall in Derbyshire. It was built in the 12th century by the Longdon family and has been enlarged and added to over the years. In 1896 George Marples, a Sheffield business man and lawyer enlarged the house to nearly its present form, built lodges and cottages, landscaped the park and gardens, added his own private railway station, and acquired the Watson buffet fountain from Chatsworth House. In 1945 Sheffield City Council ran Thornbridge Hall as a teacher training college, an educational centre and conference centre, which is where Mike's memories are from. He used to be a teacher and told us about when he took school parties there. Thornbridge Hall is currently owned by Emma and Jim Harrison and is both a private family home and is available to hire as an exclusive venue for events.
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