Greetings everyone!
I know we do not normally put out a newsletter during the summer break, however there is much to update you on that could not wait until later in September.
Daventry Heritage Open Day – 12th September
For the last month we have been busy preparing an exhibition to showcase some of the fascinating discoveries we have made about the rich history of Welton. In fact, there has been so much that we have unearthed that it is hard to decide what to include!
The exhibition will be in St Martin’s Church between 10am and 4.00pm. It will be manned throughout to answer any questions visitors might have. We have designed a display, with lots of images, that aims to give visitors a real taste of the village then and now.
We will have a range of artefacts for you to see, such as the WWI Combles bell, that was retrieved from Flanders by a Welton soldier and donated to the school. We are very grateful to the staff at Welton School for agreeing to let us display this on the day. We also have an archive of Welton News and Views and a selection of Welton in the news reports going back more than a century.
It is still not too late to let us know if you have an item that you would be happy to share with us on the day, to help bring the experience alive! Please contact me or Karen O’Mahoney if you can help.
We have curated the exhibition to be as interactive as possible and have tried to cater for all age and interest levels, with a revised heritage trail for adults and a new young person’s version which encourages them to actively engage with what they see. There will even be a small prize for completed trails – for our younger visitors! Grown-ups will just have to take a personal pride in completing the trail, possibly at The White Horse!
It’s worth bringing along a small amount of cash as cakes will be available to buy, with proceeds going back into the History Group!
The free Heritage bus from Daventry will be stopping in Welton
We have prepared a publicity page for the Heritage Open Day website, including bus timetables, which you can access here. If you have friends and family outside of Welton, please encourage them to come along using the heritage buses.
In addition to the exhibition in the church, we are also delighted to be able to confirm that we will be hosting an exhibition of the art of Eric Fleming in the Village Hall. Eric was a prolific amateur artist and his many paintings of Welton, mostly from memory, provide a delightful perspective on the village in days gone by.
And in other History Group news ……
Wolfhampcote walk
I have been in touch with Mike Tebbitt, our leader for the Wolhampcote that was cancelled earlier this year. Regrettably Mike remains unable to lead the walk at present. I am sure you will join me in wishing him a smooth recovery. I am looking into alternative possibilities and will advise you of a revised date as soon as possible.
Programme of talks – 2026-27
Our next season of talks begins on Monday September 28th at 7.30pm in the Village Hall when we will be joined by Susan Watkins who will be taking us on a virtual tour of Daventry, exploring its long and rich history, how this is still reflected in the town we see today and some of the colourful characters associated with the town.
I do hope you will join us. Entry remains £5pp on the door, payable by card or cash. We will continue to provide refreshments or, if you prefer, please feel free to bring your own bottle! You can see the full programme for next year here.
Welton History Group website
Our website continues to go from strength to strength and is rapidly becoming the core of our communications. If you have visited us before, thank you – but please do take a look at the site from time to time, as we are constantly updating and adding new information – as well as adjusting the way information is presented to make it easier for you to use. A reminder that the address is weltonhistorygroup.co.uk.
For those of you who like stats, we’ve had over 1100 visits and 4100 page views since it launched earlier this year.
We also have 77 subscribers but we want more!
So anyone who subscribes to the website between today and 31st October goes into a prize draw for a £10 M&S voucher. If you are receiving this newsletter to your email you are already signed up – but please encourage others to do so, to help the History Group grow.
Terms and conditions of the prize draw can be found here.
And finally: your History group needs YOU!
We would really love to get more members of the village active in shaping the History Group moving forward. We are only a very small group of five which can limit the extent to which we can bring the history of Welton alive to all.
We would value fresh input, ideas and support in developing our current projects as well as developing new initiatives. So, whether it is fund raising, research, helping out at events, developing the annual programme or any other ideas you might have, we need YOU! You can do as little or as much as works for you – no pressure!
Please email us at weltonhistorygroup@outlook.com or talk to any of us either at the Heritage Day event or a Monday evening meeting. We’d love to welcome you on board.
I hope to see as many of you as possible on 12th September in St Martin’s Church and the Village Hall. If you cannot pop by yourself, please do spread the word!
Kind regards
Suzanne Edwards
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