46 Years of Service to the Community- Lynda Smith
MRS LYNDA SMITH – A True Servant of our Town
MRS LYNDA SMITH – A true servant of our Town
At the end of
2011, Lynda Smith retired from the Captaincy of the 1st Kempston
Girls Brigade. Known to many girls and young women in Kempston and beyond, her
record of 46 years of service in the
Girls Brigade reads as follows: Helper from 1965, Officer from 1967 to 1985,
Captain from 1985 to the end of 2011, District Commissioner from 1990 to 2011,
Member of the National executive from 1990 to 2010 and Brigade Exchange Leader
(with the Danish FDF) from 1987 to 2007.
Over these years, hundreds of young girls between the ages of 5 to 18
have benefitted from her devotion to the principles of the Girls Brigade, her
Christian outlook and her belief and encouragement to all who have passed
through the local company and district.
On Saturday, 10th December, her years of voluntary service
were celebrated as a ‘This is Your G.B. Life’ was held at Kempston West Methodist
Church. Much to her surprise, Lynda walked into the Church full of former
officers, old girls, current officers and girls of the company, District and
National representatives of the Brigade, local dignitaries and friends from all
areas of her Girls Brigade and voluntary sector work during those years. Many
tributes were paid to her by past members, former officers, Brigade
representatives and friends. Many had travelled to be there and those who could
not attend sent written tributes from around the country and abroad.
Lynda has given exemplary and outstanding service to the youth and
community of Kempston through voluntary service in this and several other
organisations and groups to improve the lives of generations of young people,
to enhance the life of the older generation and to bring together diverse parts
of our society as a community.
Some of the points made in those tributes were:-
In relation to her work in Girls Brigade: ‘Lynda has
given selflessly of time and energy over a considerable period of her life in
many voluntary roles…Her initial involvement came from her attendance at
Kempston West Methodist Church and in the local Girls Brigade Company. She has built the company up over the last 46
years to be part of the community, bringing girls between the ages of 5 and 18
together to work within the community in fellowship and friendship and
retaining some girls who progressed to become officers and future leaders
within the company. She has expanded
their horizons through consistently modernising and changing the topics they
look at and learn about and has given them opportunities which would be
otherwise out of their reach in the socially deprived community in which they
live, such as learning to play instruments and participating in partially grant
funded visits to Europe. Lynda’s growth
within Girls Brigade has led to her supporting the organisation countywide,
regionally and nationally, supporting other groups of girls, officers and
companies, providing advice and development opportunities to expand knowledge
and community spirit’.
In relation to her work within Kempston West Methodist
Church: ‘Her work within this church, of which she is now Senior Steward, itself
has brought new members and widened the use of the building within the
community. Here it is not just youth
that she has supported but the full range of ages from the toddlers to those in
their nineties, from those Kempston born and bred to new community members from
the Caribbean, Africa and the Indian sub-continent. She has embraced change, encouraging community
use of church facilities to include a playgroup, the local concert band and
brass band, Alcoholics Anonymous, U3A (University of the Third Age), the local
Boys Brigade and initiating craft clubs and senior fellowships’.
In relation to her work with Kempston Charities: ‘Lynda’s
work with community groups widened when she took on the philanthropic work and
administration of the Kempston Charities.
She assisted in helping numerous organisations to broaden further
opportunities by administering the eligible grants on behalf of the trustees’.
In relation to her work at the John Bunyan Museum: ‘Lynda’s
dedication looked further afield when she spent many weekends helping to set up
the John Bunyan Museum in the neighbouring town of Bedford and initiating the
museum guides and guided tours in relation to this. In the wake of the interest created by the
postcard of Bunyan received by Terry Waite whilst he was a hostage in the
Middle East, she helped spread knowledge relating to Bunyan to visitors to the Museum
and the town by organising tours of the Museum, voluntarily giving up her
leisure hours whilst working full time and raising a family’.
Lynda also continues her voluntary work with Bedford
Soroptimists and the Open the Book organisation at Bedford Road Lower School
and is also active in organising and caring for their library there.
Lynda has given a full commitment throughout this time, and although
coming out of uniform she will be President of the 1st Kempston
Girls Brigade Company, Vice President of the District and will still stay involved
in her differing voluntary organisations.
The most fitting statement given about Lynda was of “a woman who
enhanced so many lives voluntarily and simply made a difference because of her
efforts and beliefs.”