 |
|
A whole three months concertinas down into a blink long montage, as it is early October and summer has come and gone.
As a WI group we have had a busy summer period with brilliant outings and events, but I thought that in this issue of the Rollestonian, I would portray what takes place during one of our Friday morning meetings.
We start officially at 09.45; the committee members tend to be there from around 9 o’clock to organise tables and prepare the refreshment set up, and members start to trickle in from 09.15 onwards. I tend to sit at the entrance to take the register, which we need for fire regulations. We have over 80 members, and the average attendance is about 60 ladies.
At quarter to ten, our president, Elspeth, welcomed everybody and we opened our meeting by singing a heart-warming Jerusalem. We spent around 30 minutes on correspondence, the treasurer’s report and details of upcoming outings and events.
While teas and coffees were being served, members wandered around to socialise and catch up with friends, signed up for outings, or chose something to read from our book table, so effortlessly set up by Beryl each month. More often than not we have a charity table, where a member sells Arts and Crafts, or ‘white elephant’ items, with the aim to support a charity of their choice.
In the meantime, our speaker had arrived and prepared her equipment to deliver her talk. Last month saw Mig Holder convey to us, that basically everything is recyclable, especially in the world of clothing and fabrics, in her oration ‘And sew to recycle’. A witty discourse took us through years of her life of mending and altering, making new from old, and many of our members were inspired and were discussing ideas by the end.
I hope this portrayal has given you a taste for wanting to come and meet us, and maybe even join.
We meet once a month, on the third Friday, at Rolleston Club from 9.45am
until 12pm. Our craft and games afternoons take place on the first Thursday of
each month between 2-4pm. You can contact me for more information on
07375474523, or e-mail me at imnn.waller@sky.com
Michaela Waller Vice President
We have had another eventful three months, with varied and interesting talks, lots of outings and social occasions, and busy craft and games meetings.
Our guest speakers included Lynn Tann-Watson, who gave a fascinating account of feast days and traditions observed throughout the year, and the historical background of these celebratory days. David Tidewell explained in his own imitable style, the best way to encourage birds into our gardens, and the types of food and habitat they prefer.
Our outings included an informative and enjoyable visit to the Arboretum, which encompassed a train ride through the beautiful and thought provoking grounds and high tea, a walk at Melbourne reservoir, followed by lunch in Melbourne, and a barge trip at Willington Marina – prosecco included on board.
The highlight was no doubt a coach trip to London to see Gary Barlow’s ‘The Girls’, a musical production based on the Calendar Girls, at the Phoenix Theatre. The matinee visit was preceded by a sumptuous tea at the Ritz Hotel. Our ladies were decked out in their finery, and had a very memorable day.
Our craft group has purchased a ‘Big Shot Machine’, and we are exploring new techniques to create cards.
Many members are creating small cross stitch cushions, which will be donated to Burton Hospital, to be placed in memory boxes for bereaved parents, who have suffered a still birth or neonatal death.
Over the summer month, we will be visiting the flower show at Tatton Park and learn how to bowl at Rolleston Club.
We meet once a month, on the third Friday, at Rolleston Club from 9.45am
until 12pm. Our craft and games afternoons take place on the first Thursday of
each month between 2-4pm. For more information contact me on 07943440222, or
e-mail imnn.waller@sky.com.
Michaela Waller, Vice President
Doveside WI is going from strength to strength in all areas. We have more members than ever, a wide variety of events and outings to choose from, and very successful games and craft afternoons.
Last month, Jacqui Botten revealed how the ‘Street Angels’ in Burton hand out coffee, care and, if necessary, First Aid treatment to the public. It is humbling to know, that people volunteer their Saturday nights to look after and care for the people out and about in town. As if to proof the variety of our talks, this month saw us watching stunning flower demonstrations by Marilyn Ottowell.
Our events included a Valentine lunch and film at the club, and a trip to Birmingham Theatre to watch a beautiful performance of the Snow Queen.
In light of there being a defibrillator in the clubhouse, our president organised two CPR training sessions for members and guests. We were taught how to recognise the signs of a cardiac arrest, and learned to administer Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. The sessions were vital and extremely valuable.
Upcoming will be a trip to the Arboretum, including an informative train ride and coffee and cake, a tour to Leicester to inspect the exhibition about Richard III, and a visit to the Phoenix Theatre in London for the musical production by Gary Barlow ‘The Girls’, which is based on ‘The Calendar Girls’. The ladies who are going to London have also booked themselves into the Ritz for lunch. Talk about living the high life!
The March meeting included our Annual General Meeting, where the roles of the committee members were confirmed, and Elspeth Dickinson was re-elected as president. She has done a sterling job over the last twelve months, and we are delighted that she will be ‘at the helm’ in the coming year.
We meet once a month, on the third Friday, at Rolleston Club from 9.45am
until 12pm. Our craft and games afternoons take place on the first Thursday of
each month between 2-4pm. You can contact me for more information on
07943440222, or e-mail me at imnn.waller@sky.com.
Michaela Waller
Vice President
Here we are in 2017, and it still seems a bit unreal to see the date written down. Christmas is over, and no doubt New Year’s resolutions have been made. In case one of your resolutions is to join a group and get to know new people, let me introduce you to the Doveside WI.
We are a group with around eighty members, who meet once a month, on the 3rd Friday, at Rolleston Club from 9.45am until 12pm. We are a very social bunch; our meetings begin by going over past events, correspondence and finances, and setting out an agenda for upcoming activities and outings. We have a coffee and biscuit break, when you can catch up with everyone you already know, or make new friends. We always run a book stall, where you can satisfy your literary needs, and more often than not, a beneficiary table, where individual members are selling craft or ‘white elephant’ items for a charity of their choice.
Just over an hour is then spent listening to one of our invited speakers. The topics cover an extremely wide range; we could enjoy learning how cheese is produced (this obviously includes some tasting), or we get holiday ‘cravings’, while listening to a knowledge discourse about the Spanish region ‘Picos de Europe’.
Regular outings and activities are on offer, such as a visit to Denby Pottery, a shopping trip to MacArthur Glen, or a walk, followed by lunch, at Willington Marina.
Besides taking part and helping out at village events, some of us get together on the 1st Thursday of each month between 2 – 4pm at the club for a craft and games session.
How are your scrabble skills, or would you like to learn how to crochet?
Should any of the above information sounds like it might be of interest to
you, just turn up at the next meeting -, give me a call on 07943440222, or
e-mail me at imnn.waller@sky.com.
Michaela Waller
Vice President
Last updated: 13 November 2017