HOE DOWN and Christmas party - December 2015
What a brilliant night everyone had at the Christmas party on Monday 14th December 2015!
The evening kicked off with mulled wine on arrival and then we had the first session of dancing and hoe down with a live band which was hilarious fun. Next we had a lovely hotpot supper, desserts, wine and chocolates and the more dancing to work this all off. There was also a quiz, the raffle with 18 beautiful hampers as prizes and a Secret Santa.
Thanks to Wendy and the committee who worked so hard to make this such a successful evening.
And here are just some of the comments Wendy received after the party:
* I'd just like to say a big thank you to you and all the committee for Monday - a great idea, plus for all your enthusiasm and dedication throughout the year!
* Just wanted to say an enormous thank you to you and your team for a truly lovely evening.
* What a lot of work must have gone into it to make it so perfect - I even won a hamper. Lucky me it was fabulous in a beautiful basket which, I'm told, came from Peru.
* I also love our little list of programs and info. In fact it should be Wendy for prime minister in that you manage the funds so well with your cabinet, look after our club and,most of all, make sure that we are all friends.
* Thank you, I enjoyed the evening very much. And the food was delicious.
* Heaps of thanks to you and the committee for our wonderful, festive, jolly and delicious party! I appreciate your tremendous care, thought and effort to create a lively, lovely event. Have a very Merry Christmas!
* Just wanted to say a huge thank you for a super time last night at the party. You and your committee had thought of everything. It was such fun to be Hoe Downing!!! The food and table decorations were lovely.
* Thank you for the great Hoe Down last night. Lots of fun! And those hampers!!!
* Brilliant evening, thanks everyone. Merry Christmas.
* A fun evening - thank you and Happy Christmas everyone!_________________________________________________________________________________________
GARETH MALONE at the BRIDGEWATER HALL - DECEMBER 2015
The evening kicked off with mulled wine on arrival and then we had the first session of dancing and hoe down with a live band which was hilarious fun. Next we had a lovely hotpot supper, desserts, wine and chocolates and the more dancing to work this all off. There was also a quiz, the raffle with 18 beautiful hampers as prizes and a Secret Santa.
Thanks to Wendy and the committee who worked so hard to make this such a successful evening.
And here are just some of the comments Wendy received after the party:
* I'd just like to say a big thank you to you and all the committee for Monday - a great idea, plus for all your enthusiasm and dedication throughout the year!
* Just wanted to say an enormous thank you to you and your team for a truly lovely evening.
* What a lot of work must have gone into it to make it so perfect - I even won a hamper. Lucky me it was fabulous in a beautiful basket which, I'm told, came from Peru.
* I also love our little list of programs and info. In fact it should be Wendy for prime minister in that you manage the funds so well with your cabinet, look after our club and,most of all, make sure that we are all friends.
* Thank you, I enjoyed the evening very much. And the food was delicious.
* Heaps of thanks to you and the committee for our wonderful, festive, jolly and delicious party! I appreciate your tremendous care, thought and effort to create a lively, lovely event. Have a very Merry Christmas!
* Just wanted to say a huge thank you for a super time last night at the party. You and your committee had thought of everything. It was such fun to be Hoe Downing!!! The food and table decorations were lovely.
* Thank you for the great Hoe Down last night. Lots of fun! And those hampers!!!
* Brilliant evening, thanks everyone. Merry Christmas.
* A fun evening - thank you and Happy Christmas everyone!_________________________________________________________________________________________
GARETH MALONE at the BRIDGEWATER HALL - DECEMBER 2015
18 ladies enjoyed a great night out at the Bridgewater Hall on Monday 7th December 2015. Gareth Malone performed with his Young Voices choir and everyone was encouraged to join in as well. Several ladies had a lovely pre-theatre meal at Gio, kindly organised by Pat. Thanks go to Barbara for suggesting we go to see the performance.
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BOOK CLUB - DECEMBER 2015
Mixed reviews for this month's book, The Hare with the Amber Eyes. Some people had read the whole book whereas others had only managed to get part way through. Nevertheless on the night, there was a great discussion about an interesting topic.
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BOOK CLUB - DECEMBER 2015
Mixed reviews for this month's book, The Hare with the Amber Eyes. Some people had read the whole book whereas others had only managed to get part way through. Nevertheless on the night, there was a great discussion about an interesting topic.
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TEN PIN BOWLING - DECEMBER 2015
A group of ladies enjoyed Ten Pin Bowling at Macclesfield Superbowl recently and there were definitely some hidden talents discovered! As well as the bowling, everyone tucked into a bacon or egg butty and a hot drink. Great fun and thanks to Dee for organising it.
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A group of ladies enjoyed Ten Pin Bowling at Macclesfield Superbowl recently and there were definitely some hidden talents discovered! As well as the bowling, everyone tucked into a bacon or egg butty and a hot drink. Great fun and thanks to Dee for organising it.
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Looking forward to Afternoon Tea
AFTERNOON TEA AT THE CLINK - NOVEMBER 2015
35 ladies enjoyed a delicious array of sandwiches, cakes and scones at The Clink Restaurant in Styal Prison on Wednesday 25th November. The Restaurant is one of a series of Clink Restaurants that have been opened in prisons recently to provide a unique training environment for prisoners, as well as being high quality restaurants for the general public to enjoy. At the end of the tea, Libby, who accompanied Alexander Devlin when she came and spoke to us earlier this year, gave us another short talk about her involvement with The Clink.
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MONTHLY MEETING - NOVEMBER 2015
35 ladies enjoyed a delicious array of sandwiches, cakes and scones at The Clink Restaurant in Styal Prison on Wednesday 25th November. The Restaurant is one of a series of Clink Restaurants that have been opened in prisons recently to provide a unique training environment for prisoners, as well as being high quality restaurants for the general public to enjoy. At the end of the tea, Libby, who accompanied Alexander Devlin when she came and spoke to us earlier this year, gave us another short talk about her involvement with The Clink.
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MONTHLY MEETING - NOVEMBER 2015
Over seventy members attended our AGM which must rate as the most lively meeting of this type in the vicinity!
The three officers gave entertaining reports detailing the many meetings, events and outings in what has been a very busy Commemorative year. The Committee were re-elected and the Officers remain unchanged for 2016.
After the formal business, the members voted for their favourite sweet and savoury biscuits. We had an opportunity to buy lots of goodies hand made by our talented members and look at our tree shortly to be displayed in the Christmas Tree festival.
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The three officers gave entertaining reports detailing the many meetings, events and outings in what has been a very busy Commemorative year. The Committee were re-elected and the Officers remain unchanged for 2016.
After the formal business, the members voted for their favourite sweet and savoury biscuits. We had an opportunity to buy lots of goodies hand made by our talented members and look at our tree shortly to be displayed in the Christmas Tree festival.
