AFTER welcoming members of Crediton Townswomen’s Guild to our April meeting, the chairman introduced our speaker for the afternoon.

Mrs Mollie Bond is a member of the Barnstaple Guild and she came to tell us about the last Russian Tsarina, a subject that I suspect few of us know much about.

Mollie had obviously done a lot of research on the events leading up to the tragic deaths of the Russian Royal family, and having listened to Mollie telling us about the distress and poverty of the Russian people, the oppression and deprivation they suffered, it became more understandable why the revolt against the ruling classes happened.

The actual deaths of the Tsarina and her husband and children now seems quite barbaric to us now but at the time it seemed to be the only answer to the political unrest.

Thank you Mollie for giving us a very thought-provoking afternoon.

The general business of the Guild continued after a welcome cup of tea, birthday cards were given to three members who have a birthday in April and a poem was read by Pam Durrant.

Our next meeting is on May 3, when it will be our 49th birthday. We will be having our usual celebration tea and we have invited handbell ringers to come and entertain us.

We meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 2.15pm in Crediton Methodist Church Hall, visitors are always welcome.

MJ