I was kindly invited to the home of Mr & Mrs Monk who opened their doors to help raise funds for Help the Homeless.  Chorley Help the Homeless do a fantastic job for people in our local community, always willing to support those in need regardless of their circumstances.  This work is all done on limited budgets.  As a consequence they do rely on the goodwill and generosity of local people and I would like to thank Mr & Mrs Monks for their time and efforts on hosting the fundraising garden party at their home.  The money will be put to good use in helping people who in need of support.

Family History

The Chorley Branch of the Lancashire Family History Society held their annual open day at Astley Hall and I was pleased to be invited to join them.  There has always been an active branch in Chorley with many people wanting to learn more about their family’s background and history.  With popular TV programmes such as ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ interest in tracing one’s family tree has become more and more prevalent and the Open Day held by the Chorley certainly attracted many local people.  People researching into their family background have more tools at their disposal with Census records being placed online combined with the excellent records held by the Mormon Church which are also available over the internet.  If you are interested in family history and would like help and assistance then I would encourage you to contact the Chorley Family History Society who I know will be more than willing to help in any way possible.

War History

I was kindly sent two books by local author Stuart Clewlow which provide a fascinating account of the role played by Chorley people during the second world war.  In particular the books concentrate on the fundraising efforts which were absolutely staggering.  In 1940 the people of Chorley launched the Spitfire Fund which lasted 4 months.  The cost of a spitfire on those days was £6,000 and it is remarkable that local people rallied around to raise the money in such a short space of time to ensure that we had adequate aircraft to protect us from the might of the German war machine.  Fundraising efforts went much further than that and in 1942 Warship Week was launched and the local people raised £387,354 allowing them to adopt the submarine HMS Ursula.  The other unsung heroes of the time were those working at the Royal Ordnance Factory.  Munitions were produced and the site was operational around the clock with thousands of people working to produce munitions for our troops on the frontline.  I am delighted that these books have been produced and congratulate Stuart for his work which must have involved many hours of research.  The books will help people remember and learn about the fantastic sacrifice made by our ancestors during the war years.

Chorley & South Ribble Reach Showcase Event