Happy New Year to all our members and to any other ladies who would like to come along to a meeting to see what we do, without obligation.
See Programme and Information to the right for details of your 2017 Programme and details of your Committee.
We look forward to seeing you on January 9th. please bring along your Subs payment (£39) and a raffle prize. Your Programme card and membership card/booklets will be available then.
Monday, 26 December 2016
Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Monthly Meeting in December
Such talented members!
We all had fun making our own
Christmas cards with material 'cut out' trees
and other decorations.
Christmas Tree Festival
Leigh on Mendip Church held a Christmas Tree Festival the weekend of 10/11 December. Thank you to Sue Rodford, Caroline and Shelagh for making the decorations for our beautiful tree. It was a lovely occasion and raised funds for FOLC.
Christmas Meal
Many of our members had great fun at our Christmas Meal at The Bell on Thursday 6 December. Thank You to Mary for organising the event. At the end of the meal we all had a 'Secret Santa' present and Barbara gave best attendance prizes to Ann Orpwood & Christine (and also to Hazel Parks at the monthly meeting the following week).
Thursday, 8 December 2016
Monthly Meeting for November
LEIGH ON MENDIP WI
Some final arrangements were
made for Christmas events at our November meeting. We were reminded about the
Secret Santa presents for the Christmas meal and to make our food choices if
not already done. The Carol Concert in Kilmersdon clashed with the monthly
lunch in the Bell on Friday 2nd Dec but it was decided to go ahead
with the latter albeit at the later time of 12.45. The FOLC Christmas fair
would take place on Friday 9th December and members were asked to
make cakes to pass to Barbara who is running a cake stall there or at least to
come along between 6 and 9pm. That weekend too is the Christmas tree festival
in the church where the WI entry on a Scandinavian theme will be on display
with the others.
As mentioned last month
don’t forget the Denman fundraiser breakfast at Barbara’s house on 13th January
from 10am, entry £5. Also in January will be our 68th birthday party
on the afternoon of Sunday 29th when we will enjoy tea and cakes
along with any friends, partners etc. who would like to join us. Venue to be
decided. Finally if you have any old unused spectacles Caroline would love to
receive them for her recycling project.
Our speaker session in
November was very different to most. A
laughter therapist led us through many different exercises which were basically
just making ourselves laugh but interacting with each other. Research has shown
that the many advantages of laughter which include stress and depression relief
are just as effective with “pretend” laughter as the natural kind. I think some
of us may have felt a little silly at first but it was surprisingly easy to get
into the spirit of things and just laugh!
Our next meeting will be on
Monday 12th December at 7.30pm when fellow members will help us make
Christmas cards and we will hear about the choices for the Resolutions.
Tuesday, 11 October 2016
Meeting Monday 10 October 2016
Christmas was definitely in
our sights at the October meeting with choices being taken for the meal at the
Bell on December 8th and mentions of carol concerts at Wells and Kilmersdon.
Sue Rodford volunteered to produce our entry for this year’s Christmas tree
competition in the church and would be helped by Shelagh and Caroline. We were
asked to bring pieces of green material to the next meeting or give them to
Caroline or Mary as these are needed to use in the making of Christmas cards at
the December meeting.
Looking ahead to January,
Barbara will be hosting a “breakfast”, at her house, from 10am on the 13th
entry £5. This will be Leigh WI’s fundraiser for Denman so do support it if you
can.
We all felt the recent
defibrillator training had gone well and it was agreed that a follow up
session, with maybe some more hands on action, would be welcome.
Our speaker, Mr Shepherd,
gave us a talk full of fun and interest, even including a quiz, mainly on music
through the decades. He brought along many objects he had “saved” from skips
and told us about others he had sold at auction. He urged us not to throw our
unwanted items away but to sell or give them to someone such as a charity shop
instead so they would not go to waste.
At our next meeting on
Monday 14th November our guest speaker will talk to us about “The
Power of Laughter”
Saturday, 1 October 2016
Looking Ahead!!
Some dates for you to note:
Community Coffee Morning - Monday 3 October, 9.45-10.45am in Leigh on Mendip Village Hall
WI Monthly Lunch - Friday 7 October, 12.15pm at The Bell
Monthly Meeting - Monday 10 October, 7.30pm
ACWW Coffee Morning, Wednesday 19 October, 10.30-12.30pm. Binegar Village Hall
Group Carol Service, Friday 2 December, 11am at Kilmersdon Church
WI Christmas Evening Meal, Thursday 8 December at The Bell
Christmas Tree Festival, Leigh on Mendip Church, 10/11 December. WI would like to enter a decorated tree. Volunteers please!