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THEATRE VISIT - NOVEMBER 2015
A group of seven of us enjoyed watching "Beryl - The Greatest Woman on Two Wheels" on Tuesday 3rd November at the Lowry Theatre. This witty, charming and critically acclaimed play, was written by Maxine Peake to celebrate the life of sporting legend Beryl Burton. Although very few people have heard of her, throughout her cycling career she won a multitude of events and her 12 hour time trial record set in 1967 has never been beaten by any other man or woman. After the performance, we were invited to attend a post-show Q & A session at which all 4 actors and Maxine Peake answered questions and gave us some interesting insights into the play.
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AFTERNOON WALK - OCTOBER 2015
Nine ladies enjoyed a glorious walk on Tuesday 27th October 2015. We set off from Wilmslow station and, blessed with bautiful sunshine, we made our way along some pretty footpaths whilst admiring the amazing scenery and some amazing houses as well! We walked along part of the Bollin Way before we headed back to Wilmslow to enjoy afternoon tea at Petit Delice. Thanks Jane for a lovely walk and for always taking us to new places.
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BOOK CLUB - OCTOBER 2015
The chosen book this month, Us by David Nicholls, received mixed reviews by the 11 ladies that attended the Book Club on Thursday evening. Some found empathy with the characters, feeling sorry for some, whilst others found the book just a bit boring. There were also mixed views as to whether this was better or not as good as his previous novel, One Day. Some ladies felt it would make a great film and we had great fun deciding who would play the main characters from the book.
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COOKERY DEMO - OCTOBER 2015
Dave Mooney, Chef Patron/Director of the New Moon Company gave us a colourful and entertaining talk about his career in catering during which he has worked with Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White. His love of food began when he was sent to live in rural France to learn to speak French and he saw how important food and the use of the best ingredients was to the French.
He came back to England to take his exams and then returned to France for 2 years where he had 3 jobs, working in a restaurant, in a market and in a market garden.Throughout this time, lunch was always the highlight of the day and it could last up to 1.5 hours and would always include wine. Next, he returned to England and began working at Le Manoir aux Quats’ Saisons under Raymond Blanc who he described as a very talented and fantastic man. He told us about the service periods in the kitchen which were silent affairs but then afterwards fights and arguments would break out between the chefs, some even resulting in broken limbs! Then Marco Pierre White appeared………...a 6’ 4’’ tall chef who never washed, lived on cigarettes and coffee, threw pans and knives around the kitchen at people, but who Dave said was sublimely talented. We were told he has mellowed somewhat recently, since he became a dad!
Dave’s current role as Chef Patron/Director of the New Moon Company began in 2011 when they bought the Lord Binning pub in Kelsall, then the Hanging Gate, followed by the Old Sessions House in Knutsford which all involved massive refurbishments, change of image and clientele. The Company now own 8 premises, employ almost 280 staff and aim to open another 4 establishments within the next year.
Interspersed with all this, he gave us a practical demonstration of how to prepare Vimmy Duck, one of the dishes featured on his restaurant menu and which has Vimto cordial as one of its ingredients. Despite struggling with a fused oven, he managed to produce and serve the dish, whilst giving us lots of culinary tips and ideas such as using British rapeseed oil instead of olive oil, to always invest in good quality knives and pans and to use duck fat to make wonderful roast potatoes. He also demonstrated some fantastic knife skills.
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MORNING CYCLE RIDE - OCTOBER 2015
5 ladies enjoyed the last bike ride before Christmas on Wednesday morning. We left Twinnies Bridge car park and headed out, away from Wilmslow, towards and around Manchester Airport runway. With a few bicycle mishaps en route, we skirted around Wythenshawe, through some pretty parks, and then made our way to the café at the Airport Aviation Centre. Here we enjoyed coffee, cake and lots of conversation before making our way up the hill and back to Wilmslow. Thanks Jane!
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CINEMA VISIT - OCTOBER 2015
11 ladies went to see 'Suffragette' at Macclesfield's Cinemac on Monday 12th October. This proved to be a harrowing, yet compelling film which centred on the early members of the British women's suffrage movement who took the law into their own hands at the turn of the 20th century. Their actions eventually resulted in votes for women in Britain plus other equal rights for women.
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AFTERNOON WALK - OCTOBER 2015
Nine ladies enjoyed a glorious walk on Tuesday 27th October 2015. We set off from Wilmslow station and, blessed with bautiful sunshine, we made our way along some pretty footpaths whilst admiring the amazing scenery and some amazing houses as well! We walked along part of the Bollin Way before we headed back to Wilmslow to enjoy afternoon tea at Petit Delice. Thanks Jane for a lovely walk and for always taking us to new places.
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BOOK CLUB - OCTOBER 2015
The chosen book this month, Us by David Nicholls, received mixed reviews by the 11 ladies that attended the Book Club on Thursday evening. Some found empathy with the characters, feeling sorry for some, whilst others found the book just a bit boring. There were also mixed views as to whether this was better or not as good as his previous novel, One Day. Some ladies felt it would make a great film and we had great fun deciding who would play the main characters from the book.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
COOKERY DEMO - OCTOBER 2015
Dave Mooney, Chef Patron/Director of the New Moon Company gave us a colourful and entertaining talk about his career in catering during which he has worked with Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White. His love of food began when he was sent to live in rural France to learn to speak French and he saw how important food and the use of the best ingredients was to the French.
He came back to England to take his exams and then returned to France for 2 years where he had 3 jobs, working in a restaurant, in a market and in a market garden.Throughout this time, lunch was always the highlight of the day and it could last up to 1.5 hours and would always include wine. Next, he returned to England and began working at Le Manoir aux Quats’ Saisons under Raymond Blanc who he described as a very talented and fantastic man. He told us about the service periods in the kitchen which were silent affairs but then afterwards fights and arguments would break out between the chefs, some even resulting in broken limbs! Then Marco Pierre White appeared………...a 6’ 4’’ tall chef who never washed, lived on cigarettes and coffee, threw pans and knives around the kitchen at people, but who Dave said was sublimely talented. We were told he has mellowed somewhat recently, since he became a dad!
Dave’s current role as Chef Patron/Director of the New Moon Company began in 2011 when they bought the Lord Binning pub in Kelsall, then the Hanging Gate, followed by the Old Sessions House in Knutsford which all involved massive refurbishments, change of image and clientele. The Company now own 8 premises, employ almost 280 staff and aim to open another 4 establishments within the next year.
Interspersed with all this, he gave us a practical demonstration of how to prepare Vimmy Duck, one of the dishes featured on his restaurant menu and which has Vimto cordial as one of its ingredients. Despite struggling with a fused oven, he managed to produce and serve the dish, whilst giving us lots of culinary tips and ideas such as using British rapeseed oil instead of olive oil, to always invest in good quality knives and pans and to use duck fat to make wonderful roast potatoes. He also demonstrated some fantastic knife skills.
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MORNING CYCLE RIDE - OCTOBER 2015
5 ladies enjoyed the last bike ride before Christmas on Wednesday morning. We left Twinnies Bridge car park and headed out, away from Wilmslow, towards and around Manchester Airport runway. With a few bicycle mishaps en route, we skirted around Wythenshawe, through some pretty parks, and then made our way to the café at the Airport Aviation Centre. Here we enjoyed coffee, cake and lots of conversation before making our way up the hill and back to Wilmslow. Thanks Jane!
