Smith Friends say farewell at milestone
It was a bittersweet event for the Friends of the Smith Art Gallery and Museum recently as they marked their 50th anniversary - and also their last gathering.
The group - whose committee members have an average age of 84 - is winding up through lack of volunteers.
The Friends appealed last year for new members to come forward to join the committee.
However, the response was not enough to prevent the group’s demise.
More than 150 people gathered to celebrate the anniversary, but also to say farewell.
Friends of the Smith chair Moira Lawson said:“we are all in our 80s. We have tried, and failed to find volunteers to join our committee.”
Friends of the Smith was formed in 1973 when the museum was under threat of closure, when a group of interested individuals fought to keep the museum open.
Last August the Friends held an open day and informal membership drive hoping to encourage more people to help fundraise, carry out duties and run events. Earlier that year they had pointed to a“drastic”fall in income following the pandemic, describing the situation as“dire”.
One of the Friends’biggest projects was Ailie’s Garden which they created in 2002 following a £80,000 fundraising campaign.
The garden was created to encourage wildlife and the study of nature as well as composting and waste management.
It was named after Ailie R Maclaurin (1913-2000) of the Stirling Homesteads, where biodiversity and sustainability were practised in the early 20th century. Ailie was a great gardener and lifelong Friend of the Smith.