Papers have come to light that tell us a bit about the origins of our residents’ group. They are minutes and newsletters of the Molewood Estate Ratepayers’ Association from May 1965 to April 1969. The idea for MERA arose from a meeting of 70 residents at Infants’ School on Thursday 13 May 1965. Its first official meeting was on 24 June that year just over 50 years ago. The chairman was Peter Clarke from 12 Woodhall Close and one of the committee members, Lesley Strudwick, lived in my house at 11 Lys Hill Gardens. Annual membership was 5 shillings (60p) per household. Businesses on the estate were charged 10 shillings.
Issues of concern in the first year included road safety and school places. The MERA saw the need for an entrance to the school from The Avenue and a pedestrian crossing on Bengeo Street because at that time the Junior Mixed School was still next to the church. The Association urged members to ‘drive slowly on the Estate and take great care’ as well as ‘To park vehicles off the street whenever this is possible’.
Mr Clarke lasted less than a year as chair. Miss Woodhead took over. In 1966 the school entrance from The Avenue was approved and discussions were under way on the creation of a playground and playing field ‘behind Cowper Crescent’ (remembering that The Wick had not been built). In January the Association ran a coach trip to the circus and a baby-sitting circle was set up.
The AGM in May 1968 was held in the brand new Junior School. In the summer the committee agreed to spend £25 of its own funds to start planting trees around the estate. The April 1969 newsletter records that funding to buy the land for the playing field had been awarded to the Borough Council by the Ministry of Housing & Local Government.
Our treasurer was handed these papers in September by a neighbour who had in turn been passed them by another Molewood resident who had been having a clear-out. If you have any old records of the Association please dig them out and let us see them as we would love to build up the records on the website for all to share.