It’s been a busy summer for the Women’s Institutes across the Middlesex Federation. Read about what we’ve been up to in our September newsletter.
Middlesex News – September 2022
MFWI News
Platinum Jubilee reaches Hanwell
The Platinum Jubilee celebrations continued at Hanwell WI when we gathered together for a festive evening of fun and frivolity.
Keen gardeners amongst us planted a tub with a beautiful display of purple scabia and campanula which not only brightened up the area outside our hall but seemed to attract many bees too!
Next, we sat down to a splendid feast of homemade scones, clotted cream, jam and fresh strawberries along with a cup or two of tea.
A little later, Kim Broadbent, our President and one-time quizmaster tested our knowledge on all things royal. It’s amazing how much we found we didn’t know! Before too long, it was time to go home. We had had a most enjoyable and memorable evening!
Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Sunbury
On the afternoon of Saturday 21st May 2022, Sunbury Village and Sunbury on Thames WIs hosted a Platinum Jubilee Tea Party in partnership with Sunbury Neighbours for local elderly residents.
The event was held at St Mary’s Parish hall, volunteers from both WIs baked, dress tables, decorated the hall, made sandwiches, served the tables and chatted to the guests.
A huge thanks goes to Shelagh Bonnichon (Sunbury Village WI member) who was a total star planning and co-ordinating the whole event, including linking in with Sunbury Neighbours and all the volunteers.
NFWI ACM 2022 – we went to Liverpool!
Another successful AGM with our NFWI Chair, Ann Jones hosting around 3,000 women; some at the Liverpool Conference and some on Zoom. As we know as she settles in to her role, she is always calm, excited and smiley and leads with a positive vibe and her lovely Welsh accent!
Our Honorary Treasurer Jeryl Stone reminded all to try to get Gift Aid from your subscriptions and also ‘please mention leaving a legacy for WI in wills’.
We then heard from the Federation Chairman of the Federation of Women’s Institutes of Northern Ireland, Margaret Broome, who told us about splitting their 90th birthday celebrations in to nine separate events across the region.
Anne Kerr, President of the Scottish Women’s Institutes, talked about having COP-26 coming there and highlighted the SWI’s own campaigns for change and transformation.
Kate Garbers, founder of the anti-slavery organisation Unseen gave an excellent talk on Modern Slavery and the fact that in UK nationals make up a large proportion of the victims. Safe houses, help-lines, professional counselling etc can all be offered once a victim is identified – we need to learn the signs of this happening and Public Affairs holds support materials for your own WI. You can ring the Police (101) or Crime Stoppers too. There are dedicated helplines – this is happening all over the UK in so many forms. Anti-Slavery Day is on 18 October.
Our Guest Speaker was Sarah Clarke OBE, Black Rod, the first female Black Rod in 650 years. Moving on from managing major events career as Championship Director Wimbledon gave Sarah all the leadership tools needed for her new role.
She said that she hardly ever gives talks but knowing WI members herself, she knew she would have to accept this request!
Again, enthusiasm for the role and calmness and dedication gave her huge success at Wimbledon and to work on many other major events which carries her forward in her role today. She was most inspiring.
All of us will have considered and discussed and read our resolution on ASD/ADHD in women and girls. it was the alternative viewpoint that we maybe did not know about and an excellent talk was given discussing dependence on drugs/categorisation is not the key/remove diagnosis as a gatekeeper/lack of support services/long waiting lists and whether support is given to the right level of need of each individual. It was a brave ‘against’ but the audience gave huge credence to the points raised and learnt about how Devon authorities are trying new ways of approaching the diagnosis and level of needs of girls.
The 2022 resolution was carried by 96% and your own votes were cast as you requested.
Middlesex News – July-August 2022
Women’s Institutes across our Federation have been oh so busy with spring things – and lots of super colourful and fun Jubilee activity – which is great to read about!
See our stories in the July-August Newsletter here.
Chair’s Chat – July-August 2022
Hello everyone
Well, I hope you all enjoyed the Jubilee weekend. Wasn’t it great to see all of the banners and bunting – and I don’t think I have ever seen so many ‘Queen Elizabeths’ in so many different places!
And what about the street parties—for some people bringing back memories of the Silver Jubilee (!)—the number of road closures were testament to how much we all just wanted to celebrate!
I would love to know how many tea parties were held over the Jubilee weekend. Did you have one? Please send us your photos for Middlesex News so that we can enjoy the celebrations all over again!
It was good to see some of you at the Annual Meeting in Liverpool and it was also good to get together with members from all over the country.
Several of us travelled from Middlesex; thank you all for attending and for your company in the evening. It was great to meet up with so many Middlesex members and find out what was going on in your WIs.
I think the hybrid meeting was a great success, allowing members who couldn’t get to Liverpool to enjoy and take part in the proceedings—and I was right, Jerusalem really did send shivers down the spine!
It was interesting to hear from the President of the Scottish Women’s Institutes, Anne Kerr, and the Federation Chairman of the Federation of Women’s Institutes of Northern Ireland, Margaret Broome.