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CINEMA VISIT - OCTOBER 2015
11 ladies went to see 'Suffragette' at Macclesfield's Cinemac on Monday 12th October. This proved to be a harrowing, yet compelling film which centred on the early members of the British women's suffrage movement who took the law into their own hands at the turn of the 20th century. Their actions eventually resulted in votes for women in Britain plus other equal rights for women.
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ROBERTS BAKERY VISIT - OCTOBER 2015
20 ladies enjoyed an informative and very interesting tour around Roberts Bakery, Northwich on Wednesday 7th October 2015. After being kitted out in very attractive white coats and red hairnets (!), we were shown around the Little Treats Bakery which makes, amongst other biscuits and cakes, thousands of gingerbread men every day. We were then given a tour of the bread making factory where it takes just 3hours 30 minutes to make a loaf of sliced bread from start to packaging. Lindsey Occleston, who is a fourth generation baker, then gave us a brief but fascinating talk on her family business. We were all delighted to be given a bag of treats to take home.
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CARDIFF HALF MARATHON - OCTOBER 2015
On Sunday, 4th October 2015, Sheila Parker took part in the Cardiff Half Marathon as part of the 15 strong National Federation WI Welsh team, joining ladies from across Wales and England. Sheila was the first lady home out of the WI team and she finished third lady in her age group in the race overall.
________________________________________________________________MORS BAG MAKING DAY - OCTOBER 2015
On Sunday, 4th October 2015, Sheila Parker took part in the Cardiff Half Marathon as part of the 15 strong National Federation WI Welsh team, joining ladies from across Wales and England. Sheila was the first lady home out of the WI team and she finished third lady in her age group in the race overall.
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On Saturday 3rd October 2015, lots of members attended a Mors Bag making day and as well as enjoying great cake and conversation, they also raised the total of completed bags to 61. In addition to these bags, there are approximately 25 bags with members waiting to be sewn plus Amanda, who did a sterling job organising the day, has another 15 at home. All this means that we will achieve our target goal of 100 bags, 50 of which will be delivered to Food Friend on Monday 5th October, the day the charge for plastic bags is being introduced.
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CENTENARY PICNIC - SEPTEMBER 2015
Cottonopolis WI organised a Centenary Picnic at Heaton Park on Sunday 27th September and they were blessed with an afternoon of beautiful sunshine. Ladies from Cheshire and Lancashire Federations attended and enjoyed eating cake and drinking fizz as well as the other activities that were on offer.
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CENTENARY PICNIC - SEPTEMBER 2015
Cottonopolis WI organised a Centenary Picnic at Heaton Park on Sunday 27th September and they were blessed with an afternoon of beautiful sunshine. Ladies from Cheshire and Lancashire Federations attended and enjoyed eating cake and drinking fizz as well as the other activities that were on offer.
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GOTHIC FOR GIRLS by HISTORY OF WARDROBE - SEPTEMBER 2015
Several ladies from Fulshaw another presentation from History of Wardrobe, this time entitled Gothic for Girls which included 'shiveringly beautiful costumes and darkly dramatic readings from the best of British 'Gothic' writing'. It all took place at Bollington Arts Centre and thanks go to Lorna for organising it.
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MACMILLAN WORLD'S BIGGEST COFFEE MORNING - SEPTEMBER 2015
Jackie Rabone, ably assisted by Barbara Death, Kate Dewhurst and Susan Handley, hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning (and afternoon) as part of the Macmillan World's Biggest Coffee Morning Event on Friday 25th September. An array of delicious cakes were there to tempt us to add and lose pounds to our waistlines and purses respectively!
Well over 50 people attended throughout the day including several Fulshaw WI ladies.
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NECG WALK - SEPTEMBER 2015
15 ladies, 2 husbands and 2 dogs enjoyed a pretty 5 mile walk on Friday 25th September. Despite threatening clouds, the sun shone and we walked around Dunham Park, Dunham golf course and the surrounding lanes and fields, and the enjoyed lunch at the Swan with 2 Nicks.
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Jackie Rabone, ably assisted by Barbara Death, Kate Dewhurst and Susan Handley, hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning (and afternoon) as part of the Macmillan World's Biggest Coffee Morning Event on Friday 25th September. An array of delicious cakes were there to tempt us to add and lose pounds to our waistlines and purses respectively!
Well over 50 people attended throughout the day including several Fulshaw WI ladies.
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NECG WALK - SEPTEMBER 2015
15 ladies, 2 husbands and 2 dogs enjoyed a pretty 5 mile walk on Friday 25th September. Despite threatening clouds, the sun shone and we walked around Dunham Park, Dunham golf course and the surrounding lanes and fields, and the enjoyed lunch at the Swan with 2 Nicks.
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OUR LIFE WITH MARIONETTES - SEPTEMBER 2015
Dee's Beautiful Cake
John and Sandra Horsman brought along a number of Marionettes to show members and John gave a talk on the history of marionettes followed by the story their ‘Life with Marionettes’. He showed a series of pictures of the sets he had made and of the many puppets used in plays they performed. We had to handle the marionettes ourselves if we wanted to see them after the talk. They were clearly still passionate about their lifetime hobby.
To celebrate the WI Centenary, Dee made a beautiful birthday cake and we were all given a piece to take home along with a key ring with a picture on it of the Centenary banner we made earlier this year.
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To celebrate the WI Centenary, Dee made a beautiful birthday cake and we were all given a piece to take home along with a key ring with a picture on it of the Centenary banner we made earlier this year.
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A LITTLE BLACK DRESS - SEPTEMBER 2015
From Office......... to Ballroom.
We were delighted to be invited by Cheadle and Gatley WI, as part of their Centenary celebrations, to see a showing of the highly acclaimed 'Little Black Dress' talk and fashion show, an inspiring story of how Aspull and Haigh WI created one dress, which converted into many, all using recycled garments. In addition to this, there were stalls, refreshments, a tombola, a raffle and 2 hilarious sketches to entertain the 105 ladies that attended.
Five Brave Ladies Ready to Sky Dive!
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SKY DIVING - SEPTEMBER 2015
Five brave ladies from Fulshaw joined a total of fifty of local WI members who all took part in a two minute sky dive each to commemorate 100 years of the WI and to demonstrate how things have changed over the years. The dive took place at Air Kix on Thursday 17th September and those that took part said how much they had enjoyed it. BBC North West Tonight interviewed 4 ladies from other WIs that had participated and this was shown on TV the next day. The interview can be seen by clicking on this link.
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THE CENTENNIAL GARDEN - SEPTEMBER 2015
SKY DIVING - SEPTEMBER 2015
Five brave ladies from Fulshaw joined a total of fifty of local WI members who all took part in a two minute sky dive each to commemorate 100 years of the WI and to demonstrate how things have changed over the years. The dive took place at Air Kix on Thursday 17th September and those that took part said how much they had enjoyed it. BBC North West Tonight interviewed 4 ladies from other WIs that had participated and this was shown on TV the next day. The interview can be seen by clicking on this link.
