Newsletters

Welcome!

At the start of this year, none of us could have imagined that the world would be where it is today. The global pandemic has affected all of us in different ways, presenting challenges that have tested individuals, families, communities and nations. Here in Kilburn, we have made changes in our workplace to comply with Covid regulations and ensure the health of our staff and customers. While our Visitor Centre and T Café have sadly closed temporarily in response to the current situation, we have managed to maintain production in our workshop and some of the pieces produced during this period are featured in this newsletter. One particular project, the creation of furniture for a new chapel at the British Armed Forces’ Chaplaincy Centre in Oxfordshire, inspired thoughts of my great-grandfather,

Robert Thompson. During the two great military conflicts of the 20th century, the Mouseman workshop, never closed; Robert Thompson and his team of craftsmen, who were classed as working in a reserved occupation, continued to operate on the same site in Kilburn we use today. It reminds me that despite the hardship and heartbreak suffered in 1914-1918 and again in 1939-1945, people and communities were resilient. Life went on. It is something I shall keep front of mind as we move forward in the new normal.

Sending all our Mouseman friends across the world warmest wishes for good health and wellbeing in 2021.

Ian Thompson Cartwright

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