Reports
Tuesday 7th December 2021
Christmas Meal at The George & Dragon
Christmas Meal at The George & Dragon
Tuesday 23rd November 2021
Annual Meeting with Taste Testing Evening
This evening was very busy having the usual monthly meeting followed by our Annual Meeting. We had 20 members in attendance who voted in our new Committee of 9 and President for 2022. Full details on our Committee page soon.
This was followed by a very interesting 'Taste Testing' where we tasted jaffa cakes, crisps, jam and blackcurrant juice. The results showed expensive or named brands weren't always the best. Also sometimes the cheapest shop wasn't always the best value. Thanks to Wendy and Lizzy for all the organising.
Annual Meeting with Taste Testing Evening
This evening was very busy having the usual monthly meeting followed by our Annual Meeting. We had 20 members in attendance who voted in our new Committee of 9 and President for 2022. Full details on our Committee page soon.
This was followed by a very interesting 'Taste Testing' where we tasted jaffa cakes, crisps, jam and blackcurrant juice. The results showed expensive or named brands weren't always the best. Also sometimes the cheapest shop wasn't always the best value. Thanks to Wendy and Lizzy for all the organising.
Tuesday 26th October 2021
Crafty Evening with demos
This evening 16 members saw sugar crafting, poppy knitting and Christmas cards being demonstrated by 3 of our members. We thoroughly enjoyed all the chatting and questions. Definitely one to repeat. Our raffle winners were Liz Osborn and Deirdre Thompson.
Crafty Evening with demos
This evening 16 members saw sugar crafting, poppy knitting and Christmas cards being demonstrated by 3 of our members. We thoroughly enjoyed all the chatting and questions. Definitely one to repeat. Our raffle winners were Liz Osborn and Deirdre Thompson.
Tuesday 28th September 2021
North West Air Ambulance
Tuesday 28th September saw 19 members attend our first proper face-to-face meeting. After a short business chat the President introduced our Speaker for the evening – Victor Crawford a volunteer presenter for The North West Air Ambulance (NWAA) which is one of 18 Air Ambulance Charities in the UK. The aim of the charity is to provide an emergency service to airlift injured and traumatised patients from the scene of an accident to the nearest appropriate hospital.
They operate 3 helicopters out of Blackpool and Barton aerodromes and last year carried out 2500 missions. When someone suffers serious trauma such as a major injury, heart attack or stroke, speed is of the essence and their aim is get the patient to hospital within 1 hour of the incident….and this is what they achieve.
When you ring 999, you are connected via a BT operator to the North West Ambulance Service control room. They identify your location and categorise the incident red, amber or green. The target is to attend to red incidents within 9 minutes. If the ambulance dispatchers feel there is an advantage in using an air ambulance they will contact a NWAA controller and agree to deploy the helicopter. Once the helicopter is scrambled it takes off within 3-4 minutes and can reach 80% of our region in 15-20 minutes. The staff on a helicopter consists of a qualified doctor, or 2 paramedics and the pilot.
About a third of the incidents they attend are road traffic accidents, a quarter are due to sporting or leisure activity which as you know are getting more dangerous every year. The remainder are medical stroke or heart attack and industrial. Not all missions are successful, however, but they save or improve the quality of life post recovery for over a 2000 people every year.
Demand for their service is increasing all the time, for example, we all use the roads and they are getting busier, at the same time their costs are increasing. It costs about £600 to fill the fuel tank of one of the helicopters and that only gives them 3 missions. It costs about £9m per annum to operate the 3 helicopters. The charity, along with other air ambulance charities have opted not to take any government funding so they are totally reliant on donations from the Public and Business. Victor finished his talk with a short film showing exactly what happens on a mission and the people involved.
We finished the evening with refreshments and our raffle winners were Judith Whalley and Andrea Petty.
