Rolleston-on-Dove WI News 2003

Although members had their annual break from meetings in August, there were still enjoyable activities on offer. The final event of the summer was a guided tour of Renishaw Hall, which proved to be popular with members, relatives and friends. Despite the weather, we all found the museums and gardens very interesting. Mrs Helen Barnett also organised another successful evening walk for members at the beginning of August, based in the village of Ellastone.

Meetings resumed in September with a talk by Stephan Smith, a practising vet in the Burton area. He entertained us with hilarious and interesting tales of his work in both New Zealand and England. At the end of September members enjoyed an Antiques evening complete with quiz and refreshments. October saw members being entertained with the amusing anecdotes of Mrs Fibiger whose grandparents owned a shop in Derby between the 1930’s and the 1950’s. Some of us were also involved in a working party in October, organised to produce handmade Christmas decorations for our Christmas Fair on November 22nd in Rolleston Club at 2p.m.

On November 3rd we are looking forward to our Speaker, David Bell, telling us about Staffordshire ghosts and legends and on November 10th Marilyn Ottewell will be demonstrating flower arranging.

December also promises to be a busy month, beginning with the meeting on the 1st when our guest speaker, Mrs. B. Knight will talk to members about ‘The Dazzling Duchess’. On December 8th the Group Carol Service will be held at Hanbury Church, followed by the County Carol Service on December 13th in Lichfield Cathedral.

Members, family and friends are looking forward to a guided tour of Chatsworth house in all its Christmas glory on December 6th, and on December 11th we shall be enjoying our Christmas Party.

As you can see, we always have plenty of enjoyable activities on offer, as well as new friends to make. We meet on the first Monday of the month at John of Rolleston School, Chapel Lane at 7.15p.m. Come and see for yourself what we have to offer. For details contact me, Lesley Harding, on 530824.

This summer has proved to be yet another busy one for our members. In May we enjoyed a guided walk around the village of Sudbury followed by a lovely supper hosted by Sudbury W.I. June was a particularly busy month beginning with our involvement in Community day with member’s crafts on display. This was followed by a trip to the studio of artist Pollyanna Pickering and our annual picnic supper. Members travelled to Moira Furnace for this, also enjoying a barge trip, on what turned out to be a beautifully sunny evening. Finally, at the end of the month, a number of members visited a garden in Ednaston, a wet evening but still a very enjoyable one. Our summer party was held in July and although it was again very wet, members had a really lovely evening. In June and July Arnold Burston also gave members a very informative and interesting tour of St Mary’s Church.

Our monthly meetings have provided some very interesting and entertaining speakers, including a Women’s Institute Advisor who guided us through the resolutions at our May meeting and in June, Christine Robinson, Head Housekeeper at Chatsworth house, entertained us with an inside view of a big house. We also enjoyed our traditional strawberries and cream. In July John Wright and a colleague gave members a very informative talk on how the charity that they represent, ‘Tools for Self Reliance’, helps communities in Third World countries to become self-reliant.

Future events include a walk at the beginning of August led by Mrs Helen Barnett and later in the month we are looking forward to a day trip to Renishaw Hall. In September we will enjoy an Antiques evening, as well as our monthly meeting and, in November a flower evening is being organised with Marilyn Ottewell arranging the flowers.

There are always lots of activities and outings to choose from, as well as our monthly meetings where members always find friendliness and companionship. Why not come and join us on the first Monday of every month, apart from August, at 7.15p.m in John of Rolleston School, in Chapel Lane. For further details please contact me on 530814.

At the end of April members greatly enjoyed a long weekend in Edinburgh. Not a moment was wasted in this beautiful city, with organised trips to the Castle, Holyrood House, as well as a tour of the city. We even had visits during the coach trips there and back! All our thanks go to Anne Burston for her hard work in organising the weekend and to Arnold in supporting her, as well as our coach driver and his helper, Andy and Pat Starbuck.

On the evening following our return, members were able to try out their artistic skills in a ‘painting on glass’ class with some excellent results.

In the past few months we have entertained speakers on ‘The Post and it’s History’, accompanied by a fish and chip supper, and informative talk from Radio Derby’s news reader, Sally Swinfen, about her job. March saw the Annual Meeting at which our president, Mrs Verity Conner was re-elected for the coming year and at the meeting in May, the visiting speaker from County will guide us through the Resolutions followed by a supper and drinks. Future speakers will entertain us with ‘A Personal View of Chatsworth’ and ‘Tools for Africa’.

The summer months usually find members kept busy with numerous outings organised by our outings secretary, Margaret Hewitt, and this summer is no exception. Outings planned include a guided tour of Sudbury village including a supper provided by Sudbury W.I., a picnic supper at Moira Furnace with a canal boat trip, a garden visit, a summer party hosted by one of our members and a coach trip to Renishaw Hall in August.

We shall, as in previous years, also be supporting Community Day with an exhibition of members’ work in various crafts.

Members of the W.I are always kept busy and there are always plenty of choices of activities, as well as the friendliness and companionship that membership offers. We meet on the first Monday in every month at the John of Rolleston Primary School in Chapel Lane at 7.15p.m. Please come and visit us. Prospective members can try three meetings before committing themselves to membership. For further information, contact me on 530824.

On a glorious, sunny Thursday morning in April, forty-eight members and friends of Rolleston on Dove WI set off for a long weekend in Edinburgh. We enjoyed the lovely scenery as we travelled up through the Lake District, and took the opportunity to buy Scottish products when we stopped in Moffat for lunch.

