The St Albans Review published a letter written by Jennifer Taylor about the project and the launch - see photo (click on it to see a bigger version).
We have already had a couple of people who live outside the area contact me to share their memories: one was a postman in Sopwell during the war and the other was a milkman. We should get some really good stories from them.
Also, I have been giving several talks to various groups in St Albans about the project and at every talk there is always someone who has lived in Sopwell and has fond memories.
So I am gathering lots of snippets of information and making a list of names of people we need to interview in depth. Collecting names from the immigrant communities is not that straightforward, however, but then I never thought it would be. We are hoping to identify quite a few at the launch - which is just over a week away! That reminds me: I must send the press release off.
Talking of which, amongst all the other million or so things we are having to think about, we are printing a programme of events and hoping to get a few adverts from local businesses to pay for the printing. The programme, although ephemeral, will hopefully be of interest to later historians, not just because of the event, but also to see the advertisements: who was doing what and where. There is a lot of information to be gained from such detail. I remember seeing an interesting advert for Ryder's seeds in a Coronation event organised by Mandeville school in 1953. Samuel Ryder started his "penny a packet" seed business in St Albans and became a national figure when he gave the Ryder Cup to the nation. You never know, today's small concern may have local significance in years to come.
Don't forget to come to the launch on Saturday 18th May, 2 to 5pm, at St Julian's Church, Abbots Avenue, even if you only stay for half an hour or so. We need your memories!
--
Sandy Norman
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