Wednesday, 9 November 2011

October 2011 Lady Digby helps us with our research

Three volunteers interviewed Lady Digby about her involvement with the Dorset Youth Association network of youth clubs from the 1960s onwards. Settled in a beautiful bay window looking over the lawns of Minterne the volunteers Megan Jones, Rosie Silk and Lee Burnett wanted to know why had Lady Digby worked so long and hard raising money and visiting youth clubs. She explained she loved young people’s enthusiasm and get up and go and that she was built the same way and for the simple reason it was such good fun. She visited all the youth clubs and loved the leaders. They would meet at her country house at Minterne Magna and sit around the large table. Youth club leaders sometimes talked quite allot she said and if necessary Lady Digby would stall them by handing them a big bag of peppermints and inviting them to try one.

Lady Digby shared how they were all inspired by Frank Gwatkin the director of DYA who was a real “Pied Piper” and they would all have done anything for him. It was his inspiration to start Dorset’s first Adventure Centre on Dartmoor in response to leaders requests for activities for their clubs. Lady Digby did what she could to back him. The youth club members did all the work to make the derelict farmhouse habitable so they felt like they owned it. The opening was amazing with Lord Hunt who had climbed Everest. Frank had found the only Scotsman in the county who could play bagpipes and at the opening there was this mist and the sound of pipes getting closer and closer and as the procession arrived as the mist lifted and the piper arrived with all the young people and folks to support them. The centre was eventually closed many years later when DYA could not pay for the renovations needed to fulfil the health and safety regulations.
Lady Digby remembers Inter club competitions and quizzes and debates being popular and enjoying visiting Kay Hickmott's popular club. She was a wren during the war and was very smart and loved music. Lady Digby said she used to take her guitar down to her club but sang to it rather than played very well! But they had great fun. When the group have had their interview training Lady Digby kindly agreed to a taped interview so her memories could be recorded for the exhibition at the Dorset County museum in July 2012 and be preserved in the Dorset County archive.

No comments:

Post a Comment