Middlesex Federation of Women’s Institutes
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Middlesex Federation of Women's Institutes

MFWI News

Bedfont Belles Update

Amid these strange and challenging times there is always a reason to be thankful.

During our permitted walks for exercise our members often see each other and stop for a socially distanced chat and catch up on any news, or lack of it.

Our committee members have been lifting our spirits with seasonal gifts and cards.

At Christmas we each received a gift bag with supplies for a cuppa, a Christmas themed mask, and a hyacinth bulb and glass with instructions.

The photos provide evidence that some of us were more successful than others.

Valentine’s day brought another hand delivery of a card to say ‘Stay safe and take care’.

Every year for our birthday, Janice Keningale designs and makes each of us a card which is usually presented at our meetings with a rousing rendition of Happy birthday to you!

At the moment they are another doorstep delivery, but who knows, soon we will be embarrassing each other again, if not in our hall, then in a socially distanced garden.

De Beauvoir Update

De Beauvoir WI has been actively involved with our local Domestic Violence Charity for five years now. When we were able to meet monthly we collected and donated toiletries to Solace Women’s Aid. In January 2021 we took on the Solace 40 challenge which was to walk, run or cycle 40 miles in January, a mile for every refuge run by Solace in London. We walked over 225 miles and raised £1500. We also raised £270 and collected gift cards and gift sets for the women and children in the refuge at Christmas.

Also in January, Lynn Brooks, an ex nurse and member of De Beauvoir WI, felt so helpless watching the exhausted medical staff gallantly carrying on despite their mental and physical fatigue and the danger to themselves and their families that she decided she wanted to do something to help.

She chose to create homemade goody bags to help lift the spirits of workers at the local hospital, Homerton University Hospital, in Hackney, inner city London, to be given out at the end of their shifts.

They are filled with little thoughtful gifts, a homemade thank you card made by local children and artists, a heart shaped lavender bag, some hand cream, all put together in a handmade drawstring cloth bag, to express our appreciation and send some love.

She enlisted the support of her sisters in De Beauvoir Women’s Institute and other in the community, to help make this vision into a reality. She started a funding campaign and raised over £4000 in six weeks to fund buying provisions and materials.

Together we are proud to have worked to produce and deliver our 450th bag to the hospital to date. We are aiming to produce 1000. Lynn also enlisted the help of local sewers that had joined De Beauvoir WI in making scrubs during the first lock down, to taking up the task of creating pretty drawstring bags and lavender hearts in the second.

We have continued to run our monthly meetings on Zoom, so far this year covering bespoke embroidery from Zara Day who featured in WI Life, a celebration of Chinese New Year in February and veganism in January/Veganuary which included (although later than planned due to the January lockdown) a vegan brownie hand delivered to all members which was hugely enjoyed by all.

 

West Ealing Update

After a year of working from home on chairs that are not designed to be sat on all day, probably being less active than before and with limited opportunities for massages, West Ealing WI was delighted to welcome massage therapist Chris Briggs to our March meeting.

Chris took us through nine moves for self-massage aimed at relieving tension in our bodies. He was very engaging and many of us found his moves very helpful. He was also happy to take questions about specific aches and pains and recommended a massage therapist for us all to look up once lockdown is over.

We are eagerly awaiting a return to in person meetings—our June meeting is scheduled for 22 June, the day after all restrictions are planned to be lifted. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll be able to return to the community centre in the summer and enjoy one another’s company in person again.

In the meantime, as we come to the beginning of the new subs year, we are heartened to see lots of our members renewing their membership and a few new members coming on board as well. We can’t wait to see all our members—old and new—when we return.

Hayes Town Update

 

Hot cross buns. after pizza and chips, with three of us WI ladies briefly squeezing together for a picture at the Ruislip Lido, on a grey Good Friday.

We also did a bit of postbox topper spotting: here’s an Easter bunny from the Ruislip Crafters.

