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For how long will wecontinue to enjoyLymington’s many clubsand societies? An opinion piece by Sheila WardThe history of civil society in Britain goes backto Magna Carta. Then in the 12 th and 13 thcenturies the Church began to set upinfirmaries for the sick, and in the 15 th to 17 thcenturies the merchant classes establishedcharities aimed at helping the poor througheducation and relief of poverty. The 18 thcentury widened the concept to includematernal and child welfare, and then the firstFriendly Societies which were mutual aidorganisations.Stay with me – there is a point to all thishistory! In the 19 th century campaigningorganisations such as the Anti-Slavery Societyand more locally the New Forest Association(now called the Friends of the New Forest)joined service providers like Dr Barnardo’s, theSalvation Army and the British Red Cross.Mutual aid organisations (savings, creditunions, funeral societies) were often set up bythe working classes and became increasinglypopular, part of an emerging trend toward “theworking spirit of self-help”, as well as tradeunions, co-operatives, building societies andhousing associations.What has that got to do with us today? Allthese organisations, whether national or local,depended on people willing to take part inrunning them as well as benefiting from theirservices. Whether we’re talking aboutLymington Cricket Club (1807), the TownFootball Club (1876), the 1 st Lymington Scoutgroup (1907), the Bowling Club (1921), theTown Sailing Club (1922), the Women’sVoluntary Service, now called the RoyalVoluntary Service (1938), the CommunityCentre (1946), the Historical Society (1951), theChoral Society (1961), the University of theThird Age (2001), or the New Forest Basics Bank(2004) – all these Lymington groups relied onand still rely on people to give a bit of their timeto make them happen. Without the Friends ofLymington Hospital (1952), we would not enjoythe splendid local hospital facilities we havetoday and it was volunteers who set up ourbrilliant local museum and art gallery, St Barbe(1999).Sadly today many valuable local groups are introuble, either because they lack volunteers toprovide their services like the Brownies andScouts, or they are short of members who arewilling to take their turn serving on thecommittee that runs the organisation – becausethese organisations all need a committee to runthem. We are apparently happy to deliver ourchildren to a rewarding and educationalactivity, to go on a New Forest ramble led byothers, or to enjoy a really interestingillustrated talk by a carefully selected speaker.But we all need to play our part and take ourturn in giving up a few hours a week for acouple of years to help to make these thingshappen. The return to such group activitiesafter Covid was very welcome to many childrenand adults. They make Lymington a great placeto live, but we need to commit to thempersonally if they are to continue.How about you?Lymington & Pennington MayorCllr James Hoare“ I was interested to read Sheila’s piece onvolunteering. I have much enjoyed being Mayorthis year, and agree with Sheila that we havemany different clubs, societies and interestgroups. There were quite a few that I had notcome across before. We are fortunate inLymington and Pennington in catering for a widevariety of activities. I have also learnt of theextraordinary efforts that some in our communitygo to in order that these enterprises cancontinue. Frequently these volunteers are notonly helping others, but also make closefriendships amongst each other. It can be a veryrewarding activity. I will ensure that our TownCouncil continues to support these many groupsand would wholeheartedly encourage thoseenjoying these pastimes to become involved inorganising them.”To start your research please see the local noticeboard sectionin this magazine for more information and contact details forgroups operating in Lymington. You can also visit thelymington directory website where there is a local informationlisting section: https://lymingtondirectory.co.uk/category/local-informationPlease mention The Lymington Directory when responding to advertisements9