At this time in any year people are battening down the hatches determined to get through the next couple of months. The days are long and gloomy and darkness seems to go on for ever. Christmas scarves and woolly hats abound. This winter has been particularly very wet and windy. It hasn’t been really cold however and large thrusts of snowdrops can be seen in gardens vying with bewildered roses that are still flowering. Even the birds are puzzled. One North-East Council is unable to take its rather battered Christmas tree down because a black-bird has built a nest and already laid some eggs.
As the mornings are lightening imperceptibly and day-light is lasting a little longer in the evenings Bensham Grove is full of new energy. The groups and classes have returned from their Christmas break filling the house yet again to capacity. It has always seemed both to members and learners that they were meeting in rooms that really belonged to a long distant past. Although things had got sadly shabby over the years the newly restored rooms are now enhancing that feeling of being in a cosy family home. The Settlement people who took over from the Spence Watson family relied wholly on donations to keep thing going and were so intent on their social do-goodings that there was never any money left over to pull out old fashioned fire-places and stained glass. Practically every day we heave a collective sigh of relief and thanks for this.
As you may imagine if you have read the previous Chronicles the groups are particularly busy. It is the peculiarity of Bensham Grove that two things go on here. A visitor from outside is always bemused and bewildered by the intricacies and differences between the groups and the classes.
The classes are professionally run by the Learning and Skills arm of Gateshead Council. The groups are a law unto themselves and answer to no-one. They are run by volunteers and have their own Constitutions. They are also the hands that steer the Centre. They sit on the Management Committee and any other committees that come under the same umbrella (See previous blogs about the dangers of spawning!)
Recently two of these groups have been particularly busy, the Fund-raising Group and the Events Group. The fund-raisers are breathing a sigh of relief as the rather complicated form to obtain money for the gardener’s plans has finally been finished and sent off. A decision is to be made in 6 weeks and we hope that such puzzling terms as ‘bosh grass/edge trimmer’,’ fiskars weeder x2’, and ‘cold frame materials from b+q (?) £150 ft traditional wooden’, don’t confuse the funders too much. If we succeed in our quest for the gardeners, their work will definitely appear in future Chronicles.
Since we received the Lottery money it has been bourn upon us that we must tackle things more efficiently hence the meetings to forward plan all the events for the coming year. It has been a good exercise for us and ideas and laughter and of course the obligatory cups of tea have echoed around the library.
The 1st of March is the deadline for entries into our Dragonfly competition. If any of you creative people would like to enter please look at our web-site.
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| A previous International Women's Day |
International Women’s Day will be celebrated on 10th March. We do it every year in some form or another. This time it will consist of pampering, crafts and activities and of course one of Bensham Grove’s famous buffets. We are renown for them but sometimes things can go a little awry. Take our Faith Suppers for instance. The meaning is lost in the mists of time and may have originated in a religious gathering but these days it is just a supper that is served at some of our events such as Christmas parties and social events. The idea is good in theory when everyone attending brings a contribution to the meal and it used to work well in the days when women had time to bake tasty pies and cakes. Nowadays things have changed somewhat and we are quite likely to receive half of the offerings in sausage rolls and the other in cheese scones.
This is when the catering group panic and Chris and Dorothy return from shopping with a guilty air and every kind of meats, cheeses, salads and cream cakes. We are always frightened that we will not have enough food and end up with far too much. Not that anyone is complaining, the groups and classes have very interesting tea-breaks for the next few days. This particular volunteer however often wonders how the same bottles of very dodgy wine, donated by people who obviously have the same opinion of the said bottles, make an unopened and dusty appearance time after time!!!
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| Preparing another feast in the kitchen |
Easter will see an event for children with and Easter-egg trail and the makings of the ‘Bensham Bunny’.
May History Month is when we host a 1940’s Tea- Dance. Plans for a dance band of that era, clothes and a make-over if desired are on the cards. We hope to provide the feel of those brilliant Village Hall Tea-Dances where the floor was smoothed for dancing with talcum powder or soap flakes (not sure what health and safety would make of that these days) and where every one just enjoys a good dance with lots of tea to fuel the energy before returning home to beat the black-out. Looking forward to this!!
A Garden Party will be held on 5th July in the main house and garden. If any of you out there are interested in cake baking or jam and preserve making there will be a competition held. Watch out for more details.
October will bring an early evening of ‘freaky face painting’, ‘creepy crafts’, and ghostly shadow puppets with ‘scary story telling’, and this is just for the children! The adults may well be wondering what our resident ghosts will think of all this.
OK I can hear all you sceptics out there saying everything has an explanation and on the whole I agree. Robert Spence Watson looks down benignly from his portrait in the hall and is very unlikely to be accused of hurting a fly but just around the corner is the severe-looking painting of Elizabeth his wife which has often evinced comments of having ‘eyes which follow one around the room’. It’s true that lots of old houses have these portraits and various creaks and groans from the attics can be explained by the settling of old timbers. Even strong smells of tobacco and perfume can be accounted for.
What, however, about articles that jump across the room for no apparent reason and the very scary experience of our Chair who had her newly acquired hearing aid wrenched from her ear and thrown across the room?? Can you really explain these away?
Nicola our Activities Officer has named our Halloween party ‘Creep Night’! It appears to be very fitting.
For all our events please consult the website or telephone us and when necessary book as soon as possible.
UNTIL MARCH!
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