Report of April 2010 Members’ Meeting

At the RSHG Meeting held at the George Street Centre, Ryde on Saturday 10th April 2010 there were 28 members and 7 guests.

After the Welcome and preamble Janette (Chairman) reported that these are exciting times for Ryde Social Heritage Group and we are very busy.

Ryde Cemetery Restoration Project. Building works commenced in January and the restoration of the three chapels, replacement of West Street entrance gates and new railings at the Pellhurst Road end of the cemetery is due to be finished by the end of June. RSHG is working closely with the Friends of Ryde Cemetery and with Janis Mundell the Project Co-ordinator. The Friends group regularly carry out clearing sessions and whole areas of the cemetery have been tidied up. The Friends group is working with Janis on the Maintenance and Management Plan and both groups are working with Janis to decide on what equipment and resources we would like to see in the Learning Centre which is due to open in July (NOW POSTPONED AND WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO HERITAGE OPEN DAYS IN SEPTEMBER 2010).

Ryde Heritage Audio Trail. After two years’ of work we are finally close to completing the Project and will officially launch the Audio Trail at an Open Day at St Thomas Heritage Centre on Saturday 15th May 2010. We will have an exhibition about the Trail, including some of the bits we had to leave out, and there will be information about how people can download and listen to the Trail.

The Trail is a guided walk around Ryde, starting at Lind Street, going to St Thomas Square, down Union Street to the Pier, along the Esplanade to the far end of the Canoe Lake, then back along the Esplanade and up St Thomas Street ending at St Thomas Church. To walk the whole trail it will take about two hours and we have designed it (with the help of Ann) to be accessible to wheelchair and mobility scooter users.

Along the Trail there are seventeen stops where people will be able to listen to the audio files (on MP3 players or some mobile phones). All of the stops are illustrated with historic detail about the town which we have selected from archives. The audio files have been professionally produced by a company called ATS Heritage and sound fantastic.

Heritage Open Days. This year we will be holding two open days in Ryde Cemetery in September as part of the National Heritage Open Days Scheme. On Friday 10th and Saturday 11th September and this will tie in with the official opening of the Learning Resource Centre and the successful completion of the Cemetery Restoration Project. We will have an exhibition and all of our research folders on the history of Ryde available for people to browse and we will be giving Guided Walks and talks around and about the Cemetery.

Website. Our website continues to be a great success and we have been able to help people from all over the world with their family history research or to put them in touch with other people.

We will soon be having some upgrades carried out on the website, so watch this space!

Transcribing Report. We have not carried out any transcribing since early December due to adverse weather and other commitments. However the weekly sessions will restart from 17 April every Saturday morning weather permitting. We meet in the cemetery at 10am and work until about 12 noon.

Janette asked if RSHG members could volunteer to help out at three events
The Ryde Heritage Audio Trail Launch on Friday evening 14th May between 6:30 and 9pm and on Saturday 15th May between 9:30am and 4pm
The Family Activity Day in Ryde Cemetery on 17th July PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO DELAYED WORKS AND HEALTH & SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
The Heritage Open Days on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th September

Ryde Cemetery Restoration Project

Janis Mundell, the Project Co-ordinator, gave an update on the progress of the works involved in the Project.
Janis stated that it had taken three years to get the Project off the ground but she was now able to report great progress. Links will be formed with other Cemetery Groups to put Ryde Cemetery ‘on the map’.

The buildings in the Cemetery will be re-furbished and there is to be a Learning Centre in the North Chapel and Janis gave details of the facilities that will be available. There will be Maps and Indexes to assist interested parties to locate graves. Displays on a variety of subjects together with books and leaflets and there will be computers with internet access. The Centre will be open daily and there will be a full time Sexton to look after the Cemetery.

All the work is to be completed by the end of June and there will be a family activity day on Saturday 17th July 2010 (NOW CANCELLED DUE TO DELAYED WORKS AND HEALTH & SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS), and the Learning Centre will be officially opened at an event as part of Heritage Open Days in September. Throughout July there will be Workshops on Fridays and Saturdays. Wight Stonemasons will be running Workshops which will relate to restoration of stonework both in the Cemetery and elsewhere, including understanding the history of Stonemasons, the use of tools, types of stone used in headstones and memorials, History of limes and plasters and Cleaning and maintaining good repair of stonework.
Friday July 16th Memorials
Saturday July 17th Traditional Craft Skills
Friday July 23rd Memorials
Saturday July 24th Traditional Craft Skills
Friday July 30th Memorials
Saturday July 31st Traditional Craft Skills

Hants & IW Wildlife Trust will also be delivering training for schools and families throughout the summer.

Membership
Kate MacDonell advised there has been no change in our numbers since the January report. We have sixty fully paid up Members. Sadly we lost one of our Members recently. Mark Mulcahy died suddenly after a short illness.
We now have a range of clothing available with the RSHG Logo – Polo Shirts, Sweat Shirts and Fleeces. If anyone wishes to know about styles, colours, sizes, prices or to place an order, please contact Kate MacDonell.

