Clubs - Bromley Borough

Following the recent AGM, the NHS Retirement Fellowship now has a new Chairman, Mrs Jackie Prior, who has served on the committee for a number f years and who is well known to the members. The rest of the committee were re-elected.

The first activity planned for the coming year was the monthly ramble and the first branch meeting in June saw Mr Peter Davis giving one of his programme of slides of the Peak Dis-trict, one of the most beautiful areas of England.

In July, 15 members are looking forward to attending the National Conference which is to be held this year at Warners Holiday Village on Hayling Island, a very popular venue. Dele-gates come from all over the British Isles and this year the Chairman will be coming from Northern Ireland.

The Fellowship are planning to celebrate their 20th anniversary in October and are looking for ideas on the best way to spend it. Meanwhile, all members of the NHS who have retired will be most welcome at the meetings which are held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Farnborough Post-Graduate Centre at Farnborough Hospital at 10.15am.

CHISLEHURST SOCIETY

On Sunday 26 May the Society ran a publicity stall at the Petts Wood & Hawkwood National Trust Country Fair held on the bridleway of the P.W & H Estate. This fair was to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the local committee's formation in May 1927

On Saturday 8 June the Society ran a further publicity stall at the Chislehurst Golden Jubilee Fair organised by Chislehurst Rotarians.

On Thursday 13 June, the Alun & Joy Jones Environment Awards were held at Mead Road School. Over £600 in book token prizes was awarded to pupils from Babington House, Beaver-wood, St Nicholas C of E Primary, Farringdons & Stratford House, Marjorie McClure, Mead Road & Red Hill schools, besides 40 independent entries. This year's theme was Flora & Fauna of Chislehurst.

On Saturday 15 June the Chislehurst Societyinaugurated the Graffiti Clean-Up Campaign for Chislehurst. 45 volunteers have formed 5 teams who have been issued with Starter Packs including chemicals and all necessary safety equipment. More volunteers are required, so please contact 020 8467 0900 if you are interested in cleaning up your environment.

18TH BROMLEY (ST MARY'S) SCOUT GROUP

The 18th Bromley (St Mary's ) Scout Group. Based at St Mary's Church, College Road, Bromley celebrated the Queen's Golden Jubilee with a great day of celebration.

They obtained a £1640 Lottery Grant and took all the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts that were not away on holiday to the Downe Scout Activity Centre. They were joined by parents and broth-ers and sisters.

They day was spent doing archery, shooting air rifles, riding on pedal karts and grass sledges, coming down a climbing tower and going round an adventure course.

They younger members also explored a pond under organised pond dipping. One mother said "there is nowhere else that my son could go and get so many activities in the one place".

A visit to Down House also took place for adults who could find a space in their activity pro-gramme.

The day ended back at the Church Hall where the 18th Bromley was joined by guests from out-side the Group for a buffet meal.

Doug Davey the group Scout Leader said "it was a really great day and was scouting at its best. It gave a lot of young people a chance to try new activities and to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our Royal Patron by having real fun and adventure.

ST MARY CRAY ACTION GROUP

The June meeting of the Group was an informal one with no visiting speaker, we regard this as an important opportunity for members and visitors alike to exchange their thoughts about St Mary Cray, its character and development over the centuries, Memorabilia & Nostalgia' was therefore the chosen title of this meeting.

In this Golden Jubilee Year, we were able to draw attention to a letter received from Bucking-ham Palace, in which her Majesty the Queen has been pleased to receive one of our specially designed tea towels (This was a limited edition, so if anybody wishes to purchase one, please contact purchase one, please contact our Memorabilia Officer on 01689 834759)

A new member, Mr J Jackson, was welcomes; he is at present a student at Edinburgh, but his family home in at Kevington Hall, which as a listed building is to be opened to visitors over the Civic Trust's Heritage Weekend in September; we are in fact busy with preparations.

The Action Group has held its meetings in the Vernon Hall since it was built in 1975, but we may have to consider another venue in the future. We shall do our very best to keep to our present arrangements, but if changes are unavoidable we shall make every effort to notify members before the date of our July meeting on the 23rd. Healing Herbs' is the chosen subject of our visiting speaker, Margaret Thompson and it should be of special interest to many of us.

