Leigh-on-Mendip WI

 

April Showers – how true!!  Sunshine, blue skies with white clouds can quickly turn to grey skies, rain and even hailstones!!

It was lovely to see about 30 members come to our meeting this month.  After the business was concluded we had a very interesting talk from Mary Cross on Willow Weaving.  She started with sharing photos and stories on the growing of different types of willows. 

In this country much is grown locally on our Somerset Levels, where it is now harvested by machine.  Over the centuries, going back to the Ancient Greeks, it has also been used for its medicinal properties as well as the weaving of many different types of baskets and containers.  It is durable and to a degree flexible.  Cricket bats are made from willow. 

In these times it is becoming popular to have a more eco-friendly willow coffin and the plant is also grown as a biomass fuel.  Mary then demonstrated the art of willow weaving on a plant obelisk.   She runs workshops in Nunney and other local areas.  More information on: https://www.organic-matters.co.uk/

The monthly WI Lunch was at The Bell on Wednesday 17 April.  All members are encouraged to join in – whether for a main meal or just a drink and chat.  These social events are just as important as our main meetings. 

On 18 April 11 members and three spouses attended a tour of the Frome Museum and had a fantastic visit.  The museum team were great and very kindly showed us behind the scenes and also produced many documents relating to Leigh, these were fascinating.  Very few of us had visited the museum before and we all felt that we could have spent so much more time exploring everything, especially in the library.

ACWW Walk took place on Saturday 27 April.  Starting from the Village Hall we did two different walks – ending back where we had started for refreshments.  Thank you to all those who kindly donated.  We raised £70 for ACWW (Associated Country Women of the World).  More information: https://acww.org.uk/

Next month our meeting on Monday 13 May is not just our AGM reporting back on last year's events and voting for the new President for the coming year. 

We will also be discussing and voting on the WI's Annual Meeting Resolution:-"Dental Health Matters".  There is a chronic shortage of NHS dentists and people are suffering health issues as a result.  The NFWI calls on the Government to increase investment in the training and retention of dentists and to review the current inadequate NHS contracts in order to ensure everyone can access an NHS dentist wherever they live.

There will be on display scrapbooks looking back not just on the WI in Leigh On Mendip but interesting facts and figures from those times.

Looking further ahead the National Annual Meeting is being held at The Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday 5 June.  We are considering ways of watching it on-line here in the village.  Then in October our local Somerset Annual Meeting will take place at Millfield School on Saturday 26^th.  Details to follow in due course.

Meanwhile if having read our Blog and you are new to WI do give us a try.  No obligation to join!  Please contact Caroline on 01373 812889.  We have a very varied programme planned for the year ahead.