Fifty years to the day that Rosemary Rigby joined a group helping the blind or partially sighted, which was run from Ross-on-Wye, she met up with the current members of the group for their Christmas meal.

Rosemary, who lives at Wormelow, is well-known for her work with the Ross Action Committee. The group runs a mini-bus which supports elderly and disabled people, who find it difficult to get out, and takes them for outings.

However when Rosemary first moved to Ross she was a regional fundraiser for the RNIB, which is why she was invited to the club’s lunch. Rosemary told the Ross Gazette that the club began in 1947 during one of the worst winters since records began.

She said that a lady called Mary Jones worked as a teacher with blind in the area and, during that terrible winter, set up a group to bring other blind people together to socialise but also to work. They did knitting or sewing, basket weaving and other activities. Mary then sold their creations at various venues such as Much Marcle Show or the Three Counties Show.

This funded the groups’ activities and worked very successfully. Rosemary explained that times change and it was not considered acceptable to expect people to do unpaid ‘work’ and the group just became a social gathering. In those days a paid employee organised it but when social services decided they were going to make cuts Rosemary stepped in. She said that, with the support of the Ross Action Bus she would ensure that the group could carry on meeting and the bus would take the members for outings.

Last year it looked as if it would be the last Christmas meal for the group but new volunteers came forward and the festive celebration took place at the Axe and Cleaver at Much Birch