Meet Gerrards Cross & Denham Trefoil Guild

An introduction by Wendy Needham, Buckinghamshire county chair

Since taking over as Bucks County Chair I have had the pleasure of meeting up with Gerrards Cross & Denham Trefoil Guild a couple of times, firstly at their Annual Review and then the Purple Party which Jane Graham their joint secretary / treasurer has written about below. They are a great Guild, and their Fundraising efforts are amazing as you see in the article.

Gerrard's Cross & Denham Trefoil Guild - Fund raising 2025

Every year our guild selects a local charity and this year members voted to support the Epilepsy Society based in Chalfont St Peter. For thousands of years, epilepsy was not understood, it was a stigma, those suffering were labelled mentally unsound, even possessed by evil spirits. It was in the mid-19th century that it was hypothesized (correctly) that “electrical discharges” in the brain might be the cause of seizures but there was still widespread misunderstanding and stigmatisation. Employment prospects were non-existent; many ended up in workhouses or asylums. 

In 1892, a pioneering group of neurologists and philanthropists took the revolutionary step to found a 'colony' for people with epilepsy. They established The National Society for the Employment of Epileptics (NSEE) and set up a 'colony' at Skipping’s Farm in Chalfont St Peter. Their belief was that fresh air and hard work would benefit those with epilepsy.  The original staff consisted of a lady superintendent, a bailiff, a male attendant, a nurse and a female servant. 

The first colonists, all men, arrived in 1894. Initially they worked on the land and did domestic work in the home. Later, the men undertook work such as carpentry, plumbing, painting and bricklaying. Women soon followed. Their main task was the laundry although later they helped on the farm. And then, once a school had been set up, children arrived too.

The number of 'colonists' reached a peak of 580 immediately post WW2. By the 1950s, new seizure drugs became available, the diagnosis of epilepsy improved, and the number of residents gradually fell. But the site now became a research centre and hospital as well as remaining home to those for whom drugs do not work or who have other symptoms which mean they need specialist care. 

Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy is now home to ninety adults, and it is these residents for whom we wished to raise money for a facility or event.

We set up a committee and together talked through our options. In previous years we had held a Garden Party and a Bellathon. What should we do this year? There is a large recreation hall at the Centre, so we asked for permission to use this, and it was agreed at no charge. Purple is the international colour of epilepsy, and we knew we were good at providing tea - our Guild members are excellent bakers - so it became a Purple Party. 

Everyone was to be asked to pay to attend and there would be a raffle, tombola (and other fund-raising stalls. All prizes were donated by our members. Before tea we would have quizzes available, both inside and outside, and afterwards the Chalfont’s U3A Old Time Music Hall group kindly agreed to sing to us and with us.

We invited all fifteen Guilds in Buckinghamshire and were delighted to welcome representatives from ten of them. Local Girlguiding personnel joined us as well as friends of members - 67 people in all. Using our purple theme, everyone was asked to wear something purple, and we dressed the tables with purple plates, napkins and flowers. 

And it is not every day that the Town Crier summons us to tea but our special guest, Dick Smith, town crier of Beaconsfield, did just that. 

The catering team faced the biggest challenge. Firstly, the kitchen in the hall was not accessible. The Centre provided us with water in containers and with urns, but we had no running water, no refrigeration. Does this bring back memories of Guide camp? Their second challenge was the heat; it was one of our warmer days this summer and the icing and fillings on some of the cakes started to wander a bit! But in true Guiding spirit they were smiling and singing under all difficulties!

Thanks to the generosity of those who supported us, we raised an incredible £1,150 at the party. It is our intention to return to the Centre, in the autumn, to meet residents and their care staff, and present our final fund-raising total (we've a bit more to add on). We know that it will be used for an outing, the details of which are yet to be decided.

Jane Graham 

Gerrards Cross &  Denham Trefoil Guild