In May we hold our Annual Meeting. The year’s final accounts were agreed.  The Secretary’s Report covered the many and varied activities we had enjoyed.  We then heard the President’s Address, thanking the committee and all the members for their part in keeping us going and for the running of several sub-groups in between our regular meetings.  An official voting in of 3 additional Committee members was agreed and Caroline was voted in as our President for another year.  We look forward to the coming months.

The topic for the WI National Resolution is “Dental Health Matters", on which all members have a vote.  After discussion our members were generally in agreement with the Resolution, but giving our delegate the power to vote once she has heard from the expert speakers at the WI Annual meeting which will take place in London in June. We look forward to following this online on 5 June in The Bell Skittle Alley.

Refreshments were available including, of course, some delicious cakes!  During this time members were able to look through a display of our Archives, photo albums and other items.  It was fun finding old photos of current members and previous events.  Members had been encouraged to bring a small item, which was precious to them.  These were on display and several ladies spoke about their items and why they were special.

The following week we spent a wonderful evening at Still Sisters in Frome. We listened to a talk on the history of Gin and then enjoyed tasting Still Sisters unique Gin and cocktails.  We will definitely be back for another visit!

We are a group of approx. 40 ladies of wide-ranging ages and interests.  We meet on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7.30m in the Memorial Hall. Visitors are always very welcome.  If you would like to come along to meet us please just turn up or contact Caroline on 01373 812889.

 

 

 

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.

March (like February) has certainly been a very wet month!  However, daffodils are swaying in the breeze along the grass verges of the village, cheering us all with their promise of warmer weather to come and early thoughts of summer holidays. It is on this note that we were treated to an interesting talk and short film from Neil Clarke, of his travels in Iceland. He made two trips in 2015, one in February, where he experienced temperatures of -21 and then again in October, when the weather was more amenable. Scenery was amazing and its history fascinating.

On both trips he had a wonderful time starting in the capital Reykjavik with its striking Cathedral, out on the water whale watching and then going into the surrounding countryside seeing the rare breed horses, the Blue Lagoon and the thermally heated greenhouses growing tomatoes and vegetables all year round.  Travelling to the mountain ranges and glaciers he even went caving.  Maybe it will entice some of our members to book a future trip to Iceland themselves.

The annual litter pick took place on Saturday 16 March.  Thank you to everyone in the village who helped – those who turned out in wet weather to collect rubbish and also to those who made and provided very welcome refreshments back in the Hall.  It does make a difference to walk along our lanes and be able to enjoy the primroses and other spring flowers without seeing discarded cups, bottles, etc.

7 ladies came to our monthly lunch at The Bell on Wednesday 20 March.  All are very welcome – if you don't want a main meal just have a light snack or a coffee & pud! 

We are looking forward to our speaker on the 8 April, Mary Cross, who will be demonstrating all aspects of Willow, including the making of a willow plant support.  We will also have a Sales Table to raise funds for a local women’s refuge.  Please look out any items you could donate.  A reminder that the annual subs are due.  £48 to be paid by BACS, cheque or cash.  Members will receive a programme for 2024/25, showing all the exciting speakers and activities.  The Spring bulb catalogues are now available and can be viewed on-line.  Please contact Mary M if you are interested.

Another event in April some members are looking forward to is a special "Behind the Scenes" tour of Frome Museum.  A very interesting visit to see and hear about the history of the town, including the building that houses the museum, and the work carried out today entirely by volunteer helpers.  The Museum is open for normal admissions 10am-2pm Tuesday to Saturday and Independent Market Sundays.  More information on:

https://frome-museum.org/

On 27 April we will be participating in the annual ACWW walk.  Each year on or around 29 April, women worldwide celebrate ACWW’s international network by joining together to Walk the World. ACWW amplifies the voices of rural women and creates real, sustainable change in rural communities.  We invite everyone (men, women, children and dogs!) to join us on Saturday 26 April at 2pm.  We plan to arrange 2 walks of different lengths (longest no more than an hour) for all abilities. 

Refreshments, of course, back at the Village Hall.  Served from 3pm - all welcome - not just for those who have walked. All donations going to the work of ACWW. For more information see:

https://acww.org.uk/fundraise-for-acww

The real enjoyment of our WI Group is the diversity of evenings we experience through our talks, demonstrations and social events.  We also offer a variety of wider interests through our sub-groups – Line Dancing, T'ai-Chi, Crafting and a Book Club.  If you are interested do come to one of our monthly meetings.  We are a friendly bunch of women of all ages and welcome visitors and new members. No obligation to join!!

