Activities
2025
February 2025
We enjoyed a fabulous day at Chippenham Park Gardens to view the snowdrops. It was a very cold morning but the sun was shining and the sky was blue. We enjoyed strolling around the winter garden admiring the colour and structure at this time of the year. We then headed out into the grounds and amongst the trees where we were in a carpet of white snowdrops. It was a magnificent sight and a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. We called in at the on site cafe for a very welcome cup of coffee and lunch.
March 2025
Two of our members took part in the "Lets Dance" event put on by Federation as part of the campaign led by Angela Rippon. Under the tuition of Paige our very patient tutor we managed to put together a routine to Abba's Dancing Queen. Lots of fun and enjoyed by everyone who attended.
March 2025
Our speaker this month was Jason Kermeen. He started his collection about 15 years ago as an investment for his retirement (better return than pension). He had brought along a vast array of musical boxes, automatons and faberge eggs. He had an in depth knowledge of all the items and was able to give us their background, history and many other facts. He had obviously researched them fully and presented the talk brilliantly. He was happy to answer questions both during his presentation and afterwards. The faberge eggs were fantastic and each one hid a surprise item inside - usually precious gems or intricate gold carving. Amazingly he encouraged us to handle the items - not something we expected from such high value goods. The talk was enjoyed by all our members.
Our competition for decorated egg was won by Linda Crighton.
April 2025
This month we celebrated our 104th birthday. Our ladies were all offered a glass of fizz at the start of our meeting to toast our acheivement.
Our speaker was Amanda Richmond with her talk entitled Climbing Everest. It was obvious that she loved outdoor and extreme sports from an early age taking part in D of E award challenges from her teens and going on to lead many expeditions herself. In 2003 a flippant remark from a colleague started Amanda and her husband thinking about taking on the challenge. For the next six years they spent all their free time preparing for the expedition. This involved climbing hills (not mountains in her language) both in this country and in many far flung countries across the world. In 2009 they were offered a place on an expedition for March and the adventure started. She supported her talk with slides which helped us to understand the terrain and conditions they were undertaking. It took weeks to reach the summit and to date she is the oldest (at 54) British women to have reached the peak of Everest. Amanda was a brilliant speaker and kept our ladies captivated throughout her presentation. She had brought along her personal clothing from the expedition (ie coat, salopettes, boots, crampons, gloves, ice pick) and encouraged us to try them on. The boots were extremely heavy and she is not a big lady but obviously very fit.
Federation Annual Meeting - 10th April 2025
A small number of ladies from Chevington attended the annual meeting which was held at Thurston Community College. With speakers Chantel Dawson from Grow my Wellbeing, Julie Stokes from Active Lives, Chris Whiley from Bury in Bloom our morning was buzzing. Lunch boxes were available to those who pre-booked and enjoyed by all. There was a fabulous raffle with some amazing prizes including Spa Day at Ballantynes and Afternoon Tea at Ickworth Hotel. A new addition this year was stands from outside companies including Rougham Hall Nurseries, Beta Bee, Grow my Wellbeing, Heart of Suffolk Distillery and much more. After our lunch break we returned to the auditorium for our principle speaker - Adam Frost. His presentation giving his story from a young lad from East London, moving to Harlow for his schooling and then moving on to North Devon. Starting work as an apprentice for Parks Division he was spotted by Geoff Hamilton and went to work with him. The rest as he said was history. He was very open about his life and his presentation had a few slides but he was a very accomplished and interesting speaker which was enjoyed by all. Some very funny moments - many of these from Q&A time at the end of his talk. He helped Maggie to draw the raffle which again had a lot of humorous moments. Afterwards he stayed behind and signed copies of his book for anyone wishing to purchase one. He had time for everyone and was happy to have a chat with us all. We all headed home having had a fabulous day and looking forward to seeing Adam on Gardeners World the following day.
April 2025
9 ladies enjoyed a walk and and talk around Larkwood Lakes. Tony our guide and the owner of the complex is very passionate about "all things nature". Over the past five years since purchasing the site he has made a lot of improvements but has vast plans for the future. He is very pro ECO and uses no pesticides etc and repurposes any thing found on the site. We had a lovely time exploring and learning - even found otter prints and more importantly otter poo! The morning was finished off with coffee and biscuits on the terrace overlooking one of the lakes. A lovely morning out.
2024
Plant and Cake Sale - Saturday 18th May 2024
This event was again a great success. Our members provided us with a huge array of plants and seedlings which were snapped up by the steady flow of customers throughout the morning. People were leaving with trays laden with plants and one lady even arrived with her own trays ready to fill!
The cake stall did a brisk trade and we also had handmade cards for sale along with books. Tea and coffee allowed people to stop for a chat before heading home with their purchases.
The event raised over £250 for WI funds.
June 2024
Our speaker this month was Stephen Spencer who gave a very interesting talk about Lawrence of Arabia (Thomas Edward Lawrence- TEL). Stephen had spent 50 years studying him and the talk was not a history lesson but about the life of TEL (born in Wales in 1888). It was interesting to hear that it was thought that he may have had ADHD and had many varied interests. He spent time in Arabia working on his thesis and spoke fluent Arabic as well as other European languages. This made him very useful to various governments on the intelligence front. He was very involved with the Arab revolt in 1916-18 and fought with his men suffering many injuries. Starting in the army he then moved to the RAF and then returned to the army. All the time he had a love of speed - fast cars, boats, motorbikes and he died at the age of 47 as a result of a fatal motobike accident.