Community Coffee Morning - Monday 3 October, 9.45-10.45am in Leigh on Mendip Village Hall
WI Monthly Lunch - Friday 7 October, 12.15pm at The Bell
Monthly Meeting - Monday 10 October, 7.30pm
ACWW Coffee Morning, Wednesday 19 October, 10.30-12.30pm. Binegar Village Hall
Group Carol Service, Friday 2 December, 11am at Kilmersdon Church
WI Christmas Evening Meal, Thursday 8 December at The Bell
Christmas Tree Festival, Leigh on Mendip Church, 10/11 December. WI would like to enter a decorated tree. Volunteers please!
Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Monthly Meeting Monday 12 September
Barbara
welcomed members back after the summer break.
During this time various events had taken place, including the party at
Kilmersdon WI, a walking tour of Frome and the President’s evening (a very
enjoyable social time with some lovely food).
The
Annual meeting is on 22 October at Taunton.
Caroline & Shelagh will be attending. Members were asked to donate items for the
YMCA Christmas Shoe box appeal for both male and female young adults. Small
toiletry and household items are required, as well as some chocolates and food
treats, socks, gloves, etc. Any items to
Caroline by 17 October at the latest. Members
were encouraged to sign up for the Defibrillator training in the Village Hall
on 21 September. Other events to look
forward to are the Autumn Group Meeting at Beckington on Monday 3 October at
which the Frome Town Crier will be present.
There is an ACWW Coffee morning in Binegar on 19 October. Further ahead Christmas activities include –
the Group Carol Service on 2 December at Kilmersdon and our Christmas meal to
be held at The Bell on Thursday 8 December.
Barbara
welcomed our speaker, Steph from Dorothy House.
She gave an interesting talk on the history of the organisation. It is a registered Charity and was set up in
1976 in a house in Bloomfield Road and was able to care for 6 people at a
time. In 1995 they moved to their
current home at Winsley. There are only
9 bedrooms as well as facilities for day patients. Predominately care is carried out in the
person’s own home. They cover an area of
700 square miles and last year cared for over 2000 patients. Everything is free of charge and although
they do receive some NHS funding the majority is from their own fund
raising. In total they need £12K per
day.
Our
speaker next month will be giving a talk on ‘Living Out of a Skip’!
Wednesday, 20 July 2016
Monday 11 July Meeting
We started our July meeting
with a fire drill, partly as we had not had one for a while but also as we had
2 ladies with us from the now closed Oakhill institute. The village fair had
been financially successful with a bigger pay out for all groups than recently
and Barbara thanked again all those who took part or donated items.
The National AGM had taken
place and the voting raised an issue as to whether we should in future leave
the decisions on the resolutions to our group delegate so they can take into
account the information and views of the formal speakers at the event. Often the resolutions are not clear or
comprehensive enough and a more informed vote would seem to be sensible.
We had a reminder about
Denman courses with both a one day taster and a Federation weekend listed in
the County News. We still have a bursary to give out for a course and it was
suggested that if wanted this could be shared between two members, maybe
attending the taster day which is already good value. Let a committee member
know if you are interested.
Our entertainment came from
Victoria of Angel-Oh! who specialises in a range of treatments including
massage and nail care. She gave us an in depth nail care session including the
recipe for a homemade hand scrub, demonstrations of nail and cuticle care and
hand massage both for ourselves and others. Several people were the guinea pigs
for some parts of the evening while we all joined in with the massages.
The President’s evening will
be at Barbara’s house on Monday 8th August with a knife and fork
supper, now to start at 7.30. At the September meeting there will be a talk
from Dorothy House Hospice.
Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Garden Party at Beckington
On Tuesday 28 June 9 members from Leigh on Mendip went to
Beckington Village Hall to join a 90th Birthday Celebration for
the Queen. We were served Bucks Fizz, with scones, cream,
strawberry jam and fresh strawberries.
The ladies all looked lovely in their posh frocks and hats. We raised our glasses to toast the Queen a Happy Birthday. Our brains were put to work to complete a Picture Quiz of 'Guess Which Royal' in 20 photos.
Entertainment was provided by the Frome Town Youth Band.
Many thanks to all the organisers.
Glastonbury 2016
Well done to these Somerset WI ladies who braved rain,
mud (and more rain & mud!) to run the WI Refreshment Stall at
Glastonbury. They received donations of cakes from WIs all around Somerset (including our own Leigh on Mendip).
