Middlesex News Registered Charity No: 1167199 Please do not print out this electronic copy unless absolutely necessary to help the environment. MFWI does not accept responsibility for goods or services advertised. Page 1 June 2019 We are happy for you to observe at our meetings; again, you only have to ask. I have another busy month coming up and hope to see some of you on a craft day, an ACWW talk, a group meeting, at the AGM in Bournemouth on 5 th June or the Climate Change Lobby on 26 th June. On a more serious note, I have just booked my cervical smear test – have you? Please don’t delay—don’t fear the smear. Regards, Lorraine x Chair’s Chat with Lorraine Reed-Wenman Gosh, almost six months into the year and the freezer is finally free of excess Christmas food and all the Easter chocolate has transferred to the hips! I am looking forward to some healthy BBQs soon. It has been a pleasure this past month meeting many of you and I will continue to visit WIs with one of my many hats on - in my capacity as Chair, Craft or ACWW Representative. If you would like me to visit your WI in any capacity – even if just for a cup of something, please do ask. It is revealing on these visits how perception, knowledge and reality are poles apart on what I/we at HQ do. We each know our own WI is the best in Middlesex and would love to share it with more women locally. We are issuing a challenge to all Middlesex WIs to increase their membership in the period 1st June 2019 to 31st March 2020. A prize will be awarded to the WI with the greatest percentage increase in membership, based on membership (in MCS) at 30th May 2019, and the winner will be announced at the MFWI Annual Council Meeting in April 2020. The WI Adviser Team is here to help contact us through the MFWI website, directly (as many of you know us already!), or through the MFWI office. Why not start by inviting a friend along to your next meeting? The Time Is Now Lobby—26 June Why not join the 'The Time is Now' Climate Lobby at Westminster? Your WI Secretaries will have had the information from NFWI for the The Time is Now event which is supported by a wide range of organisations organised centrally by The Climate Coalition. The lobby will take place on 26 th June from 1-4pm. Please register your interest as soon as possible if you are interested via email to [email protected]. Did you know that the MFWI Digital Team has to date provided 300 volunteer hours of training for Members and Officers. Training topics have included: • ‘Do you know your spam from your cookies?’ • ‘How to get the most from your smart devices; tablets and phones’ • ‘Running your WI with MS Office 365’ ...and more! In 2019 digital sessions are taking place at MFWI Office twice a month and requests are coming in for the team to run sessions at WIs covering these topics and more. Got a digital training topic idea? Let us know we’d be happy to run it in the coming year! DIGITAL TRAINING PUBLIC AFFAIRS MEMBERSHIP DRIVE Lorraine addresses the audience at the Annual Council Meeting on 15th April. More from the ACM on pages 4-5.
Transcript
Middlesex News
Registered Charity No: 1167199 Please do not print out this electronic copy unless absolutely necessary to help the environment. MFWI does not accept responsibility for goods or services advertised.
Page 1
June 2019
We are happy for you to observe at our meetings; again, you
only have to ask.
I have another busy month
coming up and hope to see
some of you on a craft day,
an ACWW talk, a group
meeting, at the AGM in
Bournemouth on 5th June or
the Climate Change Lobby
on 26th June.
On a more serious note, I
have just booked my cervical
smear test – have you?
Please don’t delay—don’t
fear the smear.
Regards,
Lorraine x
Chair’s Chat with Lorraine Reed-Wenman
Gosh, almost six months into the
year and the freezer is finally free of
excess Christmas food and all the
Easter chocolate has transferred to
the hips! I am looking forward to
some healthy BBQs soon.
It has been a pleasure this past month meeting many of you
and I will continue to visit WIs with one of my many hats on -
in my capacity as Chair, Craft or ACWW Representative. If you
would like me to visit your WI in any capacity – even if just for
a cup of something, please do ask. It is revealing on these visits
how perception, knowledge and reality are poles apart on what
Registered Charity No: 1167199 Please do not print out this electronic copy unless absolutely necessary to help the environment. MFWI does not accept responsibility for goods or services advertised.
