Down Memory Lane - Oasis Group Abingdon

 Down Memory Lane - Films

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Project overview
Down Memory Lane (Oxfordshire, Abingdon) - Oral History Reminiscence and Archive project ran for six months. This project was developed and organised with Filmmaker/Artist in Residence -Sharon Woodward and the Oasis group based at Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre. It involved visiting speakers, entertainers and arts workshops. The activities stimulated the memories of the Senior Citizens who took part. In this film we take an overview of the entire project and give an outline on what has gone on and how the work is being used.

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Declaration of War 1939
Members of the Oasis group speak about their memories and experiences when War was declared. In this short film Senior Citizens remember where they were and how they felt when the 2nd World War was declared.

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Memories of War 1939 - 1945
In this short film we pay tribute to those who suffered and overcame hardship, who worked for the Resistance and gave their lives.

Young People Involved:


Youth inter-generational involvement with the project Down Memory Lane explores the  Rationing system and Social activities of times gone by.

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John Mason School - Gifted & Talented Group
John Mason school taking part in the Down Memory Lane Project. Making a sponge cake with a recipe issued by the Ministry of Food in 1940. Using Dried egg & Powder Milk.

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1st Drayton Brownies
The 1st Drayton Brownies visit the project they are celebrating nearly 55 years and speak to the Senior Citizens about their childhood memories about clubs, youth groups, games and other activities.

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Anderson Shelter
Doris and Pat talk about what they remember about the Anderson Shelters.

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Women During WW2
Stella Coulling speaks of her time during the War as a bus driver. With contributions from the Oxford Bus Company, (including interview with female bus driver Sharon Harry)
Oxford Bus Museum Trust Ltd,


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Ration & Fashion
The result of a number of show and tell workshops which developed into members speaking about their experiences during the 2nd World War.
In this short film they talk about the Rations and what they had to do to remain fashionable during that time. With contributions from Little Nellie's Sweet Shop.

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Feedback on exhibition
Exhibition – Down Memory Lane (Oxfordshire, Abingdon) the Oral History, Reminiscence and Archive project ran for six months. The films, stories, artwork and photographs were collated for an exhibition that was open to the public on the 22nd September 2012. Here is some of the feedback for the day.


Thank you to those individuals and organizations for supporting this project and helping us to make this happen. Through time, volunteering, equipment, resources, publicity or for directly taking part in this important Oral History, Reminiscence and Archive Project for future generations.

 Thank you to the project and activity staff : Helen Jacobs – Artist, Painter, Sculpture & Textiles, Isla Goldsmith – Thrive Project Officer, Gill Munday – Heritage Learning and Access Manager County Museums, Helen Fountain – Reminiscence Officer, Museum of Oxford, Nicholas Gill – Solo Jazz Piano & Musical Director of Oxford Classic Jazz.

 Down Memory Lane is funded by The Awards For All Grant – Lottery Fund.
The project is was run with: Forum Oasis Chair and Committee representatives
Renee Zarecky , Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish, Sylvia Pead and Mary Southey

Jackie Bowler – Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre
Abigail Brown & Helen Jacobs – Arts Development Officer Vale of the White Horse District Council
and
Pauline Krason, Pat Taylor, Kathryn Baggott , Sarah Holloway, Lina Mokute,
Christine Sadler, Jackie Richards and Ruth Evans

Cait Sweeney – Assistant Co-ordinator, Documenter & Production Assistant

Sharon Woodward – Filmmaker/Artist in Residence, Project Manager

Article on exhibition : Oxford Times

Pegasus Theatre

Oxford Bus Museum

Midcounties Co-op Heritage

Museum of Oxford

Phoenix Picturehouse Oxford

BBC Schools World War 2

BBC Reel History

Thrive Gardening Project

The University of Wales -Newport Film School

Vale of the White Horse

Oxfordshire County Council Museum Service

Lottery Fund

Big thank you to Prelinger Archive Prelinger Archive 
Broken Home  

Sharon Woodward - Projects and Films
Sharon can also be found here  WoodwardMedia Facebook page

The Memories Begin

It was just before Christmas the 21^st December when I received the email telling me that the Senior Citizens - Oasis group based at The Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre had been successful in their bid for funding from the Awards 4 All Lottery application. This was indeed wonderful and meant that the amazing stories of these incredible people are now going to be documented through digital video and archived for future generations.

