SULGRAVE HISTORY SOCIETY
ANNUAL REPORT
1st OCTOBER 2004 – 30th SEPTEMBER 2005
Over the past year the activities of the Society have been channelled into the completion of Stage 1 of the Oral History Project; the formal handing over of the administration of the Manor Field – now known as Castle Green – to the Parish Council and the support of the Sulgrave Castle Archaeology Group.
The formal ending of Phase 1 of the Oral History Project took place in June with the Local Heritage Initiative sending the final amount of £523.32. I propose to relate two ‘end of project reports’ the first written by Clare Pollak, the second by me.
We are still actively involved in bringing all the material together for presentation to each interviewee and for formal lodging with the County Record Office.
In the meantime we need to seriously consider exactly how Phase 2 of the Project is to be tackled. We have a truly wonderful bank of material. Memories, tales, stories, events and characters have all been revived, telling of life in Sulgrave in times gone by. How best to present this will very much depend on the involvement of people in the village with the specific skills, time and willingness to commit themselves.
We could produce topic booklets on specific subjects, a complete book like ‘Chronicles of Sulgrave’ or we could go into audio-visual CD-Roms with an interaction of voices, pictures and sound. The modern technology gives us almost an endless variety of possibilities! However, it will be totally governed by villagers coming forward to join the production team. We are now a small band and to do justice to the project we must have further involvement from villagers with the skills in these specific fields.
So if you have such skills or know of villagers who have then please come forward or get them to contact us. Which ever way, let us know, so we can discuss all the possibilities available. The ultimate success of Phase 2 depends entirely on NEW people coming forward.
Manor Field Action Group
At a Joint Meeting of the Society’s Manor Field Action Group and the Sulgrave Parish Council Castle Green Management Committee on the 17th January 2005 the field was formally handed over to the latter. Thus ended a highly successful project involving the History Society, the village and its representatives, the Parish Council. The speed at which the whole project was got off the ground as it were, awareness aroused, support given and money raised has meant a most valuable and unique facility has been saved for the village.
A survey canvassing people’s views on the future use of the Field has been conducted and a petition has been started to be able to register the Field as a village green. The new Management Committee, on which a number of your Committee serve will be looking into raising funds to repair the walls and fences, provide better access and to erect information boards explaining the whole Castle Green site. The third Celebration Field Day took place in early September and was highly successful in bringing together a great cross-section of ages, interests and support from the whole village.
The History Society can be proud that it was through its instigation, leadership and continued support that the village now owns such an important historical site.
Martin Sirot-Smith, Chairman