BRITISH LEGION (WOMEN'S SECTION)

Are you a housewife with a young family? A woman who has recently retired? Or just moved into the district. Are you keen to make new friends, to belong to a worthwhile cause, with a full social calendar. Then we, the members of the Women's Section of the British Legion are very keen to welcome you to our Open Day on Wednesday July 17 from 11am till 2pm for tea, coffee and biscuits, in the Function Room at the Petts Wood British Legion Branch, Queen-sway (next to Safeway), when we will be celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the formation of the Branch. If you would like to know more about the British Legion Women's Section, please phone me, Joan Saint on 01689 832075.

ORPINGTON (AFTERNOON) TOWNSWOMEN'S GUILD

The ramble on June 11 started from Eltham Park to Oxleas Woods. After lunch the ramblers went back to Castle Woods and found the castle. From there they made their way back to Eltham and the bus to Chislehurst and home. The next ramble is on July 10 to Farningham Woods.

The Guild meeting on June 25, was well attended. Treasurer Mrs B Fudge read a letter from the Bromley Brach of Alzeimer's Society thanking the Guild for the selection of plants sent to them, and issuing an invitation for two members to attend the inauguration of their extended premises on July 6.

Chairman Mrs E Davies was the delegate to the N.C.M. in Cardiff on June 19, the speakers were explorer Col. John Blashford-Snell and a past Lady Mayoress of Westminster, Hazel Wil-liamson, Q.C.

the first resolution - that the previous convictions of defendants should be heard in court dur-ing trial proceedings was passed, but the second regarding Care Homes for older people was not debated.

After tea members were greatly entertained by Ann Chance with her talk entitled Petticoat Pilot'. She learned to pilot a plane at the age of 53, starting ten years ago, but first of all had to make a parachute jump, which she did successfully. After many lessons and reading and memorising the several manuals issued, she eventually went solo for 15 minutes. She eventu-ally passed all the necessary exams and is now a qualified pilot. Mrs Chance was thanked for a very entertaining and amusing talk.

The next guild meeting is on July 23 when Cruising' will be the subject of a talk by W Christmas.

WEST WICKHAM (WOODLANDS) TOWNSWOMEN'S GUILD

The Chairman welcomed members to the June meeting of the West Wickham (Woodlands) Townswomen's Guild with news of the President, who was in hospital and of various mem-bers who had recovered form illnesses and were at the meeting.

A letter of thanks had been received from the organiser of the recent Golden Jubilee celebra-tions in West Wickham thanking those Guild members who had helped as stewards and those running the assault course'. A small group had recently visited the fascinating South Side House at Wimbledon Common. The Craft section reported that they ahd been given 25 babies' jackets which they had taken to the Demelza House Shop; the group continued to make many garments for premature babies which were to be donated to the Premature Baby Unit at May-day Hospital in Croydon.

The meeting was then entertained with a talk and short film on the work of the R.N.L.I. the Lifeboat Service was started in 1824 when it dealt with commercial shipping accidents only. Now 50% of the calls are connected with all kinds of sea-going activities, as well as rescuing people and pets trapped by the tide or falling over cliffs. There are now 4,300 crew members, including 200 of whom are women.

The only paid member of each crew is the mechanic who travels on the all-weather boats. Boats and life jackets are up-graded regularly and in January a new service of jet-propelled boats was inaugurated on the River Thames.

Sadly, there have been casualties, such as the Penlee Lifeboat in 1981, but in spite of the dan-gerous work they do, the crews are ready day and night to turn our at a moments notice. The R.N.L.I. now publish books on safety in and on the sea connected with all kinds of activities. Their newest venture is in testing hovercraft to deal with accidents in swampy conditions. The Lifeboat Service costs £100 million annually, funded by donations and legacies but mainly by fund-raising by the general public. However, without the dedication and bravery of the crews the work could not continue. Literally, our lives are in their hands.

The guild meets on the third Wednesday of each month. New members are always welcome: details of forthcoming activities can be had on 020 8460 7324.

July 8, 2002 10:30