THE WORK of Barrow’s Inner Wheel Club has been a pillar of the community for many years, and here are the people who carried the touch in 1988.

Barrow’s Inner Wheel Club raised more than £1500 for charity during the past year, the annual meeting heard at the Victoria Park Hotel in July of that year.

The outgoing president Mrs Eileen Heslop said donations had been given to the Calvert Trust, Ladies Lifeboat Guild, Rotary’s Polioplus, the Furness Mammograph appeal, the Furness Hospice Appeal, Arthitis and Rheumatism Assocation, Roose Minbus Appeal and Furness General Hospital.

The club’s one day charity shop has been very successful, raising £346 which will be donated to Furness General Hospital to buy equipment for the pain control clinic.

Mrs Heslop said the district annual meeting at Morecambe had been a proud day for Barrow because two club members were elected on to the district executive committee.

Mrs Gwen Exley was the district chairman and Mrs Joyce was treasurer.

Officers for 1988/ 1989 were: President Mrs Margaret Robinson: Vice President, Mrs Pat McKeever, second vice president, Mrs Theresa Rose; secretary, Mrs Joan Taylor; treasurer Mrs Judith Rosser.

The Wheel club was also behind various other fundraising drives such as creating their own hats during the summer.

They included panamas, boaters, straw hats. All the classics styles were at the Lisdoonie Hotel to help them celebrate their 47th charter anniversary dinner.

The fancy finery ranged in the colours from beige to red and navy with a touch of emerald green from the Mayor of Barrow, Cllr Mrs Hazel Edwards.

It’s a return to high fashion of the hat, which for years had always been in the doldrums.

During the renewed interest in small but perfectly formed headwear in the shops that season, the women of Barrow definitely reasserted themselves and let us all in on the big secret...wearing hats, trying on hats and matching hat is sheer, unadulterated fun.