 

Ashford WI Update

Members rose to the challenge of presenting a zoom pantomime (Oh no they didn’t, Oh yes they did!) which was greatly enjoyed, for our monthly meeting. The following month we enjoyed a nostalgic journey through the music of the early 1960s, proving that we do still remember all the words.

Between the meetings, the friendship of the WI continues to be paramount. Zoom coffee mornings and book club, as well as the amazing newsletters, are helping provide some essential social contact, as are phone calls. The craft group has gone from strength to strength and is not only making cards for birthdays and events but is now making Easter cards as many members are wanting to reach out to family and friends with a card as we cannot yet greet them for real. Some have got involved making scrubs. Those without internet are being included as they are getting postal or hand delivery of news (which usually involves a safely distanced doorstep chat).

We are waiting with bated breath, firstly for our vaccine, and then for chances to begin meeting for walks and in gardens, but until then we’re grateful for our WI friends to help us through.

Chair’s Message – May 2021

The weather has been a little bizarre, but it’s been nice to sit outside in my garden for lunch on a couple of days, despite unpredictable weather; it has been much appreciated to get away from the screen. It has also given many an opportunity to get out and see people outside without hiding under all the hats and scarves.

It was lovely to see some of you for our first Centenary Afternoon Tea—albeit via Zoom, and even nicer to see more than two Zoom screens of members. As you can see on my photo here, we were joined by our three roving members: Millie, Mollie & Mandy. The trio will be following me around throughout the year to attend any events that they we might be invited to. And…. yes, it was tea in my cup although was soon replaced by bubbly and muffins (I had already eaten the sandwiches!).

I am looking forward to some real face-to-face afternoon teas in the coming year though—it is not the same when you have to be your own waitress!

Getting back to ‘normal’ will be such a bonus for everyone. However, we are in the hands of our own personal health and family circumstances and of course, government guidelines. We must continue to take care of ourselves and others around us, so if that means we take longer to get back to ‘normal’ then so be it, but we can see a glimmer of light, so ever hopeful. My glass is always half full!

At the time of writing, I have no idea what is going to happen but we all now have the security of the new CIO Constitution (3a) that was adopted at the end of March at the Special General Meeting. It enables us to be flexible and conform to the charity commission legalities accommodating online meetings as the emergency legislation stopped at the end of March. What this means is there are options going forward to help all WIs as well as us as a Federation.

Keep smiling and take care.

Lorraine

Happy 100th Birthday Middlesex Federation!

Today we kick off our Centenary year at Middlesex Federation, and a year of looking back at our achievements and forward to our future.
Happy 100th birthday Middlesex Federation!

Lockdown Salons

Sally Greenbrook of West Ealing WI shares some lockdown positivity

My husband Chris and I have long known that our friends are all interesting and intelligent people, and we have for years toyed with the idea of hosting salons – gatherings of like minded individuals discussing things that are of interest to them. Of course, life gets in the way and we never actually got around to doing it.

Until, that is, March 2020 came along and we were locked down for the first time. We decided to try hosting the salons online via Zoom. The idea was that for each salon someone would give a short presentation about something that interests them and then we’d have a discussion about it. We weren’t really sure how it would go or whether people would be keen but nothing ventured, nothing gained and we kicked off with a presentation from me about the Halifax Explosion.

To our slight amazement, the salons have been a resounding success and we’ve hosted them every Saturday night since late March last year. By the time you read this, we will have been going for a year. We’ve had some incredible presentations about some fascinating subjects including (to name just a few) witches of Scotland, the history of profanity, the A55 in North Wales, British school dinners and John Singer Sargent.

For us, it’s also provided a way to keep in touch with our friends and actually to make new friends. People have joined us who we vaguely knew pre-lockdown but are now friends. We’ve even gone international with one of my husband’s school friends joining us from New Zealand, eating his breakfast while the rest of us enjoy a drink.

At a time when a lot of people have been quite lonely and isolated, we’ve managed to build a little community. We’re all looking forward to the day when we can meet in person, some of us for the first time.