Page 2
Contact details COUNTY OFFICE:
Unit 3 - No 7, The Green, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7PL Tel: 01895 440161 Email: [email protected]
OFFICE HOURS: Wednesday 9:15 am to 4:15 pm
Friday 9:15 am to 4:15 pm (Answer phone is in operation outside office hours) or you can email:
Registered Charity No: 1167199 Please do not print out this electronic copy unless absolutely necessary to help the environment. MFWI does not accept responsibility for goods or services advertised.
Page 3
Hayes Town Gill Wildman
On a beautiful hot and sunny Maundy
Thursday afternoon, we met to hear a
talk by Alison Judah, a consultant
Osteopath of 25 years’ experience, who
has a practice in Hammersmith. Alison
has helped many patients and treats all
ages, her specialty being helping
musicians, singers and actors.
She demonstrated with the help of a
skeleton, showing how the spine works,
and had us standing up, doing shoulder
and neck exercises, and most
importantly impressing on us to sit and
not slouch, and to walk more to build
stronger muscles to protect our internal
organs. After a question and answer
session ,we were all ready for a cuppa
and a hot cross bun and Easter
marshmallows.
Halliford Sylvia Whitman
Our April meeting had a distinctly Easter
theme, with beautifully wrapped Easter
eggs for raffle prizes and a craft project
making decorative felt eggs. Our craft
specialist, Chris, painstakingly put
together 50 kits containing various
coloured felt, a little stuffing, ribbon,
beads and thread, together with simple
instructions, which enabled even the
most inept of us to produce a finished
item! It was fun to work together and
learn a simple way to produce an eye-
catching display for the home.
Around the WIs
Stanwell Dianne Butler
Our Centenary year continues to
inspire… We had a busy March and
April. In March our speaker was the
hilarious butcher, Keith Weston: a
brilliant evening. We then held a
successful Barn Dance (yee haa!) with
fabulous support from Bedfont Belles
WI.
At our April meeting, our Centenary
Committee organized a Hidden Talents
of Stanwell WI evening. There were
craft tables with opportunities for poster
making, wooden spoon decorating, card
making, crochet, grown up colouring
post cards, and origami star making (as
featured in WI Life). We have never
known our members be so quiet, with
lots of concentrating!
April 10th was a special Afternoon Tea
celebrating 100 years of Stanwell WI.
What a spread - nobody went home
hungry, that’s for sure! A brilliantly
funny ‘Quirky Quiz’ was also part of the
fun… well done all involved.
An Easter Coffee Morning was held on 13
April - a time to eat more cake and hot
cross buns! Thankyou to all who
supported us buying raffle tickets and
having a go at Spin the Wheel. There
were some excellent hats this year for the
Easter Bonnet Competition, judged by
Barry Dix. Our winner was Beth Wilding,
with a hat which was decorated with
stunning fresh flowers.
Our first outing of the year also took
place in April. It was a beautifully sunny
day when 30 of us boarded the coach to
our destination, the Royal Hospital,
Chelsea, home of the Chelsea Pensioners.
On arrival, we were met by our excellent
guide, and shown a film about its
foundation in 1682.
It was King Charles II who sought to
provide a home for veteran soldiers; his
vision was brought to life by Sir
Christopher Wren and completed in
1692. It then housed 476 men in 6ft x 6ft
rooms, but has undergone significant
improvement over the years and now
300 In-Pensioners are accommodated,
15 of whom are women.
After learning a little of the history, we
were given a 90 minute guided tour of
the grounds, taking in the main
attractions including the Great Hall,
Chapel and Figure Court. We were then
at liberty to spend time in the Museum
and gift shop and take lunch in the well-
stocked café.
There was also time to enjoy a walk
around the flower beds, or stroll in the
adjacent Ranelagh Gardens, before
boarding the coach home. A most
interesting and enjoyable day was had by
all.
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Page 4
Guest Speakers
A n n u a l C o u n c i l M e e t i n g 2 0 1 9
Author Peter Jones (left and below) took
us on a very entertaining journey from
working in credit card banking to
published author via love, and loss, and
reinvention. The number of WIs who’ve
already enjoyed Peter’s talks is testament
to his skill at entertaining.