REPORTS FROM WORK GROUPS
Research – Ann Barrett
Ann Barrett advised there had been a slow-down in the amount of Obituaries added to the Website in the past quarter, mainly due to other Group commitments that are governed by a time schedule. However, fifty-five obituaries have been uploaded to records since the last meeting and several Additions and Amendments have been made to the files on the Website.

Ann thanked the Members of the small Research Team, who have been diligently worked at the Record Office carrying out research and also thanked the people who help with the typing as this keeps the work steadily flowing.
The ‘Looking Back’ feature on the website is popular, and in April Ann added snippets for 1960 to compliment our latest Newsletter. Ann hoped this would bring back memories and encourage people to tell us some of their own.

We receive many enquiries via the website and every one has been given information or pointed to where they may possibly find information themselves. We have had some excellent results and good feedback for our efforts.

Ann hoped that members and the wider public would continue to enjoy the material that we find through our research. Ann has also recently joined the Publications Group and said how much she was enjoying this aspect of our work and the co-operation between the Research and Publications teams.

Mapping – David Earle
David reported that due to the inclement weather and the risk of frostbite he had not done any Mapping in Ryde Cemetery since the first snow fell. He had however been able to help people who have enquired about graves via the Website.

David has also recently made a start on mapping Binstead Cemetery. Carol has done a great deal of work in that Cemetery and using her Indexes and Transcription Records David is producing maps of Individual Sections.

As the weather improves David intends to return to the Ryde Cemetery to produce the Maps for the Transcription Group and to amend Maps in accordance with their findings.

Publications – Carol Strong
Carol reported we have been busy writing and designing new display sheets for our 2010 exhibitions. The first exhibition took place in Ryde Library for the whole of February and was based on the Group’s research into Ryde’s maritime past.

Our new exhibition, ‘Business in Ryde’, starts on 17th May in the Library, straight after the weekend launch of the Audio Trail and runs through June. It will include adverts, details, and memories of businesses in the town, some still trading today.

The Library exhibitions are extremely popular and give Members and the public a chance to see the results of the many hours of work put in by our Research and Publications teams. Bob Elliott, the Library Co-ordinator, reports the response to our displays is very encouraging and generates interest from all ages. Members of the public have contacted us with more information as a result of seeing our work. Further exhibitions are planned later in the year.

The Publications team is also involved in producing display sheets for the Audio Trail Launch and the first part of our April 2010 magazine looks behind the scenes of how the Trail has come about, from the initial ideas to planning, writing the scripts, walking the route with the completed text and hearing the first audio files voiced by professional actors. It really has been an exciting project to be involved with.

The second half of magazine should bring back memories of happy times, to those of you who remember Ryde from the 1950s through to the 1970s and frequented any of the cinemas in the town. Carol thanked all the RSHG Members who have contributed their memories to the magazine.

Another very exciting project we are working on is the Time Line of Ryde for the King Lud pub on the Esplanade. Sam Mackay, the Landlord, approached the Group to ask for our help to produce a display of Ryde through the decades from the mid 1800s right up to the present date. The resulting work, including a Time Line of important national and local events, will be framed and mounted on the walls of the King Lud bar. We have completed our part of the work and are waiting for Sam to finish the redecoration of the bar and confirm the date for the grand unveiling.

For the fifth year, RSHG is working with Ryde Arts Festival to put on events in the town during 2010. The main Ryde Arts Festival Week starts on Friday 2nd July with a specially written concert at St Thomas’ Heritage Centre, never before performed, followed by the Arts Parade and regatta on Saturday. The theme this year is ‘Journeys’ and RSHG are very happy to have Robin McInnes present his illustrated ‘Picturesque Tour of the Isle of Wight’ at our next Members Meeting on the evening of 9th July.

Proposal for Hobbies Display at AGM
David Earle reported that for the AGM in October we propose a Display of Members’ Hobbies. David asked members to contact him to let him know what sorts of items they might bring along. This information is required before or at the meeting in July to ensure enough people are prepared to display items to make a worthwhile display. It doesn’t matter what your hobby is, whatever you choose to display will be of interest and a talking point.

Request for Memories
Shelagh Gaylard encouraged Members to write down their memories before they are gone forever. She said that memories of funny, tragic, heroic or simply every-day events should be recorded for posterity.

Shelagh related a story she heard recently about how her grandfather saved a child from drowning Shelagh knew that her Grandfather could not swim and had never heard the story about that he had waded into the reservoir and pulled a young girl to safety until a short time ago.

After the business of the group was concluded Tony Gale gave an excellent illustrated presentation on Pubs of Ryde. The presentation was very well received and generated some discussion and memories from many present.

Dates of Future Meetings
Friday 9th July 2010 – Evening Meeting at the George Street Centre at 7.00 pm
Presentation by Mr Robin McInnes OBE – Picture Tour of the Isle of Wight
Saturday 9th October 2010 – Annual General Meeting at the George Street Centre 10.30am
Business Meeting and Social Get Together