“Do it Yourself” has been our theme over the last few months. We have enjoyed several social events. Helen Barnett organized a Beetle Drive, Sue and Nick Willmot gave an illustrated talk on Voyages in Vietnam and Cambodia with a fish and chip supper. Diane Marriott will be showing us how to make reindeer and donkeys ready for Christmas and then it will be Party Time with our own food and entertainment. Several members went to the Group Meeting in October and Lorna Thompson made a superb Hallowe’en Mask that gained first prize. We decided to support more County Events this year as finances are becoming increasingly difficult. Nine members from Rolleston representing our two WIs travelled to Stafford to the Autumn Council Meeting. We listened to three very different speakers, including Jeremy Spake of “Airport” fame and came away with five winning trophies.

We have a visit to Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker Ballet in Stoke and then a weekend away in Oxford at the end of February. We would like to invite you to a Coffee Morning at Rolleston Club on January 28th. We are busy planning next year’s programme but we still have some great speakers lined up in the new year, including Meet the Pagets by Richard Stone, Chernobyl Children by Ruth and Peter Williams and The Quiet Side of Venice by our own Sue Fraser. We meet at the John of Rolleston School on the first Monday of the month at 7.15pm. Visitors are always welcome. Please ring the Secretary on 813833 for further details.

Jenny Phillips

Members have enjoyed many visits and treats this Summer. We had a superb outing to Birmingham to see the ballet Coppélia. We enjoyed a picnic supper at the Museum of Cannock Chase and visited two beautiful gardens in Uttoxeter. The evening at Heath House in Tean was full of interest and the owner gave us a fascinating tour of his family home and garden plus delicious refreshments in the drawing room. Our speakers have ranged from “The Pitfalls of Am Dram”, “Three Centuries of Shoes” to the contents of “Auntie’s House”. Chris Knight spoke with great love and affection for an Aunt who had collected a wealth of mementoes during her lifetime. He took us on a nostalgic journey back into the past. He showed us paper bags from Stockbridges and Ordish and Hall, dolly pegs, tea towels and magazines and newspapers from sixty years ago. He was an entertaining speaker who also had a few digs at our WI habits!

The Committee have already been planning for the next season and even went on a training evening to learn to be part of a team.

Our members have been busy making delicious cakes and helping with village events. We will be sponsoring the cookery section at the Village Gala so we need plenty of entries! Our July meeting was followed by a summer party then we took a short break. We have Middleton Hall and Waddesdon Manor to look forward to and a taster session of bowls. In the Autumn we have speakers on Great War Camps in Staffordshire, North Yorkshire, Forty Years in the Vicarage and Floral Arrangements for Christmas.

Our Christmas Fair is planned for Saturday 12th November and we hope to see you there at Rolleston Club. There will be plenty of gifts on sale. If you would like to come to one of our meetings you will be made very welcome. Please look at the village notice board for details or ring the secretary on 813833.

J. Phillips

As we are one of the biggest WIs in Staffordshire, we have been making a concerted effort this year to support County Events. Some members attended the Spring Council Meeting and the Spring Event at the County Show Ground, Stafford. We must congratulate Elaine Toon and Ann Haywood who both won first prizes at the Spring Event. To our delight our team won this year’s County Quiz against 78 other teams. Our AGM was held in March.

Three members of the Committee were due to stand down including the President, Sue Fraser. Our new President is Verity Conner. We have an active and enthusiastic committee who are carrying on the good work of previous years.

The Group Meeting was held in April. We listened to a talk on hats, dressed in our own splendid headgear, and getting ready for the excitement of the Royal Wedding the following day. We have had several interesting speakers. We especially enjoyed Mrs. Jan Winters who explained how the charity “Hearing Dogs for the Deaf” helped her in her daily life and she even brought her dog along to meet us. In May Sue Willmot guided us through this year’s resolutions concerning the threat to libraries and the issue of planning permission for proposed Mega Farms.

It was very pleasing to see so many members arriving with flower arrangements, photographs and bracelets for the Cath Gamble Plate competition for craft. This year it was awarded to Brenda Hooper. Well done to everyone who entered!

As you know, we are very fond of our outings in Rolleston and Joan Price, as usual, has done a splendid job. Highgrove in April was wonderful. Visits continue with Heath House, Coppélia, Woodleighton Grove Gardens in Uttoxeter, Cannock Chase Museum, Middleton Hall and Waddesdon Manor and we will enjoy our Summer Party here in Rolleston just as much.

If you are tempted to join us, come along to any meeting at John of Rolleston Primary School at 7.15pm on the first Monday of the month. Ring the secretary on 01283 813833 or look on the village notice board for details.

Jenny Phillips

Another Year On ………….

This time last year I was writing to tell you all about plans for our 75th Anniversary Celebrations and here we are again, another year older, membership healthy and a new season about to unfold.

Thank you to everyone who came to our Christmas Fair at the Club. I hope you enjoyed it and found something useful to take home. Our Charity coffee morning was also well attended. We raised about £400 to send to Uganda to support the ACWW Biogas Project. Some members have been learning new skills, felting and beading, and lots of us are knitting brightly coloured vests for babies in Blantyre, Malawi. Hopefully this will inspire plenty of entries for the Cath Gamble Plate in May.

Despite the snow and ice, we made it to Birmingham to see Prokofiev’s Ballet, Cinderella, at the Hippodrome. We found ourselves surrounded by TV cameras as the BBC was filming it for viewing on Christmas Day. The dancing, the costumes and music were spectacular and well worth the journey. Inspired by this, we are planning to see The Sound of Music and Coppelia this year as well as a weekend break in Cardiff, a visit to Heath House and a tour of gardens in Uttoxeter.I don’t know how we have time to do all that baking!

Our AGM in March will see three members of the committee standing down, including the President and the Treasurer. Thanks go to all of them for their hard work. Let’s hope we can find willing replacements.

The Committee has planned an interesting programme of speakers for the next season with a wide variety of subjects. If you would like to come along to our WI you will be made most welcome. We meet on the first Monday of the month at 7.15 p.m. Look on the village notice board for more details or ring the secretary on 813833.

Jenny Phillips

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Last updated: 2 January 2012