Life as a Tiller Girl

At the August Branch meeting, Jackie Simmonds came to speak about her life on stage, particularly the time that she spent as a Tiller Girl. She appeared as a 'middle girl,' ie one that anchors the centre of the line when the Girls did their famous rotation, a number of times during the closing of the TV show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium. She told a number of amusing and interesting stories from both on- and off-stage, and mentioned a number of celebrities that were known to the Members. She taught a basic Tiller Girl routine to a number of 'volunteers,' and their efforts to follow and remember the sequence of moves provided amusement for everyone. A delightful and entertaining afternoon.

Cream Tea

On Wednesday 19 August, most Members of the Branch attended an afternoon cream tea at the Sittingbourne & Milton Regis Golf Club. Sadly, this was the last meeting for Lorna Culver who was moving to Staplehurst. Lorna, along with her late husband Brian, had been involved with the Branch for many years, most of them on the Committee, including having served most recently as Branch President. She also assisted the Treasurer, collecting the annual subscriptions, managing members' bookings for coach trips and other Branch events, and collecting attendance fees at the door for hall meetings. She also provided a location for Committee meetings, and her encyclopedic knowledge of the membership was legend. She will be sorely missed.

She received cards from many of the members individually, as well as a specially commissioned card and parting gifts from the whole membership. She has promised to come and see the Branch from time-to-time, and has invited people to come and visit her in her new home.

Excursion

On Thursday 9th July, some 30 Branch Members travelled by coach up to London for a day of entertainment on the Tereza Joanne Barge which is moored on the River Thames. There they enjoyed lunch and were entertained by 50s & 60s music. As with previous vists to this venue, all participants had a great time, as is evidenced by the pictures. For some, the great attraction of this venue is the view of the aircraft taking off and landing at London City Airport!

Gypsy Traveller Culture

At the hall meeting, on Monday 13th July, Members were treated to a most interesting and entertaining talk on gypsy and traveller culture, given by Kim White, formerly of Kent Police. She provided an insight into the traditions of gypsies and travellers, and explained how these influenced their behaviour and attitudes. She spoke of the successes that the police had had in addressing community concerns, particulalry in relation to school attendance, and briefly outlined the approach that she personally had taken.

Her presentation was clearly authentic, as she explained how her family was connected to these people and that she spoke their language. She told us that she had been awarded an OBE for her work. She lamented the disbanding of the unit in Kent Police that dealt with the gypsy and traveller communities.

Her talk was follwed by a buffet, and the usual raffle, with prizes donated by the Members.

Bingo Afternoon

 At the hall on June 8 we had an afternoon of bingo. Mike Smith acted as the caller. The were a few winners and a larger number of those who were not so lucky, but a good time was had by all. As usual we had a raffle with a number of donated prizes.

Quiz and Tea

Our May hall meeting was held on Monday the 11th and we had another excellent quiz hosted by Terry Stockwell. The questions were a mixture of easy, difficult and very testing. This resulted in a lot of head holding as people tried to recall the correct responses. And there were many lively discussions as teams argued over what they should put on the answer sheet. When the answers were given, there were several cries of 'I knew that!' and 'I told you!' However, everyone enjoyed themselves. The quiz was interrupted by a cream tea, with a mixture of fruit and plain scones accompanied by the usual teas and coffees. The afternoon ended with the raffle, which raise £68 for Branch funds.

Cream tea on the move

On Wednesday 28 April, 35 Branch Members headed for the Kent and East Sussex Railway. We boarded the train at Tenterden Town and found reserved tables in one of the carriages all laid up for cream tea. We departed exactly on time at 13:10, pulled by 'Swiftsure.' a saddle tank engine originally bulit for the War Department in 1943. As we headed down the line to Bodiam we enjoyed scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, accomanied by teas and coffees.

Along the way we saw numerous sheep, many with young lambs, cattle, and wildlife, including a heron, a bird of prey (too far away to be identified), swans, and ducks, two of which had a number of ducklings following them. Following a stopover at Bodiam to allow the engine to change ends for the return journey. While in the station many Members took a short walk along the platform to stretch their legs. On the way back we were again served teas and coffees.

On arring back at Tenterden, many people retrieved their cars from the parking lot and headed straight home, but a few of us went to the museum, where we found a large amount of information about the line, the first light passenger railway built in Britain, and about other railways built by Holman F Stephens around the country.

 Click HERE for more pictures and a video taken from the train.

Scottish Country Dancing

Click HERE for videos.

On Monday 13 April, at its regular monthly meeting, the Branch had an afternoon of Scottish Country Dancing, with a couple of Scottish poems thrown in for good measure. Originally billed as a 'demonstration,' it was instead a participatory event. While initially some Members were skeptical, it turned out to be a most enjoyable afternoon,with almost eveyone present on the dance floor at some point - if not for all the dances, then for singing of Auld Lang Syne at the end. We also enjoyed a buffet. Our thanks to the Medway and District Caledonian Association for this event.

AGM

The Branch held its Annual General Meeting on Monday 9 March 2026 at the Bluebell Billage Hall. 43 Members were in attendance. At the start of the proceedings the Branch President, Lorna Culver, presented a cheque for £500 to The Nurse's Fund, supporting local children with cancer, the Branch's charity for the year.

The AGM was chaired by the Branch Chairman, Ray Welch, and reports were given by the President, the Chairman, the Branch Treasurer, Mick Venesss, and Carole Orris, the Committee member responsible for organising Branch excursions. These were followed by a lively discussion, which focussed mainly on the suggestions for activities that had been submitted to the Committee by the membership, and the action which these mght engender. The members of the Committee were re-elected.

The meeting was followed by a buffet and then Bingo.

Annual Duck Race

On February 9 the Branch held its annual Duck Race. This year, duck mortality was a little higher than usual; however, it seems unlikely that the RSPCA will be overly concerned. Betting was, as usual, brisk. There were disappointments for some and cause for celebration for others; but overall everyone enjoyed themselves.

The afternoon included a buffet, but there was no raffle at this meeting.

Cream Tea

Our first meeting of 2026 was an opportunity for Members to catch up after the Christmas and New Year break. Certainy, we all had lots to talk about. We also had a short talk on the Branch's charity for 2026: Children's Oncology Support at Medway Hospital, which provides support to the families of young people across Medway and Swale who are suffereing from cancer. This was followwd by a cream tea, which features enormous fruit scones.

New Year Lunch

On 14 January 2026 we enjoyed a New Year Lunch at the Sittingbourne and Milton Regis Golf Club. A variety of foods were available for this three-course meal, including prawn cocktail for the starter, roast beef with Yorkshires and vegetables for the main course, and spotted dick for dessert.