October 17

PETERSTOW

September heralded the biennial “Cogan Cup” competition of the spoken word. Peterstow WI entered 2 teams, competing with other Herefordshire WI’s. We were pleased that 1 of our teams was successful, winning for the third time.
Our annual group supper, hosted by Llangrove WI, was held once more in Ross Golf Club. Two members of the Phoenix players entertained us, for the second year.
For our October meeting, the guest speaker Ruth Terry gave a demonstration on chair based exercises. Ruth has been teaching this subject for 30 years. Our members, although able bodied, enjoyed participating, together with the lively recorded music. We all left the meeting feeling fitter and happier.

HOLMER

Our October meeting included a demonstration and talk by Jan Matthews ,and her Peruvian assistant Mercedes , about the craft of felting in its various forms.  Jan told us that felting is a very cost effective hobby which can produce some surprising, attractive and useful results.
Using a variety of different fibres, such as alpaca, mulberry silk, merino wool, sheep's wool, linen cloth and hemp, she has made clothing  including boots, hats , bags, jackets  as well as decorative items .  During the evening , members were enthralled to watch Mercedes work on a picture of a field of poppies, using the wet felting technique, which you can see  being admired by Jackie Hancock in the photo. In addition, Jan circulated samples of textile and a variety of books for us to appreciate.  Maureen Graver gave vote of thanks following a very interesting demonstration which has encouraged several members to 'have a go'.

Holmer WI have been donning their walking boots again recently. Jenny Hare , our President, organised a City walk, part two, which was led by a representative of the Cathedral Guild of Guides. Part one took place in June but had to be curtailed due to unforeseen circumstances in one of the two groups taking part. Sue Patmore, our Vice President, planned an Autumn walk through Queenswood , which was followed by a convivial lunch in the pleasant cafe there. Both walks were well attended and enjoyable.

Our Annual Meeting will take place on Wednesday 1st November in St Marys Church , Grandstand Road at 7.30pm. In addition to the business aspect of the evening, there will be a Holmer WI favourite, a Beetle Drive. Do come and join us , ladies. Our lively , friendly group will welcome you warmly. Come along and get to know us!

SALTMARSHE & DISTRICT

When our Speaker for October told us he would be unable to be with us, at first we wondered about finding a replacement at short notice; then decided not to. What a good decision that was

Instead we had ourselves a very jolly, social evening by taking food for sharing and items for a Bring and Buy table, which did good trading.

After our Business section, which included reports from members about WI trips to London and to the National Arboretum, Wendy, invited each of us to say a few words about ourselves. Where had we been born? How did we make it to Saltmarshe? Had we met any famous people? Was there some memory to share?

Famous people made an appearance in some people's lives; including Terry Wogan, Richard Harris (actor) and Billy Wright - the footballer who went on to marry Joy Beverley, one of the Beverley Sisters. There were stories of having a birthday on the day Princess Elizabeth (now Queen) married Prince Philip and being too young to understand why attention was not on themselves. Several members had begun life in Birmingham; others had been born further afield in Somerset, Derbyshire or Bootle. All of us had something of interest to relate, not least Ann who encourages people to compile their life histories for younger generations to come.

Wendy then summed it all up by saying that when she herself had joined the WI, very many years ago, members had come entirely from the farming community and how wonderful it is to now have a mix of personalities derived from widespread areas. One of us joined the WI at 14. Two more had been born in the near vicinity and had spent all their lives here. We all combine to make a very friendly supportive group. Long may we continue.

Next month on Wednesday 8th November we'll be having our AGM and once that's dealt with, our very own Norma will be delighting us with her presentation. We meet at 7.30pm in Saltmarshe & District Hall, and extend an invitation to anyone who'd like to come along.

STOKE PRIOR & DISTRICT

Felicity Norman gave a talk to Stoke Prior and District WI on her term as Mayor of Leominster at their October Meeting. She certainly attended a great deal of functions through Herefordshire, and further afield. She also gave us an insight into the workings of the local Council. We were thrilled to welcome 2 new members, and we were pleased to have our Advisor, June Stephens with us.

DINEDOR  & HOLME LACY

Poppy Factory was the subject of the October meeting for Dinedor and Holme Lacy WI.
Tim Howson spoke about the history and his link with this worthwhile charity which, amongst other things works towards a vision in which every wounded, sick or injured person who has served in HM Forces can return to paid and meaningful civilian employment.

Each WI member was encouraged to make their own poppy and donate accordingly, a number of poppy items had been brought along for the competition.

