The 22nd AGM was held as a “hybrid” meeting; 40 members being in attendance in person and 12 via Zoom. Maureen Spinks was re-elected as Chairman, Shirley Tutton as Secretary and Will Dallimore as Treasurer. Tom Locke, Jane Neill, Alan Tutton, Gill Woods, Helen Green and Andy Higgitt were re-elected to the Committee.
At the conclusion of the business section, the winner of the Tony Jerram Award was announced as Brian Smith.
After a short break, Gill Woods spoke about the Badsey Marriage Banns Register, which she has recently transcribed, and Maureen Spinks gave a talk entitled “Hatches, Matches and Dispatches”.
Thanks to Alan and Shirley Tutton for co-ordinating the Zoom arrangements.
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Chairman’s Report 2024 – Review of 2023
February 2023
The 21st AGM was held as a “hybrid” meeting; 45 members being in attendance in person and 11 via Zoom. It’s thanks to the endeavours of Alan and Shirley Tutton that we have been able to continue with hybrid meetings. Maureen Spinks was re-elected as Chairman and Shirley Tutton as Secretary. The vacancy for Treasurer was filled by Will Dallimore. A Society cannot function without this key officer, so we are very grateful to Will for agreeing to take on this role. The same Committee members were re-elected, with the addition of two new members: Helen Green and Andy Higgitt.
At the conclusion of the business section, the Tony Jerram Award was given to Clive Richards. Clive, who as acted as independent examiner for our accounts for a number of years, was recommended for the award in recognition of his major contribution to village life in Badsey for more than 30 years – at Badsey First School, with the Scouts and Guides, Badsey Film Club, organiser of the fortnightly charity quiz at The Round of Gras, a star turn at village pantos, and much more.
After a short break, Dr Mike Jenkins gave a talk entitled “Worcestershire Place Names – The Voices of the Past”, based on his recently-published book.
March 2023
The long-awaited results of the Big Badsey Dig were revealed to Society members and dig volunteers by Nina O’Hare of Worcestershire Archaeology Service. The overall picture for Badsey reveals that nine out of 19 test pits had a scatter of Roman pottery, more than in the other test pit villages. The majority of the Roman finds were at the northern end of the village, but there was still quite a spread across the southern end, suggesting multiple Roman settlements and farmsteads. At Black Banks, which was the most northerly test pit, there was evidence of occupation from the middle-late Iron Age (400 BC - AD 43) through to Roman times.
April 2023
The seventh Richard Phillips Memorial Lecture was presented by David Ella. Richard loved maps and so would greatly have appreciated David’s talk. David began his illustrated talk telling us about the oldest county maps of Worcestershire, and how they show Badsey, Aldington, Wickhamford and the other local villages. He began with the earliest county map made by Christopher Saxton in 1577, then took us back further to the Evesham Map of the World drawn at Evesham Abbey in 1390. Before and after the talk there was a chance to see a table-top display of original county maps 1610-1830, and the two local John Ogilby road maps from 1675.
May 2023
We had planned to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III with a community picnic at Pear Tree Fields, but sadly this event had to be cancelled as the ground was too water-logged. However, at the Big Help-Out at the church on the Monday, Helen Green and Kerry Moreton flew the flag for the Society by pointing out the medieval graffiti in the church to visitors.
June 2023
On a hot Friday evening, Alan and Shirley Tutton led a walk round the village introducing the new QR trail. There are currently 53 QR codes dotted around the village. If you spot one, get out your phone and find out what it’s all about!
July 2023
Saturday 29th July saw the publication of the Society’s sixth book, “A History of Badsey Flower Show”, timed to coincide with the 120th Flower Show. We were blessed with fine weather (though a tad windy) for the Show. There was a special exhibition for the occasion, which included a display of our market gardening tools. We were delighted to welcome several descendants of Sir Julius Sladden who was one of the original founders of the Flower Show in 1888. It’s a remarkable achievement that, whilst other similar shows have withered, Badsey Flower Show continues to delight from year to year – long may it continue.
September 2023
A fascinating day out was had by 27 members of the Society who visited Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire, a Grade I listed manor dating from around 1570. In the late 19th century, it was the home of the textile designer, William Morris, who was associated with the Arts & Crafts Movement. We had exclusive access to the Manor and grounds and were guided round the Manor in three groups. Following a buffet lunch, there was free time to explore the gardens and meadow and visit St George’s Church (burial place of William Morris). Many thanks to ShirleyTutton for organising the event.