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THE CENTENNIAL GARDEN - SEPTEMBER 2015
On Wednesday 16th September, invited guests and friends were present to see the opening ceremony of the WI/Incredible Edible garden. A ribbon was cut, a plaque about the garden was displayed and Wendy planted a centenary fruit tree. Jennie, who has worked hard on this project made a beautiful cake to mark the event and Amanda made some of her famous flapjacks.
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MORNING WALK - SEPTEMBER 2015
A great 5 mile walk on Thursday 27th September led by Jane. The walk started out from Twinnies Bridge car park at 10.15am with a coffee break en route.
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BOOK CLUB - SEPTEMBER 2015
The chosen book this month was I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. The general consensus was that it was a real page turner, full of suspense, twists and turns. A great first novel by Clare and thanks to Cathy for suggesting it and leading the discussion.
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CENTENARY SHOW HARROGATE - SEPTEMBER 2015
A bunch of intrepid ladies went to the WI Centenary Show at Harrogate on Friday 4th September. As you can see from the photos below, everyone had a great time.
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MORNING WALK - SEPTEMBER 2015
A great 5 mile walk on Thursday 27th September led by Jane. The walk started out from Twinnies Bridge car park at 10.15am with a coffee break en route.
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BOOK CLUB - SEPTEMBER 2015
The chosen book this month was I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. The general consensus was that it was a real page turner, full of suspense, twists and turns. A great first novel by Clare and thanks to Cathy for suggesting it and leading the discussion.
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CENTENARY SHOW HARROGATE - SEPTEMBER 2015
A bunch of intrepid ladies went to the WI Centenary Show at Harrogate on Friday 4th September. As you can see from the photos below, everyone had a great time.
The cheerful group of walkers pose for the camera.
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EVENING WALK - AUGUST 2015
We were delighted to welcome fifteen people, which included two sons, one daughter and a husband, to the evening walk on Wednesday 26th August. Jane led us on pretty and varied route, most of which we had not been on before. We left the Rifleman's and then headed out to Mobberley and the golf course, past Rossmere Lake and then back to the Rifleman's via the path near Ned Yates in the fading light. Some of the party enjoyed a drink in the pub before setting off home.
EVENING WALK - AUGUST 2015
We were delighted to welcome fifteen people, which included two sons, one daughter and a husband, to the evening walk on Wednesday 26th August. Jane led us on pretty and varied route, most of which we had not been on before. We left the Rifleman's and then headed out to Mobberley and the golf course, past Rossmere Lake and then back to the Rifleman's via the path near Ned Yates in the fading light. Some of the party enjoyed a drink in the pub before setting off home.
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EVENING BIKE RIDE - AUGUST 2015
Eight ladies enjoyed a lovely evening bike ride on Monday 17th August. The sun was shining as we set off on the Alderley Edge bypass road and the headed out towards Chelford, admiring the beautiful scenery and grand houses. We then made our way back via Marthall and Ollerton and arrived back in Wilmslow, passing the Plough and Flail. The route was just over 12 miles long, with much of it on roads we had not been on before. A great bike ride and thanks to Jane for organising it.
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EVENING BIKE RIDE - AUGUST 2015
Eight ladies enjoyed a lovely evening bike ride on Monday 17th August. The sun was shining as we set off on the Alderley Edge bypass road and the headed out towards Chelford, admiring the beautiful scenery and grand houses. We then made our way back via Marthall and Ollerton and arrived back in Wilmslow, passing the Plough and Flail. The route was just over 12 miles long, with much of it on roads we had not been on before. A great bike ride and thanks to Jane for organising it.
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HERB AND SPICE WORKSHOP - JULY MONTHLY MEETING
Sarah Pendle ([email protected] ) presented a very entertaining and informative presentation about herbs and spices that can be used in cookery. Sarah distributed samples of 10 spices to all members of the audience to see if they could identify what they were and whether they tasted sweet, sour, bitter, salty, hot or umami.
She followed this with 5 spice blends that the audience had to try and identify.
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THE CENTENNIAL GARDEN continues........ JULY 2015
She followed this with 5 spice blends that the audience had to try and identify.
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THE CENTENNIAL GARDEN continues........ JULY 2015
On Wednesday 29th July, one white currant, one blackcurrant and two gooseberry bushes were planted in our Centennial Garden. We look forward to watching the garden flourish and await the arrival of the plaque which will be placed in the garden as well the planting of an apple tree and a Centennial rose bush.
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EVENING FAMILY WALK - JULY 2015
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EVENING FAMILY WALK - JULY 2015
What a great time we had at Tea and Tents!
Despite the poor weather, 12 hardy walkers turned out to join us on our Annual Family Walk. The weather improved slightly as we made our way towards Styal, walking through Styal Country Park. At Styal, we stopped at the The Ship Inn where the adults had some liquid refreshment whilst the children enjoyed ice cream. We then finished this circular walk by returning to the cars parked at Twinnies Bridge car park. Although we weren't blessed with the good weather we had last year, we all enjoyed the walk and thanks go to Jane for organising it.
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TEA AND TENTS - JULY 2015
What a fabulous weekend we had! Six ladies from Fulshaw, namely Wendy, Jennie, Cathy, Amanda, Jane and Sheila, joined over 500 other WI members at Tea and Tents in Walesby Forest. The weather was kind to us, the camaraderie superb and between us we walked, ran, swam, were inspired by some of the wonderful talks given, learnt new crafts and skills as well as leading some of the activities and carrying out volunteer duties.
Click here to see more photos from the weekend.
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KAYAKING - JULY 2015
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TEA AND TENTS - JULY 2015
What a fabulous weekend we had! Six ladies from Fulshaw, namely Wendy, Jennie, Cathy, Amanda, Jane and Sheila, joined over 500 other WI members at Tea and Tents in Walesby Forest. The weather was kind to us, the camaraderie superb and between us we walked, ran, swam, were inspired by some of the wonderful talks given, learnt new crafts and skills as well as leading some of the activities and carrying out volunteer duties.
Click here to see more photos from the weekend.
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KAYAKING - JULY 2015
Several brave ladies tried their hand at kayaking for the first time on Thursday evening whilst others were grateful to have the opportunity to repeat the experience. Only one lady fell in and a second place was achieved in the pub quiz afterwards. Thanks to Hilly for organising the event.
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A DRESS FOR EVERY OCCASION - JULY 2015
A thoroughly entertaining and yet thought-provoking evening. Lucy Adlington, assisted by Meridith Towne, entertained us with their performance of 'A Dress for Every Decade' which highlighted the role of women and the WI throughout the last 100 years. They illustrated the talk with a selection of the clothes that were worn during this period as well as sharing many amusing anecdotes with us, both rehearsed plus many 'off the cuff'. The evening was hosted by the Social Lites who treated us to tea, coffee and a superb selection of home baked cakes on arrival. The evening was rounded off with a raffle, and 4 of the ladies from Fulshaw were lucky enough to win prizes.
