Society Activities
The FoundationThis Society was founded in 1984 by a small group
of enthusiasts. Since then it has grown in stature and now has around
170 members, many of whom are local, but there are some from various part
of the country and, indeed, the world. Since the Society came
into existence, interest in local history has also grown considerably and
we hope this web site will enable us to reach out even further.
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MembershipMembership costs £6 per person or £11
for two people at the same address. Children under 16 may join for
half price.
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ActivitiesThe Society's principal aim has always been to drawn
people's attention to the history that is all around them.
We hold two meetings each month (on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays - but please
consult the Programme for precise dates and
venues). Meetings are held at:
The
Bearwood Baptist Church
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Above: Annual Picnic, August 2002ProgrammeOur programme includes
speakers drawn from both the membership and outside, visits to sites of
historical interest, and guided walks. There are also social events
such as an annual dinner, a picnic and a Christmas social evening.
Anyone (whether a member or not) may attend
meetings on payment of £1 per event cover charge. A synopsis
of each lecture will appears in the Quarterly Newsletter which is sent
to all members
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Above: Walk around SmethwickPublicationsFrom the Society's earliest days, we appreciated
that much of our history was handed down by word of mouth. We therefore
interviewed and recorded some of our older inhabitants' memories of Smethwick,
and these reminiscences have produced many fascinating anecdotes.
Indeed, our very first publication was a collection of these memories which
would otherwise have been lost forever. Since then, we have produced
many other publications at various prices (see Publications
List).
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Researchers GroupThis dedicated Group meets usually on the 4th Wednesday
of each month (but meetings are usually announced ad hoc). Its work
has provided the basis for many of our publications and has greatly increased
our overall knowledge of the area. Its work is on-going, but it has undertaken
such projects as:
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Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee
The Society wanted to mark the historic occasion of the Queen's Golden
Jubilee in 2002 with some kind of lasting monument, and the idea of donating
trees was hit upon.
Following an appeal, the Society raised enough money to plant five well-grown oak trees. The sites for the trees were carefully chosen and on the morning of 27th November a stalwart group of members went along to witness the historic moment when the trees were planted with the assistance of Sandwell MBC Leisure Direct. Eventually a blue plaque will be placed in a suitable location in the park. |
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