Unfortunately, due to illness our Guest Speaker for the September coffee mornings had to withdraw at short notice. Thanks to Pam and Diane for devising and running a quiz instead.

The scheduled Guest Speaker for the October coffee morning has also had to be changed due to illness. Instead, we are delighted to welcome back John Palmer for the second part of his entertaining discussion on Puppetry.

The Guest Speakers for the November coffee morning are Sue and Bob Williams on Hatherton Canal.

The Society will be at The Bridgtown Society Open Day. It is being held on 18th October from 11 am to 4 pm at Bridgtown Working Mens Club.

Digitising of the Great Wyrley Cemetery Burial Records has been completed. It has been a long-term project led by Darren Butler of the Cheslyn Hay Society. November 11th has been confirmed as the date when the contents will be handed to the Parish Council. Members are invited to join the Councillors at the event. Further details will be confirmed at the October coffee morning and will be included in the October Society newsletter. An outline of the Site Plan is copied below.

A cross-section of The Burial Records will also be included in our Open Day which will have many new themes and contents. It is also hoped that a new review will be published in time for launch at the Open Day. It is scheduled for November 21st from 11am to 4 pm at Harrisons Sports and Social Club, Wharwell Lane, Great Wyrley.

John Palmer gave an interesting and entertaining talk at the coffee morning on how he became interested in puppets. He bought along beautifully made puppets he had made himself and we are looking forward to a return visit early next year.

The upcoming coffee mornings provide contrasting themes. In September, we welcome Anthony Hunt speaking on ‘local murders’ and in October, Graham Sleigh is speaking on ‘the local music scene in the 1950’s and 60’s’

Puppets, local murders and music demonstrate the wide range of topics that the Society tries to include in the coffee morning sessions and we welcome members suggested topics and speakers. Pam looks forward to receiving feedback at any time.

As part of the Society Great War project, detailed work has been on-going on the burial records for Great Wyrley cemetery. Daz Butler from the Cheslyn Hay Society has been leading the activities with detailed support from Di. It is nearing completion. During the work, an informal partnership has been maintained with the Parish Council. It is hoped that, in the near future, the newly-created digitized burial records will be made available for review with the Parish Council for their consideration and future use, if desired.

The Society has been invited to, and will participate in, the Cheslyn Hay and Bridgtown Societies annual exhibitions and open days. See ‘Events Summary’ for details, as known at present.

We have confirmed details of our Society annual event / open day. It will be held at Harrisons Sports and Social Club on November 21st. The main themes have been defined and they will be further refined in the next few weeks.

Part of the planned themes for the annual event / open day is the launch of a Review. Gary, with support from Di, has been working on it for several months and has unearthed previously unseen photos and stories. The initial draft is finalised and is being checked out.

An enjoyable morning was held supporting the Walk for Health group. It focussed on the Edalji trail in the village.

Two further visits have been arranged to the National Memorial Arboretum. Members are asked to contact the Community Centre, as seats are limited.

The Townswomen Guild was the theme of the coffee morning address given by Pam and Pauline. The enlightening talk was interspersed with light-hearted tales and was enjoyed by the audience.

The upcoming Coffee Morning speakers are John Palmer on ‘Puppets’ and Anthony Hunt on ‘Local Murders’ in August and September respectively.

Arrangements have been made for the Centre to continue to be available until at least the end of the year on the fourth Thursday of each month. It enables members and guests to view our archives and library and undertake further family research efforts, as preferred.

The Society wishes a further member to join the Senior Citizens Centre Advisory Committee. This Committee meets periodically (typically five times per year). In the first instance, it would be appreciated if interested members could contact Gary or Diane for further details.

The Society supported the ‘Walk for Health’ group on their ‘Festival walk’ during the month. In the order of 60 – 70 walkers visited Jacobs Hall Lane and Wharwell Lane, amongst other locations, and were told the history of the area with a display awaiting the walkers on their return to the Wesley Chapel. The July walk is broadly called the ‘Edalji trail’ and should provide further points of historical interest.

The A.G.M. was held during the coffee morning. It was well attended and all Society Officers and Committee members were re-elected. The topics, and speakers, at future coffee mornings are July – History of Townswomen’s Guild with Pam Ball and Pauline Kelsey and August – John Palmer is speaking of ‘puppets’.

Gary gave a talk on Landywood Farm at the St. Andrews 2 to 3 club which provided an entertaining and enjoyable session.

The Society was pleased to issue a cheque for £100 to the Air Ambulance arising from the Ukulele / George Formby evening held recently at the Sports and Social Club.

The Carnival was blessed with good weather and was attended by in the order of 6,000 people. This was reflected in our stall where new and old members were welcomed throughout the day. All attendees thoroughly enjoyed the day’s activities.

It was a generally quiet, typical summer, month in terms of future engagements plus planned activities and it is expected that further points of interest will be confirmed in the coming months.