Sandwell

ACTIVITIES

We hold meetings on the second Monday of each month commencing 1.30pm [for a 2pm start], at Gayton Road Community Centre in West Bromwich. We try to make them as informative and friendly as possible and like to finish before 4pm, giving you time to chat to friends and new members.

A list of our monthly meeting dates and a selection of our recent speakers is given below.

SPEAKERS BOOKED FOR 2024
13 May - Keith Llewellyn 'Love Spoons'
10 June - David Cattell 'The Weekend J B Priestley spent in West Bromwich and the Black Country in 1933'
8 July - Andrew French 'Bring Me Sunshine' the UK's favourite double act Morecombe and Wise
12 August - Rob Broadbent 'Bletchley Park, the other half of the story'
9 September - Frank Caldwell 'History of the Oak House'
14 October - Susan Leighfield 'Washday in the Brewhouse of the 1930's Black Country'
11 November - Alan Tumber 'Rhyme nor Reason'
9 December - Ron Popple, Black Country Comedy Hour

SPEAKERS IN 2024

RICHARD CHURCHLEY told us how he traced his ancestors back to the 1600's using websites dedicated to providing this information, and he passed on a few tips when trying to find out more information. Interesting and well presented and we learned that his surname is very rare.

JOHN HOMER gave us a very funny and interesting talk about the Black Country. bringing back so many memories for us with a touch of black country humour and our unique way of talking. Plenty of references to the Albion too. John sang a few songs in his presentation. Very funny and enjoyed by us all.

MAX KEEN told us all about 'King Richard. The Third Murderer or Loyal Brother'. The talk was extremely interesting, and made very enjoyable by Max's excellent presentation. He made the history of King Richard and everything that happened to him and his family so interesting, and added his own touch of humour throughout his talk. Everyone at the meeting enjoyed the presentation, and he is highly recommended.

SPEAKERS IN 2023

TOM HEYES entertained us really well by singing lots of Christmas hit records, impersonating Elvis Presley, and getting some of our members to get up and dance a little. Tom was very good and was ably assisted by his parents. Well done.

CHRISTINE GREGORY gave a very interesting talk about how Remembrance Day is celebrated in different countries of the world. Christine brought along photographs for us to see, and told us about the history of the red poppy and the white peace poppy. Very good talk, although a sad topic, it made us all remember the millions of people who gave their lives for us.

In October, Phil, our very knowledgeable Music Group Leader, put together a quiz for us to test our musical knowledge. Needless to say this was very enjoyable, and how many of us knew either the singer or the song title, but not both!!!! Lovely afternoon and we all enjoyed delicious cakes, tea and coffee to help us through the questions. Thanks Phil.

ROB BROADBENT gave us another talk about Galton Valley, and the canal which runs through Wednesbury, West Bromwich and Smethwick. He told us all about the industry along the valley from way back in the 19th century until today. Fascinating talk which made us realise what industries have now disappeared, and the legacies they have left us. Another very interesting talk from Rob.

ROB BROADBENT's talk was entitled Over and Under the Rowley Hills. This talk was very interesting and told us the history of the Netherton tunnel which was built many years ago, and also took us a photographic walk around the hills in both Sandwell and Dudley boroughs. This included information about the Wrens Nest Nature Reserve and also Bumble Hole Nature Reserve. Very interesting and enlightening talk.

CAS BAILEY gave us a talk entitled 'Handcuffs to Hot Glass', and told us all about her transition from a Police Officer to learning how to make glass models and keepsakes. Her talk was really interesting, very funny, and littered with a few very good jokes. She described in detail how she joined a class to learn all about glass blowing etc., and bought along some samples of items she had made. Well worth listening to Cas, and highly recommended.

JOHN BUTTERWORTH told us all about Lily Gaynor who went out to Guinea Bissau and changed the lives of so many people through her work as a nurse and missionary, in the land of witchdoctors. She set up a clinic. learned how to apply emergency dentistry, and invented an alphabet for the people. Her book 'God's Needle' was written in conjunction with John, with a foreword from Helen Roseveare. John's presentation was very, very interesting, even the fact that Guinea Bissau is the most westerly country in the African continent.

KATE ROUND was our speaker in May who told us all about the women in the glass industry from the early 1800's until now. The talk was very interesting and she told us how women were first employed to do menial tasks and their gradual acceptance into the workforce. The talk is highly recommended, given by a very knowledgeable speaker, and full of facts following a lot of research.

Our March speaker was THE MAYOR OF SANDWELL, COUNCILLOR RICHARD JONES, who gave us an insight into his duties as Mayor, and also told us about the history of the clothing and the different styles of Mace used in the six towns of the Borough. Very enlightening and interesting talk by a very friendly and knowledgeable man. Thank you for coming along to our meeting.

Our first speaker of the year was MARY BODFISH who told us how she traced the name of the 'baby in the locket' through ancestry records. This was an interesting talk and made us all aware that with lots of time and patience, it is possible to trace our ancestors going back centuries and learn some new, and perhaps, intriguing facts about our origins.

SPEAKERS IN 2022

MARY WALDRON the History of Sandwell Healthcare
MARK NEVITT, WM Police Missing Persons Team
KATE ROUND the history of Stourbridge Glass and the Red Cone
PETER HARDY from the National Memorial Arboretum
PATRICIA BOYD similarities about the reigns of both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.
LYDIA RAE entertained us at our Jubilee Party and Christmas Party
ADRIAN HOLMES Sandwell Town Cryer
NIGEL METCALF two talks 'The History of Punch and Judy' and 'The History of the Crown Jewels'

SPEAKERS IN 2021

LYDIA RAE singer at our Christmas Party.
THE MIDLAND WHEELERS, volunteers who transport blood between hospitals and clinics throughout the Midlands.

SPEAKERS IN 2020

JACKIE SMITH from Nova Chocolates, demonstration on chocolate making, with samples.
CLIFFE KIRBY-TIBBITS talk about the history of the Jabez Cliff & Co factory in Walsall

SPEAKERS IN 2019

HOLLY REYNOLDS singer at our annual Christmas Party
SANDWELL MBC gave a brief talk on recycling our rubbish, and what happens to it afterwards.
ALAN THORNTON told of his life as a seaside hotelier.
KATHRYN WOOD from Sandwell Trading Standards gave us information about scams.
ALISON WAKEMAN gave a about talk about bees, particularly honey bees.
LEE CAROL stories of his life in show business.
ALAN HILL gave a presentation on The Sea Around Us.
ALAN CUTLER acted as Judge, Defence and Prosecution in his presentation of a true Victorian murder trial.