Past Events 2013
To read about forthcoming events, please go to the Calendar page.
December 27 – Pub quiz – nearly £100 was added to funds at the December quiz, held this month on a Friday, to avoid clashing with Boxing Day festivities. Thanks to all who attended.
December 8 – Antique and Collectors’ Fair – The Fair raised £350 for funds. Thanks to Jerry for organising the event and Theresa and her kitchen team, as well as those who manned the door.
December 7/8 – Christmas Voucher Raffle – Liz did a wonderful job of gathering over 30 vouchers for the third year of the raffle, which raised a record £252 for funds! Thanks to all volunteers who helped out.
November 28 – Another £100 was added to the funds from the proceeds of the November quiz. A close-run fight ensued, and several committee members were in the top three teams! Well done all!
November 27 – 41 Club – 18 members of the 41 Club, based in Cowes, visited the Centre for an evening tour, and a viewing of the ice well. The volunteers were then invited to join the group for supper at Yelf’s Hotel, where HRS was presented with a cheque for £50. There was also an offer of a fireman’s whip to go with the helmets and other fire brigade paraphernalia already loaned to the Centre.
November 27 – Ryde Lions coffee morning – 12 members of the Ryde Lions group came to the Heritage Centre for a coffee morning and a guided tour of the Centre. Many thanks to Peter, Sally-Ann and Molly for their hard work in organising this successful event.
November 26 – Ryde Castle meal for volunteers – 33 volunteers and partners met up at the newly refurbished Ryde Castle Hotel to enjoy an evening out. A great evening, and HRS President, Gloria Minghella’s first night out following major surgery earlier in the autumn.
November 13 – Members’ Meeting – over 50 members and friends turned out to hear Mark Luis Earp, of the Kitbridge Trust, deliver his fascinating illustrated talk of Ryde’s history over the last 200 years. Along with a successful raffle, the evening raised over £100 for the funds. Many thanks to all who came along.
November 9 – Berno Inferno’s 70s and 80s Disco Party – Went with a swing at Ryde Town Club! If you wish you’d gone, tune in to the video clip on Youtube here! More money in the pot! Thanks to all involved in the organisation.
October 31 Pub Quiz – Another successful quiz night brought in £150 for funds! Please note the next quiz night will be on November 28, and the December quiz has been moved from the Thursday evening to the Friday, December 27, to avoid Boxing Day! If you wish to get out of the house to escape the turkey, come along and join the fun!
October 13 – Mystical Mist – a treat was in store for the sell-out crowd who came along on a miserable evening to The Blacksheep Club Lounge in Ryde. Local restaurateur Anna Sacchini chose to close Michelangelo’s Restaurant for the evening, to support Ryde District Heritage Centre. She enthralled the audience with her harp and sitar playing. At times she was accompanied in song by Rosie, who also works in Michelangelo’s, and it appeared that most of the staff, and a considerable number of their regular customers, were also in attendance! Many thanks to Annie Horne, of The Blacksheep Bar, and Island Printers, for their continuing support. The event raised £300 for the funds. More information can be found here.
September 26 – Pub quiz – a bijou crowd turned out to support the September quiz, sponsored by Busy Bee, Ryde, ahead of the opening of the new all singing-all dancing store! Thanks to Busy Bee, nearly £300 was raised for funds.
September 25 – House History Workshop – Another successful evening with Richard Smout, Isle of Wight Heritage Service Manager. This is now a regular event on the Historic Ryde Society calendar. It is free, but numbers are limited, so booking is essential. All being well, two further workshops will be held in the Spring. If you would like to learn more about the various avenues open to you to discover more about the history of your home, please get in touch via the Centre on 01983 717435.
September 12, 14 and 15 – Heritage Open Days 2013 – Ryde District Heritage Centre was open free of charge over three of the four designated Heritage Open Days 2013. The fourth day was taken up with a meeting of Conservation Officers from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The days proved very popular, with 300 people taking advantage of the free entry, and nearly £100 was donated over the course of the three days. HRS is delighted the lace making ladies were able to join us once again, and they were kept very busy with questions and even gained a spontaneous round of applause for their efforts! Many thanks to all volunteers who helped keep the show on the road over a hectic few days!
September 11 – Ashey Races – Guest speaker, local historian Tony Gale, delivered a wonderful, fully illustrated talk on various racecourses around the Island, with the emphasis on Ashey. The audience was amazed to learn crowds of up to 10,000 were at some race meetings held at the beginning of the 20th century! We were delighted to meet some new HRS members for the first time, and were well supported by established Society members and volunteers.
September 4 Astronomic – The Planets – Ian’s lecture this evening was about the Planets. Another entertaining evening, a relaxing social event in familiar surroundings spread the word to an even greater audience. The two events have proved very successful and reached a different market, so well done to Lesley, Graham and Liz for the planning of the two evenings. Huge thanks also to Ian, Sheila, James and Clive. Delighted to announce we made over £250 for the funds!
September 3 – Astronomic – The Stories of the Stars – Guest speaker, Ian Ridpath, editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy and Norton’s Star Atlas, gave an entertaining talk about the stories behind several of the more well-known constellations. It was lovely to sit in the quaint surroundings of The Orrery – many thanks to James Bissell-Thomas – and listen to Ian, as the light faded and the stars in the ceiling began to twinkle, in harmony with those on the screen.
