Past Events 2014
To read about forthcoming events, please go to the Calendar page.
December 18 – Pub Quiz – the last quiz of the year raised about £147 for the funds. Many thanks to Tony and Tony for another entertaining and profitable year’s quizzing, and to the regulars who come out to support the Society!
December 14 – Antique and Collectors’ Fair – Not so many visitors – about 120 – turned out as usual for the December Fair. £230 was raised for the funds. Many thanks to Jerry for his organisation and all the volunteers who gave up their time for the event.
December 5 – Volunteers’ Meal at Appley Hotel – A large group of volunteers met for a festive meal at Appley Hotel. As this was the first time many of them had met other volunteers there was a great deal of introductions and catching up to do! Thanks to David for organising the event.
November 27 – Pub quiz – another successful evening raised over £100 for Historic Ryde Society funds. Many thanks to all who turned out on a bitterly cold evening!
November 12 – Martin Simpson – The fossil man – an enthralled audience listened as Martin delivered a fascinating talk, illustrated with examples of his discoveries on the Island. More information can be found here.
October 30 – Pub Quiz – Over 25 quiz addicts raised over £100 for the coffers at the October quiz. Thanks as always to Yelf’s Hotel for the use of the dining room for this monthly event. All prospective Egghead quizzers, please get in touch via the Centre on 01983 717435.
October 22 – Ryde Airport and the Spithead Express – A rerun of the talk scheduled for the February AGM, which had to be cancelled due to appalling weather, Bob Wealthy’s talk proved so popular that over 70 people turned out for the event. It raised over £100 for the funds, so many thanks to all involved. To read more, click here.
September 27 – Summer Breeze Disco – Many thanks to Lesley for offering to give part of the funds raised from this event to Historic Ryde Society. About 40 groovy disco fans turned out to watch a demonstration of Le Roc – modern jive – and later, Burlesque, from Isabelle L’Amour and the Blue Moon dancers. The event was held at Ryde Town Club. Thanks also to Sheila, Marius and Diana for giving their time on the evening.
September 25 – Pub Quiz – Many thanks to Chris Ody for stepping into the role of Guest Quiz Master for the September quiz! There was a good turnout, with a group of six folk from Southsea, visiting the Island on a ‘pub-quiz’ holiday taking the glory of top place.
September 25 – Group visit to Ryde District Heritage Centre by 8 members of the Red Hat Society.
September 14 – Classic Car Rally 2014 – Historic Ryde Society was invited to have a stall at this wonderful annual event. More details can be found here.
September 10 – The Ship that hunted itself – A fascinating talk by David Slade brought about 40 Historic Ryde Society members and other visitors to Yelf’s hotel this evening. More information can be found here.
September 9 – Group Visit to Ryde District Heritage Centre by 21 members of Ryde Rotary Club. Many thanks to Alan, Claire and Derek for giving their time and hosting the group.
September 8 – Group Visit to Ryde District Heritage Centre by 20 members of the Vectis Military Historical Association. Many thanks to Derek and John and other HRS volunteers for hosting the evening. The group became Corporate Members of Historic Ryde Society on the night. Welcome to Historic Ryde Society!
August 30 – Railway 150 – Historic Ryde Society had a stall at St John’s Station as part of the celebration of 150 years of trains on the Isle of Wight. Nearly £50 was raised through sales of HRS and McGill merchandise, and some valuable networking done, to make a success of a very windy day!
August 28 – Pub Quiz – Over 30 people supported the monthly pub quiz and helped to raise £150 for funds. Many thanks to all loyal supporters and new supporters for their belief in what the Society hopes to achieve.
August 14 – Launch of the Donald McGill Saucy Seaside Postcard Museum, and the WWI and IW Rifles displays. IW High Sheriff, Mrs Claire Locke, and members of the McGill family, opened these two displays in the Heritage Centre.
August 11 – Earlier opening – the decision was taken by HRS Trustees, to open an hour earlier, at 10am, to reach out to earlier visitors to the Arcade.
August 9 – Beachy Books Community Book Publication – Your Journey into Ryde, the book led by Philip Bell, of Beachy Books, was published. Written by Maurice Fairall, Sally-Ann Garrett, Bob White and Diana Wood. The launch will take place later in the month.
July 31 – Pub Quiz – Forty four people came out to support the monthly quiz at Yelf’s Hotel, helping to raise £199 for the funds! Thanks to all who attended, and to Yelf’s for the use of the room.
July 27 – Party on the Pier – Wightlink and Ryde Business Association invited HRS to have a stand at the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of Ryde Pier.
July 21 – 26 – Media Frenzy at Ryde District Heritage Centre! Derek, Brian, Tony and Diana interviewed by the press and television relating to the 200th anniversary of Ryde Pier.
