Roadshows

Roadshows planned (April 2008)

• Monmouth Roadshow – in association with Monmouth Women’s Festival – March 6th 2008 at The Priory Monmouth – opened at 10am 1pm by Prof. Deidre Beddoe
• Dolgellau Roadshow at Ty Siamas on 18th March 2008- opened by Catrin Stevens at 3pm – 6pm
• Swansea Roadshow at The National Waterfront Museum on April 19th 2008 to be opened at 12noon – 4pm
• Newport Roadshow at Newport Museum, Friday May 16th 11am-2pm
• Caernarfon Roadshow at Gwynedd Record Office, Saturday June 28th 11am – 3pm
• Blaenavon,Workingmens Hall, July 24th  3-7pm
• August 08 - NO ROADSHOWS
• Haverfordwest, Public Library, Sept. 13, Time TBC.
• Aberystwyth, Canolfan Y Morlan, Oct. 11th, 2-5pm NB: This is in connection with our Annual Conference and AGM                       
• Llandrindod Wells, Radnorshire Museum, Nov.1st, 10.30 – 1pm
• Carmarthen, St Peter’s Hall, Nov 29th, time TBC.
• December 08 - NO ROADSHOWS
• Flintshire,Jan. 09, venue TBC
• Pontypridd  Museum, Feb.28th, 11-2pm
• Wrexham, Museum and Record Office, March 28th,12-3.30pm
• Anglesey, April 25th       
• Merthyr Tydfil, Cyfarthfa Castle Museum, June 13th                
  

What are Wales Women’s History Roadshows?

The Roadshows will be based on the popular model of the Antiques Roadshow and the public will be invited to bring memorabilia which tell us about the lives of women in Wales. As well as one-to-one discussions about the historical (as opposed to monetary) value of family or organisational records, each roadshow will also include talks and exhibitions, advice on conservation, and on safeguarding material for posterity.

What kinds of material do we hope to see? At pilot roadshows (see Events page on this website) we have been surprised at the number of textile objects brought by visitors. In addition we hope to see photographs, albums, scrap-books, personal diaries, letters, organisational minutes and other records – items of personal, family or community history relating to women. These are the kinds of materials which, in its decade of activities, the AMC/WAW has succeeded in identifying, and in many cases, placed in safe-keeping for the future, in record offices and the National Library of Wales.

Get involved!

We hope that members throughout Wales will take the opportunity to become involved in the organisation and running of the events. Keep an eye on the website to see when and where the Roadshows are happening, and do get in touch if you are able to help.

Project Team
Sue Hamill (Development Worker)
Justine Hankins (Field Worker)
Rhiannon Gomer (Field Worker)

Wales Women’s Roadshow Project
AMC / WAW
Coastline House
50,Corporation Road
Loughor
Swansea
SA4 6SD

Phone/fax - 01792 229221

Rhiannon Gomer, Sue Hamill & Justine Hankins

Roadshow on the Road to Success.

Well, we are now 5 Roadshows down and another dozen to go and judging by the response we’re in for a very, very busy time.  The Launch, and first Roadshow, took place on the 29th January at  the Senedd and was officially launched by Jane Hutt AM. We had so many people attending that I failed to get a definitive number but I think around 120 people  came along - including the mother of Jeff Cuthbert AM who brought along papers and photographs from her aunt, Annie Hambley about her time in the Independent Labour Party and lots of photos of the women working  in the soup kitchens

Many deposits were made and an exhausting but exhilarating time was had by all and we were inundated with press at TV types!

The next event was Llanelli on 29th February and again the people came en masse – 130 visitors including 50 school children . There were a number of super finds at this show-  photographs, letters and the complete uniform of Gertrude Rosewarne WW1 nurse

– her family drove from Tregroes in Cardigan to bring the deposit along. We were all, as you can imagine, enormously excited. One of my favourite finds were the photographs and medals of my newest heroine, Marjorie Edmunds of Llanelli, who was one of the first WAAFs to be trained as an aircraft engineer; she told us of her time ‘running up the engines’ ready for the Australian pilots !  I think ‘running up’ translates and ‘warming up and trying them on the runway’!  Marjorie is so typical of the sort of woman whose history we could all too easily lose if we were not running these roadshows and promoting them at every opportunity.

