WI News April 2015
LEDBURY
The President Margaret Coulson welcomed the members and guest to the March meeting of Ledbury WI. The Secretary Jenny Treasure placed the minutes of the previous meeting on the table for the members to read before the President signed them at the end of the meeting. Margaret told the meeting some members had by invitation visited Saltmarsh WI that afternoon as they are our twinned institute this year. Saltmarsh WI has agreed a return visit in August when we have our summer afternoon meeting. Also Ledbury WI has entered 2 teams in the Federation Quiz on 19th March. Some members have indicated they wish to attend the ACM at the 3 Counties Hotel, Hereford on 13th April & cars will be arranged. A couple of members have shown interest in the Resolutions meeting at Hampton Bishop, 22nd April at 10am; there is also a walk on 14th April from Much Birch so there are many activities coming up within the Federation.
The President then welcomed our speaker Jim Tickner a very dapper gentleman who had crewed on a Square Rigged Ship. Some years ago he had had the opportunity to sail on this fabulous ship that had been found derelict and lovingly restored. Jim showed us many photos to explain the many functions of the rigging and how they learnt the dangerous job of climbing the rigging & how to hold on whilst rolling or releasing the sails, this was all hard work and one had to be very fit to perform many functions on board a Square Rigger. Unfortunately they had a few problems with the ship so they called into the Canaries for repairs, when investigated they were told it would take a while to fix, so Jim reluctantly decided to call it a day & return home. He was disappointed he did not have more time sailing this beautiful old ship.
Ginny McCoy from the Greyhound Rescue is our next speaker on April 8th. At 7.30pm Parish Hall, Catholic Church, New St; Ledbury. Visitors are always welcome.
PARKWAY
The March meeting was held on a bright spring afternoon. The President Val Graham opened the meeting and invited the members to sing Jerusalem. The minutes of the last meeting where read by the secretary Eileen Hunt, agreed by the members and signed by Val.
Our speaker was Tim Howson from SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, & Airforce Families Association). We were informed of the beginnings of the Association 130years ago and that it cared for past and present members of the armed forces and their families who need advice or financial help or just someone to talk too being face to face or on the telephone or on line. They also have 2 safe houses for abused people, there is help available where ever you are in the UK. The presentation was followed by a short film endorsing all the points Tim had made. This was followed by a questions and answers session, then a vote of thanks was given.
After a welcome cup of Tea we continued with the business; the Federation quiz was taking place at the Ledbury Community Hall on the 19th March. The ACM this year has moved to the 3 Counties Hotel in Hereford on 13th April, all WI's are invited to send a delegate and observers. The Resolutions meeting where professional people are invited to talk to the members before WI's vote is at Hampton Bishop on 22nd April.
The speaker for the next meeting is Caroline Bellhouse the topic is The Orange Hairy Folk - intrigued!! Come along to the Baptist Hall, The Homend, Ledbury at 2pm on April 14th to find out more.
KINGTON
Our March meeting was held on 11th. March. Our president was unable to attend so Irene Phillips chaired the meeting.
Our speaker was Mrs. Collette Grey who gave up a talk on 'A Lady's Dressing Table'. The talk was very interesting and she brought along a huge amount of items from Victorian times up to 1960/1970s.
Our April meeting speaker is Sandy Bufton talking about Aloe Vera.
LEOMINSTER
Leominster had a very interesting meeting with the author Jen Green, who talked about her book "Whatever happened to Trixie Skyrme?". She told them about many experiences and of another of her books about Mary Morgan of Presteigne, who was hanged for the murder of her illegitimate child.
HOLMER
HOLMER had an very interesting talk in April from Julia Orton Davis, about the Munitions Factory in Hereford during the 1st World War, and the young girls who left home with hope of a better life to work there (nicknamed the Canary Chicks).
PETERSTOW
After our April business meeting which included information regarding our several forthcoming social events, our guest speaker Madeleine Horton gave us a demonstration on " Fascinators".
Madeleine not only makes fascinators as hats but also decorations for wedding cakes using the same materials.
Our members were then given items with which to make for themselves basic decorations. Several end results were very impressive.
The meeting ended with an Easter themed raffle.
SALTMARSHE & DISTRICT
Our singing of Jerusalem got the meeting off to a rousing start, as our voices were augmented by that of our Speaker for the evening, who also happens to be a member of Bromyard Choral Society.
