Members of our Townswomen’s Guilds have enjoyed many special occasions, displaying their talents, celebrating anniversaries and much more.

Oxford Mail photographers were regularly out and about, recording their activities and publicising them in our pages.

Picture 1 dates from 1980 when Bicester members marked their 21st anniversary with a party at the adult education centre at Bicester School.

Five founder or first-year members are seated around the birthday cake - left to right, Joyce Price, Dora Jones, Anne Peterson, Elsie Spence and Ruth Williams.

In Picture 2, we see Marjorie Cross, left, and Win Colman who took part in a drama festival organised by the Oxfordshire Federation of Townswomen’s Guilds at Oxford College of Further Education in 1975.

(Image: Oxford Mail)Kidlington Evening Guild won the top prize with a performance called ‘The Old Ladies’, with Didcot Evening Guild coming second with ‘Everybody Comes to Mabel’.

Members at Didcot allowed their husbands to attend their meetings once a year - in 1971, it was an invitation to attend a skittles evening at the Horse and Hounds pub at Chieveley. In Picture 3, Guild chairman Joan Wade shows everyone how it is done.

Picture 4 was taken at an arts and crafts exhibition at Wesley Memorial Hall in Oxford in 1984.

Federation chairman Norah Tacey, left, and press officer Ann Heath are seen admiring one of the prizewinning paintings.

There were more than 200 exhibits from guilds around the county, including crochet tablecloths, knitted items, paintings, collages and rag dolls.

Headington Guild in Oxford celebrated its 21st anniversary in 1968 and among those present were the five founder members in Picture 5.

They were: from left to right, Mrs Axtell, Mrs Jocelyn, Mrs Bushnell, Mrs Stone and Mrs Giles.

Picture 6 shows Guild members at Bicester taking part in a sponsored knit-in in 1975.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.