Our meetings are held in St Luke's Church Hall on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm except in December.
Visitors welcome - £5 per visit which includes refreshments and a raffle ticket. |
See this year's reports at the bottom of the page
|
Updated: 19th December 2023
Reports
28th November 2023
Annual Meeting - Members Evening
Our President, Sue welcomed the room and invited the 28 members and visitor to sing Jerusalem. After the business of the evening we closed this meeting and opened our Annual Meeting. The presentation of the Financial Report/Statement and the appointment of the Independent Examiner was agreed and we then voted in our new Committee with Sue Blantern being returned as President for a second year. We then had the presentation of our Rose Bowl for our monthly competitions. This was won by Janet Jackson with joint second Valerie Quinn and Françoise Rothery, and joint third Andrea Petty and Sue Whitaker. Over 19 members took part in the competitions over the last year.
Once our meeting was over we enjoyed cheese and crackers provided by the Committee, and plenty of laughs with Stand-Up Bingo, followed by our festive raffle.
See News for photos
Annual Meeting - Members Evening
Our President, Sue welcomed the room and invited the 28 members and visitor to sing Jerusalem. After the business of the evening we closed this meeting and opened our Annual Meeting. The presentation of the Financial Report/Statement and the appointment of the Independent Examiner was agreed and we then voted in our new Committee with Sue Blantern being returned as President for a second year. We then had the presentation of our Rose Bowl for our monthly competitions. This was won by Janet Jackson with joint second Valerie Quinn and Françoise Rothery, and joint third Andrea Petty and Sue Whitaker. Over 19 members took part in the competitions over the last year.
Once our meeting was over we enjoyed cheese and crackers provided by the Committee, and plenty of laughs with Stand-Up Bingo, followed by our festive raffle.
See News for photos
24th October 2023
Speaker:
Competition: American Memorabilia
Our Vice-Chairman and Treasurer, Ann Beckett, rang the bell to start the meeting, welcoming 16 members, with 2 visitors. Ann invited us to stand and sing Jerusalem. Apologies were received from our president Sue Blantern, Linda Taylor, Karen Glendining and Sue Whitaker. Birthday wishes for November were given to Mamie Bell. The competition was an ‘American Item’. 1st Judy Sadler. 2nd Andrea Petty. 3rd Diane Gratwick. Andrea made a pumpkin pie that was offered to members with the teas. The President's flowers were taken to Thelma Dutton.
We went through our general business matters first. The autumn group meeting was held at Lower Withington Village Hall on Thursday 19th October. Holmes Chapel managed the raffle and provided a cake. The talk was by Colin Alderton who had been a chef at Buckingham Palace for 5 years in the early 70s. Ann B, Andrea P, Barbara F, Jackie T, Janet J and Thelma D all went. He was a very entertaining speaker, who had many more stories than the time allowed. The group are holding their Christmas service at Goostrey. All WIs give a reading. Several poems were provided to members who had to vote for their favourite. The winning entry was ‘Christmas Eve’ by Gervase Phinn. Ann B was taking money and menu options for our Christmas meal at the George and Dragon. There were not too many flyers this month. What we had were up on the noticeboard. Jodrell Side had an open evening Sue B and Sue W attended on our behalf. There was a craft workshop that Karen and Andrea attended. Ann asked Andrea to do a show and tell of the angel and cross stich card she made. A small group from the committee visited Congleton Saw Mill to see if a larger organised visit would be appropriate. It was felt that this was a no due to the size of the venue. However, they did recommend that members visit on their own accord.
We were due a talk and small demonstration about line-dancing, but the Speaker took ill so at short notice our Speaker was Cath Couzens from Woodside Apothecary, the modern-day medical herbalist, which turned out to be a very engaging and enlightening talk on medical herbalism. Cath told us about the history of herbs used in medicine mentioning:
• Otzi the 5000 year old mummy found in the alps in 1991 who had medicinal herbs in his backpack
the Egyptians who used herbs and oils
• the different parts of the plant act in different ways and therefore treat different ailments. She showed us a pharmaceutical codex from the 1940s. She also has one from 1904, the 1970s and a modern day one. Cath explained how these books showed that over time, herbal remedies had been replaced with pharmaceutical ones, with the biggest change occurring from the 1970s onwards. This trend is now possibly reversing as science is now looking back to how some old remedies could be used today. For example,
• Aspirin can be hard on the tummy, Willow Bark (from where Aspirin came) is less so
• Periwinkle can be used in the treatment of childhood leukaemia.