Malcolm Penny spoke about the manor house at Lower Brockhampton; on our doorsteps and one of the National Trust properties:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brockhampton-estate/
Much dedicated work by very many people has transformed the interior and opened up the whole house so you feel you're entering a Tardis, transported back in time to 1425 right through to the present day.
Malcolm showed us how the moat had been previously deeply silted and overgrown, making a sterile atmosphere where no creatures could breathe. Now, after the removal of three feet of black sludge, just in two months the water is clear and the ducks are back.
The 1952 Sitting Room has proved very popular. It has all authentic touches; antimacassars on the settee, a newspaper dated 7th February of that year announcing the death of King George VI. The kitchen now has a range replacing what had been a modern oven. The tables are set with produce gathered from the whole Estate and has passed all modern day regulations so that cooked items can be enjoyed as free samples !
Visitor numbers are growing all the time and there are lots of opportunities to get involved by volunteering.
This Summer brings with it an Archaeology Project,with the hope of revealing more secrets of those who lived and worked here.It certainly promises to be a lively, energetic attraction well into the future.
In May we meet on Wednesday 13th at 7.30pm at Saltmarshe Village Hall where, after dealing with Resolutions ( the annual focus on the nationwide W.I. campaign ) Norma will be encouraging us all to have a go at Crafts. Sounds like a jolly evening........... do come and join in the fun.
ASTON INGHAM
Carol Killinger who has been a guide at Berrington Hall and gardens for a number of years, came to talk to us about Thomas Harley, Carol and another volunteer had been given a year to learn all they could about Thomas Harley. He was a younger son of Edward Harley the 3rd Earl of Oxford and Mortimer. Thomas was a British politician who lived during the reign of George 111. He was born in 1730 and died in 1804, he was a British politician who had a social conscience. In 1764 he became Sheriff of London and in 1767 he became Lord Mayor.
Harley was a great supporter of the monarchy and when King George got into financial difficulty it was Thomas who came to his aid. He also left £500 to a London Hospital.
In 1780 Harley commissioned Henry Holland to build Berrington Hall and it has international significance because it is one of his works which remains intact. The ground floor rooms in the hall have exquisite French neo-classical decorations and there are Georgian doorways picked out in gold. Capability Brown designed the grounds. The Hall came into the care of The National Trust in 1954 and we may all enjoy it to-day.
HUNTINGTON-HEREFORD
At the April meeting The Reverend Ian Skinner was once again welcomed by the members of Huntington-Hereford , this time giving his talk "Soldier and Preacher" accompanied by slides. At 12 years old and at Primary School in Scotland he saw the last ship go down in the local shipyard and on leaving school at 15 he decided to "join up" and presented himself Army Training School. He told of his life and years of service in the army and the many countries he had served in for his country and the regiments before becoming a Padre at 40, how he had baptised many soldiers in the rivers where they were serving. His meeting HRH The Princess Royal at Bagshot House whilst studying to be an Army Chaplin and ending up his regimental life here in Hereford and now a minister connected to St Johns Methodist Church.
Members were urged to sign up for the outings to Bourton on the Water on May 19th and the Theatre visit on July 30th at Aberystwyth to see Legally Blonde and to invite family and friends to fill the coaches.
WOOLHOPE
Our 70th birthday party - we invited our group W.I.'s and former members for an evening of jollity with Pedro and his percussion.
LEDBURY WI
The President Margaret Coulson welcomed members, speakers and guests to the April meeting of Ledbury WI. The Secretary placed the minutes of the previous meeting on the table for members to read during social time. The President informed us of forth coming federation events we may like to attend - a day out on the Severn Valley Railway 14th May a Fashion Show at Sutton St Nicholas on 27th May. Doreen Jones was selected as she will be celebrating her birthday on 2nd June to represent Ledbury at the Royal Garden Party hosted by Camilla Duchess of Cornwall at Buckingham Palace, Sophie Counties of Wessex will also be in attendance
Our speakers for the evening were 3 ladies & a man from GRWE (Greyhound Rescue for the West of England) They were accompanied by two beautiful greyhounds called Bumble & Maddi which they had rescued among 455 others last year. Each year many greyhounds are abandoned if they do not make the grade for racing or if they have come to the end of their racing career. If they are left on the streets the local councils only take them in for seven days before putting them down, so it is a race for GRWE to go and collect the dogs if they hear of them in time. Dave Podmore told us the history of greyhounds - they date back to Egyptian times where drawings can be seen on the Pyrimids & Tombs, also they were the favoured dogs of noblemen if one looks at some of the old paintings you will often see greyhounds laying at their feet especially white ones and at one time commoners were not allowed to keep greyhounds. You will also find them mentioned in Proverbs in the St. James Bible. We were also informed they are lazy dogs who are quite happy to sleep all day especially on your sofa or bed if you allow them, they only need 20-30minutes run a day but they do not like being left at home on their own. So if you are considering adopting a greyhound you must be prepared to take it with you (even to work) all the time - they love ridding in your car They need to be fed with their dish raised about 18inches from the ground, because of their long necks. Two of the ladies told us the stories of the dogs Maddi & Bumble they had bought with them who were so well behaved this lead into a lively questions and answers session. A vote of thanks was given together with an invite to join us for refreshments.
