Hello everyone, it has been a while since I have left a message, but back on the trail of my family history!! My sister and my mum went to Ashford and found the newspaper article regarding Samuel F Turners death in 1903 (in detail!) it contained lots of information including....He was the oldest member of the Woodchurch Club having joined in 1861... does anyone have any information on what they did, etc ??? Many thanks Sarah

Dear Sarah, Woodchurch seems to be good place to live if you want to join a club. In "Then and Now" http://goldbern.co.uk/woodchurch/thenandnow.htm are listed over 70 clubs, many of which are still going strong. I don't know for sure if the following is the club you are looking for, but it seems likely. It is a report from the local Ashford (Kentish Express, I think?) paper from May 1908. It seems to suggest that it was a kind of mutual aid society, with people paying in money to help others in times of trouble/sickness, and there are several names that others on the list may be interested in. TheW Beslee, vice-chair, was, I presume, my great-uncle, William Beslee, who lived at Redbrook Farm, and Mr Kenward was headmaster of the Village School. Hope this helps, Josie The Woodchurch Club The anniversary in connection with the Woodchurch Provident Society was held on Wednesday. The brethren assembled at the Bonny Cravat at nine o'clock to transact business and at 10:30, headed by the Woodchurch Brass Band, under Bandmaster W Ditton, paraded the village till twelve o'clock, when they attended service in the parish church. Canon Hardy (rector of Lydd) preached. Service over, the members repaired to a spacious tent adjoining the Bony Cravat, where an excellent dinner was served by Host Milton. Doctor Doughty presided, and was supported by Messrs T B Marchant, S S Millen, C Orpin jun., Ernest Orpin, G C Marshall, H Jarvis, G Law-Watts, A Law-Watts, W Pearson, H Pearson, W Baker, C Lindridge jun, H Wells sen, and H Wells jun, Mr W Beslee, the newly-elected vice-president of the society, occupied the vice-chair. Ample justice having been done to the good things provided, the Chairman proposed the loyal and clerical toasts, Mr S S Millen, an old churchwarden, responding to the latter. The Chairman next gave "The Navy and Army" and Mr T B Marchant, and old member of the Imperial Yeomanry, responded. In proposing "success to the Woodchurch Provident Society" the chairman spoke of the good the society had done, and was still doing, and trusting it would still continue to flourish for very many years to come. He coupled with the toast the name of the energetic and indefatigable secretary, Mr T C Kenward. Mr Kenward in responding, stated that the total receipts for the year amounted to £311 10sh, and the expenditure to £302 19sh 1d., leaving a working balance of £8 10sh 11d, which, with the interest on the reserve fund and donations, £46 11sh 3d, made a net gain on the year of £55 2sh 2d. They had had a heavy year of sickness, which had absorbed the sum of £173 1sh, which was £19 3sh in excess of the sum paid for sickness last year. They had also paid £32 for deaths. The total value of the funds of the society amounted to £1224 4sh. The number of members on the books was 219. He regretted to inform them that he wished to tender his resignation, such resignation to take place on the first Monday in October next. Mr C Orpin in eulogistic terms, proposed the health of "The Chairman", and the latter, in reply, said that on looking over the register at the church he found that about three hundred years ago, there was a certain Wm Doughty in the parish, who, like himself, had an only daughter, and stranger still, that daughter bore the same Christian name as his daughter did. He had one more toast to propose to them, and that was the health of "The Visitors and Their Host and Hostess." Host Milton very suitably responded. The Woodchurch Brass Band gave some capital selections and dance music throughout the day, and Messrs H George and W Elliott contributed a capital supply of songs.