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If you want to have fun, do it yourself! This has been our theme in Rolleston W.I. for many years and the tradition continues. We took a break over the summer to enjoy the lovely weather. We had one outing to the Churnet Valley Railway. We were expecting to be pulled by a romantic steam engine but unfortunately it had broken down the previous day so diesel came to our rescue. Once inside the carriage our visions of Brief Encounter evolved into the Orient Express as we were served delicious cream teas with china teapots and cups as we travelled along the line. What luxury!
Our new season began with Trevor Raistrick who had researched his family tree and found lots of hidden skeletons (not literally). Graham Jacks paid us a return visit and brought us up to date with the orphanage project in Kenya. Graham had taken out a large group of Staffordshire Scouts, some from Rolleston, to begin building the walls of a much needed orphanage near Mombasa. His pictures were wonderful and his account of the project gave us an insight into the poverty that they encountered. It was lovely to see giraffes walking by as they laboured. There will be two more visits by different sets of Scouts to finish the job.
A few members attended the Autumn Council Meeting at Stafford where we listened to Peter Lien, the Denman Cookery School Chef and Adam Henson from Countryfile. No wonder all 700 tickets were sold. The following day Doveside WI hosted the Group Meeting at de Ferrers Academy where we were able to meet up with members of our fellow WIs over tea and cake then listen to the speaker Sue Riches. She was part of a record breaking relay expedition to the North Pole. All of the team members were women who had to undergo great trials and discomforts to achieve their goal. Her pictures made us realise how brave they were.
There are plenty of events in the WI to keep the mind active. We held a Scrabble Competition in September which proved popular. Barbara Michael was the victor and received the Helen Howard Trophy for her efforts. We went to see a production of Warhorse in Birmingham. The monthly Craft Group continues to flourish and our weekly Art Group is having fun and learning to use different media. A new WI choir combining Doveside and Rolleston is starting on Tuesdays. This is something that Joyce Lockley loved to do and we have missed it. We try to have things to look forward to in January. There will be a World Challenge coffee morning in Rolleston Club on Saturday 18th January at 10 am. Everyone is welcome so please come along and support our young people. We are going to the Mayor’s Parlour on 13th January to see an Insignia Ceremony. We have been invited by our MP Andrew Griffiths to visit the House of Commons in May. We will have a tour followed by tea. Christmas is getting ever nearer. Our Annual Sale will be in the club on Saturday 23rd November. We will have lots of stalls and games. Father Christmas should be there and plenty of tea and cake! Please come along at 2pm to support it. In December we are going to the Mulberry Restaurant for a Christmas meal and we have planned our own party with delicious food and home grown entertainment. We have a good variety of speakers for 2014 and lots of interesting things to do and places to go.
If you would like to come along to one of our meetings you will be very welcome. We meet on the first Monday of the month at the John of Rolleston Primary school. Ring 530824 or look at the village noticeboard to find out more.
We have taken full advantage of the good weather this summer. We had a tour of Scropton Riding School and a jumping demonstration and discovered what wonderful work was being done for disabled riders. On a warm, balmy evening we visited a NGS garden in Rocester where we bought lots of plants grown by the owner. Our tour of Donington le Heath Manor House was very interesting and the picnic supper was superb.
Our meetings have been well attended and our speakers varied. Jilly Hodge, a WI member and NAFAS demonstrator, entertained us with a superb flower demonstration and afterwards the Cath Gamble Plate was awarded to Annette Styne. Gerald Wright’s talk on Royalty in Stamps followed the many births, marriages and deaths of the royal family during Queen Elizabeth’s reign. We look forward to the stamps marking the birth of the royal baby.
During August we will be having afternoon tea and a ride on the Churnet Valley Railway. Our sponsorship of the cookery section of the village gala continues and we are hoping for lots of entries. Our next meeting will be on 2nd September with Trevor Raistrick’s talk “Genealogist to Novelist” and in October we welcome back Graham Jacks who will be telling us about building the orphanage in Kenya. Some members are going to see War Horse in October and others are looking forward to renewing our Craft and Art groups. Our Christmas fair will be on Saturday 23rd November at 2pm. at Rolleston Club. There will be stalls with interesting gifts, competitions, a raffle and time for tea and cake. Please come along and support us.
