Towcester Museum 100 Club

[Andy Thompson]

Dear SMJ Society member

Below is a conversation I am currently having with Martin John, a contact via the museum in Towcester. Some of you may remember the stop-start-stop-start problems the museum has had and the attempts I have made to make contact with someone there to show our support.

The museum is offering membership to support the museum called the 100 Club. People pay £100 to join and subsequently get various benefits. If you want to know more, click here

I have suggested to Martin that the membership would give a pound each and as such, the society become a member. 

This is what Martin wrote:

"Thanks for your interest in Towcester's museum and Happy New Year.

Yes, it's been a long hard journey to get the museum open, I've been involved for about 16 years.  The upper floor of the museum is currently given to the period from the Iron Age through to the end of the Roman period. On the ground floor is a small gift shop and room that we will use for temporary exhibitions. 

There's a good deal of interest locally in Towcester's railway station.Although railways are not my particular interest I know there is considerable interest in railways in general and indeed in Towcester railway station and the Stratford Upon Avon & Midland line.

It would be great to put on an exhibition focusing on Towcester's railway history and any help would be welcome. The loan of memorabilia relating to the station would be fantastic. I know there is a model of the station stored in Coventry Museum, unfortunately it's somewhat too big for our museum to display. Your club is very welcome to have joint membership of the 100 Club, details are on our developing website. We still have copies of a book about Towcester station. If you wish I can send you a copy, although I suspect you will have one already.

"Towcester Memories of the"Slow, Miserable and Jolty" (Stratford & Midland Junction Railway)"
by Robert Stevens
A collection of childhood memories of Towcester Railway Station, covering its history from 1938 until the 1950s. With photographs, maps and line drawings.
36 pages; ISBN 0 9524619 0 0; £3.00 
Reprinted 1999

Best wishes

Matin"

Would you, the membership be willing to spend a pound to join? Count me in. It would be great for both of us to work together, I hope you agree

Andy

[Andy Thompson]

Dear Member

 

I have just emailed Martin at the museum in Towcester saying that we will be joining the 100 club as a group. Cheques have already started coming in, so many thanks to you how have sent me money, and to those who are yet to, please donate what ever you can spare and send it to me at:

Andy Thompson

47, The Signals,

Feniton,

Devon.

EX14 3UP

 

I can be paid via Paypal. The email address you need is [e-mail]

 

I hope you feel able to support this cause. I know not all of you are based at the Towcester end, but it's still our railway. I would like to hear suggestions on ways we can support the museum, I for one will be donating my very modest SMJ collection to them for display on a very long loan. I know we within the group have some very keen collectors of all thing SMJ and I think we have both name boards from the box at Towcester between us. There would be some great publicity to be had for both us as a society, and for Martin at the museum for us trying to get them together up at Tescos for an afternoon, I think that would be a very "news worthy" activity.

 

Get the old grey sells firing, keep the donations coming  and I'll see you ALL in Stratford in May, (Saturday the 11th - you have of course noted that on your calendars I trust!)

 

Thanks for all you've done

 

Andy

[Si Donal]

Andy,

A donation is on it's way from me.

Simon

[John Evans]

Check in the post from sunny California, Andy.