We learnt how a typical consultation would go, taking up to 90 minutes, discussing all your previous and current medical and life history. Herbalists treat the whole person not just symptoms or diseases. Cath then talked about her own journey to becoming a medical herbalist (with a very strong influence from the memory of nana Ivy). How a debilitating illness in 2017 left her trying various alternative therapies, with one friend suggesting she try an herbalist in Manchester. At this point she said, anything was worth trying. Remarkably, after 2 weeks she felt unbelievably better. This led to one day workshops, weekend workshops and finally a full degree. Cath then ran a guessing game handing out pieces of plant. We had to guess what part of the plant it was, and what plant it was. It was harder that it should have been (for us non-gardeners) but fun and very educational. We were all inspired, informed, and educated – exactly what the WI is about.
See News for photos
Speaker:
Competition: American Memorabilia
Our Vice-Chairman and Treasurer, Ann Beckett, rang the bell to start the meeting, welcoming 16 members, with 2 visitors. Ann invited us to stand and sing Jerusalem. Apologies were received from our president Sue Blantern, Linda Taylor, Karen Glendining and Sue Whitaker. Birthday wishes for November were given to Mamie Bell. The competition was an ‘American Item’. 1st Judy Sadler. 2nd Andrea Petty. 3rd Diane Gratwick. Andrea made a pumpkin pie that was offered to members with the teas. The President's flowers were taken to Thelma Dutton.
We went through our general business matters first. The autumn group meeting was held at Lower Withington Village Hall on Thursday 19th October. Holmes Chapel managed the raffle and provided a cake. The talk was by Colin Alderton who had been a chef at Buckingham Palace for 5 years in the early 70s. Ann B, Andrea P, Barbara F, Jackie T, Janet J and Thelma D all went. He was a very entertaining speaker, who had many more stories than the time allowed. The group are holding their Christmas service at Goostrey. All WIs give a reading. Several poems were provided to members who had to vote for their favourite. The winning entry was ‘Christmas Eve’ by Gervase Phinn. Ann B was taking money and menu options for our Christmas meal at the George and Dragon. There were not too many flyers this month. What we had were up on the noticeboard. Jodrell Side had an open evening Sue B and Sue W attended on our behalf. There was a craft workshop that Karen and Andrea attended. Ann asked Andrea to do a show and tell of the angel and cross stich card she made. A small group from the committee visited Congleton Saw Mill to see if a larger organised visit would be appropriate. It was felt that this was a no due to the size of the venue. However, they did recommend that members visit on their own accord.
We were due a talk and small demonstration about line-dancing, but the Speaker took ill so at short notice our Speaker was Cath Couzens from Woodside Apothecary, the modern-day medical herbalist, which turned out to be a very engaging and enlightening talk on medical herbalism. Cath told us about the history of herbs used in medicine mentioning:
• Otzi the 5000 year old mummy found in the alps in 1991 who had medicinal herbs in his backpack
the Egyptians who used herbs and oils
• the different parts of the plant act in different ways and therefore treat different ailments. She showed us a pharmaceutical codex from the 1940s. She also has one from 1904, the 1970s and a modern day one. Cath explained how these books showed that over time, herbal remedies had been replaced with pharmaceutical ones, with the biggest change occurring from the 1970s onwards. This trend is now possibly reversing as science is now looking back to how some old remedies could be used today. For example,
• Aspirin can be hard on the tummy, Willow Bark (from where Aspirin came) is less so
• Periwinkle can be used in the treatment of childhood leukaemia.
We learnt how a typical consultation would go, taking up to 90 minutes, discussing all your previous and current medical and life history. Herbalists treat the whole person not just symptoms or diseases. Cath then talked about her own journey to becoming a medical herbalist (with a very strong influence from the memory of nana Ivy). How a debilitating illness in 2017 left her trying various alternative therapies, with one friend suggesting she try an herbalist in Manchester. At this point she said, anything was worth trying. Remarkably, after 2 weeks she felt unbelievably better. This led to one day workshops, weekend workshops and finally a full degree. Cath then ran a guessing game handing out pieces of plant. We had to guess what part of the plant it was, and what plant it was. It was harder that it should have been (for us non-gardeners) but fun and very educational. We were all inspired, informed, and educated – exactly what the WI is about.
See News for photos
26th September 2023
Speaker: Report on Scout World Jamboree
Competition: A Souvenir of any Coronation.