We also had a report from the National AGM at Royal Albert Hall by Bridget O'Donnell who attended this year as our delegate. A very long day but the speakers (Mel B, Victoria Derbyshire, Nasir Afzal and Timothy Watson) all gave very interesting talks - all based around the theme for this year - Stop Violence Against Women. The resolution for Dental Health was passed and will be actioned by National in due course.
Painting Workshop - Saturday 15th June 2024
On Saturday, 15 June 2024 13 members spent a very pleasant morning unleashing our inner artist. Under the guidance of guest tutor Trudy Harman (trudy.harman@btinternet.com) we managed to present an image that resembled a duck – all completely different but definitely a duck!
Instead of using the WI educational bursary for one member to attend an external course the Committee decided to spend the money to the benefit of many. It was a very relaxed morning and good fun!
Avril Lewis
4th July 2024 - Annual Garden Party
Paying careful attention to the weather following a week of cold,wet weather the forecast for today was to stay dry albeit not very warm. However dressed appropriately a large number of our ladies attended this event which this year was hosted by member Jacqui Crossman. We were greeted with a glass of PIMMS and once seated a lot of chatter ensued. After a brief business presention members were invited to make their way to the laden buffet table for a delicious quiche and salad supper. Once this had been devoured it was time for desserts which again were very well received. All the food had been prepared by the Committee and was delicious. The evening passed very quickly and soon it was 8pm and yes we were still sitting outside. After the drawing of the raffle it was time to make our way home. A very enjoyable evening for everyone.
August 2024
Our speaker this month was Tim Foreman from SERV (Bloodrunners). A very interesting talk giving us details of the vital role this volunteer organisation plays in our Health Service. They are not funded by the Government and rely solely on donations and fundraising. Most of their operations are carried out via motorbike but some cars are used especially during very cold or icy weather. They have a limited number of sponsored motorbikes but many of their volunteers use their own vehicles and cover the cost of fuel and maintenance etc. They deliver blood, blood products, donated human breast milk along with medication and essential equipment to all our local hospitals and also to patients at home. They also make daily trips to our East Anglia Air Ambulance base to deliver fresh supplies of blood. Tim had arrived on his motorbike and at the end of the talk we had the opportunity to go outside and have a close look at the machine. Some of our ladies took the opportunity of climbing aboard. A very interesting talk.
Friday 13th September 2024
Trip on River Stour and lunch at Henney Swan
15 ladies enjoyed a lovely day out. At 11am we boarded our boats and headed off down the River Stour. It had been a very cold night but the sun broke through as we boarded and it stayed dry, sunny and warm for the entire day. Our Skipper and his crew member were very helpful and knowledgeable about everything on and around the river making the day even more interesting. It was so peaceful and relaxing – just the sound of birds and occasional rustle of leaves on the vast array of trees along the way. We were fascinated by the section containing cricket bat willow, most of which is exported to India and Pakistan now. We also experienced going through the lock at Cornard – it was just possible to get both our boats in together. We arrived at The Henney Swan at 12 noon where we enjoyed a lovely leisurely lunch. The food was superb with excellent service. At 2pm we headed back to the river to re-board our boats for the return trip to The Granary in Sudbury.
September 2024
Meet Vera
Using a two part course and pattern from The Learning Hub, Ann Mapperley (a very talented craft lady from Chevington WI) produced Vera to be used as part of of 1920's display for the Group Meeting to be held at the end of the month. Well done Ann.
Gallops Group Meeting - Wickhambrook. Monday 30th September
A number of our ladies attended the Group Meeting which this year was hosted by Wickhambrook.
September 2024
Over the past few months a small team of our ladies have been working on a new banner. Our old one made in 1939 had sadly deteriorated beyond repair and we felt that we should have a more manageable one which reflected the WI as it is now and to take us forward for the next 100 years. Well done to the team led by Linda Crighton.
Saturday 16th November - Christmas Craft Workshop
Ladies enjoyed a very pleasant Saturday in the village hall constructing fabric stars for Christmas. Arline again very kindly led the workshop and provided us with all the templates etc ready to start our construction - lots of glueing and stitching. Lots of opportunity to chat along the way and during our lunch break. We were all delighted with our finished item/s and headed home eager to make more.
Christmas Lunch at Edmunds Restaurant (West Suffolk College) - Tuesday 3rd December
21 Ladies enjoyed a fantastic lunch at the college. The food was delicious and worthy of a high star rating. The students worked very hard front of house dealing with multiple tables under the ever watchful eye of their tutor Claire. A very enjoyable afternoon and finished off nicely with the opening of our Secret Santa gifts.
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December 2024
For our December meeting our entertainment was provided by The Scottish Reel Club from Bury St Edmunds. 6 of their members came along and gave us some background information for the history of the dancing and showing us some examples. This was finished with us being invited to join them for what they classes as a "simple" routine. We did our best and it was great fun for those of us taking part and those who sat back and watched.
The evening was finished with mince pies and mulled punch which on a cold, wet and windy evening was very well received.