Our hotel was quite near the centre of the city and, on Friday morning we had a fascinating panoramic tour, stopping part way to hear about whisky production, and to have a taste of course. In the afternoon, we went to Edinburgh Castle, where we arrived just in time to see (and hear) the firing of the 1 o'clock gun.

The Royal Yacht Britannia was our first of call on Saturday. We could understand how much the Royal Family must have enjoyed the the time they spent on the yacht. Then it was off to Holyroodhouse, where we had a good look round the Palace and its grounds, and many people took the opportunity to visit the Fabergé Exhibition in the Queen's Gallery.

Members and friends had the chance to explore the shops, art galleries, museums and the Botanical Gardens. Not a moment was wasted.

Our trusty driver, Andy Starbuck, brought us home on Sunday a different way, and we called at Newcastle on Tyne to see the Millennium Bridge, and at Durham where we took the opportunity to go up to the Cathedral and to look at the old buildings and streets. We arrived home tired but happy. Where to next?

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening with Mrs June Walker, when she told us of her experiences doing VSO work in Ghana. Thank you to everyone who supported our Christmas Fair in Rolleston club. It was a very pleasant and happy afternoon. The Group Carol Service in St Mary’s church was well attended, Rolleston on Dove WI Choir were in good voice, and the refreshments were well received. We had a good time at our Christmas Party too, with a wonderful supper prepared and served by members, and we enjoyed the Murder Mystery.

We have had speakers on “Colour in a Winter Garden”, “Skeletons in the Cupboard” (when Annette Hall explained how to start about tracing your family tree), and “Complementary Therapies”. One of our members, Mrs Helen Barnett, took us on walks up to Sinai House and down to Branston, and concluded with lunch at the Albion. We were the Hostess WI for a “Keep in Touch” evening when members from the Staffordshire Federation of WI’s told us of the latest news and events from the County, National Federation, Denman college and much, much more.

Members have enjoyed an outing to see “The Merry Wives of Windsor” in Stratford, and are looking forward to visiting Warburton’s Bakery. The evening at the Ceramic Café in Tutbury was much enjoyed, when we tried out our artistic skills and painted china under the expert eye of Diane.

In April, 47 members and friends will have a long weekend in Edinburgh. We shall visit the Royal Yacht, the Castle and Holyrood House, as well a shaving a panoramic city tour.

There’s plenty to do in our WI. We meet on the first Monday of the month in John of Rolleston School, Chapel Lane, at 7.15pm. Please come and join us. You will be made very welcome and can come to three meetings as a visitor to give you time to decide if you like the look of us. For further information, contact me on 813457.

Members of Rolleston on Dove WI were entertained by Mr H S Wilson when he came to our February meeting to tell us about the post and its history. In 1635, it cost tuppence to send a letter less than eighty miles, eightpence to send one to Scotland, and ninepence to Ireland. If you sent two sheets of paper, the cost went up to one shilling and sixpence, but since this was more than the average weekly wage, it was little wonder that people wrote horizontally, vertically and even diagonally across each page. Letters must have been difficult to read. It was not until 1840 that the first postage stamps were produced, the penny black and the twopenny blue. These stamps were not perforated, but had to be cut out with scissors. It is therefore quite hard to find these early stamps in good condition. Hearing all this made us think that our present-day postage prices are quite reasonable, and that writing and posting letters is now very easy.

We enjoyed a fish and chips supper and pots were on display that members had painted at the Ceramic Café in Tutbury. Our two walks in January were much enjoyed, and Helen Barnett was thanked for having arranged them. Members had enjoyed the outing to Stratford and are looking forward to visiting Warburtons’ Bakery and having a “Ghost Walk” round Derby.

In April, we shall spend a long weekend in Edinburgh, where we shall visit the Castle, Holyroodhouse and the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Our next meeting is on 3 March, when WI Advisor Christine Richards will talk to us about “What do you know about the WI?”. The competition is for “The item I’d most like to lose”. We meet in the John of Rolleston School, Chapel Lane, at 7.15 p.m. For further details contact Ann Burston on 813457.

Although the weather was cold, members of Rolleston on Dove Women's Institute received a very warm welcome at the January meeting. Mrs Verity Conner, the President, said how successful our Group Carol Service in St Mary's Church had been, and how much everyone had enjoyed our Christmas party.

Jan Barrett, who practises aromatherapy at the Anson Centre in Burton, the speaker for the evening, told us all about complementary therapies. She handed round bottles of essential oils for members to smell, and said that these had been used for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, frankincense was used for embalming. It is important that you buy genuine essential oils and, although they are expensive, only a few drops are used at a time, diluted in vegetable oil. Mrs Brenda Herriman was the lucky member who enjoyed having her head massaged by Jan. Brenda said that it made her feel very relaxed.

Rolleston on Dove WI is hosting a "Keep in Touch" evening on 23rd January, when members from nearby WIs are invited to join us to learn more about the WI movement at County and National levels.

On 30th January, we are going to the Ceramic Cafe in Tutbury for an "Arty Party", when we shall have a go at painting on china. Members are looking forward to going to see "The Merry Wives of Windsor" in Stratford and "The Pirates of Penzance" in Derby. We are hoping for a mild night when we go on a "Ghost Walk" round Derby on 10th February.

We meet in the John of Rolleston School in Chapel Lane at 7.15 pm. The next meeting is on Monday 3rd February, when the speaker will be Mr H S Wilson on "The Post and its History". Why not come and join us? We have a lot of fun! For further details, contact Ann Burston on 813457.