Our president, Sue Blantern opened the meeting and welcomed our 23 members and 1 visitor.
The competition was a ‘A piece of coronation memorabilia’. Won by Janet Jackson.
Flowers were provided by Diane Gratwick and sent to Sue Whitaker
Raffle prizes were provided by Christine Petts.
Our speaker for the evening Eleanor Bowden returned to give us an update on her trip to the scout world jamboree in Korea. We had all heard about the heat wave, sickness, and organisational difficulties in the press and Eleanor was able to confirm that it was that bad, but declared that she had still had the best time ever.
She described how they all arrived at the airport in Seoul, all with the same design of bag, tired after a 15-hour flight, in 35-degree heat with 90% humidity.
Prior to arriving at the campsite, they spent time being escorted in and around Seoul sightseeing, trying local food and generally enjoying themselves.
It was monsoon season, so the site had flooded a few days prior to their arrival. This not only affected the tents but resulted in a plague of mosquitos. So they got to spend an extra day in the capital as ‘free time’ in unescorted groups of 3.
When they finally got to the campsite there were 4000 UK scouts there (about 10% of the site’s population, and one of the 53 countries represented). Due to the excessive heat, lack of shade, and issues with water pressure, all activities were cancelled. However, the scouts all bonded over adversity, with strangers checking in on each other, and different nationalities sharing what food and resources they had.
She still spent time exploring the site (the size of a small town) chatting with other scouts, swapping neckers, badges and hats. As the situation on site worsened and more people fell ill, the UK scouts were one of the first groups to be pulled off site. Every cloud has a silver lining – the hotel had air conditioning, ran a free buffet, and tourist attractions were offering free tickets.
This was also the time when Eleanor, on the last day, found her favourite place. It was a temple set in a large garden. After all the chaos of the previous few weeks, she was in a place that was quiet, calm and meditative. It allowed her the space to reflect upon her time there and realise what a special, once in a lifetime experience she had just had.
Barbara Foster thanked Eleanor.
See News for photos
Speaker: Report on Scout World Jamboree
Competition: A Souvenir of any Coronation.
Our president, Sue Blantern opened the meeting and welcomed our 23 members and 1 visitor.
The competition was a ‘A piece of coronation memorabilia’. Won by Janet Jackson.
Flowers were provided by Diane Gratwick and sent to Sue Whitaker
Raffle prizes were provided by Christine Petts.
Our speaker for the evening Eleanor Bowden returned to give us an update on her trip to the scout world jamboree in Korea. We had all heard about the heat wave, sickness, and organisational difficulties in the press and Eleanor was able to confirm that it was that bad, but declared that she had still had the best time ever.
She described how they all arrived at the airport in Seoul, all with the same design of bag, tired after a 15-hour flight, in 35-degree heat with 90% humidity.
Prior to arriving at the campsite, they spent time being escorted in and around Seoul sightseeing, trying local food and generally enjoying themselves.
It was monsoon season, so the site had flooded a few days prior to their arrival. This not only affected the tents but resulted in a plague of mosquitos. So they got to spend an extra day in the capital as ‘free time’ in unescorted groups of 3.
When they finally got to the campsite there were 4000 UK scouts there (about 10% of the site’s population, and one of the 53 countries represented). Due to the excessive heat, lack of shade, and issues with water pressure, all activities were cancelled. However, the scouts all bonded over adversity, with strangers checking in on each other, and different nationalities sharing what food and resources they had.
She still spent time exploring the site (the size of a small town) chatting with other scouts, swapping neckers, badges and hats. As the situation on site worsened and more people fell ill, the UK scouts were one of the first groups to be pulled off site. Every cloud has a silver lining – the hotel had air conditioning, ran a free buffet, and tourist attractions were offering free tickets.
This was also the time when Eleanor, on the last day, found her favourite place. It was a temple set in a large garden. After all the chaos of the previous few weeks, she was in a place that was quiet, calm and meditative. It allowed her the space to reflect upon her time there and realise what a special, once in a lifetime experience she had just had.
Barbara Foster thanked Eleanor.
See News for photos
22nd August 2023
Speaker: Claire Milnes from Everybody Leisure - 'Move it or Lose it'
Competition: Sporting Achievement Award/Certificate
Our President started the meeting which was attended by, 22 members and 3 visitors and welcomed a new member. After the business of the night was concluded we enjoyed tea and biscuits together with voting on the photos for the Summer Scavenger Hunt run by CFWI and before our entertainment started we got together for our group photo, where we donned hats and glasses to include in the competition.
