Our guest speaker today was Andy French. He gave a talk complete with photos and memorabilia of Tony Hancocks, his life and how he got into show business, a truly good talk by a man that knows his subject, kept the room enthralled, was very good, he’ll be coming again with another one of his talks.
It’s been another great year for the Great Wyrley Scarecrow Trail around the village, with homes, businesses and local groups dressing their front gardens and making scarecrows. The theme was 50 years of the carnival… anything goes. There have been some wonderful entries for the Scarecrow competition, it must of been a really difficult decision to choose the best. This trail has become a regular event each year after starting in 2020 by Sally-Anne Ashford during lockdown.
Our speaker this morning was Valerie Campbell, who delivered an illuminating talk on the life of Josephine Baker, the renowned American-born singer and performer.
Valerie explored Josephine Baker’s remarkable life and career, highlighting both her achievements and the challenges she faced along the way. The talk offered a fascinating insight into her journey and enduring legacy.
The accompanying photograph, featuring the iconic banana costume, helped to illustrate the distinctive and theatrical style of outfits she wore during her stage performances.
Our open evening went well. It was a quiet evening, as we didn’t realise that there were other events taking place on the same evening. But that never stopped us from having a great evening and catching up with our visitors that came on Thursday 26th March 2026, between 7pm-9pm. All our archives were open, with photos on display. This is always a great time to ask any questions or if you have any queries, as we are always happy to help. Refreshments were available.
At our History Society meeting on Thursday 19th March 2026, members once again enjoyed one of our regular monthly talks. We are fortunate to host a guest speaker on the third Thursday of every month, each bringing a fascinating perspective on a different aspect of history.
Our scheduled speaker, David Bartley, was unfortunately unable to attend the last Coffee Morning after his wife, who kindly drives him to events, was involved in an accident a few days earlier. We wish them both well and are pleased to say that we are looking to reschedule David to speak later in the year, all being well.
Thankfully, Steve Geale stepped in at short notice and proved to be a wonderful replacement. He delivered an engaging talk on wartime rationing and even brought along 72 rock cakes he had baked the day before, allowing members to enjoy an authentic and very tasty part of the presentation.
Although this was a slightly shorter talk than usual, Steve also shared fascinating stories from his time working in the Prison Service, giving us a second presentation that was just as interesting. Both talks were thoroughly enjoyed and much appreciated by everyone present.
A lady from Wales has been in touch, asking if anyone has any knowledge of the Mann family. If you know or knew any of the family, or have any stories, photos or information about the Mann family can you please speak to one of the committee.
Photograph below was passed to us quite a time ago. All we know is that it was the children from Walsall Road school, who passed their National Cycling Proficiency Test, thought to be 1976. Any names? either leave a comment or speak to a committee member.
