W&LLR. Welshpool Area Group. 2005 News

WAG held their first Christmas Bash at the Raven on
12 December 2005. It is hoped that this become an
annual event.

The Mayor of Welshpool, Councillor Ann Davies,
judged the photographic competition, awarding first
price to Miles Blackman for his print of Countess at
Llanfair during Gala 2005. A floating trophy, donated
by Tony and Margaret Harvey, was presented.

Highly Commended were a night study by David
Penrose and a distant view of Orion and train by
Josephine Truby.

All entries will feature in a display at the Welshpool
Library during February.

A quiz that challenged everyone's knowledge of the
railway was organised by Mike Lister. Barry Sizer won
with the highest marks, with Karen Cooke coming a
close second.

The AGM of the Welshpool Area Group took place at The Raven Inn on Monday evening November 14th.
The meeting was well-attended, with over thirty members present.

Tony Harvey stepped down as Chairman, having held the post for almost three years. He thanked the
committee for their help during his period of office. Geoff Cooke has now taken over the post, with
Dennis J Duggan as his deputy, and the committee were re-elected en bloc. Two new committee
members, Ron Renn and Mike Lister, were also elected.

Matters discussed included the Christmas party on December 12th, the photographic competition, the
continuing refurbishment of Raven Square Station and next year's proposed day out to the Gloucester &
Warwickshire Railway. The photography competition will be judged by Cllr Ann Davies, Mayor of
Welshpool.

The meeting was followed by an interesting and informative illustrated talk by Vic Smith on The
Bishop's Castle Railway. The vote of thanks was given by Geoff Cooke.

On the 23rd of October the Welshpool Area Group
stall was at Raven Square Station. The stand
attracted considerable interest, and raised over
£30.00 profit from sales. Half of this will be donated to
the 'Joan' appeal.

Also in attendance were vehicles from the Mid Wales
Classic Vehicle Club. This valuable addition to the
weekend was organised for WAG by Committee
Member, Dennis Duggan.

Eleven vehicles were on display on Saturday, rising to
14 on Sunday. The display attracted additional
patrons to the railway, and it is hoped that the event
can be repeated on future Vintage Weekends.

Anyone interested in the Mid Wales Classic Vehicle
Club should contact Dennis Duggan.

A letter has been received by the WAG Committee from WLLR Company Secretary, Reg Davies,
advising that "at the Board meeting on 31st July the Directors minuted their thanks to the Welshpool
Area Group for the valuable work they had done to make the Welshpool station site more attractive". He
asked if the Convenor would convey this to all of those involved in the work.

WAG comes second

On 30 April 2005 WAG participated in the Welshpool
Festival.

David Penrose designed a 'display cube' with
enlarged photographs on all side (and top, for those
in high buildings). This, along with balloons, flags and
a bell, were mounted on Geoff Cooke's Ford Galaxy.
Regrettably the weather was unkind, with rain
threatening all morning. The cube display was
protected with a plastic sheet, and many of the
graphics applied to the car were removed to avoid
unsightly damage. However, we managed to score a
second price, receiving a certificate and a £15.00 prize.

In the procession, Karen Cooke (Geoff's daughter and
W&LLR Member) rang the bell and blew a chime
whistle, which certainly made us conspicuous.

The procession ended at the Welshpool Rugby Club,
where the Festival was held. David and Geoff set up a
table to distribute timetables and various other
information about our railway.