Well maybe not a white Christmas but we definitely had snow in December.  It must have been one of the coldest spells for many a year!  However, although numbers were a little low for our monthly meeting I'm glad to say that the weather was fine for our members coming to the Christmas Meal at The Bell on Monday 5 December. 

30 ladies booked and it was great to see so many enjoying the food and company in the Skittle Alley.  Ann was presented with a small gift for being the best attendee during the year.

The Church looked lovely for the weekend of the Christmas Tree Festival.  It was great to see this event back in the village calendar.  Thanks to all our members involved with their ideas, creating things, the loan of the tree and for setting up, clearing away and helping at the event.  We won Best Tree by a Village Organisation and Best as voted by those who visited the Festival.  We won a bundle of Christmas goodies and held a free ticket raffle for all members at our December meeting – many ladies went home with a prize and the rest have been delivered!

Mary took the Christmas donations to the Frome Foodbank.  They were delighted and sent a letter of thanks, mentioning the increased demand and reported we had sent 30kg of goodies (one or two heavier items) but an increase from 19kg in 2019.  Thanks to everyone.

Our December meeting was a Christmas Social.  Five members, in appropriate headgear, performed a short version of Cinderella with minimal words, and monotone voices – very amusing and enjoyed by all present.  We then started to play/show videos of the music choices that members had requested – either their first, favourite or another meaningful piece.  Some added a story or reason for their choices which were well received – 19 pieces played ranging from Status Quo to a Violin Concerto.

Members were reminded of the 2023 Resolutions.  Four to choose from which are detailed in the November WI Life Magazine.  Please make your personal preference and return your voting slip at the January meeting or e-mail Mary by the end of January.

Forthcoming events.  Our Meeting on Monday 9^th January 2023 will be a talk by Kilmersdon local Martin Horler on "Bygone Days – not all Beer & Skittles".  I'm sure it will be very amusing and entertaining.

Our Birthday Party celebration is on 28 January in the Village Hall, 2-4pm, showing a film and afternoon tea.  More details to follow.

If there are ladies (young and old!) who are looking for new interests in 2023 in the Village please contact Caroline on 01373 812889 or come to our January meeting.  No obligation to join immediately.

Here is a link for a WI survey for any non-members to complete.  We would be interested in your views.  Please complete before 15 January 2023.  Thank you.

https://sprw.io/stt-xwsByTfSPd3Jomcuza74KF

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR MEMBERS!

 

November so far has had some lovely warm sunny days, which with the nights drawing in is a real bonus. 

This year with life seeming to return to normal we have been able to celebrate local Firework Evenings and the Big Somerset Carnival Nights with their amazing floats.

At our meeting this month members very generously donated so many Christmas Treat items which will be taken to the Food Bank in Frome.  I'm sure these will bring a bit of extra cheer to some families who are desperately in need.  

Our Christmas meal is on Monday 5 December at The Bell in Leigh on Mendip – most members are able to come to share in the friendship and joy of the Christmas season.  We are also entering our "Sugar & Spice and All Things Nice" decorated tree at the FOLC Christmas Tree Festival, held in the Church on 10/11 December.  Do come along and see all the different entries – and perhaps have some refreshments too! 

The sub-groups are going well but we have decided to halt the Walking Group on the first Saturday of the month until the Spring when hopefully we will have less rain!  We cannot complain really after such a dry summer and autumn.  The reservoirs definitely are in need of topping up.

The meeting last month was a great success with the cookery demonstration.  Please contact Mary Mears if you would like a copy of any of the recipes.

Our meeting next month will be a Social event.  We would like all members to give Caroline details of their first/favourite piece of music with a few sentences to explain the choice.  These will be playing whilst we enjoy the time being together.

