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Article, based on the scrapbooks kept by Susan Hollowell, by Kay Collins, 2008
Housemartins - 1986 to 2001


The scrap books that Susan kept are full of photographs, tickets, posters, brochures for the places they went to, postcards of the villages or property they visited, and birthday cards sent to her for the club.

Many photographs taken at their own fund raising events; coffee mornings, bring and buy stalls, quizes, beetle drives and bingo. The members are often pictured doing washing up or laying tables, selling the items they might have made in craft meetings or at home. Always busy and always smiling, it was clearly a very happy club. All pulling together.

Strawberry Tea ticket 1987 - event raised £157 for club funds.

Added alongside the photos are some little quips that Susan added to compliment the picture and often a note of how much was raised, and the annual holiday is also recorded.

Also inside the scrapbooks are letters of thanks from various "good causes" to which the club had sent a donation.
A poem on the 1986 pages, written by Stanley Cutmore, recalls the High Street of yesteryear.

1992 - An "Age Concern" Garden Party attended by the Housemartins. Patrick Anthony, who presented a TV cookery slot in the Anglia Television's magazine programme, was the celebrity guest and he presented some of the prizes. In the back ground, left, is Susan Hollowell. Susan was usually on the other side of the camera!
1995 - the group organised another fund raising event - this time it was a Jumble Sale. Here are some of the helpers around the bric-a-brac stall.
The programme for 1996 - a well varied mix.

Talks, film shows and outings mixed with events where feasting was on the menu! Strawberry Tea, Birthday Party, Christmas Lunch.

Every year at least two coffee mornings run by club members and a garden tea at a member's home would be run for fundraising.

At the AGM and Harvest Festival meeting they would bring
an array of vegetables & fruit together with grocery items. At
the end of the meeting all the goods were sold off.
Peter Bayes, ex auctioneer, conducted the sale as usual.

In May 1996 a letter came from Buckingham Palace - "The Queen thanks"... the Housemartins for their "kind message sent on the occasion of her seventieth birthday", signed by her Lady-in-Waiting.

1996
04 Jan Chicken & Chips Lunch
18 Jan I was an Evacuee - Mrs Joan Ottley
01 Feb Rushden Shops - slides - Mr Eric Fowell
15 Feb India - slides - Mr Allah Buksh &
Valentine Card competition
29 Feb National Trust - slides - Mr Brian Pack
14 Mar Yorkshire Dales & Moors - slides - Mr & Mrs Worledge
16 Mar Coffee Morning at Cordwainers
28 Mar Holiday Meeting
11 Apr Easter - half day outing - Sandringham
13 Apr Jumble Sale - Baptist Chapel
24 Apr London show - Salad Days
25 Apr Slides show - Miss Bull
09 May Holiday - Newquay
23 May Bert Catlin
06 Jun Day outing - Lowestoft
20 Jun Coffee Morning - Riseley
04 Jul Strawberry Tea
18 Jul Peter Judge
01 Aug Garden Tea - Mr & Mrs Bayes
15 Aug Sally Drage
29 Aug Coffee Morning - At Home - 200 Bedford Road
12 Sep Outing - Leamington Spa
26 Sep Aids for Disabled
10 Oct AGM & Harvest Festival - Rev N Brown, & Tea
24 Oct 32nd Birthday Party
07 Nov Christmas Shopping
21 Nov --
02 Dec Carols - Peterborough
05 Dec Christmas Afternoon
19 Dec Chirstmas Luncheon & Tea at Turners
On April 15th 1999 the club took a coach trip to Windsor.

May 27th was another day out - this time to Lincolnshire with visits to a Romany Museum, a church where they had lunch, then on to an eight-sailed windmill at Heckington for tea and cream cakes.

A Mystery Trip took them to Milton Ernest Garden Centre on June 10th, the Strawberry Tea was July 8th.

Next was a trip to Southwold on August 5th, and September 15th was a "free entry" visit to Anglesey Abbey, a National Trust property near Cambridge. The following day was a coffee morning with book sale and bring and buy stall held at Park Road Baptist Church Schoolrooms.

At the club's 35th Birthday Party on October 28th 1999, Peter Bayes announced his retirement as our president.
The new President, Clive Wood, town mayor, presents the attendance cup at the AGM 2001.

click here to read about the club and its presidents

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