Profile Angela Mead

Profile

Angela Mead

Angela Cooper’s parents Harold and Alice (nee Waldock) lived at no. 14 Rose Lane and they already had a seven year old daughter Pauline when Angela was born in Royston Hospital. Harold worked all his life at the Atlas Asbestos Cement Company (Eternit) and mother did cleaning for Mary Elbourn and Gladys Harrup.

Father was born in Melbourn and her mother in Meldreth so there were always lots of cousins and aunts around during her growing up. Her grandparents at one time kept The Dumb Flea public house in Chiswick End. Angela went to the Primary School in Mortlock Street where Tom Smith was the headmaster and then on to Melbourn Village College where her favourite classes were cooking, and also sewing under the tutorship of Daphne Hagger. She was a very keen Brownie and the pack met in the hall which stood where the school carpark is now located, Diana Boote was the Brown Owl. She attended the Sunday School at the URC in Orchard Road and even taught there for a while.

When she left school she went to work at Farmers Fertilizers in Royston doing secretarial work for John Keatley and his father, travelling in by bus. By then she had already been going out with Roger Mead for a couple of years – they met in 1964 at Melbourn Feast when she was only 14. Angela asked Douglas Gatward (who was married to her cousin Rosemary) to take her on the dodgem cars but he told his young apprentice to take her instead. Douglas worked at Gates of Baldock mending tractors. Roger had been born in Royston, but his mother was at Meldreth Primary School with Angela’s mother so the families were already well known to each other.

Roger was three years older than Angela and as soon as she was 17 he taught her to drive, in a little mini. When they had got engaged and had fixed the wedding date for September 1970, it was decided that they should build a bungalow in the garden of no. 14. The couple started work on their new home in the January, with Mervin Thurley doing the brickwork and Charles Brooks doing the carpentry – Angela and Roger did the labouring. And the house was ready for them to move into when they returned from their honeymoon in Blackpool.

Louise was born in 1975 and Angela left work at Farmers Fertilizers and became a full time mother, two years later Sarah was born. The two girls now live next door to each other in Armingford Crescent, with five children between them. When Louise was seven and started Brownies, Angela went to help out and eventually became Tawny Owl and then Brown Owl – she did a total service of 23 years! For every 10 years of service the Guiding Association give a service award called the ‘Get Knotted Badge’ and Angela is the proud possessor of two of them - she retired from the Brownies in December 2006.

She remembers saying to a young Brownie once ‘Don’t you ever stop talking’ to which the small girl replied ‘Yes, when I am asleep!’ On another occasion she showed them the photograph of herself as a Brownie and one child asked why the photograph was in Black and White. Another Brownie quickly said ‘That’s because it was in the olden days!’ Nothing like children to bring you down to earth with a bang. Brownies are considered to be too young to camp under canvas but Angela led the Brownie packs on several Pack holidays to a ‘pack house’ at Norton Bury near Letchworth. The Brownies always ran the tombola stall at the URC Bazaar and took part in the village fetes and the Remembrance Day Parades.

One activity which was very popular was the Penny Hike. This was quite new to me but Angela explained that they set off from the church gates and at each corner they tossed a coin – heads for right, tails for left – and thus they would zigzag all over the village. She tried to teach them cooking and sewing, on one occasion icing a Christmas cake they got into such a state that it took Angela hours to clean up the sticky mess. After Angela’s father retired from the Atlas he developed a very severe back problem which could not be treated at Addenbrookes so he was eventually moved to a special spinal unit in Sheffield. This was extremely hard on the family as they could only visit at weekends and they trailed backwards and forwards regularly until he died in

the hospital there. At that point Mrs. Cooper decided to build another bungalow on the remainder of the garden and she moved in to no 14a, selling no. 14 to Lawrence Crow. No. 14 was the house where famously in 1945 a Mustang crashed in the garden. Had the weather not been so bad Pauline would have been in the garden in her pram and would surely have been killed.

Meanwhile Roger was still working at Gates, but when they closed down he moved to Eastern Counties Farmers in Haslingfield, occasionally driving a tanker as he had an HGV license. When they in turn folded, he became a tanker driver for Shelford Energy until he had a very nasty accident and was offered a job in the office.