Our speaker this month was Rebecca Smith who spoke on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  A really interesting talk with photos about her connection to this organisation and their work. It is an intergovernmental group of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars.  It was founded in May 1917 by Sir Fabian Ware. The talk was enjoyed not just by our members and some partners but also by other local people.  Our meeting came the day after the Village celebrated a Remembrance Service outside the Memorial Hall and then a laying of wreaths outside the Church.

Please contact Caroline on 01373 812889 if you would like anymore information about our WI.  We are always pleased to welcome new people – come and along and find out.

 

October has been a month of blue skies, sunshine, autumn colours and rain!!  I'm sure the rain is much needed to replenish our reservoirs which members have noticed being much lower than they have seen in the past.  It's a time to tidy up the gardens and plant out the bulbs, which members have ordered from the WI catalogue and elsewhere.

At our meeting on 10 October Val Vincent gave us a talk on her work history and demonstrated some dishes suitable for Christmas time. She made us 7 dishes from sets of well-prepared items and we were able to taste quite a few of them. Straightforward ingredients to make items for buffets or other times – all done so quickly! Her painting on Christmas cakes (using vodka and powder paint) was amazing!

We learnt a bit about the history of our WI.  Caroline had posted on the Village Facebook a short article on the WI Day and received a message from a lady whose mother was part of the original setup in 1949 when meetings were held in the school.

The Programme Planning meeting was held on Monday 17 October.  Thank you to those who either contributed ideas and/or came and helped decide on a good mix of speakers and demonstrations for the coming 15 months.  This programme will take us round to March 2024!!

The sub-groups are going well – although no-one was around for a walk on the first Saturday.  Just a reminder that the next walk will be on Saturday 5 November, meet outside the Hall at 11am.  Whoever turns up can decide how far and where they would like to walk.  Refreshments afterwards at The Bell.  5 ladies came to the monthly lunch on 19 October.  This is held on the third Wednesday each month – so make a note in your diaries and hopefully see a few more next time.

Our Christmas meal is on Monday 5 December at The Bell.  Don't forget to bring your menu choices and money to our November meeting.  As we have done for several years now we will be supporting the Fair Frome food bank with special Christmas goodies – a few treats for families who are in need of some extra help.  Donations please in November or drop off at Mary's house.

Many thanks for the wonderful donations for the YMCA & other Projects Shoebox Appeals.  13 boxes were taken by Sue to the County meeting on Saturday 22 October in Taunton.

This was Sue's first AGM.  Being reasonably new to the WI she found it interesting that we have 110 WI groups in our area with 3,165 members and an increase in member numbers of 727 this year.  The large hall at the leisure centre was decked out in swathes of colours for Ukraine.  Highlights from the morning session was an unscheduled performance from Jan McNeil from Misterton WI, who is an entertainer and singer who had everyone singing along to ABBA as the main speaker, Sarah Crew who is the chief constable from Avon and Somerset Police, had been delayed. A really  interesting speaker. Working class background, passed exams to get into Bristol grammar school and studied classics at Oxford. Went into the police because she wanted to do something practical to help people and has had a stellar career. Deep interest in providing safer environments and support for woman who've suffered from abuse and/or rape. Real shame that they ran out of time for questions.  The afternoon highlight, of course, was Kate Bottley. What a funny woman!  She touched lightly on her faith but it was obviously very deep and important to her and she told her story with a lot of one liners.  A great day out.

Our speaker next month on Monday 14 November will give a talk on the History & Work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about our WI please contact Caroline on 01373 812889. 

 

Autumn is beginning to show itself with the leaves turning colour at the end of September.  At our meeting on the 12^th we enjoyed an interesting presentation from Stephen Powles, a Wildlife Photographer.  We also discussed items coming up in the next few months.

We agreed to take part in the SCFWI Shoebox Appeal again.  Members were invited to donate for women, men and children from a list of approved items.  It would be appreciated if a few members could also provide a box wrapped in Christmas paper.  Mary agreed to store the items and make up the boxes.  Please bring the gifts to the October meeting or take to Mary's house.  They will be taken to the Annual Meeting on 22 October by Sue.

