But just before I do

Let me tell you about Eastcombe WI's 75th birthday party last night!

Great fun, 30s dress "optional" - which means to say a couple of members and I did, and the vast majority arrived looking gorgeous and so smart in their party clothes (2008 style!)

Never mind, we had a great time and not only was the food yummy, we got to take home a piece of birthday cake and a potato. Yes, in true 1930's style and following the example of one of their early birthday parties, we each took home a potato and a bag to grow it in, complete with instructions which finished "bring the crop back in September to be weighed".

Brilliant idea!

Thank you so much for a lovely evening, Eastcombe WI. Here's to the next 75 years!

Handing over

It's time I handed over this blog to Margaret, GFWI's new County Chairman, because I know she has a lot to tell you!

1940s evening

Great fun was had in Tredington Village Hall last night when Tredington and Stoke Orchard WI celebrated their 60th Anniversary meeting. Nadine Carr, aka Lady Atherton was the speaker for the evening, perfectly chosen to fit the theme.

Seldom has a headscarf and rollers looked so elegant as on WI Secretary Gill, who also brought along the most delicious pecan tartlets. She's promised to share the recipe too - yummy!

News from Winchcombe WI

Adeline Rucklidge writes:

"Last years 'Warm hands from Warm Hearts' notice put in by Winchcombe WI member, Pat Wilson, got a terrific response, and many car loads of knitted goods were taken to 'Mr Shoebox' in Evesham. I am reporting that the good work of knitting is continuing, and Pat has just delivered another car load of knitted goods to Mr James, for the shoe boxes.We would like to thank all the GFWI members who are knitting for us, and keep up the good work, there can never be enough scarves, hats and gloves.
As a WI we have over 30 filled shoe boxes to go to Evesham next week.
It is such a well worth project."

Adeline, this is fantastic - congratulations to all the Winchcombe knitters for such an amazing contribution.

Small world

Last week, I was with the Textile Treasures in Harrogate and not only met someone who was at college with me but also another WI member who'd attended the same grammar school in Hull. Still bemused by these encounters, another "small world" moment arose last night at Avening WI's 77th birthday meeting.

We spent a super evening in the company of Mike and Pat Ledbury, from Inkberrow in Worcestershire, also known as "Morning Dew". After enjoying Mike's folk music and some interesting folk tales, accompanied by Pat on drum, we celebrated the 77th birthday of Avening WI with something a little stronger than tea this month. Chatting to Pat, I happened to mention I'd been at Castle Tump WI the previous night, and what a terrific bunch of women they were. Just as well I'd found them so - Pat's sister Gill ("Our Gillian") is their secretary!

Just illustrates that we need to be careful what we say - we never know who we are speaking to!

They made it!

Some time ago, a group of ladies wrote about their walking the Cotswold Way and said how much they were enjoying the challenge. Yesterday I had another email from them.

Yvonne Cole, Bishop's Cleeve W.I. & Secretary for Cleeve Hill Group writes:

Five ladies from the Bishop's Cleeve W.I. have now finished the Cotswold Way Walk. We started last October 18th and did walking till Jan 07, then we stopped as two ladies were away for a couple of months, started up again in May. We have done 12 walks in all and the final miles being 104, ending up in Bath on Thursday 4th Oct. outside the tourist information office, which is the official place to finish. We then went to Sally Lunn's Tea Shop and had a proper Sally Lunn's Bath Bun and a cup of tea, which was wonderful. The last walk was really beautiful, a lovely day and not to much climbing up so we thought, but once arriving at the Royal Victoria Park we had to climb up before then going down into the centre of Bath. We certainly needed that cup of tea. One of the lovely features we went through was the Lansdown Civil War Battle which happened on 5th July 1643.



Here's a photo of the 'walking five' outside the tourist office. I have taken about 280 photo's which I have put into a folder and also on a CD. If anyone's interested to doing the walk themselves, they can always look at my photographs."

Congratulations to you all - it's quite an achievement!!

If you are interested in seeing more of Yvonne's photographs, email me and I'll put you in touch with her.

Superb speaker!

The last of the 2007 Autumn meetings went as well as the previous three and we were thrilled to hear Marion Canning, professional Toastmaster, whose immaculate presentation and excellent delivery delighted her audience. Not only did Marion mix and mingle with the members present, she made the most professional raffle draw imaginable! We have a lot to learn...

I am thrilled to hear that so many members have enjoyed these meetings and how well all four speakers have been received by their audiences. Thank you for supporting them all. If you would like details for consideration for your group meetings, Liz would be pleased to share them with you. Ring the office or drop her an email.

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!

Floods in Fairford

Marion Lloyd, secretary of Fairford WI emailed me this morning with their news :

"Several of our ladies have had to move out of their homes, with 6 months being the time they have been told they can move back, although in some cases it will be before then. Fairford was cut off from both ends, I was doing a first aid course and had to travel over 10 miles to do 2 miles, some of our members offered help wherever possible as our old people's home was flooded and there was no electricity/hot meals but, as usual, the 'Dunkirk' spirit came through. It is was very sad to see carpeting and furniture etc. being loaded up outside houses, and a couple of members are very upset, but when we think of Worcester and Tewkesbury we were very, very lucky."

