Brian had brought all his tools with him, hoping to find time to drill a couple of holes in the fire door……NO CHANCE! The general public came down the stairs from 10:20, although the Centre wasn’t officially open until 11am! By eleven, there had been 17 visitors already. A steady stream continued throughout the day, including members, small groups of curious children, someone who had played bass guitar in a band at the Diamond Club, visitors from the Island, the mainland and Canada. Brian finally drilled the holes at about a quarter past four in the afternoon. Over 100 people visited the Centre during the day, and funds were given a considerable boost. Four people expressed an interest in volunteering, including a fifteen year old local boy, which is exactly the age group with which Historic Ryde Society needs to be engaging! All in all, everyone seemed very impressed with the exhibitions, some even saying they were going to return on Sunday, the last of the Heritage Open Days of 2013. Barbara had a very busy day, with many people expressing great interest in her lace work, and she increased her fan base considerably over the course of the day. The photograph shows Oliver