North West Air Ambulance
Tuesday 28th September saw 19 members attend our first proper face-to-face meeting. After a short business chat the President introduced our Speaker for the evening – Victor Crawford a volunteer presenter for The North West Air Ambulance (NWAA) which is one of 18 Air Ambulance Charities in the UK. The aim of the charity is to provide an emergency service to airlift injured and traumatised patients from the scene of an accident to the nearest appropriate hospital.
They operate 3 helicopters out of Blackpool and Barton aerodromes and last year carried out 2500 missions. When someone suffers serious trauma such as a major injury, heart attack or stroke, speed is of the essence and their aim is get the patient to hospital within 1 hour of the incident….and this is what they achieve.
When you ring 999, you are connected via a BT operator to the North West Ambulance Service control room. They identify your location and categorise the incident red, amber or green. The target is to attend to red incidents within 9 minutes. If the ambulance dispatchers feel there is an advantage in using an air ambulance they will contact a NWAA controller and agree to deploy the helicopter. Once the helicopter is scrambled it takes off within 3-4 minutes and can reach 80% of our region in 15-20 minutes. The staff on a helicopter consists of a qualified doctor, or 2 paramedics and the pilot.
About a third of the incidents they attend are road traffic accidents, a quarter are due to sporting or leisure activity which as you know are getting more dangerous every year. The remainder are medical stroke or heart attack and industrial. Not all missions are successful, however, but they save or improve the quality of life post recovery for over a 2000 people every year.
Demand for their service is increasing all the time, for example, we all use the roads and they are getting busier, at the same time their costs are increasing. It costs about £600 to fill the fuel tank of one of the helicopters and that only gives them 3 missions. It costs about £9m per annum to operate the 3 helicopters. The charity, along with other air ambulance charities have opted not to take any government funding so they are totally reliant on donations from the Public and Business. Victor finished his talk with a short film showing exactly what happens on a mission and the people involved.
We finished the evening with refreshments and our raffle winners were Judith Whalley and Andrea Petty.
Tuesday 24th August 2021
Members' Evening
Just a little business to take care of first and then the ladies circulated and chatted. As the kitchen was out of bounds we decided to use up some of our wine and had individual snacks. We held a raffle and also had our sales table consisting of books, hand-made cards and plants.
A little bit different to our usual meeting but at least we met up and it felt we're on the road to normality.
Members' Evening
Just a little business to take care of first and then the ladies circulated and chatted. As the kitchen was out of bounds we decided to use up some of our wine and had individual snacks. We held a raffle and also had our sales table consisting of books, hand-made cards and plants.
A little bit different to our usual meeting but at least we met up and it felt we're on the road to normality.
Tuesday 27th July 2021
Speaker: Lindsey Barrell - Burlesque, Me and the WI
After the business of the evening the President introduced Burlesque and Mindfulness Teacher, Lindsey Barrell, aka Ms Cherry Bombe, who has been a regular speaker on the WI circuit since 2014.
From empty nest to great success, via craft sessions and dance lessons, Lindsey entertained us with the story of her burlesque and WI collaboration. Lindsey has been a WI member for 8 years and is currently President and founding member of Tea N Tiaras WI in Chelmsford, Essex.
After discovering a passion for Burlesque, Lindsey started teaching it as part of a WI subgroup and her fabulous troupes can now be found entertaining the people of Essex and the Home Counties on a regular basis.
We finished off the evening with us all standing up and learning moves called bump, grind, tales of the unexpected and shimmy. What a load of laughs and fun.
Speaker: Lindsey Barrell - Burlesque, Me and the WI
After the business of the evening the President introduced Burlesque and Mindfulness Teacher, Lindsey Barrell, aka Ms Cherry Bombe, who has been a regular speaker on the WI circuit since 2014.
From empty nest to great success, via craft sessions and dance lessons, Lindsey entertained us with the story of her burlesque and WI collaboration. Lindsey has been a WI member for 8 years and is currently President and founding member of Tea N Tiaras WI in Chelmsford, Essex.