Marion went on to encourage everyone to support Fairford Steam Rally/horticultural tent on the 18th/19th August, please. Both Marion and Kathy Lewis, Secretary of Meysey Hampton WI will be there all Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon and look forward to seeing you there.

So proud

So many reasons to be proud of Gloucestershire members right now - I am in awe of the magnificent things which are happening in the county and delighted that the efforts of our members are recognised.

Firstly, open last weeks Stroud News and Journal and find that Meredith Fisk, Secretary of Stroud Shambles WI has been awarded "Young Person of the Year" by Stroud Town Council for her work with this new WI. Meredith sets a fine example to all with her enthusiasm and willingness to get involved in this new venture and has thrown herself wholeheartedly into the role. Meredith, we are so pleased that your commitment has been recognised and add our congratulations!

Meredith isn't the only WI member whose efforts have been recognised by the wider community, for Nailsworth WI and Nailsworth Country Market were joint recipients of the Queen Elizabeth 2nd Silver Jubilee Award presented by Nailsworth Town Council for Service to the Community.

In her citation the Mayor recognised the many years continuing, imaginative and caring contributions to the well being of the community with much being achieved by past and present day members.

The link between the WI and the Country Market is very strong as the Chairman, Vice-chairman and Market Manager are all on the WI committee, whilst the WI President, Secretary and other WI members are Country Market shareholders.

We are delighted with Nailsworth Town Council's decision to recognise the valuable role that so many members have played in the success of the town and congratulate you all on your achievement.

Finally, we watch Big Brother with eager anticipation as Tetbury WI member, Lesley takes part in this series.

Bishops Cleeve WI walk the Cotswold Way

I had a great evening with the members of Cleeve Group in Prestbury the other night and Yvonne Cole, President of Bishops Cleeve WI was telling me about their walking group. I asked her to send me some details.



Yvonne wrote:


"There are five of us doing the Cotswold Way Walk, all in our 60's. We started last October, by end Jan two of them were on 2 months holidays, started up again in May. You would think all of us being retired we could fit it in quite well, but we do have a problems meeting every week. The five of us doing it are: Joan Williams, Ann Buttler, Jacky Mason, Margaret Clapton and me. Margaret and Joan plan the route from the Cotswold Way Book and map, we generally do 8 miles at a time, and as a lot of the walks are very hilly we feel at our age that is enough. The longest walk was 10½ miles. We are not doing this for any other reason than we wanted to see the scenery and we obviously like walking. It is amazing the chatter we get through and discussions (when not going up hill), because Joan, Ann and Jacky are on W.I. committee we do not have chance to have long discussion at W.I. The five of us usually go on the monthly W.I. walk that Joan organises.



We started at Chipping Campden on 18th October doing a 10½ mile walk to Laverton, it was very misty for part of our walk, then it cleared up. Next was November Stanton through to Winchcombe, this was 7½ miles, a lovely sunny day. December was from Winchcombe to Cleeve Hill Golf Club 7 miles, once again fog, then brilliant sunshine at Belas Knap, then over the hill fog again. Jan 07 Golf Club to Severn Spring 8 miles, very windy, most beautiful scenery. If I remember going up the hills we took our coats off because we became so hot. The next walk in January Severn Spring to the Air Balloon Inn 6 miles, it just rained all the time, how wet we got and could not see anything. We decided we would never walk in that sort of rain and wind again. May Air Balloon to Painswick 9½ miles, what a wonderful day, so hot, tee shirts, the garlic bulbs were all out, the views marvellous. We stopped and had a cup of at The Haven Tea Garden, a wonderful lady who had been doing teas from her little place for at least 30 years or more. We walked up the side of Coopers Hill (cheese rolling hill), walked by side of Painswick Golf Club and the Beacon view excellent. The next May walk Painswick - Kings Stanley 8 miles, a cooler day and not much sunshine, passed the half way sign. Walking through the different woods on the last two walks were wonderful, the lush green leaves that had all come out on the trees and the view of the river Severn, miles away was a lovely sight. We passed Haresfield Beacon went through Standish Woods then down through Ryeford into Kings Stanley to pick up the one car."





Clearly Yvonne's group are enjoying this challenge. How about letting us know about your adventures?

A very special occasion indeed

Last night was the birthday celebrations of our oldest WI, as Fairford celebrated their 90th birthday with a party in the Palmer Hall. Fairford WI was opened on the 3rd March, 1917, when Madge Watt was present and a gentleman chaired the meeting.

How times change!

90 years later, the gentlemen were helping in the kitchen and the (lady) Mayor of Fairford, Christine, joined in the celebrations too. There was a splendid cake to cut, scrapbooks to peruse and many memories to share. Of course, we stood for Jerusalem - a fitting end to a wonderful occasion.

All congratulations to Fairford WI on such a magnificent achievement!