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Enjoying our Picnic at Gawsworth
EGO RESTAURANT - JULY 2015
A great night at Ego Restaurant in Bramhall!! Twenty three ladies enjoyed the Monday night special at Ego Restaurant which consisted of a choice of 2 courses, a bottle of wine each and we were even treated to coffee on the house by Ego. As well as being wined and dined, Wendy had prepared a special quiz for us all which was won by the 'Back Corner Team' - Cathy, Dot, Barbara and Jackie. The winning and losing teams were awarded chocolate bars and, just in case we hadn't done enough damage to our waistlines with the meal, everyone enjoyed chocolates with their coffees, all kindly donated by Wendy.
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BOOK CLUB - JULY 2015
Fourteen ladies met on Thursday 9th July in the Rifleman's to discuss what they thought about the chosen book, 'Nora Webster' by Colm Toibin. The discussion was led by Liz and it is fair to say that the reviews and people's opinions were very mixed. Ladies who were familiar with the Irish setting of the book seemed to enjoy the book the most.
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AFTERNOON TEA at WILMSLOW HIGH SCHOOL - JULY 2015
In what has become an annual tradition, we were invited to Wilmslow High School to share with them in this community event. Eleven of us enjoyed a selection of sandwiches, cakes and scones, all prepared and served by the pupils, during which we were entertained with an assortment of musical performances. We look forward to next years invitation!
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CHESHIRE FEDERATION 95th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS at GAWSWORTH HALL
Eleven ladies from Fulshaw attended the 95th Birthday Celebrations of Cheshire Federation held at Gawsworth Hall on Tuesday 7th July. We were entertained by other local WIs, as well some of the Board of Trustee Members , all from the wonderful open air stage at Gawsworth. As well as this we also had the opportunity to look at all the beautiful banners and bunting that each WI in Cheshire had created for the recent Centenary Celebrations of the NFWI.
We then headed over to the main garden area to enjoy a lovely picnic, followed by a tour of the Hall.
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EVENING BIKE RIDE - JULY 2015
Despite the heavy rain tin the afternoon, 4 brave ladies set off for an evening bike ride on Monday 6th July. They were rewarded with an evening cycle with only very light showers and were able to enjoy the scenery as they cycled around the roads and paths of Wilmslow and Mobberley.
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THE CENTENNIAL GARDEN BEGINS........ JULY 2015
Saturday 4th July saw the beginning of the Fulshaw WI Centennial Garden, a joint initiative between Fulshaw WI and Incredible Edible. After months of planning, we were able to start creating the garden which is now situated in the grassed area on the corner of Moor Lane and Arlington Crescent. Jennie and her husband Maurice have been leading this project, and Gail, Sheila, Amanda and her son Barnaby, all came along on Friday to help with the manual work. We planted several plants in the garden and some fruit bushes, the WI Centenary Rose and a tree will all be added soon.
The photos show the day from start to finish.
A great night at Ego Restaurant in Bramhall!! Twenty three ladies enjoyed the Monday night special at Ego Restaurant which consisted of a choice of 2 courses, a bottle of wine each and we were even treated to coffee on the house by Ego. As well as being wined and dined, Wendy had prepared a special quiz for us all which was won by the 'Back Corner Team' - Cathy, Dot, Barbara and Jackie. The winning and losing teams were awarded chocolate bars and, just in case we hadn't done enough damage to our waistlines with the meal, everyone enjoyed chocolates with their coffees, all kindly donated by Wendy.
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BOOK CLUB - JULY 2015
Fourteen ladies met on Thursday 9th July in the Rifleman's to discuss what they thought about the chosen book, 'Nora Webster' by Colm Toibin. The discussion was led by Liz and it is fair to say that the reviews and people's opinions were very mixed. Ladies who were familiar with the Irish setting of the book seemed to enjoy the book the most.
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AFTERNOON TEA at WILMSLOW HIGH SCHOOL - JULY 2015
In what has become an annual tradition, we were invited to Wilmslow High School to share with them in this community event. Eleven of us enjoyed a selection of sandwiches, cakes and scones, all prepared and served by the pupils, during which we were entertained with an assortment of musical performances. We look forward to next years invitation!
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CHESHIRE FEDERATION 95th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS at GAWSWORTH HALL
Eleven ladies from Fulshaw attended the 95th Birthday Celebrations of Cheshire Federation held at Gawsworth Hall on Tuesday 7th July. We were entertained by other local WIs, as well some of the Board of Trustee Members , all from the wonderful open air stage at Gawsworth. As well as this we also had the opportunity to look at all the beautiful banners and bunting that each WI in Cheshire had created for the recent Centenary Celebrations of the NFWI.
We then headed over to the main garden area to enjoy a lovely picnic, followed by a tour of the Hall.
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EVENING BIKE RIDE - JULY 2015
Despite the heavy rain tin the afternoon, 4 brave ladies set off for an evening bike ride on Monday 6th July. They were rewarded with an evening cycle with only very light showers and were able to enjoy the scenery as they cycled around the roads and paths of Wilmslow and Mobberley.
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THE CENTENNIAL GARDEN BEGINS........ JULY 2015
Saturday 4th July saw the beginning of the Fulshaw WI Centennial Garden, a joint initiative between Fulshaw WI and Incredible Edible. After months of planning, we were able to start creating the garden which is now situated in the grassed area on the corner of Moor Lane and Arlington Crescent. Jennie and her husband Maurice have been leading this project, and Gail, Sheila, Amanda and her son Barnaby, all came along on Friday to help with the manual work. We planted several plants in the garden and some fruit bushes, the WI Centenary Rose and a tree will all be added soon.
The photos show the day from start to finish.
Dot, Obviously Delighted with her New Iron!
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CONSUMER TESTING OF BREVILLE IRONS - JULY 2015
Fulshaw WI were invited by Ruth Lennie, a colleague of one of our former speakers, to road test the brand new Breville PressXpress Iron and 12 of us volunteered to help. We went along to the Company headquarters on Cheadle Royal Business Park, armed with our own irons and some clothing in need of ironing. After being treated to home made chocolate brownies and courgette & lemon drizzle cake, both cooked in a slow cooker (a first for all of us!), we were invited to try out the iron and appreciate its many new features. We were all very impressed and some of our own irons were definitely relegated to the bin, especially as we were each rewarded with a brand new iron to take home!
We hope that we will be given the opportunity to help out again.
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BIKE RIDE - JUNE 2015
On Wednesday 24th June, 8 ladies set off from the Rifleman's at 10.00 am for a bike ride to Jodrell Bank. This was one of our longer rides of the year as it was a round trip of just over 20 miles. This meant we had the perfect excuse to stop for lunch at the Jodrell Bank Café for lunch. The weather was glorious and so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine whilst eating lovely food and having a good old chat. As usual, we explored parts of Cheshire we had not seen before and we are grateful to Jane for planning and leading such brilliant bike rides.
