Sawston Village History Society

This is my twentieth annual report, and it will show the Society continues to flourish. The committee hope the new programme will meet with your approval. As ever, suggestions for speakers are always welcome. We welcomed Pam Moss to the Committee and she kindly agreed to be the card monitor.

The 2024 AGM followed the previous pattern and occupied a very brief slot in which all the necessary actions were taken. Attendance at meetings this year was extremely stable only varying from 30-35. We enjoyed a number of talks on local topic, such as the Railways of East Anglia and the Treasures of Ramsay Abbey. Topics of a broader nature included the History of Eton College, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the British Antarctic Survey, the history of Viral Vaccines, the Cockerells, father and son, Richenda Morrow Tait, Medicine and Surgery in the Roman Empire and the Flight into Egypt in painting. The majority of our speakers were either members or friends of members and we are grateful to them all. We also enjoyed a very informative visit to Churchill College.

Our web site has been kept up to date by Anita and Adrian to whom we are very grateful. A number of enquiries continue to come to the Society through the website.

The Challis Archive and Museum opened three exhibitions, one about Sporting Sawston, one about the story behind the Sawston Scene and one focused on the life and legacy of Mary Challis, born in 1925 and several society members have helped with stewarding. The archive is normally open on Tuesdays from 10.00 to 12.00 for visitors and to receive donations.

We have agreed to join with CALH in sponsoring their annual conference on 11 April 2026, which will be held in Sawston. More details will follow later.

We were saddened by the loss of Ivan Start and Jean Osborne, both founding members of the society and long-standing Sawston residents. We sent our condolences to Ivan's family and to Alan and his family and made donations in their memory.

I am very grateful Rob, our treasurer, for all his hard work and careful nurturing of our finances and to Tim as minutes secretary and to all members of the committee for their contribution to running the society. I should further thank Rob who chaired a meeting when I was otherwise engaged and who has looked after the raffle along with Mary, Barry who arrives early with Doreen to put up the necessary equipment and Neil who has deputised for him and all those who have helped with refreshments.

The Committee met recently and reviewed the accounts. We have been very fortunate in that so many speakers only ask for token donations, but speakers from organisations often have a set fee and this can be as much as £100. Our CBS account also stipulates that we must keep £1000 in the account. As a result, it is likely that in 2026 subscriptions will need to go up to £12 per member, in order that we can continue to provide an attractive programme.

I hope we have another successful year ahead of us.

Mary Dicken
Chairman