Activities

2024

January 2024

It was lovely to see so many of our members at our January meeting including one new member.  There was lots to catch up on after the Christmas period and we all enjoyed the social time.  Once the business had been completed we had discussion on the resolutions being offered for this year and votes were taken.  Linda and Veronica had prepared a series of table quizes which kept us all thinking  -  the answers were easy when you knew them!  Tea and biscuits were served and raffle was drawn.

February 2024

Our speaker for February was Hawk Honey with his talk entitled "Solitary Bees".  We had an excellent attendence for this meeting but the title did not justify the content of the talk.  Having joined Suffolk Wildlife Trust as a volunteer he was asked to join them in full time employment and his knowledge of all wildlife was immense.  His passion and hobby is bees and wasps.  Yes, we had all heard of and seen bumble bees and honey bees but were not aware that there were over 2500 species around the world.  Whllst the honey bees are being encouraged for their honey production this is in turn causing the demise of many others as the honey bees are very greedy and take all the pollen.  Also the change in environment ie loss of fields, hedgerows and ditches along with the use of chemicals is all having a detrimental effect.  Supporting his talk with a very good slide presentation gave us all a  lot to think about and we were encouraged to let a part of our garden/lawn grow wild to encourage the growth of good pollen producing flowers such as dandelions.  An excellent speaker enjoyed by us all.

Our competition for a crafted bee in any medium attracted a variety of entries.  There was a tie for the winner so the cup will be shared by Jan and Ann - well done ladies.  Winners were the lighted picture and the paper hat.

March 2024

Our speaker for March cancelled at short notice and our programme team managed to get Peter Tatam at very short notice.  His talk on "A Few Suffolk Villages" enthralled us all.  He took us on a picturesque tour of village in Suffolk with interesting and sometimes strange facts.  They included Celtic crosses found in a graveyard in Kelsey, a chapel looked after by English Heritage in a front garden in Lindsey and the well known Packhorse Bridge in Moulton.  The talk was enjoyed by everyone and Peter very kindly offered to send us a list of all the villages he mentioned so that we could visit and look around ourselves.

April 2024

To celebrate our 103rd Birthday this month we offered all our ladies a glass of fizz at the start of the meeting.

Our speaker was Chris Wiley, co-ordinator for Bury in Bloom.  He took us through the process of keeping our town so beautiful and the how the competition is organised - it really does involve a lot of behind the scenes work.  Working closely with sponsors and local council he explained how much work is needed to keep the town vibrant and colourful.  He was a very enthusiastic speaker and had a great depth of horticultural knowledge as well as organisational skills.  He is very keen to preserve the envioronment where possible and told us about new rainwater saving tanks being installed to water the 140+ hanging baskets and varioius planters around the town.  One man is fully employed on this task over the summer months!  He is also looking into introducing more perinneal plants to beds and maybe some baskets in order to save on annual bedding plant costs.  We all look forward to seeing his efforts over the coming months as we visit the town.

Federation  Annual Meeting - Thursday 11th April 2024

Five members attended the meeting this year which was held at Thurston Community College.

On arrival we were offered tea/coffee and biscuits before heading to the auditorium.  This was in the form of tiered seating which gave everyone a good view of the stage.  The steps were a bit challenging for some.

Starting with the singing of Jerusalem we were then welcomed by the Federation Chair Maggie Glavin we were introduced to our first speaker Chris Bales from Suffolk Police Cyber Security.  He gave a very informative presentation and certainly gave us all something to think about.

Our next speakers were Adrian and Lily Turner from Yum Yum Tree fudge.  They gave us their story of their business from inception in 2016 to date.  They are very keen on climate control and their business is now completely carbon neutral after some very innovative investment in heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicles.  Samples were handed round during their talk.

Lunch was served in the light and airy dining room.  The majority of members had bought their own lunch but lunch boxes purchased in advance were well rated.  Again tea and coffee was served and Yum Yum did a brisk trade during the break and Chris Bales had lots of enquiries for advice or future WI speaker possibilities.

After lunch we resumed our seat and Maggie gave her Chair’s address.

We were then introduced to our afternoon speaker Becky Jago from ITV Anglia.  She gave a fascinating presentation of her life from being born in Bury St Edmunds, attending school in Stowmarket, University in Luton, working in Japan for a while before returning to London to start work with Vibe FM.  From there she moved to BBC as a journalist on Newsround but the urge to return back to East Anglia pulled her back to Norfolk with a post at Anglia TV starting as the weather girl.  She is obviously a very family orientated lady but considers the people she works with at ITV Anglia as part of her family.  She had a photos and video clips to support her presentation which made it even more interesting.  She took lots of questions at the end of her presentation.

The Golden Ticket Club draw was made and this was won by our member Sue Ebbens.

The raffle was drawn followed by a short presentation on Resolutions.

Rachel Hows announced that our Federation Chair for the coming year would be Maggie Glavin and this was well received.

Maggie gave her closing speech and the meeting was closed with the singing of the National Anthem.

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.

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.