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CONSUMER TESTING OF BREVILLE IRONS - JULY 2015
Fulshaw WI were invited by Ruth Lennie, a colleague of one of our former speakers, to road test the brand new Breville PressXpress Iron and 12 of us volunteered to help. We went along to the Company headquarters on Cheadle Royal Business Park, armed with our own irons and some clothing in need of ironing. After being treated to home made chocolate brownies and courgette & lemon drizzle cake, both cooked in a slow cooker (a first for all of us!), we were invited to try out the iron and appreciate its many new features. We were all very impressed and some of our own irons were definitely relegated to the bin, especially as we were each rewarded with a brand new iron to take home!
We hope that we will be given the opportunity to help out again.
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BIKE RIDE - JUNE 2015
On Wednesday 24th June, 8 ladies set off from the Rifleman's at 10.00 am for a bike ride to Jodrell Bank. This was one of our longer rides of the year as it was a round trip of just over 20 miles. This meant we had the perfect excuse to stop for lunch at the Jodrell Bank Café for lunch. The weather was glorious and so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine whilst eating lovely food and having a good old chat. As usual, we explored parts of Cheshire we had not seen before and we are grateful to Jane for planning and leading such brilliant bike rides.
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CHESHIRE SHOW - 23rd and 24th JUNE 2015
Ladies that visited the Cheshire Show and in particular the WI tent, said what a fantastic day it was. The pictures below show the Fulshaw bunting and banner that were on display over the two days. A special thanks to Jennie Palin for creating these magnificent pieces of craftwork.
Ladies that visited the Cheshire Show and in particular the WI tent, said what a fantastic day it was. The pictures below show the Fulshaw bunting and banner that were on display over the two days. A special thanks to Jennie Palin for creating these magnificent pieces of craftwork.
Enjoying a well earned drink afterwards
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STYAL PRISON TALK - JUNE MONTHLY MEETING
Alexandra Devlin, operational governor from Styal Women’s prison, gave us a very absorbing and immensely interesting talk about how the prison is run, covering every aspect of the lives of the female prisoners. Alex has been in the prison service for 18 years since she joined at the age of 27. She is passionate about helping to rehabilitate offenders and preparing them for life in the outside world after they have served their sentences. Of the 130 prisons in the country, 11 of them are solely for women and all categories of female prisoners are held in the same prison, whereas men are housed in specialist prisons. Of the 88,000 beds in the country, 84,000 are now filled and Styal itself is very close to capacity with 473 out of 485 beds occupied. The female prisoners are aged from 18 to 80 and they all have a range of needs that have to be met. There are 16 ‘living units’ with rooms of single or double occupancy. There is a mother and baby unit for up to 9 women and 10 babies. There is a ‘lifers’ unit for long term prisoners, a drug recovery unit and an ‘assisted living’ unit for older women and home helps for special needs inmates e.g. strokes or blindness. There is a punishment block (sole occupancy).
Alex explained how clothes have to be provided for the women as they don’t wear uniform and after their first two weeks they cannot be given them by family or friends and most of them have no-one to send them clothes anyway. The women live in units with up to 4 in a dormitory with 28 women sharing a bathroom with 3 toilets, 1 bath and 3 or 4 showers and there is no privacy as doors have no locks.
The prison is like a small ‘town’ and everything has to be provided on site. Education is provided by Manchester City College to GCSE level and Open University courses are available. They can also learn many skills e.g. gardening, bee keeping, waste management, gym training, catering, and beauty treatments – all skills that can be taken back into the outside world on release. There is on site provision for a dentist, doctor, podiatrist, pharmacist, solicitor, barrister, bereavement counsellor, hairdresser and a multidenominational chapel.
BUT – advantages have to be earned as many of these are rewards for good behaviour.
REALITY – the prisoners are ‘incarcerated’ and they have to learn skills to be able to change their lives on release as so many of them have been extremely deprived all their lives before they came to prison. On the serious side, many self-harm, many are violent and/or aggressive and some will never be rehabilitated. Alex told us that she had had her arm broken twice; she had been assaulted and quelled fights in full protective gear and riots that involved some appalling behaviour.
The Styal moto – is ‘building hope and changing lives’ and Alex told us she is exceptionally proud of the work she does and of the 111 talented staff that work for her. They need to have a ‘warped sense of humour, to be able to work as a team and to be able to laugh in adversity and to be able to deal with every emotion’. Staff are forever mindful of the victims on the outside and they are striving to drive down the reoffending rates.
CLINK – there is now a restaurant at the prison called Clink that is open to the public and many of the chefs and waitresses are inmates who are on the open part of the site and who can go out into the community, while returning every night. Clink is a charity started in 2010 with a number of prison restaurants around the country. Libby is both an inmate and a trainee chef at Styal who had come to the WI with Alexandra and Libby gave us a short talk on Clink and her work as a chef in Clink. Libby told us how much this opportunity meant to her and she is planning to become a chef after her release next April. Working in the Clink restaurants has been shown to reduce reoffending rates. Libby was very plucky to stand up in front of 70+ WI members and she did herself and Alexandra proud!
The talks ended at 9.25pm and the members gave Alexandra and Libby a resounding round of applause for such well delivered, thought provoking and above, all interesting talks. Styal prison has always been ‘behind closed doors’ for us, the public, but now we felt we had had a swift glimpse inside to help us appreciate the amazing work that the staff do to rehabilitate and look after inmates.
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ORIENTEERING EVENING - JUNE 2015
On Tuesday 9th June, a lovely sunny evening, seventeen people set off from the Old Dancer Pub in Wilmslow on an orienteering event. The evening, which had been organised, as last time, by Kate and Dave, was based around Wilmslow town centre and The Carrs which gave everyone the opportunity to explore this area with an eagle eye for clues. Donna and Andrew won the competition and proved to be competitive duo. Jane and friends were the runners up and Wendy, Amanda and Maggie came third. Once everyone had returned to the pub, they enjoyed a well-earned meal and drink.
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STYAL PRISON TALK - JUNE MONTHLY MEETING
Alexandra Devlin, operational governor from Styal Women’s prison, gave us a very absorbing and immensely interesting talk about how the prison is run, covering every aspect of the lives of the female prisoners. Alex has been in the prison service for 18 years since she joined at the age of 27. She is passionate about helping to rehabilitate offenders and preparing them for life in the outside world after they have served their sentences. Of the 130 prisons in the country, 11 of them are solely for women and all categories of female prisoners are held in the same prison, whereas men are housed in specialist prisons. Of the 88,000 beds in the country, 84,000 are now filled and Styal itself is very close to capacity with 473 out of 485 beds occupied. The female prisoners are aged from 18 to 80 and they all have a range of needs that have to be met. There are 16 ‘living units’ with rooms of single or double occupancy. There is a mother and baby unit for up to 9 women and 10 babies. There is a ‘lifers’ unit for long term prisoners, a drug recovery unit and an ‘assisted living’ unit for older women and home helps for special needs inmates e.g. strokes or blindness. There is a punishment block (sole occupancy).
