WI Notes
Mr Alan Maskell came to the WI in August to speak on the Life and Books of
Beatrix Potter. This was a most interesting illustrated talk. Mr Maskell is a
member of the Beatrix Potter Society and has been interested in her since
childhood. He gave a potted history of her life and his slides showed views of
where she had lived and the locations for some of her stories. He also read
excerpts from her diary.
Beatrix Potter gave up writing when she married her solicitor and they went into farming. When she dies, she left her farms to the National Trust. What an interesting visit we had in September to the BBC studios in Cambridge. First we were given a talk about what goes on there, both television and radio. Then we were taken on a tour.
We saw the control room where the television news "Look East" is put out and where the reporters bring in their stories, transfer them to computers and edit them. (Aha!! Kent House could have a "control room" too, and then... Wishful Thinking Ed!) . We went into the studio where the local section "Close Up" is transmitted (I actually sat in Amanda Goodman's chair!).
Then we went to the adjoining building to hear about "Radio Cambridge" and the items that are transmitted during the day from alternative studios. As we left for home, Alex Dunlop dashed up the stairs to prepare for reading the news at 10.25 pm.
Another interesting evening is promised for October when we learn about "Trading Standards".