We meet on the second Monday of every month at The Memorial Hall at 7:30pm.

Just turn up or contact Caroline on 01373 812889 for further details.

And lastly a VERY HAPPY EASTER to you all.

 

 

It looks as if February may be remembered for all the rain!  Although it has been warm and there are definite signs of Spring with the snowdrops, daffodils, crocuses and other garden flowers I'm sure we are looking forward to spending more time outdoors following all our own pursuits.

It is good to see that Leigh on Mendip WI continues to flourish as we welcomed three new visitors and three return visitors to our February meeting. We enjoyed a lovely evening on the 12 February of education and participation. 

We were entertained by Nancy Freeman, a local of our village, who explained some of the history behind the Japanese culture and art of “Sashiko” embroidery which literally means little stabs, a form of decorative reinforcement stitching.  You use one running stitch to make the different designs.  She also talked about "Boro" - the re-using and repairing of materials - and this possibly originated on the north west coast of Japan.  She mentioned a little of the history of the country when from 1635-1860 life was very regimented.  Repairing clothes was really important as fabric was expensive and items were passed down the generations.  Those fisherman who had money would have their jackets stitched for them.  Firemen were jackets constructed of many layers and stitched.  They were soaked in water when they went in to fight fires to give them some added protection.  These jackets could be beautifully decorated on the inside - which meant they could turn them inside out on their way back from having successfully put out a fire.  Because many of the buildings were constructed of wood with thin paper walls fires were very common.  Indigo was a very popular colour and each village had their own dyer.  

Nancy showed us many pictures and illustrations and a large number of items that she had dyed, made and stitched designs herself.  She teaches this craft with on-line courses.  We were all given an opportunity to have a go at stitching ourselves.

Caroline had already sent out an e-mail and messages to members bringing them up to date with all that is planned.  There are various outings in County News – which may be of interest.  Please speak to one of the Committee if you wish to join in.  We are also planning a couple of local outings of our own in Frome – hoping there will be sufficient interest to go ahead. 

Members had individually voted for their favourite Resolution to be taken forward to National – when one will be chosen.  The two with the most votes from Leigh on Mendip were

Dental Health Matters (13) and 

Impacts of Poor Housing Conditions (14)

Mary gave a brief outline on the WI Learning Hub - this is a new learning platform for WI members and also other people.  It is mainly free to WI and there is a good variety of subjects and activities.  Some can be viewed later – they are normally available for about 9 days.  Mary encouraged members to have a look and will send any links if required.

https://learninghub.thewi.org.uk/at-home/

There were also celebrations all round as one of the WI teams entered in The FOLC Village Quiz won, coming first in an amazing triple tie finish. Well done to you knowledgeable ladies!

A small group of ladies met for our monthly lunch at The Bell on Wednesday 21 February.  It is nice to chat and catch up with all the news in relaxing surroundings.  This is in addition to our other sub-groups that meet on a regular basis.

Next month we are looking forward to the return of Neil Clarke with a talk and film on “Iceland:- Gorgeous Scenery, Geysers, Glaciers and Lava Caves”. He previously entertained us with his interesting talk on The Bristol Channel Islands.

Please come and help to keep our Village clean and tidy from dropped rubbish. Our Annual Litter Pick will take place on Saturday 16 March starting at the Memorial Hall from 2 - 4pm. All PPE will be provided. Tea, coffee and cake will be served from 3 pm onwards in the hall for volunteers.

We are a friendly group of women of all ages and welcome visitors and new members. Please do come along to one of our meetings to see if you would like to join.  We meet on the second Monday evening of the month, in The Memorial Hall at 7:30pm.

 

 

The start of January was wet and cold (even a few flurries of snow!) but by the end when we were celebrating our WI's 75^th Birthday party it felt a lot warmer and definitely first signs of Spring in the countryside.

The speaker this month was David Lassman, a local historian, who gave a presentation to us on “Foul Frome”!  A very interesting talk including some history of law and order, local murders and general affray in central Frome. He included many pictures which look barely unchanged today.

Members were reminded that we hold a bursary which they can apply to use for any "educational" purpose.  They may wish to do something locally during the day or perhaps put it towards a residential event.  It was also decided to continue with the monthly raffle and suggested that if members so wish to bring a 'gift' to the February or March meeting.