Details of our programme are on the village noticeboard. Visitors are always welcome. Ring the secretary on 530824 to find out more.
Despite the snow and the frost, our W.I. members have enjoyed a varied programme of speakers and activities. We went to York for a long weekend in February and found ourselves in the middle of the Viking Festival. We had a good view of the re-enactments and watched Viking families queue up at McDonalds. We held our Annual Meeting in March and Verity was re-elected as President for her third year of office. We were pleased to welcome two new members, Diane Johns and Barbara Davies, on to the Committee. Our W.I. Quiz team travelled to Newark to represent Staffordshire in the National Quiz Regional Final. We did not win but came a commendable third. In March we treated ourselves to a lunch at Sudbury Prison; so nice to have no washing up! At the end of April, Rolleston W.I. undertook the catering for 120 people at a Literary Luncheon at Hanbury Memorial Hall. It was hard work but everyone enjoyed the occasion.
Our new programme of speakers promises to be varied and interesting. We have already had a talk on the Idle Women of WW ll. With the help of well-chosen slides we found ourselves immersed in the war effort of a group of young women who worked on the canals carrying munitions and essential supplies. We are looking forward to a picnic supper, a visit to a garden in Rocester and a Coronation Tea and later in the year we will be going to Hampton Court in Worcestershire. Our craft classes are continuing at Kate’s house and our Art Group meets weekly and is showing great improvement! By the time you read this we will have awarded the Gamble Plate for Craft. We have baked cakes for St. Giles Hospice and some of our ladies will be out and about this summer helping with village events. We are always ready to welcome new members. If you would like to come along as a visitor, we meet on the first Monday of the month at the John of Rolleston Primary School at 7.15pm. The programme can be found on the village notice board or ring 813833 for details.
Jenny Phillips
We have had a very enjoyable winter season. The December meeting ended with wine, mince pies and carols. This occasion was only topped by a great Christmas Party with lovely food and home grown entertainment. Thank you to everyone who supported our Christmas Fair in November and the Rolleston and Doveside W.I. Coffee Morning in January. We raised £642 which will go to Graham Jacks and the Scouts from the village who are part of a group of Staffordshire Scouts, going to build an orphanage in Kenya. We wish them well. Graham will be our guest speaker in October and we are looking forward to hearing all about this marvellous project.
We have had two meetings this year. Margaret Clarke, a lady from Rolleston, spoke about her search for her birth mother. Her talk took us on a fascinating journey of discovery. Margaret is a determined person whose persistence led her to discovering a whole new family, both here and abroad. Frances Murray from Tutbury Crafts gave us an introduction to the art of spinning and showed us how to use a spindle. Jilly Hodge volunteered to have a go as she used to keep sheep! She did well although it is harder than it looks.
We are off on a weekend break in York then it will be our General Meeting in March. We have a varied and wide ranging programme with something to interest everyone. We thought this year would be quieter than last but no way! Our Quiz team will be defending their title in Stafford and have been asked to represent the county in the regional competition in April. The County has asked our group to do the catering at a WI Literary Luncheon in Hanbury in April. This is a first for us but our formidable team are up and ready.
We are learning new skills in the art class and craft group and we have knitted tiny clothes for premature babies. There will be a visit to Hampton Court Gardens in Worcestershire and the usual outings this summer. We are looking forward to seeing War Horse at the Hippodrome in October. It has been pleasing to see so many new faces this year. If you are interested in our programme please come along as a visitor. We meet at 7.15pm on the first Monday of the month at the John of Rolleston Primary School. The details are on the village notice board or ring the secretary on 813833. You will be made very welcome.
J. Phillips
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Last updated: 9 February 2014