I'm amazed they still found time and energy to sing 'Jerusalem'. I'm sure some Festival goers went away with a different impression of us WI Ladies!
Leigh on Mendip Summer Fair
Saturday 18 June was our Village Summer Fair. The WI ran a Home Produce Stall - cakes, puddings, bread, jams, etc. Thank you to everyone who helped with baking, setting up and serving. It was a great success - not just our Stall but the Fair as a whole. And for those who still had some energy we enjoyed an Evening of Music, Dancing & just chatting with friends. Our share of the funds will help with running our WI for another year.
Don't they look tasty!!
Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Our Wonderful Fashion Evening
Monthly Meeting 13 June 2016
LEIGH ON MENDIP WI
Lots to look forward to at
our June meeting with the village fair just days away and various other events
in the pipeline. Not least of these was the President’s evening which will be
on Monday 8th August from 7pm at Barbara’s house. It will be a
similar format to last year with everyone bringing a plate of food to share but
this time we are having a knife and fork supper so please bring something
suitable for that, either savoury or sweet, whichever you did last year, if you
can remember! An added attraction that evening will be seeing the recently
completed scrapbook.
Other events included the
Garden Party in Beckington on June 28th, a party at Kilmersdon on
July 14th and our own walk in Frome on July 27th.
We then had an interesting
talk from fashion business owner Anna Perra, followed by a short display of
some of her clothes showing how the same items could be worn in different ways.
Six of our own members were the models. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening
and it was good to learn that attractive, affordable and individual clothes can
be bought so close at hand, Anna’s shop being in Shepton Mallet. She also runs
an online business.
The next meeting will be on Monday
11th July at 7.30pm, with a speaker on Hand and Nail Care.
Wednesday, 11 May 2016
Monthly Meeting 9 May 2016
LEIGH ON MENDIP WI
A fairly low turnout for our
May meeting but it was a busy one. Members had taken part in several activities
including the fashion show at Standerwick, the Children’s Society coffee
morning and the ACWW walk round the quarry with tea and cakes back at Shelagh’s
afterwards. The latter had raised around £50 on the day towards the ACWW goat
purchase project and Barbara put out a collection plate for anyone who hadn’t
been on the walk but wanted to contribute. Looking ahead she had arranged
another walk, this one to go round Frome, starting at 6.30 on Wednesday 27th
July. The scrapbook was making good progress and the first Friday lunches were
still being well supported and will continue to be in the Bell until further
notice.
We then turned to the
Resolutions which Barbara read out for us including the cases for and against
them. We had a good discussion on both, the one concerning supermarkets sending
surplus food to charities to reduce waste and help those in need and the other
to get hospitals to allow people with dementia to have a relative or friend
stay with them when they went in for other reasons than their dementia. We
voted in favour of both Resolutions.
The AGM followed with the
financial, secretarial and President’s reports. We also needed to choose a
President for the coming year. Barbara was the only nominated member willing to
stand and will therefore continue as President for another year. The committee
has two vacancies but no one at the meeting wanted to join, if any member who
was not at the meeting is willing to do so then contact Barbara or any
committee member.
The next meeting will be on Monday
13th June at 7.30pm, when we will have our very own fashion show.
Monday, 25 April 2016
Twiddlemuffs
Anyone who enjoys knitting or crochet might like to make a 'Twiddlemuff'.
At the last Group Meeting members were given information about these - they can be of benefit for people suffering with dementia.
If you would like any more information/instructions on how to make one please ask at the May meeting.
Fashion Show
On Friday the 22nd April, 8 members went to The Standerwick Centre near Frome to a
fashion show. Julia Santon our County Chairman welcomed us all and wished us a nice
evening. We enjoyed a delicious meal of either gammon or salmon followed by fruit salad or
cheesecake.
amongst the tables modelling the clothes they had chosen from an M & Co store.
We were all given a voucher to spend that evening from the pop up shop. They didn’t have all the sizes so I think most of us saw something they liked and will be making a trip to a shop in Frome Wells or Midsomer Norton to spend the discount voucher.
Croscombe Spring Road Show
Caroline Jane and Barbara travelled to Croscombe village hall in time for coffee. We were
welcomed by Julia Stanton our County chairman and she introduced the board of trustees
who encouraged us to join the activities they were organising in the future. We also heard
from “Heads Up” a charity's in Wells which helps people suffering from dementia. We had
a long lunch break when we could enjoy soup and cake and then walk round all the
displays. After lunch Dr Burrows gave an amusing talk about his time giving talks to various
WI groups over the country. An interesting day out.
welcomed by Julia Stanton our County chairman and she introduced the board of trustees
who encouraged us to join the activities they were organising in the future. We also heard
from “Heads Up” a charity's in Wells which helps people suffering from dementia. We had
a long lunch break when we could enjoy soup and cake and then walk round all the
displays. After lunch Dr Burrows gave an amusing talk about his time giving talks to various
WI groups over the country. An interesting day out.
