On Wednesday 15th April we were delighted to welcome a new member to our club. Alison Allerson may be new to EGSIGB but she has been a Soroptimist for many years. Recently she left her Tamworth club and moved south to be nearer her family. To our delight although not living in East Grinstead she chose to join our club. We are sure she is going to be a very valuable member.
On Wednesday 1st April we were very pleased to welcome Richard Pike to talk to us about Nutley Windmill. Richard is a trustee of the Windmill, and showed us a photo of when he first became involved, at about the age of 6!! We are lucky to have such a fine and historic windmill on our doorstep in Ashdown Forest. The windmill is the last Open Trestle Post Mill in Sussex and one of only 5 left in the country. It is run by a group of 6 volunteers and was restored to full working order in the 1970’s. It has received a Heritage Year award , appeared in the film Chocky’s Children and on a stamp in 2017. It attracts visitors throughout the spring and summer, and many aficionados of windmills say it is one of their favourite windmills to visit. We enjoyed seeing a number of photos showing some of the renovations that have continued to be made to it over the years as things deteriorate over the year and weather, such as the Great Storm of 1987, cause severe damage. It was a fascinating talk and we hope to arrange a visit later in the year.