Instead of having a Christmas "Secret Santa" amongst members it was agreed to again collect Christmas food "goodies" for the Food Bank in Frome.  These can be brought to both the October and November meetings.

Monday 5 December we will be holding our Christmas Meal at The Bell in Leigh on Mendip.  Details will be sent out shortly to members.  We hope as many as possible will be able to take part.

FOLC are organised a Christmas Tree Festival in the Church 10/11 December and we have decided to enter – the theme of our tree still to be decided.

Before all these Festive events we will be holding our Programme Planning Meeting on Monday 17 October in the Memorial Hall at 7.30pm.  Yes it's time to plan ahead again - from January 2023 to March 2024 (to bring us in line with the financial year).  We would love to see more members who can offer their ideas as to what makes coming to our monthly meetings interesting, informative and entertaining.

So a busy time ahead!

Feedback from a previous Speaker – Bex Band organised an End2End Relay Hike from Lands End to John O'Groats.  One of our members took part for just one day of the walk but is pleased to report that the baton that was carried throughout did reach the final destination.  699 women walked over 2,000 km, taking 74 days and raising £14,000 for the Woodland Trust.  An incredible adventure and a huge team effort.  This shows that it is not just the WI who are inspiring women to tackle and meet new challenges.

Our various sub groups are going well with Tai Chi, Arts & Crafts, Walking, Book Club, Line Dancing as well as a regular monthly Lunch date at The Bell.

If there are any ladies who want to join in, get to know others and meet us you are very welcome to come along on Monday 10 October at 7.30pm.  Val Vincent will be giving us ideas and a demonstration on Christmas Cookery.

Our meeting on 14 November will be a speaker on the History and Work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Contact Caroline on 01373 812889 for anymore information.

 

 

August has been a fabulous month for weather – not so good for the gardeners and allotment owners.  Fortunately, no hose pipe ban here yet.  However, it did mean that our President's Evening on the Rec went ahead with many members turning up to sit, chat and eat in the sunshine.  

There was a cheese tasting competition – much enjoyed by all.  Everyone was given a map of UK and Europe, marked with possible locations, along with a plate of numbered cheeses. 

Great concentration, munching and discussion, mainly around the difference between Brie & Camembert, Gouda & Emmenthal!!  It was lovely to be together, outdoors, celebrating our lively community.

Most of our sub-groups have continued apace throughout.  The Walk on the first Saturday in August couldn't have been more different from the previous month.  No umbrellas or anoraks needed!  Sun hats and suntan cream were the 'order of the day' – with cold drinks at The Bell at the end. 

We will be resuming our Programme of Events with a great list of speakers planned for the rest of the year, starting at our meeting on Monday 12 September with a talk/slide show from a local Wildlife Photographer.  Later on we have The History & work of The Commonwealth War Graves Commision and towards the year end, a Cookery talk and demo.

We also have an extra event planned in September. A guided walking tour of parts of Frome, with local historian and writer, David Lassman. It will be fascinating to learn more about the history of local women in our little local town.

At County level, coming up on 16 September, we can celebrate NFWI-WI Day. We, as an individual group, are encouraged to celebrate as suits our local community, be it charity events or engaging with Denman on-line for a special Baking Class.

The sub-groups which have greatly enhanced what we can offer and share together (and have fun!) are:-

Craft Group – 1^st & 3rd Monday afternoons in the month

Tai-Chi – weekly Wednesday evenings

Line Dancing – weekly Friday lunchtimes

Book Club – 4^th Monday evening in the month

Walking – 1^st Saturday morning in the month

Lunches – 3^rd Wednesday in the month

Denman Courses are still available on-line and are now offering pre-recorded sessions for those who can’t attend at the time. They are open to all at just £5 per class and offer a huge variety of creative and educational subjects. Well worth taking a look.

https://www.denman.org.uk/whats-on

If there are any ladies in the Village who would like to join in, get to know others and meet us, you are very welcome to come along to our Monthly Meetings. Second Monday of each Month, in the Memorial Hall from 7.30pm. No commitment! Contact Caroline on 812889.

 

 

 

 

 

Still mindful of the rising Covid numbers we were able to have all the windows and doors open to keep us cool for our July meeting in the Hall!  A number of people were away for various reasons so thank you to those members who stepped in at the last minute to run the meeting.  Our speaker was Miriam Cheall from the Medical Detection Dogs Charity.  This is a relatively new Charity based in Milton Keynes and relies mainly on public donations to continue its life-saving work, though recently has received a Government grant.  Medical Detection Dogs are trained to support people with life-threatening health conditions and often save their lives on a daily basis.  We heard a very heart-warming story from a young girl who has now been able to continue her University course.  The Bio Detection Dogs are trained to detect even the tiniest smells associated with diseases like cancer, Parkinsons, Covid-19 and bacterial infections.  The pioneering work could lead to dogs playing an important role in screening diseases and improving patient care in hospitals.  They work in conjunction with NHS Trusts and oncologists, scientists and Universities, both in the UK and internationally.

July this year saw the Village Fair – as we had all been busy with Jubilee Celebrations in June.  WI ran the Tombola Stall – and members were also involved in other various ways.  The weather was perfect and thank you to all those who worked so hard.

Our sub groups are proving popular with members.  The first walking date was Saturday 2 July.  Turned out to be rather wet but that didn't deter a hardy few who returned in time for a welcome coffee at The Bell!  Next walk is on Saturday 6 August, 11am from the Hall.

Back in February our speaker was Bex Band - a very inspiring young woman who lives locally and has set up an organisation "Love Her Wild" for women to have the encouragement and friendship to challenge themselves for adventures. 

Held over from 2020 she organised an "End2End" Hiking Relay from Lands End to John o'Groats.  One of our members took part in a local section from Blackford to Sandford - just a mere 9 miles from the total of 1260 miles!!  Each person who took part held the baton for part of their journey.

In August we will be having our President's Evening on Monday 8^th and are hoping for fine weather as we shall be up on the Recreational Field.  Start time is from 6pm.  Refreshments based around cheese with wine and soft drinks will be provided.  Please bring a chair if easy to do so. 

The next meeting in the Hall will be on Monday 12 September with a talk from a Wildlife Photographer.

In October there will be a Programme Planning Meeting.  It would be lovely if some members could also attend and help the Committee to plan events from January 2023 to March 2024.  We would also appreciate any input on Speakers, Demonstrations or Activities you would like to see included. 

Enjoy the Summer!

 

 

JUNE

 

The start of June was, of course, marked for us all in the Country with the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.  All WI Institutes had been asked if they would like to make a card which would be collected and sent together to the Queen.  

Our very own talented Eddie made a beautiful card.  And Karen, one of our gifted craft ladies, made two adorable Rabbits which were part of our 'Games Table' for the Village Picnic on the Sunday of the celebrations.  

It was "Guess the Name" of the Royal!  We also did a Treasure Hunt with a plan of Buckingham Palace as to where the treasure was buried. 

Village organisations had been asked to give an item to be put into the Time Capsule, now buried on the Rec.  Eddie made a beautiful green heart, which is a symbol for "Show The Love" for everything we want to protect from the worst impacts of climate change.  We want to see a safer, greener future for generations to come.  Fortunately, the weather held and the rain came just as everything had been packed away.  

But we had sunshine for other village events that weekend.  Some of us joined in the planting of the Jubilee tree and the unveiling of the bench by Shelagh.  A lovely community atmosphere.  Thank you to all those in the village who had worked hard to make the weekend a success.

Later in the month some of us gathered in the Memorial Hall to watch the live-streamed NFWI AGM, from Liverpool.  The Resolution (Women and Girls with ASD & ADHD - under-identified, under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, under-supported) was discussed and the case put forward to consider the pros and cons.  The result was a nearly unanimous vote in favour of the resolution being taken forward.  It was also wonderful to witness the wide variety of amazing women, speaking on the charities and topics that drive them. Very uplifting too, to acknowledge the solid charity work and campaigning that forms the base of the WI organization. We learnt that not all members are talented in cookery and craft skills but this does not matter.  We are all unique and offer our own talents.  The session finished with a truly engaging and heartwarming talk from Sarah Clarke. Lady Usher of The Black Rod and ex chief of Wimbledon Lawn tennis Club. Quite a character and CV!

This month our speaker was Norton Asbury, brother to one of our members. He is an Art Expert, educated at The Courtauld Institute and now affiliated with The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. His talk was entitled ‘Art for the Nation’ and took us through a span of some of the Gallery’s key works of Art.  It was a glorious, behind the scenes, telling of the significant social periods and how the major artists were tied into them.  He took us from the 13th Century, with an exquisite miniature icon, through the best of the Italian Masters to the European Court Painters, English and Dutch Rural Society Painters and up to the end of the 19th Century with the Key French Impressionists. All brought to life with compelling back stories and told with great warmth and humor!  Enjoyed by All!

Our Sub-Groups are going strong.  We had our first outdoor T’ai Chi session of the year. Even better surrounded by nature.  We are also adding a monthly Walking Group, a good way to be outdoors in good company!

Next Month, our guest will be Miriam Cheal, speaking about Medical Detection Dogs, giving us an insight as to how these marvellous dogs are trained and what they are able to do. Should be fascinating.

The Village Fair is being held on Saturday 16 July.  The WI are running the Tombola Stall and as such are currently gathering as many prizes as possible. Donations from all Villagers will be gratefully received.  If you have anything you’d like to donate, please let us know. You can deliver to: 3, The Old Sawmills or 7, Apple Meadow View or phone Mary on 812415 - Ideally by Wednesday 13th July. Many thanks.

Finally, just to mention that our president, Caroline, successfully completed an abseil down the side of Wells Cathedral last Month. 

Very brave indeed! She is collecting for her charity S.O.S Africa, specifically Education for Children living in the Townships in South Africa. Extremely worthy!  Well done Caroline!

Denman Courses are still available on-line and are now offering pre-recorded sessions for those who can’t attend at the time. They are open to all at just £5 per session and offer a huge variety of creative and educational subjects. Well worth taking a look.

https://www.denman.org.uk/whats-on

If there are any ladies in the Village who would like to join in, get to know others and meet us, you are very welcome to come along to our monthly meetings. Second Monday of each month, in the Memorial Hall from 8pm. No commitment! Contact Caroline on 812889.

MAY

 

Welcome to the merry month of May. The month when, ‘All Things Seem Possible’. The month when we feel the full force of Spring in all its beauty and the prospect of the coming Summer. Here at the WI, we’re all looking forward to more seasonal, outdoor activities, especially resuming our picnic gatherings.

At the meeting in May we held our AGM.  Caroline was voted for and kindly agreed to continue as our President.  The rest of the Committee are also willing to stand for another year.  Thank you to Barbara for conducting the voting system.

We also discussed our yearly Resolution. We unanimously agreed to support the motion of Women & Girls with ASD & ADHD: Under-identified, Under-diagnosed, Misdiagnosed & Under-supported. A condition which, for many, has devastating life- long consequences when not detected early. Two of our members read out a very moving testimony about a young woman’s experiences, both before and after diagnoses. We all agreed that this is a very worthwhile motion and support the NFWI to call on the Government and Funding Bodies to fund research into the female presentation of this condition and for action to be taken to improve the diagnosis and to ensure that they are better equipped to manage their lives and do not suffer in silence.  Mary will be our delegate for the AGM to be held in Liverpool.  We will not be attending in person but have organised for our members to come to a virtual presentation in our Village Hall on Saturday 11 June.

We finished the meeting with a very jolly Photo Quiz. Childhood photographs to be matched with a list of our names. Lots of laughs and many mistakes. Out of the 21 entries, 8 was the highest score! Have we all changed that much?!

Our Sub-Groups are developing and growing. It’s a great opportunity for us all to socialize in different ways and pursue the things that interest us.  Our new Book Club started last month with a first meeting to discuss the book, again in The Bell. Great to hear other’s opinions. And finally our newest activity, Line Dancing with Rosita in the Hall. Great fun and happily tailored to suit all abilities!

Next month’s meeting together will be particularly pleasurable for us Art Lovers. We have art expert, Norton Asbury coming along to give us a ‘virtual’ tour of the National Gallery Collections – ‘Art for the Nation’.

 

APRIL

With the gentle month of April upon us, gardens, greenhouses, allotments, fields and woods, are all starting to look more green and hopeful.  It is also wonderful to have the extra daylight hour and be able to turn to more outdoor activities and recreations.

At our meeting this month we enjoyed an evening of learning to Line Dance.  A good number of us donned our Cowboy Boots and Check Shirts and took to the floor, accompanied by Dolly Parton. Great fun!  Huge thanks to Rosita, for her patience, encouragement and wonderful choice of music!

Each year The NFWI will vote on a Resolution. The aim being to get behind and fully support a cause for Women. This year, the vote was for Girls and Women who struggle with undiagnosed ASD & ADHD. Apparently, this is a very common occurrence, with long term, devastating results. We had the opportunity recently, to be part of a live discussion. Chaired by Nicky Amos (Somerset and National Trustee). The opportunity to understand and gain knowledge is very rewarding, especially for a very worthwhile cause. 

As an organization, we are affiliated with and support many charities.  One is the ACWW (Associated Country Women of the World) - https://acww.org.uk/.  We organised a local walk on Saturday 23 April.  Six members met up at the hall to walk in solidarity with other women world-wide. The weather was dull but dry and many had to remove a layer as the day suddenly brightened. It was agreed to split into 2 groups, those doing the Quarry bund and those doing a flatter walk in the village.  

Despite several stops to chat with villagers the flat group were back first to pop the kettle on and prepare the array of delicious homemade cakes on offer. Another lady joined us at the hall and we all enjoyed a lovely long chat remembering villagers from decades back and discovering connections between people.  All in all a lovely afternoon of fresh air, exercise and friendship and £29 was collected for ACWW projects.

A key aim and principle for us, is being part of a community. Promoting and organising events in order to enjoy time together. Finding educational and interesting pastimes that stretch us in many ways.  We will soon be starting a Book Club.  A great way to learn about each other's tastes and opinions.  Our twice monthly Craft Group is growing. So much so that we’re perhaps looking at hiring the Hall on a regular basis. We work on our own projects, everything from knitting, sewing, drawing, quilt making and embroidery. We can learn from each other and it’s been great to have some expert help and advice on hand!  There is too, our weekly Tai Chi class.  A wonderful way to pass an hour, losing oneself in slow, meditative breathing and movement.

The WI will be participating in the Village Celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.  A special project was launched for members to knit a "Winnie" corgi to hide in our local community for others to find, keep or donate.  Caroline (after a certain amount of unpicking and starting again!) has made this great little chap.

Now that Covid restrictions are all but lifted, we are resuming our Monthly Lunches in the Bell Inn. Open to all members. A chance to catch up and enjoy good food and company.

On 9 May we will hold our AGM and go through the final outcome of the chosen Resolution (Women and Girls with ASD & ADHD).  For levity, we are also holding a quiz with photos of us all as small children, to see who can spot who!

Denman Courses are still available on-line and are now offering some pre-recorded sessions for those who can’t attend at the time. They are open to all at just £5 per session and offer a huge variety of creative and educational subjects. Well worth taking a look.

https://www.denman.org.uk/whats-on