Past Events and Visits

We then toured the factory.  What struck me as an experienced factory-visitor was that everyone seemed to be enjoying their work, that there was personal dedication at every turn, that tidyness and simplicity prevailed everywhere on the production line;  and in particular, that the man travelled up the production line with 'his' car - he was personally responsible for the chassis up to handing it over for finishing in the next bay.

We picked up some history along the way.  Three generations of Morgan have run the Company;  HFS Morgan who founded it and ran it for the next 59 years;  his son Peter, who covered the next 44 years; and Charles, from then onwards We were shown the early 3-wheelers. which were followed by  the famous F-series 4-4 which came in in 1936 and the +4 in 1950 and the very fast Aero 8 in 2000.  The cars are very beautiful, very light (through use of aluminium and  Ash wood) and very fast.  As I walked back to my boring VW in the car park, I couldn't help doing some sums.  John Williams

For the visit to the Real Flower Petal Confetti Company in Wick, 39 members arrived to be greeted at Wyck Manor with delicious drinks and nibbles by Charles and Cressida Hudson.

Charles then explained how he came to diversify into the production of confetti completely by accident, having seen paper confetti littering the pavement outside the church and noticing fallen larkspur petals on the dining room table. An idea was born but it took some time to work out the right processes. This year 11 acres of larkspur have been planted with the help of satellite navigation guiding tractors to within an accuracy of 4cm.
After the flowers are pollinated the petals will drop and then have to be slowly dried in a specially converted barn.  The result is biodegradable confetti of many hues sold all over the world, and which, as it has to be handpicked, provides local employment not to mention a good source of bee nectar.
 Some years ago, a union jack was featured in a floral carpet which brought many visitors, and latterly the RAF logo was grown in honour of the Fairford Air Show, the progress of which was regularly monitored by Chinook helicopters.
A fascinating visit into the world of petals which everyone enjoyed, many thanks Charles and Cressida for your hospitality and patience with all our questions.
For more information: confettidirect.co.uk

On 20th May a visit was made to Evesham Vale Growers at Blackminster; who market 60 acres of tomatoes and is the largest speciality tomato supplier in the UK.  John Matthews and Roger Bloom welcomed us, invited us to don protective clothing and confirm that we were all healthy enough to be taken into the carefully monitored glasshouses to avoid any possible cross contamination.
The tour started in the huge packing shed where we saw state of the art machines grading, labelling and packing tomatoes ready for despatch to the supermarkets.  Orders are received and despatched the same day.  Quality control is of supreme importance and it was interesting to learn that the plants, which grow up to 40 metres in length each with up to 50 vines, are grown in water without any soil.  The pipes heating the glasshouses also act as tracks to carry the trolleys used by the pickers.EVG has a staff of approximately 180 migrant workers, speaking at the last count, 14 different languages

On a lovely sunny Sunday in April a group from Pershore Civic Society visited Elgar's birthplace at Lower Broadheath, and for many it was the first time.

The Visitor Centre was opened in 2000 where a video history of Elgar is given illustrating his private life and musical career.  Thence on to the cottage where he was born and lived as a child until the family moved to Worcester to live above his father's music shop.  In fact until he was 40 he was a jobbing local musician giving violin and piano lessons in the meantime conducting the Three Choirs Festival. He married Alice in 1899 and had a daughter Carice who established a museum in the cottage after her father's death and as he had wished.

The cottage showed the infinite variety of Elgar's life from mementoes of his 1,000 trip up the Amazon in 1923 to souvenirs of his racegoing days.  He was also an keen cyclist and there are many maps showing the trails he followed in Worcestershire.

During the visit one has to admire the bronze statue of Elgar relaxing on a bench in the garden (apparently one of his favourite spots) from where the Malverns can be seen