We began our year with the celebrations of our silver anniversary of 25 years and to mark this milestone last November I, Dorothy Williams, our Programme Secretary and Webmaster, and Yvonne Hadley, our Treasurer and Newsletter Compiler, were interviewed on by Carl Chinn on his Radio WM programme. Carl has been a good friend to this society over many years, and his publically-expressed support and encouragement is invaluable to us.

The Society’s membership levels continue to hold up reasonably well, and it has been a great pleasure to me to welcome not only our much-valued regular members but also some new faces among us. We have held 8 meetings with speakers, and I thank Dorothy Williams for her hard work, in seeking out such a wide range of entertaining and informative speakers for us, both for the year that has past and the programme she is working on for next year. With all the excitement in the region over the discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard it was a great coup of Dorothy’s to get no less a person than the Staffordshire County Archaeologist to come to us, so that we could hear the story of the discovery, and the dig, from someone very closely involved from the beginning. It is most gratifying to report on an exceptionally high attendance at that meeting, and that the Society has been able to contribute a total of £100 towards the funding needed to conserve, study and display the Hoard in our region.

There was a most encouraging turnout for our evening walk along Rolfe Street: a place that to the uninformed looks run-down and uninviting, but which research shows to be replete with historical people and events. We were not many this year at the picnic in Warley Woods, which we always intend to be an opportunity to savour the lovely landscape in the soft light of a fine summer evening: considering the chancy weather this summer, we were glad that we only experienced a few chilly breezes under somewhat threatening skies, while Steve Cemm brought us up-to-date on the situation concerning the Warley Woods Community Trust.

We were also at Warley Woods at the Picnic for the Park event in July. It was a busy event, but so breezy that our display had to be laid flat on the ground as it was continually being blown over! Similar windy conditions meant that the display had to be lashed to the fencing when we took it to the summer fete held to celebrate the centenary of Abbey Road Schools. We also participated in three roadshows organised by the Heritage centre trust: St Mary’s, Bearwood; the Dorothy Parkes Centre and Old Church; Holy and Smethwick Baptist Church. The roadshows and the Picnic in the Park are very enjoyable occasions; providing an excellent opportunity for the wider public to become aware of our existence and activities, by seeing our displays, and buying our publications. In this respect I thank Sandra Tyrell in particularly for continuing her work as our Publications Officer.

As sales of our publications are now very small, thanks to the creative efforts of Sandra, Dorothy and Eric Collett, we have recently launched a new vehicle for fulfilling the principal aim of the society; which is, to bring to people’s attention the history that is all around them. This is the birthday book, or more correctly the perpetual calendar for listing birthdays, which is illustrated by Eric’s superb contemporary photographs of Smethwick, together with seasonal quotations and brief historical details.

The Committee met on 3 occasions, and we are indebted to John and Mary Mawditt and Dorothy Williams for their hospitality on those occasions. Dorothy has completely re-designed and re-launched the Society website, while maintaining it at minimal cost. The website brings a constant trickle of enquiries about Smethwick. Many of these are from people who are researching their family history, and have no idea where records relating to Smethwick can be found. We answer what questions we can, or point them in the right direction, occasionally supplying information that they might not be able to come across otherwise. It all helps to maintain a good profile both for the Society and for Smethwick.

None of this could happen, nor would you know about it, without the work of Yvonne Hadley, to whom I return thanks now. Not only does she ensure, as Treasurer, that we do not accidently bankrupt the Society, but she and I share the write-ups of our events for the newsletter, which Yvonne compiles are distributes.

The strength of this society lies in the work and commitment of its committee members, and the loyal support of the membership, for both of which I would like to express my deep apprectiation.