On Friday we said a very heartfelt farewell to one of the Museum of Ryde’s most treasured volunteers, Alan Brading, who has decided to step down after an extraordinary 15 years of dedicated service.
For a decade and a half Alan has generously given his time, knowledge, and enthusiasm to help bring the history of Ryde to life for countless visitors. His kindness, wisdom, and quiet dedication have made him not only a valued member of our volunteer team, but also a dear friend of the museum. His presence will truly be missed by all of us.
Alan has helped preserve and share the story of our town with great care and passion, and we are deeply grateful for everything he has contributed over the years.
We wish him all the very best for the future and sincerely hope that the museum will always remain a place he feels connected to. The door will always be open for him to come back and visit whenever he wishes.
Alan’s retirement also reminds us how important our volunteers are. We are currently in urgent need of new volunteers to help continue the work of sharing Ryde’s remarkable history with the community.
Anyone over the age of 18 is warmly welcome to join us — no special local knowledge is required. In fact, volunteering here means discovering fascinating stories about our town every single day.
For example:
• Did you know Ryde has been home to at least two Donovan’s?
• That Elmfield was heavily bombed on 23 November 1940 during the war?
• That Ozzy Osbourne once lodged in Green Street?
• Or that there were even runaway elephants on St John’s Road?
There is always something new and surprising to learn.
If you would like to become part of our friendly team, please come and see us at the Museum of Ryde, located in the Royal Victoria Arcade, Union Street.
We are currently open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30am – 4:00pm (last entry 3:15pm).
Find out more here:
https://historicrydesociety.com/museum-of-ryde/