Over 150 WI members attended the
Annual Council Meeting held at the
Winston Churchill Theatre in Ruislip on
15 April 2019. Apart from delegates and
observers from many of the Federation’s
Institutes, we were also pleased to be
joined by Marlene Voke, Chair, and
Marilyn Hoare, Trustee, from Berkshire
Federation, Sue Paxton, Vice Chair, and
Jenny Street, Trustee, from
Buckinghamshire Federation, and Toto
James, Trustee, and Barbara Cavalier,
Trustee, from Surrey Federation.
Lorraine presents certificates to
representatives of the three WIs
celebrating milestone birthdays
Congratulations to (clockwise from
top left) Hillingdon (Centenary),
Pinner (50 years in 2018), and
Stanwell (Centenary)!
Bringing 365 days of colour to your
garden sounded easy with Nick Bailey’s
tips and tricks for choosing and
combining both foliage and flower
colour.
Treasurer Sarah Endersby addresses the
audience. “This is my first year as
Treasurer for MFWI. I am enjoying the
role, with its varied and interesting
themes, and am grateful for the
opportunity to hone my skills on Excel!”
Public Affairs ambassador Sarah
Wilson presents two videos highlighting
high-profile campaigns: End Plastic
Soup and Food Poverty.
Alison Freemantle of West Drayton WI
(left) and Sylvia Whitman of Halliford
WI, present summaries of their
respective WI’s activities over the past
year in their Two Minute Reports.
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Page 5
A n n u a l C o u n c i l M e e t i n g 2 0 1 9
Snapshots
Well done Dallas Barnes-Hughes
(Halliford WI) on scooping the £102
Denman Dip prize, drawn by guest
speaker Nick Bailey (above).
Jules Hall, Vice-Chair and Digital Team
Lead (above), updates the audience on
digital and tech progress while Angela
Chessman, Denman Ambassador
(below), reminds the audience of the
gem that is Denman College, informing
us of the Middlesex Denman Day
planned for November 2019.
Prizes, prizes, prizes!
Congratulations to the Denman Bursary
winners, Katherine Earl (Harrow on the
Hill WI) and Julie Bloomfield (Halliford
WI), each awarded £150 for learning at
Denman, and to Carol Kelly of Sunbury
Village WI, on winning the £300 craft
bursary. In addition, the 200+ Club
Bursaries of £250 were awarded to Pat
Gravette (Iver WI) and Carol McKechnie
(West Drayton WI).
Mary Jeffery and her team from
Stanwell WI (above) busy selling tickets
for the raffle, which raised almost £250
after expenses. One of the winners,
Sheila Balfour of West Drayton WI
(below left), pictured with past MFWI
chair Liz Morrell.
Decorated Tins
Well done Southbourne WI for your
winning ‘Get Well Wishes’ tin in the
‘Pennies in Pots’ craft competition, with
the money raised going to ACWW.
(Ed’s note: These are a cute idea for a
crafty meeting!)
More photos www.mfwi.org.uk
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Page 6
Around the WIs
Southbourne Brenda Francis
Members, family and friends and other
WIs slipped into St. Lawrence church
hall around 7pm for our recent social
evening.
The show started with Hi We're The WI
followed by an array of songs from
yesteryear. Ann Amato had everyone in
tears with Wings Beneath My Feet.
There followed a singalong, then Ann
sang again. This time she made several
Sunbury on Thames Sue Nicholas
Our 39th anniversary was celebrated
with a birthday tea and we were
entertained by Ricky Fontayne singing
some old time greats from the 1950s and
1960s.
Iver Joan Horton
In March we held our birthday party
meeting, with a delicious buffet spread
contributed by members. This was
enjoyed by all, including our guests and
some ‘WI husbands’. Ashley Webber
entertained us with a lively session of
50s and 60s music which had us all
tapping our toes and hand waving.
At our April meeting, Dan Allen, a
member of the Victorian Military
Society, gave us a talk on military
women.
It is not generally realised that women
first officially joined the army in 1881 to
serve as nurses in South Africa during
the Boer War. They had to be of
‘impeccable social standing’ and have
completed a nursing course at a top
London hospital. By 1898 the VADs
(Voluntary Aid Detachment) had also
evolved, which included cooks, clerks,
laundresses, drivers and other
occupations, to free men for the front
line. Qualified nurses could join the
Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing
Service (QARNS). The First Aid Nursing
Yeomanry (FANY) provided medical
attention on the battlefield, but recruits
had to provide their own horses and
uniform.
