Memories of Elizabeth

We’re very sad to announce that our long-standing volunteer, friend and ex-Chairperson Elizabeth Bull died last week. The funeral will be on 15th September at 2pm at St Mary's, Putney.

Elizabeth came to the first AGM at the Scrapstore in 1988, when it was just beginning to get off the ground. From then on she played a key role in building a viable and expanding scrapstore arriving where we are today in spite of three moves over the following years.

As a loved and respected primary school teacher and an active craft worker, she combined her skills to the benefit of Work and Play. She became the person to ‘go to’ for ideas and techniques using the available materials, particularly for the many members working with children, but she also encouraged volunteers to develop their personal creative skills.

With other skilled volunteers, she ran workshops for adults including her specialities quilting, cards, boxes and book making, in the days when the work and home environment allowed a little more time for relaxation.

In the mid-nineties, Elizabeth was elected as Chairperson for the scrapstore, only retiring as a trustee in 2005,but remaining as an active volunteer as well as a co-opted committee member to help with the move in 2012. Although her illness made volunteering increasingly difficult, she maintained close contact with Work and Play and visited with her husband Mike as often as possible.

As Chair, she fully supported the importance of financial probity, not always easy to achieve for small charities.

She stressed the value of Work and Play as a facilitator for people working with children and adults from many backgrounds, providing both high quality and unusual materials for their creative and educational activities. Elizabeth was also very aware of the environmental value of extending the lifespan of materials, and the importance of increasing awareness in children and adults about the value of ‘waste’.

Elizabeth’s contacts in the larger Wandsworth community enabled her to spread the word for Work and Play, which she viewed as an important part of her role as Chairperson. We valued Elizabeth for her friendship and for her steady and sound advice while we worked with her as trustees and volunteers – she was a great believer in working as a team.

One of our long standing volunteers says the atmosphere in the scrapstore confirmed her desire to volunteer almost before she was through the main door, when she heard the sound of Elizabeth’s laughter coming from the fabric processing section.

We valued her and we shall miss her but we won’t forget her.