Ashwell & District AGM. Mon 17^th October 2022 Chairman’s Report

Looking back over the past year I am pleased to say that we were able to organise events again after the restrictions of lockdown had been lifted.

We started our Centenary Year with our Poppy Appeal. The door to door effort which we lost in the lockdown did not really get going again and maybe will never recover apart from a few streets. However we began to expand street fund raising and were able to use contactless payments on some of the pop up collections in the village. I think that this has proved to be very helpful especially for contributors who only use cards. It seems that people are more generous when using a card machine. The Remembrance Church Service was held at Ashwell Parish Church followed by the Act of Remembrance at the WM at 11am. This was the first year that we were unable to secure road closures to enable those attending to stand at the front of the WM. We had no police presence so we asked all attending to safely make their own way from church to stand on the Rec at the rear of the WM. Although it felt strange people understood the reason for this. It was a huge tribute that many attended including our village Uniformed Groups and the Church Choir along with many others from the village. Holding the service on the Rec rather than in the road (as in previous years) seemed to be appreciated by everyone and the same will happen this year. There are plans to have a new entrance into that area of the Rec to enable easier access. Also there are plans to alter the junction of Lucas Lane and Station Road to make the junction safer but which will give a larger pedestrian area in front of the WM but sadly not large enough to contain all who wish to attend the Remembrance services. The work on one side of the junction has happened and the WM side will begin on Nov 14^th.

On 4^th Dec 2021 at 2.30pm we celebrated the Centenary of the Dedication of Ashwell War Memorial with a short ceremony using the format for the service used at the Dedication of the WM on 4^th Dec 1921. This was well attended considering the clash with the Christmas at Home event in church. The service was led by Revd Chris Campbell our new Rector and was followed by tea and cake in the Rec Pavilion. A small booklet telling the story of the erection of the WM, its design, positioning and fundraising that took place locally, was written by Andrew G and we were able to print copies to sell as well as to place in the Village Museum.

As we entered 2022 we began planning for the Branch Centenary celebrations which took place with a Sausage and Mash lunch in the Bushel and Strike on Sat Aril 23^rd. The actual date of the Centenary being the 24^th April. This was very well attended and we had as a guest Martin L and his wife B. Martin is Great Nephew to Sir Edwin Lutyens who designed the WM. We had hoped that the County Chair Mrs Cleminson would also attend but had to withdraw due to illness. I was able to read out an extract of the Minutes of the very first meeting of the Branch which accepted the proposal to form the Branch here in Ashwell & District. It was made all the more memorable by the fact that the Centenary Lunch was held in the same room of the Bushel and Strike which was the setting for the first meeting in 1922.

It was lovely to have a celebration cake which was cut by Mr Fred B one of our Branch senior members.

At our May Committee meeting we welcomed Sharon Turton the County Membership Officer who as part of her programme of Branch visits. She is moving later this year from the County to become MSO for South and West Yorkshire. We wait to see who will take her place.

On June 20^th we held a small but very pleasant Games Night at The Rose and Crown – at which I was amazed to be fairly successful at Cribbage which I’d never played before and didn’t have a clue about. By fairly successful I mean I wasn’t knocked out in the first round!

On July 9^th we held our Coffee Morning in the Parish Room. We didn’t have many people attending but about £200 was raised.

Andrew and I attended the County Get Together on Sat July 16^th – it was a good day made all the more memorable by the Branch being awarded 2 certificates, one marking our centenary and the other (totally unexpected) a certificate from the Southeast Midlands Membership Council Representative Award for ‘showing initiative and being innovative in ensuring the Branch is visible, active and involved in the local community’.

This was the first award of this nature and follows Sharon’s report to the Area following her visit to the last Committee meeting. She was impressed!

Copies of both awards are on display in the RBL Village Notice Board and the originals are in the Parish Church adjacent to the old RBL Standard.

My thanks to Mrs Edna H for being our President, and to all members of the Branch Committee for the huge amount of work you do to make the Branch such a success – your ongoing support and organising of events is very much appreciated. For small village communities we do very well when compared to Branches in larger towns in the County. My especial thanks to our Officers, our Treasurer, Rita L and our Poppy Appeal Organiser, Jo H and our Vice Chairman & Membership Officer Andrew G for your unstinting commitment in supporting the work of our Branch. My thanks also to Allison F who sadly had to give up her role as Secretary. Also to Robert S who for many years looked after raising the Union Flag on occasions throughout the year. This is a role he has done for many years – thank you! Our thanks also go to Chris P who has volunteered to take over from Robert.

Thank you to too Craig L who looks after the War Memorial and always makes sure that the grass is cut and plants are kept fresh and beautiful – a fitting tribute to all we remember.

I think we have had a very busy Centenary year as a Committee and it has been a pleasure to work with you in all that has been achieved. Thank you.

'In honour of those who fought,

in memory of those who fell’