BROMYARD

Craft has been the theme running through events at BROMYARD WI during the last month. A wide range of members’ skills were displayed at a Mayoral fundraising event in the town and a number of ladies visited a local care home to share their talents at flower arranging as part of an ongoing project under the alleviating loneliness resolution. At the October meeting, following a demonstration by Caroline Wilding, members took advantage of the opportunity to make a Christmas card using mat and layer and die cutting techniques.

ASTON INGHAM

Rowena Gale and Penny Usher from the National Garden Scheme of Herefordshire came to tell us about the scheme and to show us pictures of some of the gardens which are open to the public on different days during the year.  Some of the gardens are accessible or partly accessible to wheelchairs.  Information can be found online at ngs.org.uk

The Scheme was started in 1927 by Country Life magazine to support The Queen's Nursing Institute - 609 gardens were opened that year, 10 in Herefordshire. The gardens are chosen for good maintenance and design.  Other charities which are supported are Parkinsons, M.S., Autism and the Southmead Centre, Bristol which supports cancer patients on an outreach basis, is also supported.

2016 was a record year with £3000,000 to charities - £61,300 was raised in Herefordshire where there are 61 gardens open on different dates. 82p in every £1 goes to charity

We look forward to exploring some of the gardens; all the ladies really enjoyed the talk.

PUTLEY

If you’ve never had any wish to visit the Arctic, you’ve never had the remarkable David Fletcher as your guest speaker. Putley WI was fascinated to hear tales of the frozen north from David who has worked in the Arctic and Antarctic for over 40 years. With slides of unlikely blossoming wildflowers, horizontal trees and polar bear trails along with fascinating tales of wildlife such as the parenting skills of the guillemot, our open meeting in the Parish Hall was captivated by David’s talk. His passion and expertise of this remote part of the world was infectious. The Arctic is now well and truly on our bucket list of places to visit.

LEDBURY

Ledbury WI’s president Margaret Coulson opened the meeting, welcoming everyone.
She then introduced the evening’s speaker Margaret Roy, who gave a most interesting and well -illustrated presentation about her “Wye Valley Walk’’.
The Wye Valley Walk is a 136- mile route along the river Wye, from Monmouth where it joins the River Severn to its source on Plynlimon in the Welsh mountains.  The route is way-marked by a leaping salmon sign and Margaret explained how the Passport scheme for the walk works;  passport stamps are collected from shops, pubs, hotels and Tourist Information Centres on route and a completed passport earns a certificate recognising the walker’s achievement.  Margaret completed the walk in many small sections and by doing so not only earned the certificate but also raised sponsorship money for charity.
The monthly competition was for a Herefordshire item, with imaginative entries ranging from hops to a bus pass;   the winner was an impressive Herefordshire Special Constable’s warrant card and badge.
The Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 8 November at 7.30 pm at the Parish Room of the Catholic Church New Street Ledbury HR8 2EE.
Visitors are always welcome.

WYE WOMEN

Depleted in numbers but not in spirit. Wye Women enjoyed their Bodenham circular walk on 7 Oct, an ideal morning weather wise.

Due to a change in our programme at short notice, for our October meeting we were delighted that Sharon from the Body Shop could step in and deliver a really fun packed evening.  Encouraged to bring a bowl and towel, members could either have a hand or feet soak and then Sharon circulated body/foot scrubs, followed by body lotions - all smelling very delightful and leaving us with very smooth hands and feet.  A fun drawing game followed and then members had an opportunity to purchase Body Shop goods and try some of the samples on display.

THE SUTTONS

Sascha Kindred - Paralympic Swimming champion.

The Suttons WI welcomed Sascha Kindred CBE - six time Paralympic swimming champion to a WI Group meeting at Sutton St Nicholas Village Hall. He was a very interesting and entertaining speaker recalling his childhood and how his family supported him through difficult times. He brought along his many medals but especially the gold medal that he won at the Rio Paralympic Games. Members were all allowed to handle them and there were many photos taken. He is a truly inspirational young man. All profit and collections on the evening were sent to his charity - Megan Baker House.

In September, our speaker was Rosemary Prosser, who told us about her experiences in the Police Force – From Tights to Trousers – how her duties and responsibilities changed as time went by, and some amusing anecdotes!
Our October meeting is The Mysterious Forest – a talk by Pam Singer.

