Rushden Museum AGM was held at Rushden Hall on 20 April, 2023. After a lovely sunny day it turned into a wet and windy evening but in spite of that the meeting was well attended.
Peter Field was re-elected chairman with Gill Hollis as vice-chair. Jon-Paul Carr and Kay Collins were re-elected onto the committee. Peter Head was re-elected as Treasurer, but he would like to step down if a replacement can be found. Will Osborne agreed to continue as president for the coming year.
Having lost three members of the committee over the last year there are vacancies, and also for volunteers to help with the running of the museum.
The talk by Rebecca Shawcross, Senior Shoe Curator at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, was very interesting and amusing, exploring the superstitions surrounding shoes and the possible reasons why shoes were hidden in such places as chimneys, walls, and under floorboards. Was it protection from evil spirits or a convenient way of disposing of them? If you came across hidden shoes should you remove them or leave them where they are? Of course, we all know not to put new shoes on the table!
It was an enjoyable evening, which closed about 9.30 p.m.
Peter Field, with Rebecca Shawcross and Will Osborne