After discovering a passion for Burlesque, Lindsey started teaching it as part of a WI subgroup and her fabulous troupes can now be found entertaining the people of Essex and the Home Counties on a regular basis.
We finished off the evening with us all standing up and learning moves called bump, grind, tales of the unexpected and shimmy. What a load of laughs and fun.
Tuesday 22nd June 2021
Cheese & Wine Evening
This month's meeting was slightly different, and certainly a welcomed change to Zoom. We all met in President Linda's garden for a Cheese & Wine Evening. The weather was glorious and warm, until the sun went down, but 19 of our 24 members enjoyed meeting up together for the first time in ages.
The winners of the raffle were: Jean Jepson, Mamie Bell, Sue Whitaker, Celia Steel and Barbara Foster. Thank you for your company ladies.
See our News page for the photos
Cheese & Wine Evening
This month's meeting was slightly different, and certainly a welcomed change to Zoom. We all met in President Linda's garden for a Cheese & Wine Evening. The weather was glorious and warm, until the sun went down, but 19 of our 24 members enjoyed meeting up together for the first time in ages.
The winners of the raffle were: Jean Jepson, Mamie Bell, Sue Whitaker, Celia Steel and Barbara Foster. Thank you for your company ladies.
See our News page for the photos
Tuesday 25th May 2021 - Resolutions
(Speaker: Baroness Bolsover)
This evening saw 16 members vote on our Resolution for this year "A call to increase awareness of the subtle signs of ovarian cancer". Following other business matters the President introduced Baroness Bolsolver for her talk about The Etiquette of Afternoon Tea.
Who is the Baroness Bolsover, well she's worked in professional theatre for over 35 years. With a fascination for Victorian history she was delighted to combine her two passions with the creation of the Victorian Baroness, which is a far cry from her early acting roles.
Her Ladyship simply adores showing everyone how to become the Crème de la Crème of the Tea Party. - "There’s lots to learn as we Victorians had rules of etiquette for just about anything and everything!"
Here are few 'DO's and DONT'S' to help you get started.
NO ELBOWS - "Do refrain from resting one's elbows on the table. Despite it feeling rather comfortable, it is most inappropriate at the Afternoon Tea Table."
DUNKING? - "Don’t even think about it!!!"
DON'T POUR SLOPS INTO YOUR CUP - "That’s what the pretty little dish on the table is for. If a slop bowl is not provided, the nearest plant might appreciate a drink...but please DO be subtle!
NEVER SPEAK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL - "Do swallow your food before engaging in conversation… even when there is SO much to talk about!"
DO AVOID TAKING LARGE BITES -"Or you'll end up in all kinds of trouble. Nibble food daintily. This way one can spend more time chatting rather than trying to discretely remove cream from around one’s mouth."
We also learned how to place our napkin, how to stir our tea correctly and so many other things - a lot to think about. We enjoyed the talk so much we've booked an Afternoon Tea in June - wonder how much we'll remember!
(Speaker: Baroness Bolsover)
This evening saw 16 members vote on our Resolution for this year "A call to increase awareness of the subtle signs of ovarian cancer". Following other business matters the President introduced Baroness Bolsolver for her talk about The Etiquette of Afternoon Tea.
Who is the Baroness Bolsover, well she's worked in professional theatre for over 35 years. With a fascination for Victorian history she was delighted to combine her two passions with the creation of the Victorian Baroness, which is a far cry from her early acting roles.
Her Ladyship simply adores showing everyone how to become the Crème de la Crème of the Tea Party. - "There’s lots to learn as we Victorians had rules of etiquette for just about anything and everything!"
Here are few 'DO's and DONT'S' to help you get started.
NO ELBOWS - "Do refrain from resting one's elbows on the table. Despite it feeling rather comfortable, it is most inappropriate at the Afternoon Tea Table."