The Programme Planning Meeting was held on 18 January.  Thank you especially to the new ladies who came along and gave us a fresh look at what speakers to invite and events to organise.  The draft programme is looking promising and hopefully in the next month or so will be finalised, ready for the start of our new year in April.

Our 75th Birthday celebration was held at The Bell in the skittle alley.  A fun and enjoyable evening with lots of skittle playing (with a varying number of skittles being knocked down!!) and much laughter and chatter. We had cake with candles and sang "Happy Birthday" to ourselves.  Will the WI be meeting in 75 years time (2099!!)?  Our membership is in the high 30's so we are thriving and have been very pleased to welcome some younger ladies!

Our Speaker on Monday 12 February is Nancy Freeman giving us a demonstration on Japanese crafting.  In March we are having a talk on Iceland.

The annual Village Litter Pick will be on Saturday 16 March in the afternoon.  There will be more details later but all local people are very welcome to join in.  It is sad when walking on the lanes to see so much rubbish has been dumped.

We are a friendly group of ladies of all ages and welcome visitors and new members.  Please do come along and see if it is for you!  We meet the second Monday evening of the month in the Memorial Hall at 7.30pm.  Just turn up or contact Caroline on 01373 812889 for further information.  

 Wishing  our Members, their families and friends all the very best for 2024.

Looking forward to our first meeting on Monday 8 January at 7.30pm!

 

At the beginning of the month we all gathered at The Bell for our Christmas meal.  A really lovely evening - good food and good company.  Ann was given a small present as the "best attender" during the year at our meetings.

The December meeting started with our Christmas Food Tasting Session.  We were seated around big tables which was good for chatting and exchanging views on the different foods tasted.  These had been bought at 3 supermarkets and we were invited to decide which of the 3 selections we enjoyed best and then voted so we could judge overall winners in each of the categories.  There were Mince Pies, Stollen, Chocolate coins, Cranberry sauce, Pigs in Blankets (meat or vegetarian), Cheese Straws, Bucks Fizz and some Gluten Free options.  Mainly there were clear definite winners, except for the mince pies.  

A lovely different festive meeting.  Caroline and Sue A were thanked for doing the shopping and setting out of food for the evening's entertainment.  Thanks also to the other members who had helped with setting up and refreshments. 

Two of our members celebrated a special significant birthday and we celebrated with cake and flowers.  Happy birthday also to our other members who are also celebrating in December.  One member thanked the WI in Leigh on Mendip for their friendship and warmth she had received from them as a group when she moved into the village.

The Christmas Tree Festival in the Village Church took place the weekend prior to our meeting.  Thank you to everyone who made, donated decorations and for help before, during and after the event.  We won the Category of the "Best Traditional" Tree – the theme was "Birds of a Feather".  Our prize a large box of chocolates (to be saved for the New Year!) and a £15 voucher (to be used for a WI event).

Looking forward to 2024 - January is already looking busy.  Dates to remember:-

Programme Planning meeting, Thursday 18 January at 7pm.  Members were urged to attend and put forward their ideas for topics, speakers & activities.  However, if unable to come to this meeting in the VIP Room in The Bell please talk to one of the committee beforehand.

Our 75th Birthday Party will take place on Friday 26 January from 7pm in The Bell – skittles and birthday cake.  Members wishing to have a meal beforehand were asked to order and book individually.

Before these events our next meeting is on Monday 8 January in the Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm.  We are having a local speaker, David Lassman, giving a talk on "Foul Frome".  David took us on a very interesting (if somewhat wet – it poured with rain!!) "Celebrated Women" walk around Frome some time ago.  Looking forward to a different aspect of our local town!

Caroline reminded members that on pages 23-25 in WI Life there is detailed information on the 4 Resolutions put forward for 2024: Dental Health Matters, Impacts of Poor Housing, Say 'No' to Gambling Advertising, Improving Outcomes for Women in the Criminal Justice System.  This is the opportunity for all WI members to vote for the Resolution they would like to see go forward.  Members were asked to complete their slip and return by the January meeting or to let Mary M know their choice.  These have to be returned to Federation by 11 February.

Please contact Caroline on 01373 812889 if you would like more information or just turn up at our next meeting on Monday 8 January at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall.

Wishing all our members, their families and friends a Very Peaceful Christmas and much happiness in the New Year.