Going well!

Another two Autumn Meetings over and just the one to go, and I think this year's evenings have been the best yet. On Monday, we enjoyed hearing about The Secret Life of Auntie May from Jen Green in Highnam. What an amazing lady! Last night, we were in Bredon, to hear Polly Vacher speak about her solo flying expeditions and were inspired by not only her personal achievements but the difference the flying scholarships make to the lives of disabled people she works with.

On both occasions, we were treated to delicious home made cakes with our tea and had plenty of time to catch up with our friends. In total, these four meetings have attracted more than 500 members, making them a real highlight of our year, and the atmosphere at each has been happy and relaxed.

In Chedworth this evening, we'll finish off the series in the company of a Lady Toastmaster and 127 members from 24 WIs. Hope to see you there!

Kings Stanley Autumn Meeting

Friday night was the first of our Autumn meetings, in Kings Stanley with the honour of hearing Lady Atherton, aka Nadine Carr, who encouraged us to "Make Do and Mend". It was fun to hear her suggestions for getting through a tough time when resources were scarce and there were smiles on the faces of those who had experienced it all first hand - for most of us, of course, it was simply something our Mothers had told us about!!

The "Niggle Book" proved useful, the tea and cakes were delicious ~(Thank You Kings Stanley WI!) and there was a great atmosphere as more than 130 members got together to chat, to share ideas and enjoy a good evening out.

On Monday night, we'll be in Highnam, Tuesday in Bredon, and finally on Wednesday, we'll be at Chedworth. Hope to see you somewhere there!

Remarkable friends

I went to Newtown WI last night, one of the worst hit by the floods with several members having to deal with the aftermath, living in caravans and other temporary accommodation. You might have expected a rather sombre meeting after the events of the summer, but not a bit of it! This was a gathering of good friends, of women who are not easily downhearted and who have been there for one another throughout the last few weeks. It was great to see everyone in such good spirits in spite of so many challenges right now and I spent a lovely evening in their company.

What's really interesting is that a remarkable friendship has developed with Amesbury WI in Wiltshire Federation. who contacted the ladies of Newtown WI at the height of the crisis and pitched in to help. They drove over to Tewkesbury with car fulls of gifts - household linens, cleaning materials, small personal things which were so gratefully received and which meant so much. Not only that, but the small messages and little thoughtful touches tucked inside the towels and blankets revealed the sincerity of their kindness. Lots of treasures had been gathered into a scrapbook which was circulated for all to see - recording the start of what I'm sure will be a long standing friendship.

At the meeting last night, President June opened wine and chocolates, further kindnesses from their Amesbury WI friends and plans were made for a get together in Wiltshire soon.

At the printers!!

I can't believe how quickly everyone has worked together to get this amazing book in print so soon after the events. The cover is now at the printers, the manuscript and photographs are with the publisher, Matilda (of Suttons, Ltd) and we anticipate that it will go on sale in mid-November. Sue has done an amazing job of preparing it all for printing, of collating all your contributions (there was enough for three books in the end, but sadly only room for one!) It's been a long and time consuming task and I'm sure Sue breathed a huge sigh of relief as she packed it up to hand it over.

I was thrilled that our requests to write forewords were accepted by both HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and the Chief Constable. It meant a great deal to me that so many busy people have gone to great lengths to create a very special record of the flood, thereby raising funds for the Gloucestershire Flood Relief Fund.

You'll understand, then, why I'm slightly embarrassed to see my name on the front cover alongside Her Royal Highness, Tim Brain and Sue Wilson. I really felt that of all people, I was the one least warranting a mention. It seems, however, that it isn't possible to credit a collaborative effort for a variety of reasons - but on this occasion, more than ever, when you read my name, you know that it's very much on behalf of you, the GFWI members, who are quite rightly credited throughout the book as you'd expect.

You have sent the most amazing contributions, Sue has done a wonderful job of compiling an interesting and readable text and Matilda has produced a stunning cover. When I signed the contract on your behalf I knew it would be good, but I think,

together we have created a masterpiece.