Margaret Richards died recently after a short illness and at home with her family. She had been a long-standing BETA member, joining when we were a branch of the Embroiderer’s Guild. This post hopes to share a little of how much she meant to BETA as a whole and to individual members. We also wanted to celebrate her life by including images of some of the exhibition of her work, which was held following her funeral.
Margaret was a longstanding member of BETA’s committee, organising our periodic workshops and providing wonderful lunches for visiting tutors. Her contribution to BETA and its members went far beyond her significant help on the committee however. She was a power house of energy and enthusiasm, helping with events, planning exhibitions and providing learning and support for BETA members who were less knowledgeable and skilled than her. She held mini workshops, including one spent dyeing fabrics in her garden and another making felt bowls. She was also kind and supportive to individual BETA members, always willing to spend time helping individual members develop their skills, or solve textile related conundrums.
Margaret contributed to the community beyond her work with BETA. She led a U3A group and very significantly was a longstanding volunteer at ANAWIM women’s centre. Their most recent newsletter, following their AGM includes a tribute to Margaret. It features some pictures from an exhibition of the work women at the centre had produced, as members of her textile group. Margaret was rightly very proud of the work she did with the centre and spoke with pride and affection about individual women she had worked with. Margaret was also very good fun to be around and memorably up for fancy dress, as shown below, from a BETA meeting that focused on Mary Quant.
Following her funeral everyone gathered together and we were helped to remember her by a display of photographs and by seeing some of her work displayed on the day. This included work completed by Margaret as a member of Birmingham Weavers. That group was central in organising the day and the exhibition itself.
Many of us were then privileged by taking a piece of her work with us to treasure and to donate to ANAWIM among other charities. Those of us who were lucky enough to know Margaret will value those pieces. She will however live on beyond the physical reminders, held in our own inspiring memories of spending time with her.
Birmingham Embroidery and Textile Art 