Bexhill Down Afternoon Townswomen's Guild - May 23

Extracts from "Three Men in a Boat" are always most amusing as well as good illustrations of the subject of "Holidays" for the April meeting of Reading for Pleasure. Pam Ayres has written on almost every subject, including a boating holiday and a good old-fashioned English seaside holiday. Members also read extracts from Betjeman's poetry and about the first Bank Holidays, and heard about holidays in France and America.

Registered blind or partially blind need not stop anyone from keeping up to date with all local news, thanks to the Talking Newspaper. As with so many organisations, this would not survive without volunteers who read from the Observer, record and distribute the tapes, keep the accounts etc, as John Dowling explained to members of social studies section.

If you have admired a carpet of autumn leaves, on the woodland floor in a television scene or myriads of flowers in a theatrical production of giant tulips at the Eden Centre, you may be surprised to learn that they were all made at Hastings by the Leaf & Petal Co. In May, Brenda Wilson brought many examples and gave a fascinating insight into her world of colour, texture and shape, which is also a working museum, with a wonderful collection of tools of the trade.

Our next guild meeting will be 2.15pm Wednesday, June 11 at the Friends Meeting House, Albert Road, when visitors and new members will be welcome. Phone 218756 for details.