Leckhampton WI 60th birthday lunch

What a splendid time we had at the Renaissance restaurant in Cheltenham, when Margaret (Clarke) and I were delighted to share Leckhampton WI's celebration of their 60th birthday. Lunch was delicious and it was almost 3pm when we left! President Anne (above) gave everyone food for thought too, as she reminded us of our responsibilities towards the women who started that WI in the immediate post-war years, who worked so hard to establish strong foundations for this WI which continues to thrive.

Shurdington WI are 75!

Shurdington WI celebrated their 75th birthday with a delicious supper last night. It was such a fun evening and the presence of Cicely,a founder member now aged 94, made the occasion very special indeed. Each guest was presented with a commemorative gift in the form of a specially designed china trinket dish - such a lovely idea which was appreciated by everyone!

Wonderful afternoon!

Had a wonderful afternoon with David Ball, farm manager of Kemble Farms, today. A group of ten Avening WI members went along to find out exactly what happens on a modern dairy farm and how a herd of 700 Holstein-Friesian cattle are managed. What an interesting time we had - David was happy to answer all our questions and explain all the details of his work to a fascinated audience. If we needed any convincing that our dairy farmers need our support, here it was, plain to see, and how useful to have the opportunity to get first hand answers to our questions.

By the time we left, the herd was larger by one as this calf made her entrance in a quiet corner of the shed. We watched, delighted, as she took her first steps.

What a privilege - thank you David (and thank you, secretary Doreen for arranging it!)

(David is happy to accommodate further WI groups of no more than a dozen. Email me for details)

Warm Hands from Warm Hearts

(Picture from BBC website)

Wasn't it exciting to have our letter in the first issue of the new WI Life?

Another exciting thing is that members are reading it and the response has been very encouraging. Not only have we had phone calls giving encouragement to our ongoing project, but also many enquiries regarding joining in. In due course, we will notify members of contact managers in their own widespread areas. Incidentally, Bob James, who is our Shoebox manager has just informed us that this year, a total of 91,500 boxes were sent from our area. Our area covers Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire and thanks to you, many had gloves, mitts, scarves and hats tucked inside. Jumpers, toys and blankets were sent along under separate cover. This represents a lot of work done by our members.

Well done and good luck and knitting this year!

Pat Wilson, Winchcombe WI

Christmas parties

My WI, Avening, chose the most challenging night of the year to hold our Christmas Dinner at The Bell. I had to take an unusual route since a tree had fallen across the road in the torrential rain we'd had during the afternoon and the stormy conditions resulted in most of the village losing power supplies for a few hours. Fortunately, the lights (and most importantly, the cooker!) came back on just before 7 o'clock, though as the picture shows, our great President, Maisie, came prepared with a hurricane lamp, just in case!

We had a terrific evening, the food was great and the conversation flowed - of course! 

My Village, My Home

June, president of Ebrington WI offers a few words of welcome to the guests and introduces Earl Fortescue (left) and Jack Wheatcroft's Grandson (right).

Mark and I went to Ebrington yesterday, to the launch of the book based on the writings of Jack Wheatcroft, a "Yubbertonian" (learned that word whilst we were there!) who left a huge legacy of observations in the form of writings and drawings when he died in 1975. Pearl and Margaret, WI members of great skill and talent, have been working on putting these memoirs into a book at the request of the Wheatcroft family, and yesterday it all came wonderfully together in Ebrington Village Hall.

When we arrived, around 11.30am, the hall was already fairly full with Wheatcroft family members, Yubbertonians and WI ladies, but I was delighted that we were able to have a really good look at the beautifully displayed collection of memorabilia. We read about the people, the school and the village itself and were fascinated by such a wonderful collection of photographs.

The Earl Fortescue launched the book in great style, made heartfelt comments about his connections with the Wheatcroft family and spoke of his enjoyment of reading the advance copy of the book which he'd been given. One of Jack Wheatcroft's Grandsons replied with a similarly sincere speech of thanks on behalf of the family, who were clearly thrilled to be together for the exhibition.

As for us - neither Wheatcrofts nor Yubbertonians ourselves, we had a wonderful time! The warmest of welcomes, the most delicious buffet lunch and the privilege of seeing this remarkable exhibtion all went towards making this a truly memorable occasion. But most of all, we delighted in sharing such a terrific day with such a lovely group of people. Thank you, June and the ladies of Ebrington WI, for your kindness. But special thanks to Pearl and Margaret, for creating such a masterpiece from Jack's writings. You have done him proud!

(As I write, Mark has chuckled his way through half of the book and I am promised a look when he has finished!) 

Brimscombe and Thrupp WI

Anyone else seen the article in the Stroud News and Journal this week about Brimscombe and Thrupp WI? Nearly a full page following the visit of a SNJ journalist, Liz, to one of their meetings with Joy, their President.

What came across clearly was the genuine warmth of the welcome she received and the special nature of the friendships formed there - something that many of us take for granted. Particular mention was made of the length of time some of these women had been members of their local WI, particularly Grace, who'd been a member for more than 70 years and Linda, a member for nearly 50 years - surely a clear indication of the unique characteristics of the WI and something very difficult to explain to someone unfamiliar with the organisation.

Joy, you're doing a great job there. Thank you!