Dan described the many voluntary corps
which sprang up during World War I,
until the army decided they needed to be
in overall control and devised the
Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, the
WRNS and the WAAFs. They were all
resurrected permanently in World War
II. The Women’s Land Army was
originally established to provide feed for
the army’s horses.
The talk explained a surprising number
of jobs which women were permitted to
do for the first time , and was illustrated
by slides, some of which showed by
today’s standards highly impractical
uniforms! The session proved very
popular, and the vote of thanks was
given by Sue Biddle.
We also had a food bank collection, then
after tea a craft session making Show the
Love green heart bunting for the WI
climate change campaign. Many designs
were produced which made for an
attractive whole, which will be displayed
at our local Community Library.
Show The Love Our WIs were busy creating green hearts to support the Show The Love campaign, aimed at increasing awareness of climate change around the time of Valentine’s Day. Here are samples from Stroud Green WI (above) and Iver (below). Turn to page 8 for more creative hearts from Hayes Town.
of the husbands blush as she got up close
with Kiss Me (Honey, Honey).
There were lots of jokes from our very
own comedian Beryl Braithwaite,
showing she hasn’t lost her touch! A
grand finale singalong rounded out the
entertainment, which was followed by
refreshments.
Well done to all organisers and
entertainers: the best social evening yet!
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Page 7
Twickenham Eleanor Thomas
In April we were pleased to welcome the
well-known English family care activist,
Erin Pizzey.
We listened with rapt attention to the
amazing story of her life and work
helping abused women (and men).
Erin set up the world’s first shelter for
domestic abuse in 1971, Chiswick
Women’s Aid.
Prior to that, there was no help or
support for these women; on visiting a
GP they were often just offered valium.
The refuge provided tea, sympathy and a
safe place to stay, and became very
popular. Later, further shelters were
opened.
Many families were accommodated, the
women particularly benefitting from
living close to others and sharing their
problems.
Erin received some help with
accommodation but also opened refuges
Around the WIs
Elizabeth Bell Challenge NFWI Science and Leisure
Committee
Did you enter the Elizabeth Bell
photography competition?
The NFWI received 135 entries from 61
federations, which were judged by Gill
Thomas, Lead NFWI Judges Tutor and
Simon Gregor, Denman Tutor and
professional Photographer.
Congratulations to the winners:
First
Old Coulson Cupcakes WI, Surrey
Federation
Second
Barton Bees WI, Hampshire Federation
Third
Libanus WI, Powys Brecknock
Federation
Highly Commended
Knaresborough WI, North Yorkshire
West Federation
The Brentwood Belles WI,
Essex Federation
by squatting, notably taking over a hotel
building in Richmond.
There were those who supported her
ventures, but she also met hostility and
had ongoing problems with Hounslow
Council.
However, over the years there have been
so many people whose lives have been
turned around by her efforts and
dedication to the cause.
She is a truly remarkable person and
excellent speaker, and has also written
several books about her life and work.
Teddington WI Becky Hepworth
For our recent ‘Speed Crafting’ evening
we had four workshops running for 20
minutes per session.
Our members had a go at all four of the
workshops: macramé, needlepunch, rag
rugging and creative writing.
We had an evening filled with fun and
creativity!
This sounds like a fun format… let us know if your WI has tried something similar! Any tips for other WIs?
(Ed’s note: The session was run by
Handmade Workshops, however if you
have crafty members, you could ask
them to volunteer to run these sessions!)
Photo: Wikipedia
The WI on YouTube Public Affairs
Did you know that the WI has over 100
videos on its YouTube channel?
Members who attended the ACM will
have seen two of the creative and fun
animated videos produced for the WI
supporting two of our current
campaigns, End Plastic Soup and Food
Poverty.
There are also videos on cookery, crafts,
gardening, WI events, previous NFWI
Annual Meetings and lots, lots more.
Go to YouTube.com and search for
Women’s Institute. Enjoy!
WI News
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