2024
January 4th: Bring & Buy
Competition: WI related item won by Veronica Aspland
We voted on the choice of resolutions for our Annual Meeting in London in June. Most were in favour of trying to tackle poor housing conditions. Aim to get the housing stock improved. Refreshments were provided by Brenda Marks and June Surrage. Ann Flewitt ran the raffle. The competition for a WI related object was won by Veronica Aspland, second Terry Webb and third Brenda Marks. We then held a bring and buy sale raising funds for our group. A chance to upcycle the unwanted Christmas presents! A cheerful meeting with plenty to talk about after Christmas. A committee meeting will be held on 15th January, venue to be decided. |
February 7th: 85th Birthday lunchCompetition: Birthday card won by Veronica Aspland This celebrated our group’s eighty fifth birthday. We celebrated with a lunch at the Methodist Church Hall. The hardworking committee produced shepherd’s pie, with a variety of vegetables, then a choice of puddings, cheeses and biscuits. Light hearted poems were read out by Brenda Marks before we enjoyed our cups of tea.
Veronica made us a splendid birthday cake. The room was decorated by Terry Webb to give us a party feeling. The competition for an eighty fifth birthday card was won by Veronica Aspland, second Sue Carty and third Brenda Marks. We held a raffle as usual. |
March AGMCompetition: spring flowers won by June Surrage
March saw us hold our annual meeting. No surprises as all officers and committee members agreed to stay in post. After the formal business was completed we played bingo. Much needed refreshments were provided by Brenda Marks and June Surrage. Ann Flewitt ran our raffle. The competition for an arrangement of spring flowers was won by June Surrage, second Terry Webb and third Sheila Bailey. MayCompetition:a horse won by Brenda Marks
For our May meeting Kala came from Riding for the Disabled, which was formed in 1969 to tell us about their work with both children and adults, with Princess Ann being their President. She is a volunteer for one of the nine branches of RDA in Suffolk. She was accompanied by Andrea, an adult, who told us how the riding helps her core balance. Kala helps regularly at a local Stables and Livery Yard where the yard allow them use of ponies and horses well suited to understanding the needs of children and older riders who have a wide range of disabilities both mental and physical. RDA now also host people with dimentia allowing them to groom the horses. Contact with the horses helps and soothes everyone. |
AprilCompetition: 3 decorated cupcakes won by Ann Flewitt
In April we were lucky enough to have Jane Wilson-Howarth come to talk to us about the long periods of times she lived in Nepal with her husband and young family. A qualified doctor with a great interest in zoology too she has combined running health clinics in Nepal for men and women without electricity, running water or any of the facilities and drugs we take for granted living near Cambridge. This alongside studying the local ecology and wildlife. This month’s competition was a classic WI effort: 3 decorated homemade cupcakes. First: Ann Flewitt, second Veronica Aspland and third Terry Webb. to edit. JuneCompetition: glass fusing won by Theresa
|
2023
|
April 5th: Kevin Boardman |
Competition: things in a matchbox: won by Sue Carty
Susan Grossey, a historical novelist came and told us about her series of historical crime novels set in London in the 1820s. She is now writing a new series, which will be based in Cambridge. She explained how she constructs her books and then took questions from us. As a spin off we also learnt about self- publishing, as she explained why she went down that route. A polished speaker, we all thoroughly enjoyed her talk. We then had to move on to hold our Annual Meeting. The Committee’s Annual Report was read, the Financial Report was read and all summed up by The President’s Address. Prizes were given out for those entering the competitions: first Ann Flewitt, second June Surrage and third Terry Webb. The competition for this month was “how many items can you fit in a matchbox” Won by Sue Carty with an astonishing 84 items, second June Surrage and third Terry Webb. The speaker at our April meeting will be Kevin Boardman and his topic “Women on the Oregan Trail” and the competition: American flag – make your own!. |
Competition: American flag won by Terry Webb
Our April meeting was an “Open Meeting” and we were very pleased to welcome new visitors to our evening meeting. We were lucky enough to have Kevin Boardman come to tell us about the reality of life for “Women on the Oregon Trail” in America in the 1840s. The men drove the waggons, but the women did everything else during the six months it took to cross from the east coast to the west with the promise of free land at the other end and the chance to make a better life. This was before the railways were built. The hard life the women endured has been gleaned from diaries which they kept During the crossing which took six months. Thought provoking. The competition was to make an American Flag. Won by Terry Webb, second: Veronica Aspland and third: Jan Quigley. We had welcome refreshments and a raffle and all members paid their subscriptions for the 2023/2024 year. Our speaker in May will be Jean Coxall with a twist on “Mrs. Beeton’s Picnic. This was very enjoyable at "Speakers Showcase". |