Sunday, 24 April 2016
ACWW Walk
A group of WI members, friends & husbands set off from the Memorial Hall on Sunday 24 April to walk in aid of ACWW.
Spring has arrived! So lovely to see the cowslips.
Friends from Buckland Dinham came to join us.
Trip to Wells Cathdral
On Saturday 16 April Caroline, Jan, Marguerite and Shelagh visited Wells Cathedral to see 'Threads Through Revelation'.
This was a touring exhibition, made up of fourteen large textile panels which explore, through the medium of textile art, the Book of Revelation.
The panels are spectacular. The techniques and style used are very unusual - a combination of painted dyes and multi-layered silks cut and stitched.
Jacqui Parkinson is a textile artist whose work has been on display in many cathedrals.
After the Exhibition we went for a hot drink (to warm up!) and some lunch. A lovely day out.
If anyone else sees something that is of interest to them why not arrange an Outing for members?
Friday, 15 April 2016
April Monthly Meeting
We were pleased to see both
some new members and visitors at our April meeting. The first Friday lunch had
been particularly well attended and Barbara suggested continuing to use the
Bell for these as it is easier for people to get to than elsewhere. The WI team
had only managed to finish 3rd from the bottom in the recent Hall
quiz but agreed it had been a pleasant evening. Several members had been to the
Group meeting at Nunney and enjoyed an interesting talk from the BBC’s Sarah
Jane Bungay.
A few things to be thinking
about for the future. Firstly at the next meeting, the AGM, we will be
discussing the Resolutions. Barbara appealed for someone to put the for and
against cases for these but if no one was willing to do so for members to at
least read about them in the WI Life magazine so we are able to discuss them
properly in May. Two fashion shows ahead; the one at Standerwick on 22nd
April, with 8 members booked to go and on a smaller scale our own entertainment
in June. Jane is co-ordinating arrangements for this. And the bulb order
booklets are already here! Contact Mary if you want one, cheques needed by the
end of May.
Our entertainment was a
session of Bollywood dancing which most members and guests joined in with. We
learnt to build the moves up into a routine which was energetic but fun and a
great sort of exercise.
The next meeting will be on Monday
9th May at 7.30pm, Resolutions and AGM!
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Bollywood Comes to Leigh on Mendip
What an entertaining evening. In April Emma Hill came to demonstrate and teach us the art of Bollywood Dancing! It was very energetic and even those sitting down were able to have fun watching the rest and joining in with the hand movements. Not sure we are ready yet to take to the stage!
Friends from the Village and Buckland Dinham WI came to join in too.
Thank you to Sue & Christine for providing the much needed refreshments - complete with an Indian theme.
LADIES WHO LUNCH!!
Photos from our April monthly lunch at The Bell at Leigh on Mendip. We meet on the first Friday of each month at 12.15pm. Do come and join us for a 'light bite', proper lunch or just a drink.
New people are very welcome. Perhaps a nice informal way to find out a bit more about the WI in Leigh on Mendip. Hope to see you there.
Thursday, 24 March 2016
Meeting 14 March 2016
There had been a good turnout
for the annual litter pick (or Clean for the Queen as it was called this year)
and Barbara thanked all the volunteers, the organisers and cake makers as well
as those who actually picked up the litter. The recent coffee morning and first
Friday lunch had also been well supported.
Forthcoming events included
the next lunch, once again at the Bell, on Friday 1st April, and the
ACWW walk round the quarry on April 24th. This would be followed by
refreshments at Shelagh Haywood’s house.
Even further ahead was the Group social to be held at Beckington on
Tuesday 28th June from 5.30pm. This was to have a “Royal Garden
Party” theme, so a chance to dress up a bit and it would be free to attend.
Finally we learnt that our
next meeting, featuring Bollywood dancing, would be an open one and Mary
encouraged us to all bring a friend along.
Our speaker, author Michael
Malaghan, gave us an amusing account of how he started writing, first as a
journalist on a local newspaper and later creating scripts for children’s TV
programmes as well as writing books for both children and adults.
The April meeting will be on
Monday 11th at 7.30pm, do come along and join in the fun!
Friday, 11 March 2016
WHAT A LOT OF RUBBISH!!!
