AFTER a life away from Beaminster, Lesley Acres returned to the area four years ago and recently married local man and old school friend Patrick Rundle.
In four years Lesley has wasted no time becoming part of the community and is now a vice-president of Beaminster WI, secretary of the Old Boys and Old Girls Association of Beaminster and Netherbury Grammar School and treasurer of West Country Embroiderers (Bridport branch).
Now retired Lesley has taken on the challenge of studying for a City and Guilds in Design and Embroidery.
Lesley is also a keen researcher of both her own and local history.
WHAT sort of things do you get up to at the WI?
We have monthly meetings and usually have a guest or member speak about something they have done. We also have a business meeting to start and we do consider some quite interesting issues. At the moment it is honeybees, which are being threatened. Everyone thinks of Jam and Jerusalem when they hear of the WI but it’s not like that. We have a variety of sub-groups and I belong to the badminton group. OK, we are all between 60 and 70-years-old, but we can still play badminton if we want to. There are reading groups, a craft group, a theatre group, the list is endless really.
WHO would you recommend the WI to?
I’d recommend it to anybody new in the area who wants to meet people and make friends. We are not all newcomers, although I class myself as a returner not a newcomer. There are people who have always been in Beaminster and there are newcomers and it’s a good way to meet the real Beaminster people. The group is open to any age although they are, I have to say, mostly older because Beaminster is an older community. I think most of us in the WI are probably over 50.
WHAT are the most interesting talks you have had recently?
We had one from Heather Coley called “Memories of India in stitches” which obviously appealed to me because it was all about the embroidery of India. Last year we had four members who had all been involved with the justice system and they all talked about the role they had performed. We are repeating that this year and are having people who used to work in the health service. It’s very interesting but we have amusing bits as well. The ex-policewoman had a few funny stories to tell.
WHY did you decide to study for your City and Guilds later in life?
I got here, I didn’t know many people and I’d always enjoyed embroidery but never had time for it. I’d been to one-day workshops that were sort of precious when I was working but when I retired I had the time to do it.
ANY goals you’d still like to achieve?
Yes, once I have finished my course I’d quite like to teach the odd class. Just a small group or perhaps younger children so I can pass the skill on. That could be locally but I’m not sure how much interest there would be. My mother was a great needlewoman and started me sewing early on but neither of my daughter-in-laws sew and one of them looks aghast when I ask her for a needle. I think it’s something that is dying out basically so it would be good to pass on that skill.
WHO would be your three dream guests at a dinner party?
I’m now into local history and the school here had two houses, one was Hood and one was Strode. The Strodes were the people who lived at Parnham so I would have Sir John Strode. The Reverend Samuel Hood was a headmaster of the school and his two sons were both admirals of the fleet, hence the Admiral Hood pub in Mosterton so I would have him.
Then I’d probably have Florence Nightingale because having worked in a hospital I realise she was quite an influential lady and it would be intriguing to meet her.
HAVE you discovered anything unusual in your past?
I discovered that my father’s family were very working class and gradually they made their way up a little bit whereas my mother’s family were yeoman farmers and probably they would consider they came down a little bit. They all ended up in Swindon working for the Great Western Railway and that in itself is quite interesting. So nothing very exciting just the odd child that you realise was on the way before the couple were married.
I have written it all down in a book so that if my sons begin to wonder about their ancestors they will be able to get back further than they probably would on their own.
WHAT was the last book you read, CD you listened to and film you watched?
“The Lovely Bones” was the last book I read. I read that just recently because it’s going to be made into a film. I don’t usually listen to CDs, but if I do, it will be old Sixties tunes. I’m a Radio 4 listener, so usually I’ll have that on. The last film I went out to see was Mamma Mia when Moviola brought it to the Public Hall, but I’d quite like to see the new Alice in Wonderland film.
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