JUNE 2018

HOLMER

Georgia Millan , director of Belmont Vets, spoke about her life and work as a vet. Georgia is pictured second left with many of Holmer Committee. Christine Cooper invited us to her lovely home and gardens for afternoon tea. Talia Wheeler led us on a treasure trail through little known parts of Hereford, discovering a great deal on our way.

BRAMPTON BRYAN

Federation Chairman Val Lewis and WI Adviser Alison Lord at Brampton Bryan WI. The occasion was a tea party to celebrate their Cen'tea'nary and the beautiful cakes were made and iced by their President Gill Harnett.

PETERSTOW

The June meeting speakers gave a talk about the “Lives of narrowboat women, their children, and their crafts”. They were dressed in the working clothes of nineteenth century canal wives, explaining how they lived and their tasks on board the narrowboats. It was extremely informative and vivid, explaining how the men always married women who had been brought up on canal boats as life was difficult and living space cramped.

We were shown samples of their crocheting and knitting and as they were illiterate they were only able copy samples of others work.

This talk had our members enthralled as our guests were so knowledgeable. Our meeting finished with our usual excellent tea.

LEDBURY

Over 60 organisations took part in Ledbury Community Day in June. Our Ledbury W.I.stand provoked interest and positive comments.

Margaret Coulson and Elaine Toyer in the photograph.

BROMYARD

Clare Davies, proprietor of The Natural Therapy Centre, spoke to BROMYARD WI about the complementary therapies available to relieve the stresses and strains of everyday life. Our members have been busy holding workshops preparing for two of the town’s festivals. The painted poppies and leaves will be used to make a WI wreath to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice in 1918 and our “Fifty Shades of Grey” scarecrow raised a few eyebrows (and smiles) in Bromyard.

SALTMARSHE & DISTRICT

Our Garden visit in June was blessed with fine weather and our members were able to enjoy the grounds of Gill and Clive of Spetchley Road, Worcester.

It’s clear immediately that the garden is a labour of love for Gill and her husband.

Everywhere the eye was caught with a riot of colour. The pink roses were full of scent, the pool looked well established and the planting of the borders was most harmonious.

ALLENSMORE
In June Allensmore W.I. visited Hampton Court Castle and Gardens. We started the day with a coffee (and cakes for some) in the Orangery. Following this we had a splendid tour of the castle. Our guide was very informative and entertaining. We learned much about the previous owners of the castle as well as the castle itself.
Lunch was at 1pm in a private room which enabled us to chat and catch up with our news. The day had started rather blustery and grey but by the afternoon the sun was shining and we all went off to look at the lovely gardens and landscapes around the castle.
In July our speaker is Paul Morrisroe who will be giving a talk entitled “Wheels on the Western Front”.

STAUNTON ON ARROW

Some members of Staunton on Arrow WI visited Ledbury Rifle and Pistol Club for an evening of rifle shooting followed by tea of course! The instruction was excellent and all had a very enjoyable time.

ASTON INGHAM

Members met at Church Cottage, Hentland. We spent a lovely afternoon, admiring plants and consuming beautiful, home made cakes.

DILWYN

Dilwyn WI held a splendid tea for present and past members and guests to celebrate their 85th anniversary. The setting was the beautiful garden of their President, Jane Voogd. Marie Jones, oldest member, cut the celebration cake.

BISHOPSWOOD

This month we welcomed Adrian James to our meeting. Adrian, a commercial photographer is based in Worcestershire.

Adrian took us on a photographic journey through the southern part of the African continent where his work has taken him over many years. It was an illuminating experience and broadened our understanding of the diverse beauty of this part of the world. We also enjoyed getting to know more about Adrian’s encounters, some unexpected, with the wonderful animals and the unforgettable people living in some of the most remote parts of Africa.

Our next meeting is a “summer social” at Bishopswood Village Hall, Kerne Bridge, Ross-on-Wye HR9 5QT on Friday 13^th July, 2018 at 18:30hrs. Visitors are always welcome.

WOOLHOPE

Bread for your Jam? Roger Oaten gave WOOLHOPE such a jolly evening and inspired many to give this old craft another go!

With a background of chef training and experience in the high end London club scene ( yes, he served HM with a dry martini once) he later became a strongly committed teacher and now inspires Ledbury's young to cook - and Bake bread! He yearns for French flour and continually searches the internet for knowledge and recipes as he experiments and bakes for his young family at home - bringing us delicious samples straight from his oven. Several home bakers amongst us brought him their problems and others went home determined to have another go. The No Knead bread tasted fabulous and would be really easy to make while his soda bread didn't even need yeast ( apparently available FREE from Tesco ). This was one of our very best WI evenings and gave this little village group such a boost.

WYE WOMEN

Another busy month for Wye Women ! 9 of our members enjoyed this year's AGM in Cardiff. An opportunity to meet other WI's, listening to some very interesting speakers and even time for a leisurely lunch in Cardiff City Centre !

The walking group enjoyed a walk along the River Bank on a sunny Monday evening, with welcome refreshments afterwards.

This month's speaker was Jacqueline Kennan of La Fleur de Chocolat. Jacqui gave us the history of chocolate and demonstrated the process of making her delicious chocolates infused with various essences - the samples were much appreciated.