Space day

Mark Perman reports on a special BIS event which took place at Droitwich Library on the 21^st January 2012

It was in the unlikely setting of Waitrose in Droitwich that I had confirmation of the impact our event had made. The lady on the bakery counter told me she’d been at work on the 21^st but that her husband and young family had had a great time, and hadn’t stopped talking about the do since! The feedback from my colleagues at work has all been excellent.

On the day, around mid-morning, I turned round to find myself face-to-face with an old friend who had emigrated to Australia and with whom I had subsequently lost contact. He’d spotted that I was associated with Space Day and had come all the way from Dorset, where he now lives, to make contact with Liz and I, and attend the event (he’s a BIS member too). You could tell all the visitors were having a great time, happy kids asking questions and playing, and interested adults. The number of people who turned up and stayed for a long time was very noticeable – bored people don’t do that!

So why did we have happy attendees? It’s simple: friendly exhibitors with fascinating tales to tell and unusual items on display; and a great, hospitable environment in the library with a staff that went out of their way to help.

I’d like to thank Dave Shayler and Jerry Stone for their excellent talks. I can personally vouch for Dave’s talk as I was in the room; and I know that Jerry’s talk was well received because I overheard two separate couples talking afterwards, saying how much they enjoyed it. Well done guys!

Thanks also to all the exhibitors and library staff – this was a great joint effort resulting in a really enjoyable day.

I know that the library is very keen to do this again next year, so hopefully this will be the first in a series of annual events.

For BIS West Midlands this was a cracking start and we have the promise of a new BIS member (another old friend of Liz and mine) who is keen to help with events – that’s what I call a “win win!”

The next BIS WM event will take place on Saturday 21 April 2012, again at Droitwich Library, between 2.00 and 4.00 pm. The theme is the establishment of the Rocket Propulsion Establishment at Westcott in 1946, followed by a series of films made by the RPE film unit with introductions from John Harlow and myself. This in turn will be followed by a very brief first AGM, with the election of some post holders to formalise things a little. More details to come! All BIS WM events will be open to non-members as well as members. So if you’re interested in knowing a little more about RPE, pop the date in your diary and do pass on the details.

Thanks again to all who made Space Day such a great success!

Click to download programme