A profile of Mrs Amelia Stace, one of the founders of Cam Sight. The profile has been transcribed from a newspaper article in the 1910s. 

The war has provided many opportunities for women to exhibit their capability and kindness of heart and exercise the ingenuity and resourcefulness which they possess in such a marked degree.  Cambridge has long had occasion to pride itself upon the number and ability of its lady workers, and its high estimation of them has been justified and increased by its experiences in wartime.  Splendid have been the services of the ladies of Cambridge; their accomplishments have been most gratifying and we, one and all, are proud of them.  Amongst our lady workers, Mrs George Stace holds a deservedly prominent position.  Twice Mayoress and an excellent organiser, she is able to bring to the discharge of any duty she undertakes both experience and skill.  During the whole of her 40 years of married life she has been engaged in voluntary work of various kinds first parochial and later of a wider and wider public character.  The war has found plenty of openings for her energy.  From the time of the arrival of the Six and Diversion until the departure of the Territorial Troops this Spring, Mrs Stace gave two afternoons a week to help in the conduct of the Soldiers Institute which were quickly established here.  At the time she was looking after the interests of the soldiers’ dependents as a member of the Committee of the Soldiers, Sailors Families Association and the comforts of the wounded as a member of the first Borough Needlework Committee of the Red Cross Association, a class of which met at her house.

When the broken soldiers commenced to arrive in Cambridge and the first Eastern General Hospital came into existence, Mrs Stace joined the Recreation Committee formed to help on convalescence by promoting cheerfulness amongst the wounded, and which accomplished very good work indeed.  The flag days made further demands upon her services and she has undertaken the organisation of a Ward on each of these great days of public solicitation.  Her latest enterprise has been a share in the management of the Tipperary Club, whose pleasant afternoons have become extremely popular with soldiers wives and female relatives.  For many years she has been a member of the Cambridge District Nursing Association Committee, being specially interested in Romsey Town, where, with a band of devoted workers, she has raised a considerable sum each year towards the funds.

From the aforegoing brief epitome of a considerable volume of work, it is made perfectly clear that Mrs Stace is a very busy lady, and there are many other things she finds time to attend to besides.  These include a Vice-Presidency of the Committee of the Ladies Association for the Eastern Counties Asylum for Idiots; membership of the Committee’s of the sales of work of the SPG and the Additional Curates Society. A Vice- Presidency of the Addenbrookes Hospital Workers Fund and Day Warden of the Fitzgerald Habituations of the Primrose League.

It was during her second year as Mayoress that Mrs Stace became interested in the special work which, perhaps, claims her warmest sympathies, the Cambridge Society for the Blind.  The Society was formed during Mr Alderman Stace’s Mayoralty in 1911 and Mrs Stace has remained its Secretary with Mr Stace as Treasurer.  Every Friday afternoon blind persons resident in Cambridge are entertained by Mrs Stace and a few friends the guests usually numbering 18 or 20 and endeavours are made to find them with work to do and in various ways to make their condition in life more bearable.  There are only a few regular subscribers and funds are also derived from an annual sale of work, the responsibility of running and maintaining the Society of which Mr Alderman HM Taylor is President, rests largely upon the shoulders of Mrs Stace and is cheerfully borne by her.

Mrs Stace acknowledges that she had a very good time as Mayoress although she had a tremendous amount of work to do during the Coronation year when she went around with her husband the Mayor to the elementary schools in the Borough and stoops to the whole of the children 7.000 in number.

“I have always found Cambridge people most willing to help,” Mrs Stace informed us “.and I am very grateful to them for it.  I have been backed up most gloriously”

Mrs Amelia Stace was born in Cambridge, the third daughter of Mr Charles Groves, and a member of a large family of brothers and sisters.  Of her two surviving brothers, one is the Rev. C.W. Groves MA of Sidney Sussex College, and the other Mr James Groves of Tottenham.  Mrs Stace was married to Mr Alderman Stace on August 3^rd1875 at St Andrew’s The Great Church, which she has attended all her life and where her husband has been Church Warden for many years.  Mr and Mrs Stace have only one surviving child, a daughter, Winifred Mary who is married to Mr C WQ Lloyd, an engineer, and has two daughters.  Two of Mrs Stace’s nephews are at the Front and one of them had come on a visit to his Aunt, practically straight from the Trenches on the very day of our interview.