Our entertainment for the evening was Claire Milnes from Everybody Leisure who showed the members how to move it so they did not lose it. Much hilarity followed. Sitting down, we were taken through a number of exercises using balls and stretchy bands. Not all of them stayed in the hands of their owners and went flying round the room (as the pictures on the NEWS page will testify). Everyone joined in and seemed to have a fun time. Not sure how many of us were a little stiff the following day!
The raffle prizes went to Sue Dykes and Sue Ankers and the President's flowers went to Donna Caffyn as an early birthday gift. The competition of a ‘Sporting Achievement’ went to Sue Whitaker in first place.
See News for photos
Speaker: Claire Milnes from Everybody Leisure - 'Move it or Lose it'
Competition: Sporting Achievement Award/Certificate
Our President started the meeting which was attended by, 22 members and 3 visitors and welcomed a new member. After the business of the night was concluded we enjoyed tea and biscuits together with voting on the photos for the Summer Scavenger Hunt run by CFWI and before our entertainment started we got together for our group photo, where we donned hats and glasses to include in the competition.
Our entertainment for the evening was Claire Milnes from Everybody Leisure who showed the members how to move it so they did not lose it. Much hilarity followed. Sitting down, we were taken through a number of exercises using balls and stretchy bands. Not all of them stayed in the hands of their owners and went flying round the room (as the pictures on the NEWS page will testify). Everyone joined in and seemed to have a fun time. Not sure how many of us were a little stiff the following day!
The raffle prizes went to Sue Dykes and Sue Ankers and the President's flowers went to Donna Caffyn as an early birthday gift. The competition of a ‘Sporting Achievement’ went to Sue Whitaker in first place.
See News for photos
25th July 2023
Speaker: Craft Session
Competition: Summer Photo
Our President, Sue Blantern rang the bell to commence the meeting and welcomed our 21 members and 1 visitor (Janet Dodd). Sue invited us to stand and sing Jerusalem.
This evening was a craft evening, organised by our members Linda Taylor and Janet Jackson. We learnt about Zentangle – Yoga for the brain. It brings about calmness to the brain as you doodle patterns.
Linda and Janet gave a short presentation on what Zentangle is and what we were going to do. We sat around large tables in groups of four or five and were each given a pack with a pen, practice sheets with empty square templates, two blank bookmarks with four blank squares, examples of patterns we could use for inspiration and two ribbons. We then got down to drawing our patterns in the squares. It was interesting to see how some people only drew straight lines or regimented patterns, whereas others did freehand swirls. You seemed to be one or the other. The time passed too quickly, and members were able to take their packs home to complete their works of art. Thanks were given by Mamie Bell (who declared she had been practising all week) who thanked Linda and Janet for all their hard work in preparing for the evening.
The competition was a Summer Photo, voted for by the members, 1st Janet Jackson, 2nd Andrea Petty, 3rd Anne Hibbert and Françoise Rothery.
Flowers were provided by Mamie Bell who had brought in a beautiful planted basket and these were presented to Therese.
See News for photos
Speaker: Craft Session
Competition: Summer Photo
Our President, Sue Blantern rang the bell to commence the meeting and welcomed our 21 members and 1 visitor (Janet Dodd). Sue invited us to stand and sing Jerusalem.
This evening was a craft evening, organised by our members Linda Taylor and Janet Jackson. We learnt about Zentangle – Yoga for the brain. It brings about calmness to the brain as you doodle patterns.
Linda and Janet gave a short presentation on what Zentangle is and what we were going to do. We sat around large tables in groups of four or five and were each given a pack with a pen, practice sheets with empty square templates, two blank bookmarks with four blank squares, examples of patterns we could use for inspiration and two ribbons. We then got down to drawing our patterns in the squares. It was interesting to see how some people only drew straight lines or regimented patterns, whereas others did freehand swirls. You seemed to be one or the other. The time passed too quickly, and members were able to take their packs home to complete their works of art. Thanks were given by Mamie Bell (who declared she had been practising all week) who thanked Linda and Janet for all their hard work in preparing for the evening.
The competition was a Summer Photo, voted for by the members, 1st Janet Jackson, 2nd Andrea Petty, 3rd Anne Hibbert and Françoise Rothery.
Flowers were provided by Mamie Bell who had brought in a beautiful planted basket and these were presented to Therese.