Clean for the Queen
What a pity so many people drive through our lovely village throwing their rubbish out of the car window. Thank you to the 21 'litter pickers' and the 5 other helpers for clearing up this mess. Cider cans and vodka bottles in large quantities - plus a toasted sandwich maker and a clothes horse!!
Some of the Team!
And 'Thank You' to the ladies who baked such delicious cakes & served Refreshments. A very welcome sit down at the end of the hard work.
We must also thank Caroline for organising this annual Village event. I look forward to the year when we return to the Hall with empty bags!!
What a pity so many people drive through our lovely village throwing their rubbish out of the car window. Thank you to the 21 'litter pickers' and the 5 other helpers for clearing up this mess. Cider cans and vodka bottles in large quantities - plus a toasted sandwich maker and a clothes horse!!
Some of the Team!
And 'Thank You' to the ladies who baked such delicious cakes & served Refreshments. A very welcome sit down at the end of the hard work.
We must also thank Caroline for organising this annual Village event. I look forward to the year when we return to the Hall with empty bags!!
Friday, 12 February 2016
February Monthly Meeting
It was good to learn in
February that we have 2 new members and with Oakhill WI closing the prospect of
even more. There were details of recent events and of some due to take place.
The birthday skittles evening had been much enjoyed by those who attended and
the latest first Friday lunch in the Bell had been well supported. If you
haven’t tried it before why not come along to the Bell from 12.15 on the first
Friday of the month for a fun get together.
Future events included the
village quiz on March 19th (1 WI team so far, more welcome) the
litter pick on Sat March 5th from 2-4pm and the group meeting at
Nunney on Wed 23rd of March with a talk from the BBC’s Sarah-Jane
Bungay. Looking a little further ahead our walk for ACWW would go round the
quarry on Sun 24th April with refreshments back at Shelagh’s
afterwards.
Our speaker, Mr Moon from
the NGS (Yellow Book Scheme), showed us scenes from several, mainly well known,
gardens accompanied by music he had matched to them. A pleasant and relaxing
way to spend an evening.
At our March meeting, on
Monday 15th at 7.30pm, we will be entertained by author Michael Malaghan.
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
MARCH - A BUSY MONTH!
Some dates for you all:
Friday 4 March - Monthly Lunch at The Bell. 12.15pm onwards.
Saturday 5 March. 2-4pm. Village Litter Pick. Encourage family & friends to come. Refreshments at the end.
Monday 14 March. Monthly meeting. 7.30pm. Speaker - Michael Malaghan - a local author.
Saturday 19 March. Village Quiz. Wish our team 'good luck'!
Wednesday 23 March. Group Meeting at Nunney. Interesting speaker. Sarah Jane Bungay from Points West.
Friday 4 March - Monthly Lunch at The Bell. 12.15pm onwards.
Saturday 5 March. 2-4pm. Village Litter Pick. Encourage family & friends to come. Refreshments at the end.
Monday 14 March. Monthly meeting. 7.30pm. Speaker - Michael Malaghan - a local author.
Saturday 19 March. Village Quiz. Wish our team 'good luck'!
Wednesday 23 March. Group Meeting at Nunney. Interesting speaker. Sarah Jane Bungay from Points West.
Thursday, 14 January 2016
Meeting Monday 11 January
Back to normal after
Christmas with subscription payments due and our raffle prizes for the year to
hand in. We were pleased to hear Shelagh had joined the committee and to
receive our programmes with details of forthcoming meetings. Notice was given
of the annual litter pick on Sat March 5th and the group meeting at Nunney on
Wed March 23rd. With the latter for an entry fee of £3.50 you will
be able to listen to a talk from the BBC’s Sara Jane Bungay and enjoy some
light refreshments.
Caroline had delivered the
sheets etc. for the women’s refuge and they would like even more, anything for
single size beds including duvets and pillowslips as well as sheets would be
appreciated. Finally Jan asked that we let her know of any ideas for the 2017
programme planning meeting in September well in advance and also any ideas for
summer evening outings this year.
Our speaker, Lynn, from
Happy Landings showed us a lot of pictures of the animals they look after and
also brought along one of the dogs to the meeting. The charity is based at
Hillcroft Farm in Pylle and serves as both a rescue centre and a kennels and
cattery. That said they also take in a great variety of other animals from
chickens to pigs and ferrets. They are currently fundraising to have new
kennels built so any donations would be very welcome.
Our meeting in February is
on Monday 8th at 7.30pm when we will be able to enjoy “Garden views
set to music”.