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DFAS has made a ¤500 donation towards the conservation of two manuscripts (dated to 1821 and 1839) that are particularly precious because of the way they are bound, using block-printed paper. ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPAThe church of St Leonard in Charlecote is the latest to have a detailed study of its contents, thanks to the work of the church recorders from Royal Leamington Spa DFAS. During recording, a small, dull brown book was found – it turned out to be a 1633 Bible which is to be rebound and stored in a custom-made box, paid for by the society. 6 Presenting the RecordCIRENCESTER & CORINIUMFive schools in Cirencester have made a quilted wall hanging that celebrates the 900th anniversary of the founding of St Mary’s Abbey, Cirencester. In the 12th century, the Abbot Alexander Nequam wrote an illustrated chronicle detailing the use of herbs grown in the abbey grounds.Each school was given two arched panels on which to feature two different herbs; completed panels were combined into a wall hanging in the shape of an arched window. The wall hanging was funded by Cirencester DFAS and Corinium DFAS as one of their joint Young Arts projects for 2017. MENDIPWhen Elmhurst Junior School in Street, Somerset, had to fell a tree in the grounds, the co-headteacher Mike Lawrence had the idea to make the stump into a sculpture, to be appreciated for generations to come. Mendip DFAS was keen to get involved and helped not only with funding, but also development of the idea.The children created some 250 sketches as part of their scheduled art classes – common themes were incorporated into the final design by the Tree Pirates, including books, sports items, pencil and sharpener, and wise owl. David Cooke, the Young Arts representative of Mendip DFAS said he was excited by “the commitment of the school to art as an important input into the children’s education”.7 The finished tree stump sculpture EALING Ealing DFAS in London has supported an innovative one-week project with the residents of Green Man Lane (GML) housing estate to bring construction hoardings to life. This project, initiated by Mandie Wilde at OPEN Ealing, involved professional artists working with young GML residents. The Chair of A2Dominion Housing Group, the association regenerating GML estate, brought visitors from the British Commonwealth Development Corporation to view the work. They were keen to see how mixed tenure housing, community projects and cultural initiatives could be used in building developments. All were impressed with the project. 8 Decorating a hoarding76870SOCIETIES NEWSThe Arts Society ReviewSummer 2017