May 13th is our next meeting at 7.30pm in the Catholic Hall, New St; Ledbury, when we will be discussing and voting on the Resolution going forward to the 100th AGM of the WI in London on 4th June 2015.
PARKWAY WI
The April meeting of Parkway WI was opened by the President
Val Graham who welcomed the members, speaker and a guest. We sang Jerusalem then continued with Happy Birthday to Meg Knowles who would be celebrating her 95th birthday on 17th April, Diana Schofield accompanied us on the piano
Our speaker for the afternoon was Caroline Bellhouse who fascinated us with details of the 2 years she had spent volunteering in Borneo. The project was to save Orang-utangs and other animals that where losing their homes due to the deforestation of some areas of rain forest to grow Palm Plantations to produce Palm Oil for export. They also had some Honey Bears they had rescued from markets or that people had acquired as pets but could no longer handle, these came in crates with not enough room to exercise and their food had to be pushed through the bars and water thrown through to wash the floors as they did not have a proper compound to keep them in. Caroline had one special orphaned baby Orang-utang that was with her all day and sleep with her at night. Caroline's presentation showed us many pictures of the animals she talked of and an amusing video of the baby Orang-utang enjoying a play in the bath which had us all laughing. We then had a Q & A session, Estelle gave a vote of thanks to Caroline and invited her to join us for refreshments.
We continued our meeting: The Secretary Eileen Hunt read the minutes of the previous meeting we agreed they were true and Val signed them.
We discussed forth coming Federation events - more details could be found in April Federation Newsletter. Maureen Thomas gave a brief report on the ACM she had attended at the 3 Counties Hotel in Hereford the previous day as Delegate for Parkway WI. The President informed the members that the hall is being refurbished during May, June & July and we would be meeting in the Hall behind the Catholic Church in
New St; Ledbury. We then divided into 3 teams to solve some anagrams before the meeting ended at 4.30pm.
Our next meeting is 12th May @ 2pm Parish Hall, Catholic Church, New St; Ledbury, HR8 2EE. Val Lewis will be speaking on Denman College and the Resolution for this years AGM in June.
STAUNTON ON ARROW
Staunton WI spent a very interesting evening learning about the art of lino printing with Rebecca Davis. Rebecca brought along many examples of her work on various kinds of papers and textiles and gave us a practical demonstration of how to print from the initial design to the final product. Barbara Morgan gave the vote of thanks.
PUTLEY
Putley WI were thrilled to enjoy a visit to Eastnor Castle. Our own private tour with the ropes down meant that we were able to sit on the sofas and really made to feel at home! Fascinating information from knowledgeable guide Paul followed by tea and coffee with homemade biscuits - the perfect way to spend an evening.
WYE WOMEN
At our last meeting we tried to bring an international flavour to our evening and Donna Sockett very patiently spent an hour teaching us the Merengue – a dance originating in the Dominican Republic which has become one of the most popular genres throughout Latin America and major cities in the United States. It was great fun we all had a great evening but some of us ached the next day!
THE SUTTONS
In April, The Suttons WI had an interesting talk by Fred Clark about 'The History of the Falklands'. He showed us photos of Falkland Island wildlife and landscapes, and told us how the first settlers in the islands were whalers, who brought their families to live there. Fred had many anecdotes about life in the Falklands, and the problems of life in the remote islands, away from Port Stanley. Imagine waiting 3 months for a delivery! The islands are thriving, with many younger people returning to live there after they have left for university/training etc, but life is hard, especially the weather.
The Suttons WI is holding a Table Sale on Saturday 16th May , 12.00 – 3pm in Sutton St Nicholas Village Hall. Tables £10: contact Eileen Dilley 01432 880527
At our next meeting on 20th May, Sharla Greenway will give us a talk entitled 'A Lady at Sea'.