AN exhibition of photos showcasing Westbury in the year 2000 managed to raise £150 for Dorothy House Hospice.
W817 Westbury in the year 2000 exhibition Julie Vince, Sandra Maidment, Sheila Kimmins, Susan Atherton, Rev Maree Farrimond and Phil Alford.
The exhibition, held at the Westbury Methodist Church, displayed photos taken of different businesses and buildings in Westbury that were around at the millennium including pubs now lost to time such as the White Lion, The Castle and The Oak as well as businesses such as Coopers, SK Fruits and Linham’s Butchers.
Entry was only £1 and just under £150 was raised for Dorothy House Hospice Care. The display was accompanied by a variety of different paintings of nearby landscapes by the book’s author, former Westbury resident and councillor, Eli Mannaseh.
Eli’s son, Dave, explained how the event came to be, “My dad took the original photos in 2000 to create a book ‘Westbury in the year 2000’ whereby he took a photo every day of that year to have a historical record. The book was then published and sold to raise funds for Westbury United.
“In recent years people have wanted to see the photos again and so my dad gave in and decided to hold a small exhibition to raise funds for a charity close to our family. He reprinted in colour around 98 of the original book photos for the exhibition – all of them from the original book.”
Dave drove 230 miles to help his dad set up the exhibition, which was opened by the mayor of Westbury, Sheila Kimmins, alongside the Westbury Methodist Church secretary, Julie Vince.
Julie said, “The general reaction to this exhibition is that people are surprised to see just how much Westbury has changed – we have lost so many businesses over the years and gained a lot of housing.
“People have been reminiscing about days of the past – pubs that are no longer operating and shops where people used to go to daily. It’s always good to look back and remind us of how the areas around us change with us.
“The reason for the event was to raise money for Dorothy House Hospice, so thank you to everyone that came and donated, your support is really appreciated.