So it was on Monday the 9^th January that we had our meeting with Mary Southey, Doris Hurley and Josie Kinduich from the group along with myself, Jackie Bowler from the Centre and Abigail Brown the Arts Development Officer from the Vale of the White Horse. Unfortunately Renee Zarecky wasn’t available on that day but I did manage to catch up with her a few days later and she let slip that she had once taken part in a show to entertain the troops. I’m really looking forward to that story.

We were all incredibly excited and we draw up a rough outline of the project. The ideas is that I will now schedule in events, activities, day trips and these will run from April – September. Some of the events and visits will be followed by group discussions that I will also be filming and I will also be interviewing people towards the final films. All this will be put towards an exhibition that will in the first instance be taking place in September. We are also discussing space for of the exhibition to be shown in other local museums. I have also had some interest from the Hanney group of Senior Citizens who would like us to visit after September, they would like to see some of the films and I hope to encourage the Oasis group to come along as well. I think it would be very inspiring to hear this group talk.

I have also had a meeting with a wonderful lady Anne Ransome who will be paying a visit to the group with some of the amazing photography and poster archive from the Co-op. She showed me photograph of an Co-op stall from the 1920’s which was not far from where I now live and I was really taken back with it.

We will also be working with a local school as well as the Daryton Brownie group and I’m looking forward to hearing a younger generations outlook on life without computers, mobiles, TV and lets face it general telephones.

So I will now be working closely with Forum Chairs: Renee Zarecky , Josie Kinduich , Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish, Sylvia  Pead and Mary Southey, Abigail Brown – Arts Development Officer (Vale of the White Horse), Jackie Bowler – Assistant Manager (Abingdon Wellbeing & Recourse Centre) as well as my new assistant Cait Sweeney who will be supporting me in some of the co-ordination.

I would also like to thank welcome those of you who have shown an interested in this project

I am so please that I made the two pilot films Ration and Fashion as well as the Women During the 2^nd World War I think they give some insight into what is possible in filming the memories of these amazing group.

I also feel incredibly privileged to be allowed into the past of people’s lives and feels that they have allowed me a little bit of my Grandmother back. That I somehow understand why she believed and thought certain things now, that I didn’t when I was younger, it is indeed a bonus to find that the group you are working with have given you back some memories of your own.

Down Memory Lane is funded by The Awards For All Grant – Lottery Fund.

The project is being run with:

Forum Chairs (representing the Oasis group)

Renee Zarecky , Josie Kinduich , Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish, Sylvia  Pead and Mary Southey

Jackie Bowler – Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigain Brown – Arts Development Officer Vale of the White Horse District Council

We would also like to thank:

Pauline Krason, Pat TaylorJean Abraham, Sarah Holloway, Lina Mokute, Christine Sadler and Jackie Richards. 

Cait Sweeney – Assistant Co-ordinator   

Anybody who is interested:

We would like to hear from local businesses, educational establishments or individuals who feel they could offer something to the project for example a Restaurant who might be interested in making a Wartime meal using rations that were available at the time or a Garden project who might be interested in revisiting the ‘Dig for Victory’ Campaign.    

Those organisations that have already contributed:

The Oxford Bus Company

The Oxford Bus Museum

The Phoenix Picture House

Newport Film School (Philip Cowan)

Little Nellies (Traditional Sweet Shop) Henley (Kate Harman)

Those who would like to contribute in someway can contact local filmmaker Sharon Woodward info@mischiefpictures.co.uk 

Project Co-ordinator and Filmmaker:

Sharon Woodward

Sharon is an Independent Filmmaker, Project Manager and Media Tutor she has over the years received a number of awards for her documentary work as well as corporate production. She trained at Newport Film School, the National Film and Television School and with BBC Wale and Tyne Tees Television. 

This is a wonderful opportunity to take part in documenting the past for future generations.

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Ration and Fashion

It’s a Monday morning on the 17^th October, and I have talked my friend Eloise Coyle into taking part in the gravy browning stocking challenge (I actually just made that up but I liked the sound of it).

Many of you will be aware that during the 2^nd World War just about everything was rationed including materials. Silk and high-grade rayon was needed for parachutes, wool needed for military uniforms, and basically every type of fabric was in short supply worldwide.

In the UK rationing was very strict, the British government introduced a coupon system for clothing that started on Sunday the 1st of June 1941. Rationing continued until 1949, and some forms of rationing didn’t end until mid 1950’s.

I remember my Grandmother talking about how some women would paint their legs with gravy browning when they were unable to get stockings. So it was with this in mind that we went along to the Abingdon Wellbeing and Resource Centre to see how it was actually done.