Alex explained how clothes have to be provided for the women as they don’t wear uniform and after their first two weeks they cannot be given them by family or friends and most of them have no-one to send them clothes anyway. The women live in units with up to 4 in a dormitory with 28 women sharing a bathroom with 3 toilets, 1 bath and 3 or 4 showers and there is no privacy as doors have no locks.
The prison is like a small ‘town’ and everything has to be provided on site. Education is provided by Manchester City College to GCSE level and Open University courses are available. They can also learn many skills e.g. gardening, bee keeping, waste management, gym training, catering, and beauty treatments – all skills that can be taken back into the outside world on release. There is on site provision for a dentist, doctor, podiatrist, pharmacist, solicitor, barrister, bereavement counsellor, hairdresser and a multidenominational chapel.
BUT – advantages have to be earned as many of these are rewards for good behaviour.
REALITY – the prisoners are ‘incarcerated’ and they have to learn skills to be able to change their lives on release as so many of them have been extremely deprived all their lives before they came to prison. On the serious side, many self-harm, many are violent and/or aggressive and some will never be rehabilitated. Alex told us that she had had her arm broken twice; she had been assaulted and quelled fights in full protective gear and riots that involved some appalling behaviour.
The Styal moto – is ‘building hope and changing lives’ and Alex told us she is exceptionally proud of the work she does and of the 111 talented staff that work for her. They need to have a ‘warped sense of humour, to be able to work as a team and to be able to laugh in adversity and to be able to deal with every emotion’. Staff are forever mindful of the victims on the outside and they are striving to drive down the reoffending rates.
CLINK – there is now a restaurant at the prison called Clink that is open to the public and many of the chefs and waitresses are inmates who are on the open part of the site and who can go out into the community, while returning every night. Clink is a charity started in 2010 with a number of prison restaurants around the country. Libby is both an inmate and a trainee chef at Styal who had come to the WI with Alexandra and Libby gave us a short talk on Clink and her work as a chef in Clink. Libby told us how much this opportunity meant to her and she is planning to become a chef after her release next April. Working in the Clink restaurants has been shown to reduce reoffending rates. Libby was very plucky to stand up in front of 70+ WI members and she did herself and Alexandra proud!
The talks ended at 9.25pm and the members gave Alexandra and Libby a resounding round of applause for such well delivered, thought provoking and above, all interesting talks. Styal prison has always been ‘behind closed doors’ for us, the public, but now we felt we had had a swift glimpse inside to help us appreciate the amazing work that the staff do to rehabilitate and look after inmates.
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ORIENTEERING EVENING - JUNE 2015
On Tuesday 9th June, a lovely sunny evening, seventeen people set off from the Old Dancer Pub in Wilmslow on an orienteering event. The evening, which had been organised, as last time, by Kate and Dave, was based around Wilmslow town centre and The Carrs which gave everyone the opportunity to explore this area with an eagle eye for clues. Donna and Andrew won the competition and proved to be competitive duo. Jane and friends were the runners up and Wendy, Amanda and Maggie came third. Once everyone had returned to the pub, they enjoyed a well-earned meal and drink.
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Fulshaw Ladies Enjoying the Day
NATIONAL BROADCAST OF THE NFWI CENTENARY ANNUAL MEETING - JUNE 2015
Wow what an amazing day. Great speakers, namely Lucy Worsley, Tanni Grey-Thompson and Helen Morrisey. HM The Queen, HRH The Princess Royal and HRH The Countess of Wessex were also in attendance. Lovely company with ten WI's at the Imperial War Museum watching the AGM. The Resolution not voted as it was felt that it was not workable in its current state. We were hooked up live, one of only three venues including Llanfair PG and Devon, and the ladies from Fulshaw were in full view! It was such a privilege to 'attend'. Click here to watch the full day on YouTube. Fulshaw appear after 5hours 38minutes.
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BUCKINGHAM PALACE GARDEN PARTY - JUNE 2015
Wow what an amazing day. Great speakers, namely Lucy Worsley, Tanni Grey-Thompson and Helen Morrisey. HM The Queen, HRH The Princess Royal and HRH The Countess of Wessex were also in attendance. Lovely company with ten WI's at the Imperial War Museum watching the AGM. The Resolution not voted as it was felt that it was not workable in its current state. We were hooked up live, one of only three venues including Llanfair PG and Devon, and the ladies from Fulshaw were in full view! It was such a privilege to 'attend'. Click here to watch the full day on YouTube. Fulshaw appear after 5hours 38minutes.
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BUCKINGHAM PALACE GARDEN PARTY - JUNE 2015
Alison at the Royal Garden Party
We are delighted to learn that Alison had a wonderful day when she attended the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 2nd June, thrilled to have been the lucky lady representing Fulshaw WI on the day.
Alison gave a short talk at the last meeting telling us all about her day. She told us that the whole event had a 'fabulous atmosphere' and she had been given the opportunity to meet three members of the Royal Family - opting for this rather than spending 40 minutes queuing for the loo! The tea was amazing, accompanied by brass bands playing and they saw some of the gardens which were extensive and very beautiful. The main party started (said Alison!) when a group of them went onto the Champagne Bar at St Pancras Station. You only live once!!________________________________________________________________________________________________
Alison gave a short talk at the last meeting telling us all about her day. She told us that the whole event had a 'fabulous atmosphere' and she had been given the opportunity to meet three members of the Royal Family - opting for this rather than spending 40 minutes queuing for the loo! The tea was amazing, accompanied by brass bands playing and they saw some of the gardens which were extensive and very beautiful. The main party started (said Alison!) when a group of them went onto the Champagne Bar at St Pancras Station. You only live once!!________________________________________________________________________________________________
Decisions, Decisions!!
CHIFUNDO - MAY 2015
The evening began with a talk by Susan Flynn from Chifundo. She described the work of the charity and gave a short slide show. After the talk, there was a light supper of scampi and chips, followed by traditional Malawian biscuits served with tea and coffee. This was followed by a fashion show where models showcased some of the garments made by the women supported by the charity. Finally, there was the opportunity to buy a variety of Chifundo products including jewellery, bags, cushions aprons and clothes.
We are delighted to report that a total of £557 was raised on the night, the most ever raised at a fashion show, and the money will be used to purchase some steam irons.
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BIKE RIDE - MAY 2015
A group of eager cyclists left the Rifleman's Arms at 12.30pm on Wednesday 20th May and headed towards the Merlin and then onto the A34. They left the by-pass and cycled near The Stag and then past the Frozen Mop at Mobberley, the Plough and Flail and then back to the Rifleman's where they stopped for a cuppa. Unfortunately Amanda had a puncture half way round but this did not stop everyone having an enjoyable bike ride.
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The evening began with a talk by Susan Flynn from Chifundo. She described the work of the charity and gave a short slide show. After the talk, there was a light supper of scampi and chips, followed by traditional Malawian biscuits served with tea and coffee. This was followed by a fashion show where models showcased some of the garments made by the women supported by the charity. Finally, there was the opportunity to buy a variety of Chifundo products including jewellery, bags, cushions aprons and clothes.
