A CHRISTMAS FAIR was held in the Town Hall, Birmingham, lent by the City Council, on 24th November.

The fair was opened by the Countess of Warwick. Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., chairman of the Institution, presided, supported by Sir Charles Rafter, K.B.E., Chief Constable of Birming- ham, Alderman Lovsey, J.P., repre- senting the City Council, the Assistant Bishop of Birmingham (the Right Rev.

Hamilton Baynes, D.D.), Mr. J. W.

Kilgour, Manager of the Birmingham Hippodrome, Mrs. Geoffrey Bird, chair- man of the Birmingham Ladies' Life- boat Guild, and Mr. Geoffrey Bird, a vice-president of the branch.

After paying a tribute to the work of the Birmingham branch and Ladies' Life-boat Guild, Lady Warwick said : " I feel some diffidence, as I have only recently become a neighbour of yours, but if I may be allowed, I should like to make an appeal to you, quite apart from this particular effort. I was greatly interested to learn that so many of your leading firms have given generous donations, but I would appeal to all those works whose names are not so far enrolled on the list of regular subscribers to remedy this at once.

If we could have an annual collection in every office and every works, I am confident the result would be worthy of Birmingham's important place among the great cities of the world.

" Then may I say one word to all of you who would not come under any such scheme. I would ask you, either now, or immediately you reach home —before the pressing matters of life erase from your minds your good in- tentions—to let the secretary have a note that you will give an annual donation to the life-boat service. I suppose there is no one in this country who does not pay tribute, by thought or word, to our life-boatmen, but that is not enough. If you will give, then you may have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping them to save lives, and that you are showing that your admiration of their work is genuine." After opening the Fair, Lady Warwick visited every stall, all the amusement stalls and the mannequin parade.

Between 700 and 800 people came to the Fair..