“I discovered I was connected to Winston Churchill!” Shirley’s story

Shirley entered Count Me In to let us know about how she’s doing good together in her local community by bringing people together over a shared love of history, fundraising and educating the next generation.

Shirley has been part of the Stonehouse History Group since it was formed over 15 years ago and is one of three original members. Did you know the popular group has a turnout of around 50 people at its monthly meetings?

“People think there’s no history in Stonehouse, but when you tell them how far back it goes –  all the way to medieval times – they’re so surprised.”

Showcasing the fascinating history of Stonehouse with storyboards

Sharing her love of history

Not wanting to keep their wealth of local knowledge to themselves, Shirley and the group have researched and written 10 journals on local sites of interest and she’s currently researching the history of the old shops in Stonehouse, including the Co-op. “Our store caught fire in the 1920s and was badly damaged. But by the next day, it was up and running in the local subscription rooms – what great work!”  

Her history group also runs talks at a local care home, with arranged guided history walks around the town and runs history tours as part of a walking event every year. Shirley will often act as a guide for local schoolchildren’s walks and will tailor the information to the kids’ interests. “It’s about just telling the stories. We have some funny ones to give them a laugh and some sad ones.”

“I tell them about the argument between the council and the owner of The Globe pub who wanted to put up a pub sign on council land. The council said no and there was a huge court case. The pub owner put the sign up anyway and they chopped it down. He then agreed to pay a shilling a year to have the sign-up – I’m not sure if they still pay it!” 

Going into care homes to tell our history

Fundraising for the community

Remarkable colleague Shirley uses her 22.5 volunteering hours to sell calendars created by the history group on a stall at the Stonehouse store in the run-up to Christmas. “We sold 28 in one day and sold out this year, which was amazing.”

The money raised is used to buy information boards where the group adds historical information about the different parts of the town. 

Fundraising with members and customers at Stonehouse Food store by selling calendars

Discovering a ministerial connection

History has always been a topic close to Shirley’s heart and she’s discovered a lot about her own personal history through her work with the history group.

She says, “When I was researching Standish Hospital [close to Stonehouse] I was doing my own family research too and found out I was connected to Mary King who started the VAD hospital [the Voluntary Aid Detachment provided nursing care for military personnel].

“And then I was researching Standish Manor and found out my 13-times great grandpa was Henry Winston, who was connected to Winston Churchill. It’s amazing that I’ve ended up coming back here to Stonehouse when I thought my family was all from London.”   

Committed to her local community

As well as the local history group, Shirley is also part of the community choir and the Women’s Institute (WI). She loves to be part of her local community, and says, “If you don’t do something in your community while you’re active and still at work, you’ll end up not doing anything when you retire and feeling alone. It’s a great opportunity to do something completely different and it’s a nice change from work.”

Doing good together with the local community