July 13 – Antique and Collectors’ Fair – The summer Fair was held in the Masonic Hall, John Street. One of the stall-holders declared it the best ever! Another successful day.
July 12 – NPS AGM – Historic Ryde Society was invited to attend Ryde Castle Hotel and provide a display and slide show for the National Pier Society’s AGM weekend. A book signing for the new book about British piers was attended by NPS patrons Gyles Brandreth and Timothy West, who brought his wife, Prunella Scales along to the event. A gala dinner was held in the evening, which Diana attended on behalf of HRS. A lovely day!
July 3 – Pub quiz – Sadly, due to another event at Yelf’s Hotel, we had to move the monthly quiz forward a week. This meant we only had 14 quizzers, who still managed to raise nearly £80 for the coffers! Well done everyone! Your support is much appreciated.
May 29 – Pub Quiz – 53 members and friends attended the quiz night in Yelf’s Hotel, raising nearly £230 for the Society. Thanks to all for attending and boosting the coffers!
May 22 – Civic Service – The 2014 Civic Service was held in St Mary’s Church, High Street, Ryde. HRS was asked to bring along some old photographs showing tourism in Ryde through time, as the celebration was about Tourism. A talk by David Thornton, CEO of Visit Wight, gave a speech endorsing the town and encouraging the assembled company to continue with their support. New Mayor Cllr Roi Milburn was sworn in by outgoing Mayor Cllr Wayne Whittle.
May 16 – Folk Evening – Love, death and madness – songs and stories presented by Wihtwara. If you didn’t get along to this event in The Black Sheep Club Lounge, you missed a fantastic evening! The three members of recently formed band, Wihtwara enthralled the audience with their folk songs. Harpist Theresa added to the entertainment during the interval. Altogether a lovely evening.
April 24 – Pub Quiz – Nearly 40 people turned out for the April quiz, which raised over £160 for the Centre. Many thanks to all who regularly come along for a fun night out! If you fancy an evening where nobody takes themselves too seriously, this is the event for you!
April 9 – Open meeting – Another successful meeting added to the funds and entertained over 30 people, as Adrian Searle divulged fascinating information about the rise of Sophie Dawes, from squalor and anonymity in St Helens to the glamour of the 19th century French court. Prior to the meeting, HRS Chair Liz Jones proposed a toast to the memory of the late President, Gloria Minghella. A great friend and staunch supporter of the Society, Gloria’s unfailing belief in what the Society has achieved will be impossible to replace.
March 27 – Pub Quiz – 35 souls came out on a chilly night to attend the March quiz, which raised nearly £150 for the Centre. It was good to see a few new faces amongst the quizzers, and to welcome recent newcomers as burgeoning regulars! Thanks as ever to the two Tonys, who work hard throughout the year to deliver a most enjoyable evening out.
February 27 – Pub Quiz – Despite the football match, a good crowd – 26 – turned out for the monthly quiz, including five new quizzers! The event raised £111 for the Centre. Many thanks to all for coming out on a chilly evening. The event may be highlighting a couple of folk who need a hearing aid, however……Question: What is the largest carnivore in the UK? Answer: Notting Hill.
February 26 – Free House History workshop, led by Richard Smout of the Isle of Wight County Record Office. Ten enthusiastic house historians took advantage of the opportunity to learn how to research their homes. Three of these courses are held throughout the year, so look out for advertisements on the website and in the local press. Thanks to Gillian, Derek and Diana for hosting the event.
February 18 – Visit to the Heritage Centre by a group from Ryde Round Table. The group had a brief outline of the Society and the Heritage Centre. They were then given a guided tour, including the ice well, after which they very generously donated £100 to the funds. Many thanks to Tony, Derek and Diana for giving up their evening – particularly to Tony, when there was a football match in progress!
February 12 – HRS AGM – Historic Ryde Society’s fourth Annual General Meeting. More information here.
February 3 – Visit to the Heritage Centre by a group of young people from The Foyer.
January 30 – Pub Quiz – The first quiz of the year saw an excellent turn-out of 48 enthusiastic members of the public roll up for an evening’s entertainment. A couple of sneaky, dubious questions we thought, but a good evening all round. We welcomed some new visitors to the HRS quiz nights, and raised £200 for the funds. Thanks to all who came out on a chilly January evening.
January 18 – Berno Inferno’s 70s and 80s Disco Party – A small, but enthusiastic crowd braved foul weather to dance the night away at Ryde Town Club, as the first event of 2014 got under way. Many thanks to Christian, Liz and Graham for their hard work arranging this event, and Jay for manning the door! Look out for more of these discos throughout the year – they may even go back a bit further…..any 50s and 60s jivers out there?