See News for photos
27th June 2023
Speaker: The Old Saw Mill
Competition: Apple Bake
Our President, Sue Blantern welcomed 25 members plus 1 visitor (Eve Moran) and 2 new members (Sue Dykes and Julie Hornby). We held a minute’s silence to reflect upon the life of Deirdre who recently passed away. Sue then invited us to stand and sing Jerusalem.
After the business was concluded we congratulated Francoise’s recent success at the Cheshire Show as her craft submission received first prize. Then Sue introduced our speaker for the evening who was Peter Aston from The Old Saw Mill, Congleton. At the time of its inception he had links with the Congleton Partnership and Congleton Sustainability Group and The Old Saw Mill was started by pure accident in 2009 when Peter had to find something to do with an amount of spare apples that did not involve composting them. So he thought he would try and make apple juice. He phoned Eddisbury Fruit Farm to see if they could help. Certainly, our minimum press is 100kg of apples - Peter had 20kg! He put out a request for spare apples and as a result of the donations reached the 100kg required. The first press made 109 bottles of apple juice, and all were sold at their stall at Congleton Light Festival. The following year another request for spare apples was made and 1,200 bottles of juice were made.
2013 was a good year for apples and they had 7,500 bottles and could not possibly sell them all at the monthly Rode Hall maker’s market. Luckily Little Moreton Hall and Biddulph Grange agreed to stock 5,500 bottles. In 2015 they bought their own equipment and needed a place to become their workshop. Hence the start of the Old Saw Mill as a Community Benefit Society. In 2019 they welcomed Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to the scheme.
The building is a café, workshop, has meeting rooms for numerous support activities and groups, and they do a Christmas Lunch for £15 pp. It is all run by 5 paid staff and the current 42 volunteers. All was going well and then Covid hit. They created ‘bubbles’ of staff to do food packages and these were delivered to volunteers to deliver to their regular 8/9 customers. This support service extended to include small errands and the friendship group developed during this time and the enterprise is going strong, developing both services and goods for the local community.
Peter very kindly offered us a sample of the apple juice, and his wife Linda very kindly took our money when we went over to their display to purchase their wares. The talk ended with Barbara Foster leading the thanks.
The competition was Apple Bake – 1st was Karen E, 2nd was Andrea, 3rd was Celia. The winners of the raffle were Julie Hornby and Lesley Moores.
See News for photos
Speaker: The Old Saw Mill
Competition: Apple Bake
Our President, Sue Blantern welcomed 25 members plus 1 visitor (Eve Moran) and 2 new members (Sue Dykes and Julie Hornby). We held a minute’s silence to reflect upon the life of Deirdre who recently passed away. Sue then invited us to stand and sing Jerusalem.
After the business was concluded we congratulated Francoise’s recent success at the Cheshire Show as her craft submission received first prize. Then Sue introduced our speaker for the evening who was Peter Aston from The Old Saw Mill, Congleton. At the time of its inception he had links with the Congleton Partnership and Congleton Sustainability Group and The Old Saw Mill was started by pure accident in 2009 when Peter had to find something to do with an amount of spare apples that did not involve composting them. So he thought he would try and make apple juice. He phoned Eddisbury Fruit Farm to see if they could help. Certainly, our minimum press is 100kg of apples - Peter had 20kg! He put out a request for spare apples and as a result of the donations reached the 100kg required. The first press made 109 bottles of apple juice, and all were sold at their stall at Congleton Light Festival. The following year another request for spare apples was made and 1,200 bottles of juice were made.
2013 was a good year for apples and they had 7,500 bottles and could not possibly sell them all at the monthly Rode Hall maker’s market. Luckily Little Moreton Hall and Biddulph Grange agreed to stock 5,500 bottles. In 2015 they bought their own equipment and needed a place to become their workshop. Hence the start of the Old Saw Mill as a Community Benefit Society. In 2019 they welcomed Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to the scheme.
The building is a café, workshop, has meeting rooms for numerous support activities and groups, and they do a Christmas Lunch for £15 pp. It is all run by 5 paid staff and the current 42 volunteers. All was going well and then Covid hit. They created ‘bubbles’ of staff to do food packages and these were delivered to volunteers to deliver to their regular 8/9 customers. This support service extended to include small errands and the friendship group developed during this time and the enterprise is going strong, developing both services and goods for the local community.
Peter very kindly offered us a sample of the apple juice, and his wife Linda very kindly took our money when we went over to their display to purchase their wares. The talk ended with Barbara Foster leading the thanks.
