One of the old families of Aldbourne, Swindon and North Wiltshire presented their annual Howard Goddard-Jones Memorial Award to John Dymond, curator at Aldbourne Heritage Centre on Sunday.
John has supported the Goddard Association of Europe in many ways over the years and has researched the family history. He has focussed on their time in Aldbourne, to a point where he can be considered an expert on the Goddard history in the area, and last year he put together a fascinating talk reflecting this entitled “The Goddards of Aldbourne and Upham – landowners, benefactors…. and poachers”.
The Goddard Association of Europe has a membership of hundreds, based in all corners of the world, and offers a wealth of information about the family. Click here to access the website, which is a useful way of linking those exploring their family histories.
The Association is also on Facebook – click to access.
The Aldbourne Heritage Centre is open at weekends during the summer months. It has a unique collection of bells (the village was know for its bell foundry), material relating to the US 101st Airborne Division known as Easy Company of ‘Band of Brothers’ fame which was stationed in the village during WWII, a great deal of other fascinating historical items and a team of volunteers with boundless knowledge about the village of Aldbourne and its surroundings. They also organise monthly talks on a wide variety of historical subjects. Much more information is on the Aldbourne Heritage Centre website.