Bethesda Guides

Most of the material that represents the Together Trust archive has been collected over the years from within the charity’s records. The collecting policy for the Together Trust’s remit is quite small. However there are some items that have been added to the archive over the years from external sources. These have largely been made up of photographs gathered from ex residents and staff. A surprise letter the other week however added another important component to the archive. 

2nd Cheadle Guides (Bethesda) Album, 1987

The Bethesda service, which had been resident in Cheadle since the 1960s, provided education and care for children with disabilities. Activities outside of the school were created for the children however, and scout and guide packs were set up to provide entertainment. One such pack was the Second Cheadle Guides (Bethesda) which ran a unit from around 1965 up until 1994. Many of the girls from Bethesda were involved in the group which taught skills, distributed badges and arranged day trips and camps.

Thank you cards

Scrap books and albums were made to record the various activities and trips the girls were involved in. These included, amongst others; photographs, cards, and handmade crafts. Around 35 of these books, from 1975 – 1994, were deposited to the Together Trust by a member of staff. 

Evening ramble

These give an amazing insight into the additional activities undertaken by the children at Bethesda as well as into girl guiding in general. As it was run separately to the school we would never have seen these albums if they were not kept and deposited by interested individuals. I wonder what other hidden gems are sat in the community just waiting to be discovered!

If you have photographs or items relating to the Together Trust please contact us as we would love to see them!