G

BISHOPSWOOD

The twenty five members of Bishopswood WI who met at Bishopswood Village Hall on 25th October were delighted to welcome 29 members of Bishops Cleeve WI for their annual visit. After a short business meeting and the splendid refreshments provided by the committee, we were entertained by a very interesting and informative talk by Jonquil Dodd on training and breeding guide dogs, very appropriate as the week beginning 8th October was Guide Dogs Week and the 12th World Sight Day.

The first school for training guide dogs was set up in Germany in 1916 after a German doctor treating soldiers blinded in the war left his dog with a soldier and realised on his return that a dog could be very helpful.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in Britain was registered in 1934 and Puppy Walkers set up in the 1950s and are still the backbone of the training of guide dogs. By the late 50s three out of four dogs were not completing their training, mainly due to temperament. A guide dog cannot be just good enough, it has to be perfect.  Today there is selected breeding fro parents with a calm, sensible temperament who are also intelligent and the right size. Breeding began with a single brood bitch, now there are 250 breeding bitches and 90 stud dogs. The Association aims to breed up to 250 puppies each year and are very proud to have 5000 partnerships of dog and owner.

If a dog is good but not suitable as a guide dog, it can help in other ways, for example helping children with autism, working in schools for disabled children or as’Buddy Dogs’ for the Blind Children’s charity.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is entirely supported by charity with no Government funding.

BOSBURY

Isabel welcomed members and judges from Bromyard WI to our Craft and Produce Show.  Entries ranged from preserves and cakes, handicrafts and photos, to flowers and produce, setting a very colourful scene.

The overall winner with the most points was Isabel who was also 1st in the Craft Section.  Rosemary was 1st in the Produce Section.  The judges commented on the high standard.

The pottery bowl made by members and Annette Christopher, potter,  at the June meeting is now back at Bosbury and will be used as a flower bowl at meetings.

This month members are baking cakes for Bosbury School harvest tea party, and on the 9th December they will be manning a stall at the annual Christmas Fair in the Parish Hall 10.00 and - 12.00 pm.

The next meeting is the AGM on Thursday, 9th November at 7.30 pm in the Parish Hall followed by social time.  There will be a bring and buy stall.  The craft evenings are on 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.
New members and visitors are always welcome.  For further information please contact Helen on 01531 640337.

BRAMPTON BRYAN

Our guest speaker was Jim Saunders – Offa’s Dyke. We were also joined by ten visiting ladies from Bucknell WI.
Jim explained, accompanied by a slideshow, that Offa’s Dyke is an ancient earthwork that roughly follows the current border of England and Wales, a bank of earth with a ditch, called a dyke, it is thought that it was built on the orders of Offa, King of Mercia towards the end of the 8th Century. The origins of the Dyke are shrouded in mystery so that many of its aspects are speculated upon rather than being fully understood. Asser, the biographer of King Alfred, gave the first known reference to it when he wrote, about 100 years later that a certain vigorous king called Offa……had a great dyke built between Wales and Mercia from sea to sea.  The Offa’s Dyke Association was set up in 1969 to provide a link between walkers, historians and conservationists and those who live and work locally.  

Offa’s Duke gives its name to the footpath, which runs from Sedbury to Prestatyn through the varied landscapes of the Welsh Marches.  Offa’s Dyke Path (not to be confused with Offa’s Dyke) officially opened in 1971, as part of a network of long paths such as the Pennine Way one of Britain’s National Trails, long distance routes designed for recreation.  The path is 177 miles long.  Jim shared his walk with us and accompanying photographs and commentary, plus a few historical Welsh words and pronunciation (commended by one of our Welsh speaking visitors).  Jim challenged us on the names of various wild flowers, we did quite well but he managed to catch us out on one; the wild carrot flower.

After 18 years as a Dyke Officer, Jim resigned and decided to make a living as a photographer.  BBC Wales made a television series – Border Country with Iolo Williams, which Jim helped in the preparations of, it and Jim ended up supplying the photographs as well as text for the accompanying book, as well as Offa’s Dyke the Beginners Guide, a basic introduction.  Jim is a published writer and accomplished photographer of various books and has produced many postcards. Jim would like to see plaques to let everyone know that they are on Offa’s Dyke. We were all reminded about the visitors centre and the exhibition therein, as well as the café (and Offa’s coffee).

There will not be a guest speaker in November as it is our annual meeting.  BUT as is tradition we will be holding our annual Christmas Pudding Mix on Saturday 25th November, posters will be up soon. We hope to see you there for a stir and a wish.