The competition was Apple Bake – 1st was Karen E, 2nd was Andrea, 3rd was Celia. The winners of the raffle were Julie Hornby and Lesley Moores.
See News for photos
23rd May 2023
Speaker: Jane Thomas - The Pearlies
Competition: Memorabilia of Cheshire
Our President, Sue Blantern rang the bell to commence the meeting and welcomed 19 members plus 1 visitor and 1 new member to stand and sing Jerusalem.
We received apologies from three committee members, Linda Taylor, Ann Beckett and Barbara Foster
We were due to have a talk by Cheshire Without Abuse, but unfortunately they were unable to attend, luckily Jane Thomas stepped in at the last minute with her fascinating talk on ‘Pearlies’. She donates her fee to Cancer Research. She talked about her love of pearl buttons and Pearlies. Whilst at college in London on the Old Kent Road she became aware of people in their pearl button regalia (not costumes). She wrote her final project on Pearlies and has been fascinated with them ever since. Jane had a display of buttons, books and photos. We learnt that:
The competition was memorabilia from Cheshire – 1st was Valerie Quinn, 2nd was Françoise Rothery, 3rd was Janet Jackson.
Raffle was provided by Thelma Dutton with the winners being Eve Moran, Lesley Moores, and Karen Glendining.
See News for photos
Speaker: Jane Thomas - The Pearlies
Competition: Memorabilia of Cheshire
Our President, Sue Blantern rang the bell to commence the meeting and welcomed 19 members plus 1 visitor and 1 new member to stand and sing Jerusalem.
We received apologies from three committee members, Linda Taylor, Ann Beckett and Barbara Foster
We were due to have a talk by Cheshire Without Abuse, but unfortunately they were unable to attend, luckily Jane Thomas stepped in at the last minute with her fascinating talk on ‘Pearlies’. She donates her fee to Cancer Research. She talked about her love of pearl buttons and Pearlies. Whilst at college in London on the Old Kent Road she became aware of people in their pearl button regalia (not costumes). She wrote her final project on Pearlies and has been fascinated with them ever since. Jane had a display of buttons, books and photos. We learnt that:
- The buttons are made from pearl shells (oyster shells) and are very fragile.
- It started back in 1860 when a music hall artist decorated his clothes to attract attention. Then ‘costamuggers’ (apple sellers) started the practice.
- The clothes are heavily linked to markets, sellers and particular areas in London. This is reflected in the designs. And for each area there is a pearly King and Queen.
- Pearly Queens have amazing hats, adorned with curled ostrich feathers as well as pearl buttons.
- Henry Croft was one of the first pearlies and raised large amounts of money for other traders, at a time when there was not sick pay, nor free health care. This tradition is still a strong part of the pearly way. Although now they take cash and card.
- There is a harvest festival in London at St Martins in the Field. The reverend has a special pearly outfit he wears for the occasion. Jane has been down several times and still documents the lives of the pearlies.
The competition was memorabilia from Cheshire – 1st was Valerie Quinn, 2nd was Françoise Rothery, 3rd was Janet Jackson.
Raffle was provided by Thelma Dutton with the winners being Eve Moran, Lesley Moores, and Karen Glendining.
See News for photos
25th April 2023
Resolutions Meeting/Enrolment
Competition: 1950s music i.e. a record or piece of sheet music
This was our resolutions meeting where we also commemorated the coronation of King Charles III. Our President, Sue Blantern rang the bell to commence the meeting and welcomed 27 members and 1 visitor to stand and sing Jerusalem. All Committee members helped set up tables of 4, bunting, flowers and the lovely scones for our refreshment.
We had plants, greetings cards and books for sale, along with collections for blister packs, the summer fair and Cheshire Without Abuse. We are also selling National Raffle Tickets for £1.
After the business was conducted we then broke for refreshments. At the same time there was a small display outlining the wording of the resolution; feedback / comments / questions to consider were presented. These came from a presentation Sue B (president) had watched and a meeting that Andrea P (secretary) had been involved in. Members were encouraged to discuss the points raised prior to voting. The voting options were yes, no or allow our representative to listen to the discussion and vote on our behalf. At the end of our meeting we took a vote on the Resolution with a majority vote for yes, we agreed with it.
Our entertainment for the evening was a thoroughly enjoyable and interactive picture-based quiz provided by our Treasurer, Ann. We had shopping logos, car badges and people. It encouraged conversation not only amongst those on the table, but also across tables, as we had to pass one section around the room.