They share a love of bowling being enthusiastic members of Meldreth Bowls Club but Angela also plays carpet bowls at Shepreth and Roger plays indoor bowls at Brooklands Avenue. They play several times a week and go on bowling holidays – this year they are going with the Bowls Club to Portugal – they actually fly out on Angela’s 60th birthday. It is a big year as they also celebrate their Ruby wedding in September.

They have had lots of holidays abroad, including a memorable one with the girls at Disneyland, and regularly take their grandchildren to stay in a caravan at West Runton. She belongs to the retired Guiders association called the Trefoil Guild and they meet once a month for various activities such as flower arranging, ten pin bowling or archery.

Angela enjoys flower arranging and, like me, was a keen member of Royston Flower Club until it closed, she also did evening classes with Venetia Wedd and is on the church flower rota. We all know her reputation as a very good cook, and with her own grandchildren and her sister’s ten grandchildren, there is always a birthday cake to be made and she has cake formers for all the numbers. When I arrived she had a nice tray of coffee, biscuits and cake waiting for me – and the cake was delicious, she said it was a favourite recipe called Runny Honey Cherry Cake. She recited the recipe to me off by heart:8oz Self Raising flour in a bowl and rub in 4 oz margarine. Add 4oz caster sugar and 4 oz cherries. (or 4oz mixture of dried fruit & cherries)

Place a tablespoon of runny honey in a mug, break in two eggs and fill the mug with milk. Give it a bit of a stir and then add to the dry mixture. Put into a tin and bake at 160 degrees for 1 ¼ hours. Angela likes to use the preformed baking parchment tin liners to make life easier. Cool slightly before turning out. Then ENJOY.

Sadly in 1994 Angela contracted viral encephalitis and was severely ill in hospital for a month. The illness has left her with a short term memory loss which is inconvenient, but does not stop her from being a sunny personality.

I envy Angela her solid roots in the village, her children both live in Melbourn and her sister’s children all live in Melbourn except for one and she is surrounded by family. She has lived all her life within the same plot on Rose Lane and I think she is a very happy lady. Mavis Howard

SOAS

(Supporters of All Saints’ Melbourn)

What is SOAS

SOAS is a nondenominational charity and aims to enlist the support of the Melbourn Community to preserve the village character and heritage. Funds raised by SOAS through membership contributions and cultural events are spent on the upkeep of All Saints’ Church building. Membership subscriptions are discretionary with a minimum of £3 per person or £5 per family per year. Application and/or Banker’s order forms can be obtained by telephoning Shaun Coles on 260327.

SOAS (Supporters of All Saints)

In each issue of the Melbourn Magazine we have shown on the SOAS thermometer the total amount of money which has been raised for the maintenance of All Saints’ Church. Since SOAS was formed in 1996 the PCC have made only relatively modest requests for monies for repair and restoration work, which allowed the funds to accumulate. However, a recent inspection of the church revealed that a massive amount of vital restoration work needed to be carried out and SOAS has been proud to be able to give the PCC a cheque for £23,000 which has covered necessary weatherproofing of the roof.

Our income comes from membership and donations, money raised by social events, the proceeds of our 100 Club and from the organisers of Coffee Stop.

All Saints has stood proudly at the centre of the village since the 1200’s. Alterations took place in the 1600’s and the 1800’s but the basic building is 800 years old. Of the three flourishing churches in Melbourn, it is by far the oldest and most vulnerable. If we wish to preserve this iconic building in the centre of our village, whatever our beliefs, the solution is in our hands.

SOAS intends to help in preserving it for the future people of Melbourn

SOAS 100 Club

The February draw was made by Rev Andrew O’Brien on 1st March. There were 76 members. First prize of £25.40 goes to Mrs PR Mitchell (25) of 3 Meadow Way and the second of £12.70 to Mrs M Brooksbank (18) of 66 Medcalfe Way.

The March draw of the SOAS 100 Club was made by Rev Andrew O’Brien on 29th March. There were 76 members. First prize of £25.40 goes to Mr Luff (45) at 13 Orchard Gate and the second of £12.70 goes to Anita Symmonds (72) at 28 Hale Close.

The April draw of the SOAS 100 Club was made by Rev Andrew O’Brien on 30th April. There were 76 members. First prize of £25.40 goes to Janet Batchelor (29) at 14 Elm Way and the second of £12.70 goes to George Howard (9) WHO !!! at 23 Station Road.