August 29 – Pub Quiz – once again the general public turned out to support the Society at the August quiz. We raised over £200 for the funds. This week, the photoboards which we have out on Ryde Esplanade have raised £60, which brings the total over the last two years to over £1100! This is a phenomenal amount, and HRS is delighted these boards are proving so popular with the public. The board at the wet end of the pier is proving the most popular so far….is there a challenge here?
July 25 – Pub Quiz – another good turnout despite the warm weather raised £164 for the funds. The quiz was won by a group of six holiday-makers who generously donated their winnings back to us. They all said what a thoroughly good evening they’d had, as did everyone, as usual. We forgot to take the bear! Angela thought it was Christmas, as the generous gents on her table ensured she went home with three raffle prizes!
July 7 – Antique and Collectors’ Fair – A steady stream of visitors visited the Masonic Hall in John Street for the summer fair. The usual bacon rolls and home-made cakes and the raffle all helped to boost the funds.
June 27 – Pub quiz – 39 brave souls ventured out on a horrible evening to attend the June quiz. A total of £170 was raised for funds. Many thanks to Yelf’s for hosting the event as usual, and to all who attended. Name the Bear raised £9 for the Ice Well Fund, and the raffle brought in £53.
June 5 – Volunteers’ Soirée 2013 – HRS Chair Liz Jones hosted a soirée in the Heritage Centre for around twenty of the Centre’s volunteers. She stressed how important they are to the group, as the Centre would not be able to function without them.
June 5 – Ryde District Heritage Centre closed for a meeting of PUSH – Partnership of Urban South Hampshire. Eleven local authority officers held their quarterly meeting in the Heritage Centre. The Centre was also honoured by a visit from Marion Brinton, English Heritage, Guildford Office.
May 30 – Mega Pub quiz – sponsored by Barclays Bank, the monthly pub quiz raised £400, which will be match-funded by Barclays. A great success, it is hoped to attract more sponsors of the quizzes in the future. Many thanks to all who rustled up extra support!
April 27 – Grand Bricazumble – HRS’ first foray into jumble sales raised over £120 for the Ice Well fund. Well done to all concerned for their strenuous efforts – especially Brian, who spent a lot of money!!!
April 25 – Pub Quiz – competing with beautiful gardening weather for the first time this year, and a European football match, was never going to be easy! A bijou group of 14 stalwarts amazingly raised nearly £75 for funds! Well done everyone! A great result! Who would have guessed the first £5 postage stamp was produced in the 19th century? You’re never too old to learn something new….
April 10 – Open Meeting – Appalling weather affected the turnout for ‘The Snark and the Magic Cube’ talk by Brian Puttock and Cathy Bowern on Wednesday evening. However, over £100 was added to the coffers through very generous donations, membership renewals, raffle and book sales. Historic Ryde Society is very grateful to Brian and Cathy, who have offered to donate 50% of all future book sales to the Heritage Centre.
March 28 – Pub Quiz – A smaller band than usual due to the Easter holiday, but the March quiz raised over £150 for funds. Many thanks to all who turned out on a bitterly cold evening. (Also, congratulations to HRS Chair Liz for being a part of the winning team!)
March 20 – House History – Another successful and enjoyable evening was held in the Heritage Centre, led by Richard Smout, Isle of Wight Heritage Service Manager. Now a firm event on the Historic Ryde Society calendar, held three times throughout the year, a decision to hold these events in slightly warmer months will be taken after the Easter holiday!
March 7 – Coffee morning – Sixteen members of Bridget’s Group came into the Centre for a private viewing and talk from HRS volunteer and committee member Derek Tomlinson. The event was the brainchild of HRS committee member Linda McArdle, who organised the morning. More details here.
February 28 – Pub Quiz – A toast was raised to HRS member and volunteer Terry Manley, whose funeral was held this afternoon, at the February pub quiz. Over £200 was raised for funds.
February 27 – House History – The importance of booking a place was made evident on Wednesday evening when two gentlemen were left wondering how to get into the Heritage Centre, having found the front gate locked….. However, another successful free workshop was held in the Centre. Many thanks to Richard Smout for his informative and entertaining leadership.
February 13 2013 – AGM – The third HRS AGM was held in Yelf’s Hotel, and brought in nearly £400 in subscriptions and raffle. Many thanks to everyone who turned out on a cold night, to HRS President Gloria Minghella, and to the committee and volunteers for their help on the night. A delightful illustrated romp around the Island postcards of Nigh’s of Shanklin by Terry Nigh, was enthusiastically received by the assembled company. Many thanks to Yelf’s for hosting the event.
January 31 2013 – Pub Quiz – Our first event of 2013 raised over £200 for funds. Thanks very much to all who turned out for the monthly quiz. A couple of entertaining answers (correct answer in brackets): Which US General had a tank named after him: Armoured. (Sherman). Tony’s sportsmen anagram round: Carl Willing – turned out to be Will Carling! Which do you think is the better of the two? Carl Willing sounds friendlier to us!
