TODAY’S celebration of Evesham will include an emotional tribute to a beloved member of the local community with a series of photographs that celebrate his life
Wolff Wahle, who lived in Evesham for 63 years until his passing in 2010, was a keen photographer and captured more than 230 images in and around the town dating back to the 1970s.
Many of his pictures will be on display today at the Civic Society: Conservation Area stand during the event during the Love Evesham event, being organised by Evesham Town Council.
Colin Tether, Evesham town councillor and chairman of the Evesham Town Plan Committee, said: “We were delighted to be contacted by Wolff’s daughter Christina, who’d discovered her father’s photographs, and thought they would make an excellent addition to the ‘Love Evesham’ event. The Civic Society has put together a wonderful display of the photographs which are really worth seeing.
“The photographs were obviously taken and looked after with a great deal of care and we’re very excited to give local residents a glimpse into Wolff’s life all those years ago in the town he so clearly loved.”
Born in Berlin in April 1925, Wolff was brought to Britain at the age of 19 as a prisoner of war. He quickly learned English and upon his release in 1948, chose to stay and build a life in Britain. By 1956, Wolff had married and moved to Fairfield in Evesham.
Throughout his life, Wolff was an active member of the Evesham community; he was one of the first members of the Evesham Civic Society, served on the Social Security Appeal Tribunal and was a board member for Rooftop Housing.
He is remembered as a generous friend and a cheerful, optimistic man who had a gift for connecting with people and the world around him.
Visitors can also lend their support to the Evesham Vale Cardiac Rehab Charity this weekend.
Coun Gerry O’Donnell, a member of Wychavon District Council, discovered cardiac rehabilitation following a heart attack in 1991 and believed that a similar unit would benefit locals when he moved to Evesham.
Now established as a registered charity, Gerry and his trustees are hoping to raise funds for continued awareness of cardiac rehabilitation as well as its new GP exercise referral programme, titled ‘Healthy Hearts’.
Coun O’Donnell said: “Cardiac rehabilitation got me back on my feet and back to work quickly following my heart attack. It’s makes a real difference for anyone suffering with or recovering from cardiac problems, but despite the fact that heart disease rates in the UK remain one of the highest in the world, these facilities are only accessible to some 45 per cent of those who need it in England and Wales.”
“When I moved to Evesham, I discovered that people had to travel to Worcester or Redditch for hospital-based care and I wanted to provide a community-based facility supported by local people, for local people.”
The Rehabilitation Centre is based at Evesham Leisure Centre and provides support for people who have suffered a heart attack or undergone heart surgery. The Healthy Hearts scheme is also designed to benefit people who are at risk of suffering from heart disease, becoming obese or developing diabetes through supervised exercise sessions and health education.
Love Evesham will take place in the Market Place from 10am to 4pm to celebrate the success of the Town Plan, which was adopted in 2015 to improve the lives of local residents and position Evesham as a welcoming, picturesque and interesting place to visit and live in.
The event will also offer several activities for children to enjoy, whilst inviting members of the local community to pledge their support for the individual Town Plan projects.
Visit www.eveshamtowncouncil.gov.uk/evesham-town-plan for more information.
