14 WOODBURY WOMEN’S INSTITUTE What a lovely trip down Memory Lane we had on 13 February when Woodbury Women’s Institute celebrated its 100th birthday with members, former members and guests. The interest our village takes in its history meant we were able to see projected images of our Institute in previous years. In addition, a number of minute books and annual scrapbooks were on display and we were soon hearing comments – ‘Oh, there’s my mother/aunt/Mrs So-and-so’, ‘I enjoyed making that’, ‘That was a good trip’ and plenty of ‘Do you remember .....?’ After reminding us of a few more key points in our history, Sue Bury (repeating the toast given at our 50th anniversary) asked us to raise our glasses and drink a toast to the next 50 years.
As we tucked into the birthday cake, we were treated to an excellent presentation on the History of the Music Halls. This was brought to us ‘For one night only and at great expense’ by Chris Woodward, who kept us entertained with stories of the artistes and their acts. From the covered yards of drinking houses to the London Palladium, from a dwarf equestrian impersonator to the Tiller Girls of 1958, we shared the atmosphere created by the audience participation that was an essential part of the music halls. So, we joined in the choruses and studied the ladies’ hats. It was judged that Jenny Chapman’s competition entry (in shades of blue) would have been the most admired all those years ago.