We are pleased to welcome Bernard Mills, Chair of the Kays Heritage Group, to this blog. This is hopefully the first of a series of posts from Bernard where he will share his extensive knowledge of Kays. We hope that you will find the posts interesting share some of your own memories of Kays, whether as a customer or employee using the form at the bottom of the post.
When Mr Kay formed the company he was keen to ensure that his staff had social activities that they could enjoy. This resulted in many clubs such as the Kays Theatre Group, Kays Darts team, Kays Football teams and so on. One of the main groups was the Sports and Social Club which formed an “umberella” group to co-ordinate events and activities. 
(The Tennis Courts of Kay & Company, LTD., Worcester. A Tournament in Progress. From the spring/summer catalogue for 1929 )
One of the main events, that was held annually, was the Sports and Social Fete. This was open to the public and employees alike and was often opened by a celebrity. There were the usual stalls such as White Elephant, Tombola, Bring & Buy as well as events such as tug-o-war. The venue was the Cinderella Playing Fields on Bransford Road.
So are there any memories that you could share that would expand the knowledge of what the fete was about, who opened it, and any anecdotes about the days themselves?
If you would like to share a memory, or other infomation (e.g. can you identify the event in the photograph above?) please do so using the form below.
All contributions will be shared with Bernard Mills.
The University of Worcester Research Collections 