ALCESTER resident Maggie Payne has put pen to paper to draw on her recollections of the market town in ‘the good old days’.
She recalls ancient traditions like the Flitch trial for newly weds and the mop fair in bygone eras as well as bringing to life the characters, shops and a way of life that has now gone forever.
“People change and shops change but the town itself has altered very little over the years,” said Maggie, who at 69, has lived her entire life in Alcester.
She’s also one of the town’s characters herself; the former chairman of Alcester in Bloom, together with her husband Eric, former mayor of Alcester, she’s been a leading figure in the town for many years.
And she’s convinced that whilst it’s fine to look back to the good old days, this day and age is better.
“Life is much better in the town now than years ago,” she said.
“The community is better and while Alcester always had a very strong community we never had things like the food festivals or market days or all the bunting that there is now.
“It’s a much happier place to be.”
Alcester…My Early Days by Maggie Payne is richly illustrated and published by Brewin Books of Studley, and is available at Humphries Shoe Shop in Alcester and 5 A Day fruit Shop also in Alcester priced £7.95 and is published on October 20.
For more details call Brewin on 01527 854228.
Lewis Glennon