DUNKING? - "Don’t even think about it!!!"
DON'T POUR SLOPS INTO YOUR CUP - "That’s what the pretty little dish on the table is for. If a slop bowl is not provided, the nearest plant might appreciate a drink...but please DO be subtle!
NEVER SPEAK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL - "Do swallow your food before engaging in conversation… even when there is SO much to talk about!"
DO AVOID TAKING LARGE BITES -"Or you'll end up in all kinds of trouble. Nibble food daintily. This way one can spend more time chatting rather than trying to discretely remove cream from around one’s mouth."
We also learned how to place our napkin, how to stir our tea correctly and so many other things - a lot to think about. We enjoyed the talk so much we've booked an Afternoon Tea in June - wonder how much we'll remember!
Tuesday 27th April 2021
This evening just a handful of members attended, including our new member. We enjoyed a 'giggle' with our quiz. This is the first time we have activated 'break-out' rooms on Zoom and there was a lot of toing and froing and a bit of confusion on the quizmaster's behalf but we got there in the end for 3 teams of 3 to answer General Knowledge questions. The winning team consisted of Lizzie, Janet and Liz. Well done ladies.
This evening just a handful of members attended, including our new member. We enjoyed a 'giggle' with our quiz. This is the first time we have activated 'break-out' rooms on Zoom and there was a lot of toing and froing and a bit of confusion on the quizmaster's behalf but we got there in the end for 3 teams of 3 to answer General Knowledge questions. The winning team consisted of Lizzie, Janet and Liz. Well done ladies.
Tuesday 23rd March 2021 - 91st Birthday
This evening 19 members and 5 guests all donned their hats/bonnets to celebrate our 91st birthday and of course Easter which will soon be upon us. There were various types, sizes and colours. It was very impressive the number of our ladies who had chocolate, bunnies, flowers and streamers all over their hats. Well done.
After the small amount of business the President introduced our Speaker for the evening, Jackie Mafi who talked about 'Sweet Memories'. It was interesting to learn where the names of our sweets originated and also how old some of our favourites were! Jackie conducted a little quiz to test our memories about adverts - 'Made to make your mouth water'? - of course it was Opal Fruits. She finished by judging our competition and Sue Whitaker won with her home made bonnet with reusable chicks etc. (See our News page for a photo).
This evening 19 members and 5 guests all donned their hats/bonnets to celebrate our 91st birthday and of course Easter which will soon be upon us. There were various types, sizes and colours. It was very impressive the number of our ladies who had chocolate, bunnies, flowers and streamers all over their hats. Well done.
After the small amount of business the President introduced our Speaker for the evening, Jackie Mafi who talked about 'Sweet Memories'. It was interesting to learn where the names of our sweets originated and also how old some of our favourites were! Jackie conducted a little quiz to test our memories about adverts - 'Made to make your mouth water'? - of course it was Opal Fruits. She finished by judging our competition and Sue Whitaker won with her home made bonnet with reusable chicks etc. (See our News page for a photo).
Tuesday 23rd February 2021
This evening saw 11 members met via Zoom where we went through the usual business. We now have 12 members who have volunteered to knit scarves for Cheshire's Lockdown Challenge, with some doing more than one. We reminded the members that time was running out for our donations of handbags to CWA, along with Easter Eggs.
Our entertainment for the evening was a quick couple of games of bingo with Barbara and Deirdre winning these. This was followed by our Word Game which consisted of 10 categories all beginning with the letter 'S'. It was a close run thing with Sue B, Lizzy, Karen E and Liz all winning.
Next month is our birthday, so it'll be a Zoom party with a difference. We've decided on a speaker who will give a talk called 'Sweet Memories' and we will also hold a hat/bonnet competition. We have 5 guests attending and we will all enjoy a toast to the success of our WI.
