T
he NFWI’s annual horticultural competition is back with a twist in 2021. WIs are invited to design a planting plan for a raised 3m x 3m bed that will be displayed within the Community Allotment area at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, 5–11 July 2021.
Entries must reflect both the Festival themes and the vision statements of the WI: Bold and Inspiring, Growing and Relevant Inclusive, Flexible.
The deadline for entries is 30 April 2021. For more information, contact your Secretary.
The workshop for new WI treasurers held on 23 January 2021 was one of a series of training sessions for new committee members (or those looking for a refresher) run by Federation Treasurer, Sarah Endersby.
The session, run on Zoom of course, was an interesting and informative session, and it was nice to meet other new treasurers, and some deputy treasurers, on the call. The session was full of practical suggestions for running the accounts and keeping the books up to date throughout the year.
We learnt about our responsibilities as trustees and whether our WI needed to register independently as a charity (only if income is above £5,000). There were also tips for managing the petty cash; and I was impressed to hear one WI has managed to do away with cash altogether!
The discussion amongst attendees provided plenty of food for thought as well, and all in all it was a very useful and enjoyable way to spend two hours on a Saturday morning. I look forward to putting what I learnt into practice at Stroud Green WI.
Members were very saddened to learn of the death of former member Maureen on 23 January 2021. A former member and officer for many years of our Institute, she worked tirelessly every year at our Produce and Handicraft Show which was a great success and well attended. Every year in Spring the schedule would duly arrive, and members would be encouraged to grow produce and flowers, arrange flowers for the floral art class, enter photographs, knit and sew handicrafts, bake for the cookery class, not to mention the jams, marmalades and chutneys. Woe betides anyone not using the right lid or goodness!! The label is in the wrong place. Ah! The excitement of winning a Gold Star.
Liz Morrell (Past Chair and WI Adviser) recalls meeting Maureen when we were encouraged to join the Organisation Committee at MFWI in 1997, by Ex Chairs Olive Powell and Pat Buffin, both Voluntary County Organisers (VCOs). After a few years of assisting at Annual Meetings and events such as the Middlesex County Show to encourage women to join the WI, the Federation agreed to fund training for Maureen, Carol Sullivan (Membership Chair) and myself, and in 2000 we were appointed by NFWI. The role of VCO was renamed as WI Adviser (WIA) in the early 2000s.
Maureen was the lead WIA working with Kim Ford, who approached MFWI to open Ruislip Evening WI, The first WI to open in Middlesex after many years. Many others followed in quick succession. Maureen will be remembered by founder members in Gothic Valley, Stroud Green, West Hampstead and HA:WI to name but a few. Maureen also represented the Federation on the London WI’s Forum at NFWI HQ.
Professional, Approachable, Calm, quietly spoken, talented craft women, good fun, always ready for a laugh. A joy to spend time with. Our thoughts and prayers are with her sons Tim, Guy and their families may she Rest in Peace.
This annual campaign is run by the Climate Coalition of which the WI are an integral part. Every year it is the biggest conversation opportunity to raise awareness of climate change. Why not make some Green hearts/pompoms to hang on your doors/in windows or give one to your neighbours. There are resources on MyWI that your members can create items to raise awareness. In 2021 campaign runs from 1-21 February.
When we moved our meetings online in March 2020, we never imagined we’d still be meeting on Zoom nearly a year later! Nevertheless, we persist.
Our January meeting is always focused on physical activity and we see no reason to let a pandemic get in the way of that. We invited a local tai chi instructor, Andrea Bugari to join us on Zoom and take us through some tai chi moves. It was a lovely gentle way to get us moving on a cold Tuesday evening.
We’ve really enjoyed how much our members are engaging with the online format, and have kept our monthly pub quiz and craft club going throughout the pandemic. The committee has been busy planning activities for the coming months to keep our meetings interesting. It’s no substitute for meeting in person though and we’re all looking forward to the day when we’re able to return to the community centre.
January 2021 has been a quiet month for Laleham, but a lot of interaction on our WhatsApp group is helping to keep members spirits up. Members continue to support each other, helping out with shopping and giving lifts for medical appointments and now thankfully for vaccine injections.
President Helen Hurst has been keeping members up to date with WI news and issues – including canvassing for our votes on 2021 Resolutions.
Special shout out for Maria Winter who has been putting her spare time to very good use and has made these beautiful scarves and jumper – well done Maria!
Bicarbonate of Soda, or Sodium bicarbonate, or Baking Soda, or Bread Soda, or carb soda, is a chemical compound composed of a sodium cation and a bicarbonate anion. It is a white solid that is crystalline, but often appears as a fine powder. Slightly salty in taste, its natural mineral form is nahcolite and components of this mineral are often found in many natural springs. Naturally occurring deposits of nahcolite are found in the Green River formation in Colorado, US. It is deposited as ‘beds’ during periods of high evaporation, ie drought. It is commercially mined using common mining techniques, such as used in coal mining. It can also be a solution, mined by pumping hot water through previously mined beds, and reconstituting dissolved nahcolite through a natural cooling crystallisation process.
There are so many ways in which we can use Bicarbonate of Soda…
Used as a leavening agent in baking, it causes the expansion of batter in quick breads eg soda bread. Acidic materials that induce this reaction include cream of tartar, lemon juice, yogurt, buttermilk, cocoa, and vinegar. Heat by itself causes bicarbonate of soda to act as a raising agent because of thermal decomposition – it releases carbon dioxide at temperatures above 80 degrees celcius/180 degrees Fahrenheit. It is sometimes used in the cooking of green vegetables, giving a bright green colour, as it reacts with the chlorophyll in the leaves, but also affects the taste and nutritional content. It is used to soften peas and pulses, and is used to make the traditional ‘mushy peas’. It is used to tenderise meats, and enhance the crispness in fried foods as it allows passages of steam to escape. [Read more…] about The Wonders of Bicarbonate of Soda
Congratulations to the winners of our January 2021 200+ Club draw!
I Singh, Stanwell WI
2nd prize – £20
Sue Thomas, Hayes Town WI
3rd prize – £15
Jackie Head, Southbourne WI
At our November 2020 Zoom meeting, our speaker Richard Rickett spoke enthusiastically about bees. A very in formative talk on the various types of bees. In the UK there are 3 types of bees: Bumblebee (24 species), Solitary bees (225 species) and Honey bees (1 species). He gave an in-depth talk on the Honey bees. They live in large colonies. The Workers who mainly are female, they can fly 3 miles to collect pollen which can be a third of their weight and then fly 3 miles back with the pollen. The Drones are the boys who mate with the Queen. There is only one Queen who lays 3,000 eggs a day in summer.
At our December meeting we were entertained by Ashley Webber. He gave a rendition of our favourite Christmas songs and some old greats of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. We all joined in, some forgetting to use the unmute button to the enjoyment of others. (I wonder who that could be GA?)
In December we also had some entertainment from Bus Pass to Broadway and were joined on Zoom by some of our neighbouring WIs in the Spelthorne Group.
