Elizabeth Jackson, of the Yorkshire Miniaturists Association, reveals how members kept their passion for making dolls house sets during lockdown as the group celebrated its 40th anniversary

YORKSHIRE Miniaturists Association, York’s local group for collectors and makers of dolls houses and miniatures, has been going strong for 40 years.

I was one of the founders back in 1981 and am still heavily involved today.

We were so thankful that by August last year, Covid restrictions had lifted sufficiently to allow us to hold a birthday party at my house. It was a very joyful occasion when we drank Prosecco, enjoyed a gorgeous birthday cake created by our chair, Ann Holmes, held a sales table, a quiz, and had a look around my dolls house room and display boards reminiscing over the past 40 years.

Each year we have a club challenge where members create a miniature scene on a chosen theme. Of course our anniversary year’s theme had to be 'birthdays'.

Barbara Stimpson’s 1940s room has a little girl with her birthday presents, one of which is a Triang dolls house.

Pauline Walker made a band playing at a birthday party.

Heather Warren made a fantastic tree house with a mouse birthday party going on inside.

My effort is a 1970s kitchen where Mum is opening her presents and cards with husband and family.

We usually display club challenge items on our regular stand at York Racecourse Dolls House Fairs, held each June and November.

When the Covid emergency began we were working on a challenge on the theme of 'romance'.

Like many groups everywhere, when the pandemic stopped us meeting and we wondered whether we should lose members’ interest and involvement.

We need not have worried. One member set up a private Facebook group for us to send news and photos.

Another suggested we should each month send a ‘kit by post’ to members so that people had a little project to be working on – some examples included family photos in ‘silver’ frames made from doilies, a tiny pink leather album with separate pages, a rose in a box, a pretty fabric-lined wicker basket, a board game.

We developed the know-how and confidence to run monthly Zoom meetings where we could report on our efforts and teach each other new skills.

Thanks to these members’ efforts the club finds itself in good heart - and was able to celebrate its special birthday year.