A PAIR of Active and In Touch volunteers have helped a local woman to share her World War II story.
Colleen Brixey’s story recalls her childhood in a small village near Wincanton, Somerset, and her friendship with an evacuee boy from London – and how they were reunited decades later.
Volunteer Heather Kann was first to hear the story when she met Colleen last year at the charity’s regular Tuesday meeting.
And when Heather heard that Colleen was keen to share her story, but needed some support to do so, she introduced her to fellow volunteer, and local author, Suzy Howlett.
“I’m a fairly new volunteer with Active and In-Touch, starting in the spring of 2020, shortly after lockdown began,” explained Suzy, speaking to Frome Times. “I have been supporting the Tuesday morning meetings in Frome’s Victoria Park, where we are able to keep in touch with members who find it helpful to have some social contact.
“We have been keeping to all the rules, of course, which have varied at times over the year. Sadly, we can’t meet at the moment, of course, but we can still phone our members and check in on them.
“Earlier in the year, at one of our Tuesday park meetings, I got chatting to a remarkable lady called Colleen, and found her full of wonderful and joyful memories of her life, which had me enthralled. I encouraged her to begin writing some of them down and this resulted in her writing a lovely heart-warming story, which tells of a little boy evacuated to her village near Bruton, when she was just 5, their special friendship over five difficult years, and how she and he had looked for each other over the decades, meeting up again in their 80s, thanks to a lucky coincidence.
“I read her story out to our group in the park and they were enthralled, and all really loved it. Colleen felt such a glow to know her story had been heard and enjoyed by her Active and In Touch friends.
“Even more people can hear it now as we also managed to record her reading her story (with the help of her grandson Charlie) for a new website called Working Memories.
“Colleen is thrilled! She had never imagined becoming a writer and part of a broadcast at the age of 87! I am always eager to hear more about her remarkable life, and hope she will write some more down very soon.
“Active and In Touch is a wonderful charity, and people are sometimes pleasantly surprised at how interesting other members are, with such stores of knowledge and varied experiences. It is very typical of the people of Frome to take to the whole idea and make it work so well.”
To listen to Colleen’s story, visit the Working Memories website: https://workingmemoriesfrome.co.uk/more-memories/colleen-brixey-remembers-when-evacuees-arrived-in-her-village/
Pictured, Colleen (top) and Suzy.
