The decline of the small village Friendly Societies, throughout the second half of the 19th Century, was paralleled by the growth in the national Orders, such as the Foresters, Odd Fellows and Shepherds. The attraction of these Orders was that they were financially sound. They had tens of thousands of members and were unlikely to fail, unlike many of the small, local Clubs.  Without question, one of the highlights of the village year, and certainly the Club year, was the annual Feast, or Walking Day. This was usually held in May or June and it was on this day that the Brass Emblems came to the fore. The day usually began with a meeting of all members in the Club room. This was often a room in a local public house.
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Every member would be dressed in their Sunday best and would carry the Club brass on a pole for the Walk around the village. The Walk would be followed by a church service and then the Feast. A small fair would often be part of the festivities.
