Previous letters pages can be found here.

Letters page from Volume 4, issue 12.
July 4th – July 17th, 1956.

OUR

LETTER PAGE

A letter from Marilyn Bowder, Sunbeam 13688. (Please send me your address.)
Dear Enid Blyton,
I am sending you a 3s. Postal Order to help the blind children. I have worked for this by doing odd jobs, like washing up and drying. Also by making felt brooches.
This is how I make them: I cut out some felt into the shape of an animal or a fish. Then I cut out another one just the same, and sew them together-but I leave a little space open so that I can fill the animal shape, then when I have packed it well I stitch the rest up. Then I sew a little gold safety pin at the back, and the brooch is complete. I sell these for 2d. each. Goodbye from
Marilyn Bowden (Sunbeam)

(You sent a very interesting letter, Marilyn, and I thought that the way you described the making of your little brooches was excellent – other children may like to make them too. I am sending you the letter prize – but please send me your address.)

A letter from Christine Morris, F.F. member.
Dear Enid Blyton,
Our tortoise is called Speedy. When Speedy is near the bird-dish with water in it, the birds sometimes sit on his back to drink the water !
Love from your club member,
Christine Joy Morris.

(What a lovely name for a tortoise, Christine – and how you must laugh when the birds perch on his shell!)

A letter from Pamela Smith, c/o Sgts. Mess, R.N.Z.A.F., Lauthala Bay, Fiji.
Dear Enid Blyton,
My school friends and I have a very good Nature Club. We all have scrap books and stick pictures of birds, animals and plants and butterflies in, and write about them too. Would you, through your magazine, ask girls in other countries who have little clubs too, to write to us? I am eleven years old. In our club we have little badges which we wear under our collars. I am in Form I. Marbles is the game in season at our school now.
Yours sincerely,
Pamela Smith.

(I have spoken of your request in my own letter, Pamela, and maybe you will hear from other Nature Clubs here. I hope you will be able to answer any letters you get.)

Another week where the prize goes to a fundraising letter – though it’s interesting to see just how many different ways that children could think of to make money. There are some classics like cake & candy stalls and getting paid for chores and odd jobs (and why not – they obviously work!) but there are also some pretty inventive ideas like making felt badges too.

Speedy (and yes – what a name for a tortoise!) made me think of Jemima trying to ride Looney – only I don’t think that tortoises can roll over to dislodge unwanted riders!

The letters often make me going looking things up – particularly when they comes from parts of the world I know little about. Fiji was a British colony at the time this was written (and was until 1970) while New Zealand had gained independence in 1947. Although Blyton touched on nature, culture and history of other nations in some of her educational books it must have been fascinating for nature-loving children to find out about nature in far-flung parts of the world so I hope that Pamela had some other clubs get in touch.