For the volunteers, 2025 was a busy year, with work on numerous projects and initiatives. There were notable educational successes. The Freedom Lecture with Evgenyi Levchenko was a great success. In addition to the local primary schools, students from Calvijn College also visited the information centre. Unfortunately, few schools have yet shown enthusiasm for the new teaching pack.
Board
During the reporting year, the composition of the board remained unchanged: chair Paul Timmermans, secretary Kees de Koning, treasurer Rianne Verhees, and members Marja de Bakker and Vincent van Bijnen. They receive no remuneration for their work.
The chair represented the foundation at the opening of the Four Freedoms foyer, an interactive permanent exhibition about the four freedoms in the Abbey complex in Middelburg.
The secretary attended the official opening of Tholen’s Open Monument Day in Scherpenisse.
Together, the chair and secretary attended the heritage meeting organised by Erfgoed Zeeland and the Cultural Participation Fund in Axel, where they presented the Roosevelt Experience project.
Volunteer Paul Jas attended the Erfgoed Ontmoetdag organised by Erfgoed Zeeland in Brouwershaven.
Volunteers
Once again, eight volunteers, including four board members, were available to welcome visitors and give tours at the information centre. Additional volunteers are still needed.
Four dedicated project groups were active: for the Freedom Lecture, the Roosevelt Debate, the Experience Center and Popmonument.
Information centre
The Ambachtsherenhuis, which houses the information centre, was targeted by vandals during the reporting year. At the end of August, unknown individuals set fire to a sports mat against the rear wall of the historic building. The damage was limited to soot on part of the wall and a window frame. A week and a half later, one of the two large planters beside the entrance steps was damaged and was removed by the municipality. Beer bottles had also been smashed on the square on several occasions, and local residents reported young people gathering there late at night. The neighbourhood police officer was contacted and suggested adding the location to the evening patrol route of the municipal enforcement officers.
The 75th anniversary of Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to Oud-Vossemeer was marked with a small photographic exhibition. The Ambachtsheerlijkheid also commissioned a display case for the restored 17th-century board of the chamber of rhetoric.
Visitor numbers continued to rise, reaching well over nine hundred: 940 visitors over 61 days. Admission fees, together with very modest sales of booklets and cards, are our only regular source of income.
On 4 May, we welcomed a delegation from the Polish twin town of Iława, including municipal officials and representatives of the Roman Catholic parish. In early December, participants in a members’ event organised by Tholen Beter Bekend were introduced to the information centre.
The Ambachtsheerlijkheid has decided to hold only its annual meeting in its building. We agreed to the request from its management board to take on several tasks: forwarding post, reporting emergencies, keeping the inside of the building clean with an occasional dry cloth, and letting tradespeople in when necessary. As we are able to use the building free of charge, we could not refuse this request.
External contacts
The chair was interviewed by consultancy Berenschot about the Four Freedoms action plan commissioned by the municipality of Tholen. The provisional report was presented in June, but it was not subsequently discussed by the municipal council. Instead, we were asked to produce an operational plan setting out the projects we want to carry out and their associated budgets.
There was regular contact and consultation with the municipality. The Roosevelt Debate was evaluated, and a financial contribution was obtained for the Freedom Debate.
Following the Freedom Lecture with Levchenko, the ’t Rijks school indicated that it was interested in further cooperation in connection with its annual freedom week.
Projects
During the reporting year, several initial project proposals were drawn up: for decorating building facades, the Roosevelt Debate 2026, the Experience Center and Popmonument. This illustrates the breadth of the work being done to raise the foundation’s profile.
The Freedom Lecture given by Ukrainian former footballer Evgeniy Levchenko on 19 September was a great success, with more than 200 students at De Vossenkuil. The speaker was very approachable and answered all the questions from the audience. He told his story through interview questions, for which Marlies van Lier of Fris Presentaties had been engaged. The interim chair of Stichting Vrijheidscolleges attended, as did provincial staff, who were very complimentary. Much time had been spent beforehand on encouraging schools to attend.
Work also continued on our online visibility. Facebook was not working reliably, so a new account was created. The website now includes links to several cycle routes and a Roosevelt walking route. Refreshing the website remains a wish for the future.
Promoting our new teaching pack has not been straightforward. Marja delivered a copy to every primary school on Tholen and to Calvijn College, together with an invitation to a short information meeting in March. Only three schools attended. They intended to take part in the poster competition described in the teaching pack, but ultimately all withdrew.
Several initiatives are being prepared. A broader financial base is important for implementing them. The idea is for a small group to explore the opportunities offered by funds and other grant providers.
Work was well underway on the project to decorate village facades with Roosevelt quotations. The first facade, in Voorstraat, is expected to be completed in the spring.
Related to this is the idea of covering electricity substations with designs reflecting the Roosevelt theme. Their owner, Stedin, recently gave the go-ahead. Tholen Beter Bekend is coordinating the project.
A new project is Popmonument, which links musical performances to historic buildings. An initial proposal and budget have been prepared, enabling us to move forward.
A longer-term ambition is to establish a Roosevelt Experience somewhere on Tholen, where visitors can experience the Roosevelt story and Franklin Roosevelt’s four freedoms for themselves. The project group submitted an initial proposal to several prominent Dutch people for comment.
Kees de Koning, secretary.