This evening saw 11 members met via Zoom where we went through the usual business. We now have 12 members who have volunteered to knit scarves for Cheshire's Lockdown Challenge, with some doing more than one. We reminded the members that time was running out for our donations of handbags to CWA, along with Easter Eggs.
Our entertainment for the evening was a quick couple of games of bingo with Barbara and Deirdre winning these. This was followed by our Word Game which consisted of 10 categories all beginning with the letter 'S'. It was a close run thing with Sue B, Lizzy, Karen E and Liz all winning.
Next month is our birthday, so it'll be a Zoom party with a difference. We've decided on a speaker who will give a talk called 'Sweet Memories' and we will also hold a hat/bonnet competition. We have 5 guests attending and we will all enjoy a toast to the success of our WI.
Tuesday 25th January 2021
Thirteen of our members logged into Zoom to attend this month's meeting, with 4 apologies. We went through the business of the evening - birthdays, Cheshire Federation mailings (via email of course) and our collections for Cheshire Without Abuse.
With regard to our donations to CWA we have decided to follow on with this by filling an old handbag with the items we would usually collect at our monthly meetings. The idea came from the charity called 'Love Grace' which was set up by Grace Millane’s family following her tragic murder in December 2018 whilst travelling in New Zealand. Grace loved a handbag and the Love Grace Handbag Appeal commenced to help women that have been affected by domestic violence. CWA were thrilled with this idea, and as we would be dropping them off at the beginning of April wondered if we could include an Easter egg of some sort, and this was agreed by the ladies.
They were reminded that Cheshire Federation were holding a Zoom meeting on Thursday evening with Jacquie Felix-Mitchell who is a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and RHS Garden Design Consultancy, and that our members were invited to attend. We also had an update from our Chairman, Jean Harding, and this can be read on our News page. We also had a flyer regarding the Lady Denman Cup with entry form. Copies of these documents will be emailed to all members.
The evening continued with the answers to the 'Picture' and 'Mixed Up Stars' quizzes that were sent out prior to the meeting and then continued with a Fruit & Veg Quiz, this resulted in a few differences of opinions with the answers, but all light hearted fun. When all the answers were totted up Sue Blantern won with Sue Whitaker second and Andrea Petty third.
We did discuss what we could do in future Zoom meetings, and after another Word Game and Bingo for next month, we're looking at booking a Speaker for our Birthday Party in March, so watch this space.
Thirteen of our members logged into Zoom to attend this month's meeting, with 4 apologies. We went through the business of the evening - birthdays, Cheshire Federation mailings (via email of course) and our collections for Cheshire Without Abuse.
With regard to our donations to CWA we have decided to follow on with this by filling an old handbag with the items we would usually collect at our monthly meetings. The idea came from the charity called 'Love Grace' which was set up by Grace Millane’s family following her tragic murder in December 2018 whilst travelling in New Zealand. Grace loved a handbag and the Love Grace Handbag Appeal commenced to help women that have been affected by domestic violence. CWA were thrilled with this idea, and as we would be dropping them off at the beginning of April wondered if we could include an Easter egg of some sort, and this was agreed by the ladies.
They were reminded that Cheshire Federation were holding a Zoom meeting on Thursday evening with Jacquie Felix-Mitchell who is a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and RHS Garden Design Consultancy, and that our members were invited to attend. We also had an update from our Chairman, Jean Harding, and this can be read on our News page. We also had a flyer regarding the Lady Denman Cup with entry form. Copies of these documents will be emailed to all members.
The evening continued with the answers to the 'Picture' and 'Mixed Up Stars' quizzes that were sent out prior to the meeting and then continued with a Fruit & Veg Quiz, this resulted in a few differences of opinions with the answers, but all light hearted fun. When all the answers were totted up Sue Blantern won with Sue Whitaker second and Andrea Petty third.
We did discuss what we could do in future Zoom meetings, and after another Word Game and Bingo for next month, we're looking at booking a Speaker for our Birthday Party in March, so watch this space.