When Rose Gerring died, aged 89, the Archive was given a box full of all sorts of things that were in her house. This photograph was taken in Corn Street, Witney and the people are celebrating a special occasion

Jack and Godfrey Horne in fancy dress in 1924.Godfrey Horne was killed in action in France. He was in one of the Guards regiments in WWII

Elsie Portlock and others in fancy dress.

Dawn and Tina Mansfield in fancy dress having just passed the Elephant and Castle Inn. Note pre-decimalisation prices of the ice cream. 1d was 1 penny and 240 pennies made £1.

This is a newspaper article from the Oxford Times June 10th 1960 which talks about the fete held at Weald Manor by kind permission of Mrs A.M. Colvile and her son Major R.A. Colvile. It was to raise funds for the renewal of part of the floor inside Saint Mary The Virgin Church, specifically the parquet flooring across the front of the aisles by the pulpit and lectern.
It was Whit Monday, the day of Morris Dancing in Bampton (until the government stopped Whit Monday being a Bank Holiday and fixed it at the last Monday in May with may or not be Whit Monday) and the dancers called at the Fete.

The procession including the May Queen, Tina Sarahs and her attendants turning into Church View in 1965

The activities were organised by the local drama student Peter Phillips from the Italia Conti School and two of his friends from the London College.

Left to right are Luella Keeble and Candy Westman with Peter. 1973
Two professional theatre workers helped Peter, they were Adam Wright and Nicola Standerwick to help the children with stage make-up and costumes as well as acting, movement and singing.

WOAA got underway with its first exhibitions in the spring of 1973.
Music, drama and dance, film and photography, literature and art were all represented by different panels with its centre in the Gallery of the Town Hall. The panels would meet in various villages and organise exhibitions, lectures, films and live performances involving both amateur and professional talent.

Work by Michael Brockway, a skilled watercolourist were on show along with
Claerwen Holland, using a fusion of drawing with water colour
Ann Hinds, landscapes
John Birkhead, landscapes and chairman of WOAA
Margaret Ralston, (John's wife) exotically decorative panels of Eastern subjects
G.K. Horner, architectural studies
Anthony Bayes, richly coloured work

The WOAA literary pane organised several workshop in June and July 1973. They included:-

A drama workshop June 6th at Weald Manor for adults and older children under the guidance of David Thomas with a performance in the evening.

A Children's newspaper and television workshop week commencing July 26th organised by Brian Winston. Aimed in particular at children from ages 8 to 15.

WEA literature course - 10 lectures by Roy Kennedy on C18th literature. This took place in the autumn.

Susan Phillips was the secretary of the literary panel.

This page gives an outline of when and how the West Oxfordshire Arts Association was formed and how it was to be run initially at least.
Saturday May 26th 1973 was the first day of the first exhibition in the Gallery, the upstairs room in the Town Hall