The winning team were Karen E, Karen G and Andrea, who received flowers as their gifts. The room voted for the president to give the fourth bunch to our Treasurer as thanks for organising the quiz. The runners up of Sue B, Jackie, Barbara and Ann H received a box of biscuits each.
In the absence of a Speaker, Ann H was asked to judge the competition - 1950s music memorabilia - this was won by Janet Jackson and she will represent us at Dane Valley Spring Group Meeting next month. Second was was Ann Beckett with Sue Whitaker third.
See News for photos
Resolutions Meeting/Enrolment
Competition: 1950s music i.e. a record or piece of sheet music
This was our resolutions meeting where we also commemorated the coronation of King Charles III. Our President, Sue Blantern rang the bell to commence the meeting and welcomed 27 members and 1 visitor to stand and sing Jerusalem. All Committee members helped set up tables of 4, bunting, flowers and the lovely scones for our refreshment.
We had plants, greetings cards and books for sale, along with collections for blister packs, the summer fair and Cheshire Without Abuse. We are also selling National Raffle Tickets for £1.
After the business was conducted we then broke for refreshments. At the same time there was a small display outlining the wording of the resolution; feedback / comments / questions to consider were presented. These came from a presentation Sue B (president) had watched and a meeting that Andrea P (secretary) had been involved in. Members were encouraged to discuss the points raised prior to voting. The voting options were yes, no or allow our representative to listen to the discussion and vote on our behalf. At the end of our meeting we took a vote on the Resolution with a majority vote for yes, we agreed with it.
Our entertainment for the evening was a thoroughly enjoyable and interactive picture-based quiz provided by our Treasurer, Ann. We had shopping logos, car badges and people. It encouraged conversation not only amongst those on the table, but also across tables, as we had to pass one section around the room.
The winning team were Karen E, Karen G and Andrea, who received flowers as their gifts. The room voted for the president to give the fourth bunch to our Treasurer as thanks for organising the quiz. The runners up of Sue B, Jackie, Barbara and Ann H received a box of biscuits each.
In the absence of a Speaker, Ann H was asked to judge the competition - 1950s music memorabilia - this was won by Janet Jackson and she will represent us at Dane Valley Spring Group Meeting next month. Second was was Ann Beckett with Sue Whitaker third.
See News for photos
28th March 2023
93rd Birthday Party- fun and games
Entertainment by Lostock Ukes
After the business of the night was conducted, 27 members and 12 visitors enjoyed a lovely cheese and wine buffet to celebrate our 93rd birthday. We were entertained by Lostock Ukes and all enjoyed a lovely singalong, interspersed with 'dad' jokes from Graham, and a rousing Sweet Caroline at the end which had us all on our feet with arms swaying. See News for photos.
93rd Birthday Party- fun and games
Entertainment by Lostock Ukes
After the business of the night was conducted, 27 members and 12 visitors enjoyed a lovely cheese and wine buffet to celebrate our 93rd birthday. We were entertained by Lostock Ukes and all enjoyed a lovely singalong, interspersed with 'dad' jokes from Graham, and a rousing Sweet Caroline at the end which had us all on our feet with arms swaying. See News for photos.
28th February 2023
Speaker: Lisa Collas, Ansa - 'Recycling Tips & Waste Reduction'
Competition: Before and After Recycled Item
Twenty-two members and one visitor were welcomed by our President and after the business of the day she introduced our speaker for the evening who was Lisa Collas (accompanied by a volunteer and one of our members Karen) from Ansa environmental waste management. It was exceedingly well received, entertaining and educational. Ansa is a company owned by Cheshire East Council. They have three core responsibilities waste and recycling; street cleansing and parks maintenance.
They are currently running five campaigns:
Like the Wombles Ansa want us to think Reduce – Reuse – Recycle in that order. Reduce our consumption, if we can’t then reuse it, and if that is not possible then recycle it. The main waste transfer plant is in Middlewich. Recycling is hand sorted and sent over to united paper mill in Deeside. The black bin waste and anything un-recyclable is shredded on site and incinerated in Runcorn. Nothing goes to landfill and the energy generated is used to fuel the plant.
The garden waste is made into compost that is sold back to farmers. It can not be sold as garden compost due to the salt content from the food waste.
Lisa told us
She also taught us the squeeze test and the stretch test for plastic. If you can squeeze plastic so that is moves, then it is recyclable (including flower pots) however if it is hard and doesn’t then it has to go into the black bin; if it stretches (like cling film or bread bags) then it must also go into the black bin.