October 2023
As a follow-on to the Kelmscott Manor trip, Gill Woods gave a talk on the Arts & Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds. Gill spoke knowledgeably about why 150 Londoners moved from the East End to Chipping Campden in the early 1900s and related the story of the Russell family of Broadway.
November 2023
A full coach-load of people headed to Oxford for the day. The majority of the group visited the Ashmolean Museum where the day began with coffee, followed by a guided tour of highlights of the museum. After lunch there was free time to carry on exploring the museum further or to visit the city.
December 2023
A visit by Shepherd’s Crook Folk Choir followed immediately after the annual Parish Council’s Christmas carols outside The Wheatsheaf. We welcomed many new faces to the event, as well as our regular attendees. The bell-ringers began ringing at 7.30; during this time people were able to avail themselves of tea/coffee and mince pies. The choir, who are based in Winchombe, began singing at 8 pm. They performed a selection of traditional Cotswold Carols and Wassails, with a short commentary on each piece about its origin and history. The songs were mainly traditional local songs sung in 4-part harmony to keep Gloucestershire music in people's memories, but there were also some more modern pieces.
Website
The Badsey website continues to go from strength to strength with many new articles added over the last year. The scope of the articles is wide-ranging, so just go to the Home page and dip into some of the pages.
Farewells
During the course of the year, several of our members have sadly died.
- Derek Enos Harman (1943-2023), who joined the Society in 2012, grew up at Longdon Hill, Wickhamford, where his family had a market gardening business, J & A Harman. On leaving Blackminster School, Derek became an apprentice electrician at the Midlands Electricity Board but, on finishing his apprenticeship, he joined his father in the family business. In September 1966 he married Valerie Mason and they lived on Pitchers Hill and had two daughters. Derek purchased a piece of land in Bidford on Avon in 1978 and started his own nursery business. He sold the business in 2017 but continued to live in Bidford. Derek died at home on 27th March.
- Denis Granger (1932-2023), who joined the Society in 2008, moved with his family of five children from Birmingham to Badsey in 1974. He was an accountant by profession and had worked for UK industries operating in Africa, and North and South America. Denis' professional skills were appreciated in the village with him taking the role of church treasurer. He regularly assisted at the Vicar's garden party and the annual Flower Show. Denis' work moved the family home to Cheshire in 1982 but he never forgot the Vale and retired to Chipping Campden in 1995. He died in a Gloucester Care Home on 20th March.
- Cliff Sage (1944-2023), who died on 9th July, had been a member of The Badsey Society since 2013. Born in Worcester, Cliff spent most of his childhood in London. He attended teacher training college in Worcester and had various teaching posts in Worcestershire before becoming head of St Stephen’s First School, Redditch. After headship, he became the Worcestershire adviser for Cultural Diversity and Anti-Racism. Cliff moved with his wife, Sheila, to Badsey in 1978; together, they extended their lovely old cottage on Mill Lane into a home full of beautiful art-work. Cliff was passionate about music and was able to continue going to concerts until the last few months of his life.
- Linda Core (1942-2023), who grew up in Evesham, moved to Badsey with her mother in the 1960s, and lived for the rest of her life in a cottage on Old Post Office Lane. She joined the Society in 2003. For 30 years she worked in the accounts department at H Burlingham & Co. She later worked as a cleaner at Seward House. Music played a big part in Linda's life and she played the organ at Wickhamford Church for over 30 years until difficulty climbing the steps to the organ loft forced her to retire. Linda survived a serious stroke a couple of years ago. Before her death in December, she was able to publish a book of her short stories called Tales from the Tall Thin House.
- Pat Waters (1943-2023), who was born in Chester, trained at Guy’s Hospital as a State Registered Nurse. Pat married John in 1967. John’s job took them to far-flung corners of the world and was accompanied by Pat and their three children. They returned to the UK in 2007, moving to Badsey in 2017, which is when Pat joined the Society. Pat was a talented amateur stained glass artist. One of her finest works was a stained glass window for a Mission in central Ukraine – so far it has not been the target of Russian missiles or drones! Over the last two years her health had been deteriorating. She spent Christmas Day at home with her family but her health declined rapidly and she died on Boxing Day.