May 4th: Jean Coxall, Mrs Beeton's PicnicCompetition: 3 pieces of shortbread won by Ann Flewitt Jean Coxall gave a highly entertaining talk. Mary Beeton’s cookery book was first published in 1861. Included in it were all the items of food you would need for a picnic. In 2005 Annabel Croft went round East Anglia sourcing ingredients and cooks to replicate this feast. CFWI ended up saying they would make the stipulated blancmange, cabinet puddings and lemon cheese cakes. These had to be made and filmed for TV then made again for real, in the heat of the summer and transported to the picnic in style in a 1933 Rolls Royce. It was an epic undertaking but all eventually went well. |
June 7th: Barry Carter, search & rescueCompetition: Magnifying glass won by Terry Webb
The Speaker at our June meeting was Barry Carter on behalf of “Search and Rescue”. This charity was set up in 2006 as a result of the disappearance of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman to help the police track vulnerable and high risk people or children, ranging from those with suicidal tendencies to those who are lost. They train regularly as mandated by Lowland Rescue for all eventualities from looking for people in water to flying drones to search other areas, backed by medical first responders. They regularly help with forty to sixty rescues a year, often supporting police forces. This was an informative talk giving us lots of tips about how to look for people. |
July 5th: Jemma Dell, Sewing & SpinningCompetition: Stitched item winner June Surrage
Jemma Dell was our speaker in July. From being a primary school teacher she has discovered she loves to sew and make clothes and pass on this passion to others. She morphed into spinning and exploring textiles. She came with samples of her weaving to show us with examples of the equipment she uses from spinning wheels to spindles. She now dyes her fleeces herself to make her wool. An eloquent Speaker who clearly enjoys her craft, she was very happy to answer our questions. |
August 2nd: Garden PartyCompetition: Thimble winner Lilian Maidman
August saw us hold our annual Garden Party at a member’s home. Due to weather it was actually inside this year, but members enjoyed afternoon tea, sandwiches, cakes etc with fruit punch and cups of tea, provided by the committee. A convivial afternoon much enjoyed by everyone there. |
September 6th: Alison Giles, Whipple museumCompetition: the oldest thing you have won by Sheila Bailey
Alison bought a selection of artifacts from the Whipple Museum. This old and difficult to find museum in the middle of Cambridge was founded from the collection of Mr Whipple, a maker of scientific instruments. The selection were the objects Alison could fit into her cycle basket. Her bike is easier to use to negotiate the through Cambridge traffic. Included in the selection were an abacus: astrolabe, a field microscope, spyglass, sundial, telescope, and a massager guaranteed to cure everything. A pair of opera glasses, a calculator for decimalization and a pocket calculator. Alison was thanked by Sheila for her talk and joined us for tea and biscuits supplied by Brenda and June. The competition for an old object was won by Sheila with her shawl; second was Brenda with a bottle and third was Lilian with a token from Oliver Cromwell. November 1st Craft eveningCompetition: A coaster We had a member led craft evening making these cork Christmas trees. A lot of glue went into places it should not have but everyone went home with a mini Christmas tree. Many thanks to Sue Carty for organising this. |
October 4th: Heddy LamarCompetition: A fascinator won by Brenda The speakers were Jean and Alan Osborne talking about Heddy Lamar, famous film star and scientist. Hedwig Eva Kiesler was born in Vienna in 1914 and was always fascinated my mechanical things. Needing to make a living she trained in Berlin as an actress. In 1933 her first film was released called Ecstasy; a soft porn film. This brought her a lot of attention and she eventually married a very wealthy arms manufacturer. He was jealous and controlling and at a dinner party in 1937 held for his Nazi friends she escaped dressing up as a waitress. She had her jewels sewn into her underwear. Making her way to London then onto America she made 0 films, starring opposite most of the Hollywood big names. She built her own lab in her house and invented many everyday objects including the box file. During the war collaboration with George Anthiel she invented a radio guidance system for torpedoes using frequency hopping technology. This is the basis of Bluetooth and wireless technology used today. Alan and Jean joined us for tea and scones produced by Brenda and June As the milk had gone off John, Terry's husband brought us some fresh. The meeting closed at 9.15pm. December 6th Christmas partyCompetition: Decorated gift won by June Surage
|