HISTORIC scrapbooks were kept by a devoted Ashorne resident who recorded every aspect of village life for more than 60 years.
The late Hilary Ledbrook began her archive after taking part in a scrapbook competition in 1955 – which was ‘highly commended’.
She confessed to friends she ‘caught the bug’ and continued to keep them until her death in January, aged 89. She recorded births, deaths, marriages, court appearances, fetes and street parties.
The former hairdresser and postmistress lived in Ashorne for most of her life and was heavily involved in village life and her beloved Newbold Pacey and Ashorne WI, which she was a member of for 75 years.
In 2016 she received a British Empire Medal for services to the community – and her contribution was recently remembered when the WI held an open evening to share her scrapbooks.
President Trish Handsley said: “We are so proud to have these wonderful scrapbooks which are a unique record of our beautiful rural village and the social history of this area.
“We had a terrific turnout of villagers and people from further afield and the general hubbub in the village hall showed how fascinated everyone was with the details the scrapbooks revealed of times gone by. Our newer residents were amazed at the changes the village had undergone over the decades.”
Hilary – who had ten siblings – did not brag about her scrapbooks and one of her brothers even admitted he did not know she had made them.
Five of her surviving brothers and sisters – four who still live locally – all attended the open evening.
Her brother Colin Braggs said: “We were completely unaware that the scrapbooks existed. My wife and I really enjoyed seeing them.”
The scrapbooks will be on show again next year when the local WI celebrates its centenary.