Eloise like myself had been told stories from various relatives about such improvisations. Eloise like me was interested in finding out just how difficult this process would be.

So like many of the fashion conscious women of the time. Eloise used gravy browning and water to paint her legs with some help from Josie. I would later attempt to use eyeliner pencil to draw a seam up the back of her leg.

Two of the members Mary and Ruby had done this themselves during the rationing. Mary explained to me that she and her friend had painted each other’s legs earlier in the day. They then had gone out only to have the heavens open on them both - it absolutely poured with rain and the gravy browning legs were washed away.

Mary and Ruby told me that ideally you would have help from your friend, and do each other’s legs. I’m pretty certain they wouldn’t have been impressed with my help. I made Eloise look like she had wonky stockings on and when Renee saw what we had done we got the big thumbs down. The line was too think, the gravy not even.

It must have been very difficult to apply such things as gravy or Coco. I’d like to find out if anybody else has tried this more recently and filmed it.

So I would like to set all you ladies the Gravy Browning Leg Challenge. Can you apply gravy or Coco to your legs evenly with the eyeliner running up the back of your legs to simulate the seam? If so please send me the link it would be great to share this and see how other people have got on.

‘Down Memory Lane’ is seeking further funding for this oral history project.

Big thank you to:

Eloise Coyle (gravy browning model)

Jackie Bowler - Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigail Brown - Arts Development Officer, Vale of White Horse District Council

Forum Chairs:
Renee Zarecky, Josie Kinduich, Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish and Sylvia Pead

Ration and Fashion - Short Film 

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Taste of Times Gone By

Little Nellies Sweet Shop

It was in 1953 on the 5^th February that the sweet rationing came to an end. It was with this in mind that Down Memory Lane turned to the Little Nellies Sweet Shop, 4 Friday Street, Henley of Thames for it’s next fill of nostalgia.

‘Down Memory Lane’ is a reminiscence project, currently in development with the Arts Development Officer from Vale of the White Horse District Council, myself a local Oxfordshire filmmaker and the members of the Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre on Audlett Drive.

I was suddenly seven years old, asking for a 5p mix up - an assortment of chews, Blackjacks, Fruit salads and the Parma Violet sweets. Parma Violets tasted like perfume but I couldn’t resist them anyway.

All this ran through my mind as I walked into ‘Little Nellies Sweet Shop’ on Wednesday the 28^th September. Where I met Kay Harman owner and manager of the shop.

I know it’s tough investigating sweets but somebody has to do it!

If the sight of sweets in jars piled high on shelves, filled my thoughts with sweet eating memories. I wondered what they would evoke in the wonderful ladies and gentlemen of the Centre.

Kay was marvellous and very supportive of the project. She informed me that her own mother had cycled miles in 1949 to get a packet of Fizzy’s the only sweets available at the time .

According to the BBC website in 1953 ‘The government and manufacturers had been quick to reassure the public that there would be no repeat of the first attempt to de-ration sweets, in April 1949, when demand far outstripped supply and they were put back on ration after just four months.

Kay Harman weighed out the Barley Sugars, Liquorice and Aniseed Balls. Then packed them away in little brown bags. Finally she placed them in a beautiful, flower patterned sweet box, which I would take to the Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre.

I was very restrained and kept the lid on (well almost) until Monday the 3^rd of October. It was then time for me to see what Barbara, Beryl , Gerald (Jan) , Mary, Reg and Betty remembered.

Mary would be the groups box opener and as each packet came out people remembered something different.

Beryl shared with the group her memories of the day the sweet rationing ended. She stood in a very long queue on Broadway in Didcot waiting for the sweets that would no longer be restricted.

Mary passed the Aniseed Balls around and I filmed as the group recalled experiences and exchanged stories. I did sample a couple of sweets myself it would have been impolite not to join in!

‘Down Memory Lane’ is seeking further funding for this oral history project.

With thanks to:

Kay Harman – Little Nellies Sweet Shop

Jackie Bowler - Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigail Brown - Arts Development Officer, Vale of White Horse District Council

Forum Chairs:
Renee Zarecky, Josie Kinduich, Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish and Sylvia Pead

Sweet Sampling Group:

Barbara Hodgkins, Beryl Cross, Gerald (Jan) Burnett, Mary Southey, Reg Macdonald and Betty Macdonald

Assistant Sweet Samplers: Sharon Woodward, Christine Sadler and Sarah Holloway

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