The Chair told us that she doesn’t cook, bake, do crafts or flower arranging so jokingly questioned whether she should be in the WI at all! Of course we all know that you don’t need to do these things to enjoy the WI and all it has to offer—the WI is what you want it to be.
This year’s resolution was passed with an overwhelming majority. The speakers ‘for’ the resolution made their points with real passion and even the ‘against’ speaker wasn’t against the actual Resolution, just possibly the specific wording.
My WI will have information on how you can support this resolution in your own WIs.
The first main speaker, Kate Garbers, gave a sobering talk on the modern slave trade and reminded us that victims of this dreadful trade are potentially all around us, hidden in plain sight.
The second speaker was Sarah Clarke OBE, the first female Black Rod in its 650-year history; she has also held several other ‘first woman’ posts and worked in senior roles in various sports organisations. Well done to National Office for securing such interesting guests. You can also read Trustee Julia Lewis’s report on page 3, and see a few of photos of our team in Liverpool!
Next year’s meeting will be in Cardiff; it would be good to see you there.
As a Federation, we are hoping in the future to start arranging some events for you to get involved in, so look out for your Middlesex News each month for more information.
As I am writing this, the sun is shing and the temperature is rising—let’s hope Summer is here!
Hope you all have an enjoyable month.
Angela
200+ Club Winners – June 2022
Congratulations to the winners of our recent 200+ Club draw for June 2022
1st prize – £35
Linda Frise, Hampton Tudor Rose
2nd prize – £20
Lorraine Reed, Ruislip Evening
3rd prize – £15
Mary Jeffery, Stanwell
Happy Birthday – June 2022
Happy birthday to WIs in Middlesex celebrating birthdays this month:
Southbourne
03 June 1953
Greenford
11 June 1985
Hayes Town
17 June 1993
Stanmore
18 June 2018
Finchley
13 May 2009
Stanwell
15 May 1919
Ladies Of The Lock
26 May 2016
200+ Club Winners – April & May 2022
Congratulations to the winners of our recent 200+ Club daws.
April 2022
1st prize – £35
Elizabeth Owen, West Drayton
2nd prize – £20
Margaret Smith, Iver
3rd prize – £15
E Hutton, Manor Farm
May 2022
1st prize – £35
Linda Frise, Hampton Tudor Rose
2nd prize – £20
Lorraine Reed, Ruislip Evening
3rd prize – £15
Mary Jeffery, Stanwell
Chair’s Chat – June 2022
Hello all,
I hope you are well – and doesn’t a bit of sunshine just make you feel better?
Let’s hope we have a proper summer this year.
In May, the Board of Trustees held its Committee meeting in the Office for the first time since lockdown began. However, in the spirit of the times, it was a hybrid meeting, with a Zoom connection available for those who couldn’t get there in person. We had a few teething problems with this set-up but hope to improve next month!
I am so pleased that we are able to do this; it’s great to see the office open again, for business as well as craft sessions and so on, and we hope to be doing more there in the future.
As I mentioned in my last mailing, we are hoping to set up some training sessions soon, so please have a think if it is something you could help us with. Members can be wary of taking on a role on their WI Committee, not knowing what it might entail, so some information and guidance would be a great help. The office is available for face to face meetings, or Zoom if it is easier. Please get in touch if you would like more information.
By the time this reaches you it will nearly be time for our National Federation Annual Meeting in Liverpool. I am really looking forward to seeing some of you there—please come and have a chat if you can, as it would be good to put some names to faces.
It seems like such a long time since we gathered in Bournemouth in 2019 and I am sure we will have a great time—I just can’t wait to hear several hundred members singing Jerusalem; it always sends a shiver down my spine! It promises to be a successful day: the speakers look very interesting, and of course we will be discussing and voting on this year’s Resolution.
This is a very timely selection, there have been several mentions in the press recently about ASD/ADHD and it seems that they are only just beginning to realise how the condition is going undiagnosed in girls. It promises to be a thought-provoking debate.
So, what have I been doing this month?
I was pleased to recently attend the Spelthorne Group Meeting. It was good to be with so many fellow members and it really brought home how much we have missed these events over the past two years. We had an excellent evening.. After the business was dealt with, our refreshments were provided by Surplus to Supper.
We had all been asked to take our own mug/cup/glass; it was good to feel we were doing our small bit for the environment! Our entertainment was provided by a very funny magician, who had us all joining in. I hope to be able to attend more of these events in the future. A full report and photos are on page 10
My own WI, Stanwell, celebrated its 103rd Birthday in May, with a birthday party at our Village Hall. As usual, a good time was had by all! Earlier in the month, several of us attended a VE Day celebration dinner at a local college.
The food was prepared and served by students of the catering department and we were pleased to meet a group from a WI in Surrey—it seems we all know where to find a good meal—and it was good to support the next generation of chefs and restaurateurs!
I have just realised how many social events involve food…
Have a great month
Angela