Seasons Greetings 2025
Dear Friends of The Aveland History Group and Aveland Archive
As the year draws to its close and we all look forward to seeing the sunshine in Spring, there is still the midwinter festival period to enjoy, as our ancestors in this area have done for millennia.
Whilst many will be celebrating with family and friends, spare a thought for those who have a solitary Christmas ahead of them. We have had an opportunity this year to work with two local charities, Don’t Lose Hope and Bourne Foodbank, offering free places on the handicraft workshops we organised in the first part of 2025, building momentum for the Worth 200 Bicentennial Festival in Bourne. If you have any spare food, I am sure that the Foodbank will be happy to have contributions and DLH do a huge amount to help people who may need an extra helping hand, so please consider sharing the joy with them if you have anything to spare.
The Aveland History Group extended ourselves in new and exciting ways this year, commemorating the bicentenary of the birth of the Bourne lad who became known in the world of fashion as the Father of Haute Couture, Charles Frederick Worth. As well as an extensive series of crafting workshops, with a grant from Bourne Town Council, we worked with local artists to deliver three major legacy artworks. There are now two mosaics made by Cecca Jay and the local community on display in Wake House; they also have custody of the magnificent silhouettes, the brainchild of Lucie Lawson and Ben Connell, which will be on view again around town in September, and we have our fabulous wicker Victorian lady created by Nicola McLean gracing the gardens of The Red Hall. With the help of the Len Pick Trust, we held two days of free lectures by celebrated academics, enthusiasts and authors, to bring the life, times and enduring legacy of Worth to vivid life. For the October Festival we worked with Lincoln University students and alumni to showcase their creations, made to exacting haute couture standards. The weekend, held in the fabulous Red Hall courtesy of Bourne United Charities, was augmented by performances by Stamford Shoestring Theatre and Grantham Danserye, Bourne Old Town Hall held a poetry slam, and a variety of local groups provided a series of marvellous “have a go” crafts. We are also indebted to Ken Wainwright and Rippingale Station for a display of ticket office memorabilia reminding us all of the times when the beautiful Jacobean Hall served as the railway station of Bourne.
The Aveland Archive has not been static either, and we have had some lovely feedback from visitors who have stumbled across us as they search for ancestors. It is fair to say that we have much more work to do. It was never the intention that the Archive stood still, and there is plenty of content ready to be uploaded. If you find yourself with some time to spare and would like to get involved creating posts to be displayed to the world, please get in touch!
The Aveland History Group will be having a quieter time next year, with no plans for a major event, though the planning for 2027 will be in progress. However, we are already looking at ways to support other local groups in their history endeavours and running some pop-up or one-off events from Spring onwards. And if there is some burning topic that you would like us to highlight, maybe by visits or talks, please let us know and we will look at whether we can deliver something meaningful for you!
We want to thank each of you for supporting us in our endeavours to bring our local history to life, exploring the ways our area has played its part in the world. Primarily at this time of year, we wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year!