Lisa concluded with the mantras
The competition of 'before and after of a recycled item' was won by Françoise Rothery, followed by Sue Whitaker in second and Janet Jackson in third. See photos on the News page.
Speaker: Lisa Collas, Ansa - 'Recycling Tips & Waste Reduction'
Competition: Before and After Recycled Item
Twenty-two members and one visitor were welcomed by our President and after the business of the day she introduced our speaker for the evening who was Lisa Collas (accompanied by a volunteer and one of our members Karen) from Ansa environmental waste management. It was exceedingly well received, entertaining and educational. Ansa is a company owned by Cheshire East Council. They have three core responsibilities waste and recycling; street cleansing and parks maintenance.
They are currently running five campaigns:
- Leave it loose (shredded paper)
- Life with less single use plastic (disposable plastics)
- Don’t bin batteries (as they can leak chemicals and catch fire)
- Life with less food waste
- Composting at home
Like the Wombles Ansa want us to think Reduce – Reuse – Recycle in that order. Reduce our consumption, if we can’t then reuse it, and if that is not possible then recycle it. The main waste transfer plant is in Middlewich. Recycling is hand sorted and sent over to united paper mill in Deeside. The black bin waste and anything un-recyclable is shredded on site and incinerated in Runcorn. Nothing goes to landfill and the energy generated is used to fuel the plant.
The garden waste is made into compost that is sold back to farmers. It can not be sold as garden compost due to the salt content from the food waste.
Lisa told us
- not to worry about tape on cardboard boxes as it is soaked off as part of the sorting process
- egg boxes are fabulous in compost heaps as the worms love them
- crisp packets can be recycled in Aldi or Co-op
- cooking oil can be put around the base of roses, or sprayed onto the leaves (but not on a hot day)
- light bulbs have to go in the black bin, but the long tube ones can go to the tip
She also taught us the squeeze test and the stretch test for plastic. If you can squeeze plastic so that is moves, then it is recyclable (including flower pots) however if it is hard and doesn’t then it has to go into the black bin; if it stretches (like cling film or bread bags) then it must also go into the black bin.
Lisa concluded with the mantras
- if in doubt leave it out (of the silver bin)
- and its only 1 plastic bottle, said 8 billion people…
The competition of 'before and after of a recycled item' was won by Françoise Rothery, followed by Sue Whitaker in second and Janet Jackson in third. See photos on the News page.
24th January 2023
Speaker: Fenella Baskerville - 'Insights into Jewellery Making'
Competition: Brooch in any medium
Our new President, Sue Blantern rang the bell to commence the meeting and welcomed 25 members and one visitor to stand and sing Jerusalem.
After the business of the evening, our Speaker was introduced. Fenella Baskerville told us about her life as a jewellery maker. She covered her whole career from how she started working and studying until she qualified. Her high-profile jobs in London, working for very prestigious companies. There were tales of how clients had jellybean machines made from gold; ordered cufflinks for their private orchestra; and hand delivered a necklace to James Bond. Fenella seemed to spend a lot of time seeing the world hand delivering pieces to clients. We were shown photos of some to the pieces she has worked on, where her inspiration came from and the process of manufacture. We also saw some of the reworkings she had done and the lovely stories that accompanied them. She then talked through her display which included wax models of ring designs, un-cut gems, and some finished pieces.
The competition was 'A Brooch in any Medium' and this was judged by Fenella and she chose
Speaker: Fenella Baskerville - 'Insights into Jewellery Making'
Competition: Brooch in any medium
Our new President, Sue Blantern rang the bell to commence the meeting and welcomed 25 members and one visitor to stand and sing Jerusalem.
After the business of the evening, our Speaker was introduced. Fenella Baskerville told us about her life as a jewellery maker. She covered her whole career from how she started working and studying until she qualified. Her high-profile jobs in London, working for very prestigious companies. There were tales of how clients had jellybean machines made from gold; ordered cufflinks for their private orchestra; and hand delivered a necklace to James Bond. Fenella seemed to spend a lot of time seeing the world hand delivering pieces to clients. We were shown photos of some to the pieces she has worked on, where her inspiration came from and the process of manufacture. We also saw some of the reworkings she had done and the lovely stories that accompanied them. She then talked through her display which included wax models of ring designs, un-cut gems, and some finished pieces.
The competition was 'A Brooch in any Medium' and this was judged by Fenella and she chose
- 1st – Valerie Quinn
- 2nd - Janet Jackson
- 3rd – Ann Beckett