- Meryl Pratt (1957-2024), who was born in St Asaph, North Wales, also became a nurse. Meryl trained as a paediatric nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, later working as a Health Visitor for number of years. After marriage to Andy, and the birth of two children, Meryl moved from Derbyshire to Badsey 31 years ago, engaging herself fully in Badsey village life. Meryl joined The Badsey Society in 2003. Meryl’s health has been poor since 2000; during the last few years, her illnesses have required nursing care support. Nevertheless, Meryl took a keen interest in the archaeological dip which took place in the Pratt’s back garden in May 2022 during the Big Badsey Dig, and avidly read the report which was published last year. Meryl died on 1st February.
In summary
It has been another good year for The Badsey Society. We have a large membership and a healthy bank balance, so we look forward to more successes in the year ahead. I would like to end by thanking the Committee for all their hard work and contributions. It’s a real team effort, which is why it seems to work so well. It’s at this point that I would like to thank Ian Gibson in particular. Ian joined The Badsey Society in its foundation year and has been a Committee member since 2004, thus clocking up 20 years’ service. He has designed all our book covers and was Project Leader for the Big Badsey Dig. Ian and Lynn will be moving away from Badsey in due course, so Ian is not seeking re-election. Please will you give Ian a round of applause for all the work he has done for the Society. In recognition of this, we would like to offer him and Lynn life membership.
Maureen Spinks, February 2024
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Treasurer’s Report – 2023 Accounts
In a first for The Badsey Society, our new Treasurer presented his report in verse. For those who know Will’s inimitable style, it was to be expected that we would be treated to a Treasurer’s Report far removed from the norm! He began by saying:
This is the most boring part of the evening, as soon as we get this over we can get onto something more interesting. To lessen the boredom I have come up with a solution. For those interested, the facts and figures of the balance sheet will scroll up the screen, for the other members of the audience I will read a poem I wrote called “The Treasurer's Year”.
The Treasurer's Year
I don't know how I got the job
I was waving to someone on Zoom
When Maureen noticed my arm aloft
And cried, 'A volunteer at back of room'The audience turned round en bloc
To see my face turn red
Before I'd chance to say 'No, no'
I'd been proposed and secondedThey bought a big red balance book
With columns I could fill
And if I worked into the night
A candle and a quillMoney's never been my bag
I've never had a lot
I've lived a very frugal life
To save the bit I'd gotSome say I am a miser
But I just let that pass
Some say I am as tight as tight
As the proverbial ducks ...Assuming that the money
I'd be treasuring's not mine
I'd maybe loosen up a bit
And spending would be fineOur dad was good with money
And his knowledge he'd impair
He told us there was money box
Located under stairsAll you kids can save now
Put your silver in the box
Save it for a rainy day
To spend on sweets and chocsYears later we discovered
That our dad he was a cheater
There wasn't any money box
It was the slot gas meterAs a proper treasurer
A calculator is a must
But all I had was abacus
In loft and full of dustI cleaned it up and greased it
But the beads were insecure
When adding up large numbers T
hey would shoot across the floorI thought it best that I should join
Badsey's computer club
Who meet each Monday fortnight
In the backroom of the pubI hadn't been there many times
When I thought I'm doing well
As Alan said next meeting
We we're all going to excelExcel I found out was a spreadsheet
My big red book on speed
That added things up for you
Just the thing that one does needNow getting back to last year
The Coronation day was planned
The Parish Council offered money
And also we could use their landThe Society in full agreement
Picked a site where they could flock
A day of celebration
A Picnic at Hanging RockUsing their kind donation
Burgers and baps were bought
And two portaloos were hired
Just in case they were caught shortThe two loos I did hire online
And thought 'fore I'd log-off
What if we bought-one-got-one-free
That would be a BOGOFFApart from Parish Council
Donations came from far and wide
A grand from grand old Lizzie Noyes
That she left us when she diedIn the Society's twenty years
I'm the fourth to hold this post
Of the three before me
Terry Sparrow, at ten years, had done the mostTerry was an accountant
Tony Wood, an insurance man
John Sharp was a reluctant hero
As treasuring had never been his planSo can I thank the many that have helped me
Some of them from quarters quite surprising
Like Beccy from the village's Post Office
Who offered me a computer called HorizonNow if I've timed me poem right
The slideshow should have ended
And if anybody has a question now
My stay may be extended
Will Dallimore, February 2024
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Here is a Powerpoint presentation of the Review of the Year:
