MARCH

 

We welcomed a number of visitors.  It is always lovely to meet new ladies and there is no pressure to join immediately.  Do come along and see if we are right for you!

We would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our long time member, Marguerite Cockroft.  We were saddened to learn of her recent death.  She will be missed by us all, very much indeed.

Our speaker in March was Richard Bruce. He is now retired from designing for the Fashion Industry but still involved with lecturing and mentoring to students. He talked through his phenomenal career, from his early days designing for Couture Houses in Rome and Paris, on to working for many years in Pret-a-Porter (Ready-to-Wear), in Milan, Munich and Frankfurt. He spoke about his years in Milan, working also Freelance and running his own Knitwear Brand - always keeping open to new ideas and trends. Finally he returned to the UK to work at High Street level, taking up a job with M&S where he designed across the Women's wear area, for Formal jackets/suits, Autograph and latterly, Classics.  

His main point throughout was to show the difference between these levels and above all the way a designer, working for an elevated brand in Europe has all the authority and responsibility. Whereas in the UK, High Street brands are run through teams, with a buyer and merchandiser at the helm, designer and technologist providing the aesthetics. Very informative and enjoyed by all!

Looking at the unfolding disaster in Ukraine and deciding what we can best do to help, we made a decision, for those who wish, to donate directly to DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee). Caroline, our President, will forward the funds on.  £60 was donated at our meeting.

At County Level, one of our crafting ladies produced a length of beautiful Jubilee Bunting, which will be shown, along with many others, at the County Celebrations and the Bath & West Show in June.  We had 4 members attend a Craft Taster Day near Street recently. They had the opportunity to try crafts they hadn’t attempted before. Some great results were shown. Well done all!

At National level, the wider WI organisation gives us opportunities to have a voice in many women’s matters. The resolution for this year, is "Women and Girls with ASD & ADHD – under-identified, under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, under-supported" - looking at the long term, damaging effects in some Women and Girls. It is apparently extremely common for females to be discounted in many studies and treatments. The aim is to redress the balance and give women the focus needed.  More information will be sent to members over the coming months and we will have the opportunity to discuss this in greater detail.

The WI, as with other Village groups and committees, are in full swing making preparations for both the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations and the upcoming Summer Fete (Saturday 16 July).  We are running the tombola stand, (donations gratefully accepted!).

We were very much involved in the Village Litter Pick on Saturday 19 March.  It was great to see so many young and "not quite so young" people from the village who had joined in this event either litter picking a few days earlier or on the day.  It was also very encouraging to find less litter than on previous years.  Either people really are getting the message to take their litter home or I think we need to be grateful for those who on their regular walks are helping to keep our lanes and footpaths clear.  

It is so much nicer to see the snowdrops, daffodils and primroses in the hedgerows rather than empty cans & bottles and food containers.  We then returned to the Village Hall where welcome tea and cakes were available – again we asked for donations for Ukraine and another £50 was raised and has been sent to the DEC.

On Saturday 23 April, some of us will be joining a charity walk for the ACWW, (Associated Country Women of the World) an international organization that the WI has close links with. It helps fund small-scale, women-led projects mainly in rural areas.  This walk is open to non-WI friends as well.  Watch our Blog and the Village Facebook for more details.

In April we will be polishing our Cowboy Boots for a session of Line Dancing with Rosita. Looking forward to it!  Save the date – Monday 11 April at 7.30pm.

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 7.30pm.  Contact Caroline on 812889