Committee Meeting - 29th August 2025
The Committee met at the end of August in the wake of a very hot summer, particularly the weekend of the Medieval Festival. Fortunately, attendees were undaunted by the heat, and although the numbers taking part in the guided walks had been lower, trade had been brisk which had helped to defray the cost of the exhibition tent which the Society sponsors each year as a way of supporting other non profit-making heritage organisations.
By contrast, the warm dry evenings have drawn out strong attendances at our monthly guided battlefield walks, with numbers regularly in the high twenties. These walks are key to our objectives in raising awareness of the battle and the site on which it was fought and it is encouraging to attract a mixture of local residents and visitors to the area. As our regular walks shift to a Sunday morning for the autumn, the first on 7 September will be held in conjunction with the Battlefields Trust as part of their programme of walks on notable British battlefields.
This is the time of year when our banners fly proudly throughout the town, bringing heritage to life and brightening the streets. We’ve had a couple of casualties in the high winds, but these are quickly dealt with to maintain our total of over 200 on display. Inevitably, our thoughts now turn to taking them down ready for the winter maintenance programme. We’ll be heading out with our ladders on Sunday 28 September so, if you’ve a head for (modest) heights, or are simply happy to push a shopping trolley to collect them in, we’d love to see
you. We’ll meet at the Elizabeth Wyatt House from 9.00 am, but do drop us a line so we can expect you and make sure you’ve a team to work with.
Our Queen Margaret of Anjou sculpture project has taken a big step forward, with approval from Historic England to accompany the planning permission already received from the Borough Council. That gives us the green light to start manufacture and some fundraising to cover at least part of the cost.
We’ve also progressed with our project to revive the Elizabeth Wyatt House for multi-purpose community use. There will be a public meeting on Wednesday 3 September at 7.30 pm in the building with the aim of recruiting new trustees and members of a management committee, and canvassing for organisations who would like to make regular use of the building. Hopefully, that will lead to a programme of refurbishment to provide this lovely bit of community infrastructure with a revitalized future.
We’re also taking part in the Abbey’s heritage day on 19 September, giving a potted history of the Battle at intervals throughout the day, so why not pop in, say hello, and maybe get involved...