Marian Baldwin was the speaker at the March meeting of SI Cannock & District. Her subject was ‘Hats’ – but the talk was not what members expected!
Marian trained at a London school of Drama in the 1950’s and part of her life has been spent in the theatre. She amused and entertained with stories of her early days when, as a girl from Dorset, she was told she had to ‘do something about her accent’, though the posh debutante accent she first learned didn’t always work to her advantage!
The 5 hats she had brought came into their own as she used them as props. The first hat to be unveiled was a riding hat and she gave an amusing recitation of a poem describing a young girl’s first gymkhana event. Next came her mother’s hat from 1926 and a rendition of The Young Visitors by Daisy Ashford. She had everyone laughing with a story against herself of her hunt for a hat to wear to a wedding – the fascinator she bought was quickly dismantled and added to a straw hat to produce the hat Monica wears in the picture. This was followed by her grandmother’s best black funeral hat to which she had added a veil and she spoke words of Granny Trill and Granny Wallon from Laurie Lee’s Cider with Rosie. And the final rendition was jenny Joseph’s poem, ‘When I am old I shall wear purple’, delivered wonderfully wearing a purple cape and a red hat.
Soroptimist June Hardman gave the vote of thanks to Marian, thanking her for entertaining everyone and giving them an evening to remember. June presented Marian with a cheque, a donation which Marian told everyone would go to the Leicester Endowed Schools to provide a child talented in music or sport with the equipment the family are unable to afford. Soroptimists were pleased that again they were fulfilling their aim of Educate, Enable, Empower in this way.
Photo: l to r: Sue Gay, Team President, SI Cannock & District; Monica Baldwin; Pam McGauley, Team President, SI Cannock & District
