AT OUR meeting on Thursday, August 20, Cliff Blackborrow was delighted to tell us that he has inherited 18 million US dollars from an investment in Hong Kong which he can claim by sending details of his bank account. However, his delight was short-lived when two others revealed that they had also received similar scam letters.

Our speaker was the Rev Vivian Lewis, a retired Baptist Minister from Leamington Spa. He told us about the Amish, or Plain, people. Some of us had seen the film on TV about the Amish but we were interested to hear more about the background of this religion. Originally some 300 people, who had broken away from the Roman Catholic Church, were expelled from Alsace and settled in Pennsylvania, USA. They now number some 150,000 living mainly in small isolated rural farming communities in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.

They are easily recognisable by their plain dress. Only married men are allowed to grow breads, although they must shave their upper lips. They rely on horses for transport, have no electricity, kitchen appliances, TVs, radios or computers and their means of communication with the outside world is by telephones sited in a corner of a field. They have their own schools, shops and industries which generate an income for their modest needs.

Interestingly, the young people are allowed to sow their wild oats as they are not yet members of the church. However, 80% of their young do join and remain in their communities. Even more interesting is that they are regarded kindly by their non-Amish neighbours as they cause no trouble and keep very much to themselves.

Rex Colwell thanked Rev Lewis on our behalf, saying he had learned a lot from this talk which he had found fascinating.

Next week on August 27, we shall hear about the music of Gustav Holst followed on September 3 with an RNLI presentation.

CHRIS DONOUGH