Back on the road to Monmouth Priory. This was a smaller but equally successful event with around 25 visitors and a further 25 present at the Priory.  The Show was opened by Anna Tribe a ‘many times’ granddaughter of Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton.

Anna Tribe and Deidre Beddoe swap stories at Monmouth Roadshow/Anna Tribe a Deirdre Beddoe yn rhannu profiad as Sioe ar Daith Trefynwy.

Girls dressed for folk dancing at Monmouth School for girls c1925.

The star of this show had to be a collection of personal effects from the, much forgotten, adopted sister of Ivor Novello, Marie, who herself was a celebrated and recorded pianist.

 Her collection is fascinating ranging from stage clothes, to photos, programmes, postcards and letters and even a signed photo from Enrico Caruso.

Review of Marie Novello Concert in Chicago – The Music Courier 1923.

We then pointed our cars north and headed off for our first truly Sioe ar Daith in Tŷ Siamas, Dolgellau during March. Again a good number, over forty, came along and brought us a range of different items to see. Amongst my favourites were the photos of Elen Thomas about her time at Greenham. These photos are very domestic and show a ‘homely’ side to the camp. We also saw fascinating photos and school reports from Dr Williams’ School, Dolgellau fod boarding and day girls.  We were able to record very vivid audio descriptions of what it was like to attend this fee-paying school on a scholarship, from a social and class perspective. We were furnished with a copy of the detailed list of clothing which had to be purchased to attend the school – all strictly to be bought from Messers. Daniel Neal and Sons Ltd of Kensington.  One visitor told us how, despite her father having died, her mother insisted on having school reports and correspondence addressed to them both – out of decency !

We were also shown a series o advertisements from the period immediately following the close of the Second World War, and it’s clear that self-medication was prevalent before the establishment of the NHS, for everything from depression to constipation, and that women’s nerves were often blamed for such conditions.

The final roadshow in this leg of the journey was back in the south at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. The public were ‘warmed-up’ for this event by Jen Wilson and Women in Jazz, who certainly made the place swing ! The show was organised to coincide with the presentation of the Anti-Suffrage Doll that our own tireless Paulette Pelosi ruthlessly tracked down.  Again this was a different event – over 514 people visited the Museum that day and I guess about 40 plus came specifically to see us. Although we did not have a huge amount of people attending, we certainly saw items of quality and that is the watchword for this event. We saw, midwives registers and apparatus,

items from the peace movement and a pair of Land Army breeches as well as the ring that belonged to Rhodri Morgan’s Mum – supposedly ornamented with a stone made from ‘snake spit’.

Her other son, Professor Prys Morgan told Deirdre that there were white witches in the family and this ring had passed on as part of family  folklore ! Gruesome!
So now you can see that the Roadshows are a tearing success and do you know what??

YOU COULD BE A PART OF ONE.
Please check when a Roadshow is coming near you and give me a ring in the office, 01792 229221 or by email sue.hamill@womensarchivewales.org  and register your interest.
The Roadshows are run by the Roadshow team but without the assistance and goodwill of many people and the committee they would not be the success they are. We are grateful to all the Record Offices, Libraries, Museums and organisations that have displayed and supported, as well as Professor Angela John who helped out in Llanelli. They are truly exciting events and if you are interested in the history of women in Wales you need to be there.   Steph Mastoris, Head of the National Waterfront Museum, sent me an email, post- Roadshow and it said, “ Thanks for bringing such an exciting and interesting event to the Museum , can we do one every year ? There was a real buzz about the building” .  I couldn’t have put it better myself.....................come on, join in the fun!
Sue Hamill   24.04.08