Highlights From A Fantastic 150th Anniversary Year
We’ve marked our landmark 150th anniversary year in a whole host of different ways.
From reader holidays to sell-out events, from parties to publications, it really has been a great time to work on the world’s longest-running women’s weekly magazine.
We’ve already shared some anniversary thoughts from our readers and contributors. So it’s high time we shared some of our thoughts with you, too!
Take a look below for some of the “Friend” team’s highlights!
Margaret, Production team
“My personal highlights were so many, it’s hard to say what will stay with me the longest!
“Working on the 150th Special Collector’s Edition was such a joy for me. Why wouldn’t it be? Up to the Archives often and if not there, diving into the history again and again. Then watching the whole thing take shape, and seeing the images come to life as Sarah coloured them in. In my mind, the best thing we’ve done.
“I also loved the attention the ‘Friend’ got this year. Hearing Angela talk on the radio, seeing newspaper clips, and being aware the company was giving us our ‘place’, if you like. I was very aware that we staff members are the latest in a long line, responsible for shepherding the ‘Friend’ through the years.
“And I still have my heather, wine and wooden disc as mementos of our fab party!”
Photograph by Kenny Smith Photography.
Marion, Features team
“How do you choose one highlight from our 150th anniversary year? What about January’s spectacular birthday party? Or the fascinating talks by respected academics at some of Scotland’s most prestigious libraries? Not forgetting Angela’s many media interviews on TV and radio (including for one of my favourite programmes, Radio 4’s ‘Woman’s Hour’).
“Perhaps the most satisfying thing for me throughout the year has been the feeling of being part of a long and laudable history.
“During our visits to our Archives department, that became clear. And we made many such visits to work on our award-winning Special Collector’s Edition and our book, ‘150 Years of Christmas Cookery‘!
A Woman’s Work
“Handling that century-old paper, I could imagine reading the magazine by a Victorian fireside. I learned so much in those pages about working women of the time.
“The daily lives of schoolteachers, nurses, secretaries, factory workers and journalists featured often. One feature even told how the Paisley Mill Girls at the Brown & Polson Cornflour Factory had a kind of company pension scheme.
“That must have been one of the first in the country — and they opened it to women!
“How hard life must have been in those days. After a full day’s work it was home to prepare a meal without any of the modern conveniences we take for granted today. How women must have looked forward to settling down with their “Friend” every week.
The Bond Of ‘Friend’-ship
“And it’s that story of women through the last 150 years that the ‘Friend’ tells so well. Together, the stories in its pages build into the story of the lives of generations of women.
“Throughout, we see them working inside and outside the home; living, laughing and caring for the people around them.
“We know there’s a bond between the ‘Friend’ team and our readers and contributors.
“This year has shown more than ever before how that bond stretches back all the way to 1869.
“It’s something we value as we enter our 151st year and beyond.”
Keep an eye on the tag below to read more of the team’s highlights from an amazing 150th anniversary year.
You can see what we’ve been up to throughout 2019 by clicking here.