We are delighted to report that a total of £557 was raised on the night, the most ever raised at a fashion show, and the money will be used to purchase some steam irons.
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BIKE RIDE - MAY 2015
A group of eager cyclists left the Rifleman's Arms at 12.30pm on Wednesday 20th May and headed towards the Merlin and then onto the A34. They left the by-pass and cycled near The Stag and then past the Frozen Mop at Mobberley, the Plough and Flail and then back to the Rifleman's where they stopped for a cuppa. Unfortunately Amanda had a puncture half way round but this did not stop everyone having an enjoyable bike ride.
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Dr Matthew Stagg
BUXTON MOUNTAIN RESCUE - MAY MONTHLY MEETING
Matthew Stagg from Buxton Mountain Rescue (BMR) gave us an inspiring talk on the history of the Mountain Rescue Movement with particular emphasis on the Peak District National Park where he is a volunteer. Matt explained that volunteers have to be relatively young and fit and are in a range of professions. They have to be available at all times of the day and night and employers have to allow flexible working hours to accommodate emergencies during the working day. Matt is an anaesthetist working on cardio-thoracic operations as well as a trauma specialist and so is an essential member of the team, which has 5 medics on the list of volunteers at Buxton.
We watched a video describing the call out procedure and the work the BMR is involved in and we saw how dogs can find people, dead or alive, more efficiently than people can. Volunteers have to 'drop everything' and respond (eg. leave family parties, leave their beds or work), as time is of the essence to prevent suffering and save lives of people in many difficult and often dangerous situations. BMR responds in wild, and even rural, places to search for lost people, rescue animals, assist ambulances, cover events, swift water rescue, body recovery and many other emergencies.
There are 48 teams in England and Wales and over 3,000 volunteers. The Mountain Rescue team in Buxton was set up in 1964 following a number of fatalities. There are 7 teams in the Buxton area that overlap. Vetting new members takes 24 - 48 months before members are fully trained to deal with all emergencies. There are weekly and three full weekend training sessions in the year. Volunteers have to help with fund raising as it costs £23,000 each year to run the Buxton team. In 2012, they spent a total of 1,700 hours on rescue missions! We saw photos of the 4 dogs they use which are owned and trained by the volunteers at their own expense.
Matt recommended a book to us - 'Mountain Rescue' by Hurst and Bennett that explains everything in more detail. Matt took lots of questions as WI members were intrigued and hugely impressed by the work done by Mountain Rescue Teams. Matt was warmly applauded for his very thorough talk that opened our eyes to the unsung heroes that are available at a moment's notice to rescue the unwary and the unlucky. It might be any one of us at any time.................food for thought indeed!
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AFTERNOON TEA - MAY 2015
Nineteen ladies spent a delightful afternoon at Macclesfield College recently. We were treated to a delicious array of sandwiches, homemade cakes and freshly baked scones with cream and jam. Pimms or a strawberry cocktail were also available for those ladies that wanted to add even more decadence to the occasion. All the food was prepared and served by the students of the College. We had a great afternoon and look forward to visiting the College on future occasions.
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RAISING AGENTS - MAY 2015
Matthew Stagg from Buxton Mountain Rescue (BMR) gave us an inspiring talk on the history of the Mountain Rescue Movement with particular emphasis on the Peak District National Park where he is a volunteer. Matt explained that volunteers have to be relatively young and fit and are in a range of professions. They have to be available at all times of the day and night and employers have to allow flexible working hours to accommodate emergencies during the working day. Matt is an anaesthetist working on cardio-thoracic operations as well as a trauma specialist and so is an essential member of the team, which has 5 medics on the list of volunteers at Buxton.
We watched a video describing the call out procedure and the work the BMR is involved in and we saw how dogs can find people, dead or alive, more efficiently than people can. Volunteers have to 'drop everything' and respond (eg. leave family parties, leave their beds or work), as time is of the essence to prevent suffering and save lives of people in many difficult and often dangerous situations. BMR responds in wild, and even rural, places to search for lost people, rescue animals, assist ambulances, cover events, swift water rescue, body recovery and many other emergencies.
There are 48 teams in England and Wales and over 3,000 volunteers. The Mountain Rescue team in Buxton was set up in 1964 following a number of fatalities. There are 7 teams in the Buxton area that overlap. Vetting new members takes 24 - 48 months before members are fully trained to deal with all emergencies. There are weekly and three full weekend training sessions in the year. Volunteers have to help with fund raising as it costs £23,000 each year to run the Buxton team. In 2012, they spent a total of 1,700 hours on rescue missions! We saw photos of the 4 dogs they use which are owned and trained by the volunteers at their own expense.
Matt recommended a book to us - 'Mountain Rescue' by Hurst and Bennett that explains everything in more detail. Matt took lots of questions as WI members were intrigued and hugely impressed by the work done by Mountain Rescue Teams. Matt was warmly applauded for his very thorough talk that opened our eyes to the unsung heroes that are available at a moment's notice to rescue the unwary and the unlucky. It might be any one of us at any time.................food for thought indeed!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
AFTERNOON TEA - MAY 2015
Nineteen ladies spent a delightful afternoon at Macclesfield College recently. We were treated to a delicious array of sandwiches, homemade cakes and freshly baked scones with cream and jam. Pimms or a strawberry cocktail were also available for those ladies that wanted to add even more decadence to the occasion. All the food was prepared and served by the students of the College. We had a great afternoon and look forward to visiting the College on future occasions.
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RAISING AGENTS - MAY 2015
Our Ladies Enjoying Their Day Out
Five ladies had an hilarious night out watching 'Raising Agents' at Eccles Town Hall on Friday 8th May. It was a production given by the Mikron Theatre Company to celebrate the WI Centenary. The four members of the cast, which included two men, portrayed ladies of the WI over the ages and entertained us with both song and spoken word. A total of £1,500 was raised on the evening for the local charity, Salford Loaves and Fishes.
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BOOK CLUB - MAY 2015
Fifteen members met at the Rifleman's Arms on Thursday 7th May for a lively discussion about this months book, 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion. Most ladies thoroughly enjoyed the book and some admitted to recognising some of the characteristics of the writer in themselves!_____________________________________________________________________________________
HATWORKS and STAIRCASE HOUSE - APRIL 2015
Eleven members enjoyed a visit to Stockport to visit two excellent museums run by Stockport MBC. It was incredible to see so much interesting history in our vicinity and the lunch in the middle was pretty good too........ Lots of catching up and chatter as usual, but thanks to Jane for making us just a little more informed on local history in such an enjoyable way.
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BOOK CLUB - MAY 2015
Fifteen members met at the Rifleman's Arms on Thursday 7th May for a lively discussion about this months book, 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion. Most ladies thoroughly enjoyed the book and some admitted to recognising some of the characteristics of the writer in themselves!_____________________________________________________________________________________
HATWORKS and STAIRCASE HOUSE - APRIL 2015
Eleven members enjoyed a visit to Stockport to visit two excellent museums run by Stockport MBC. It was incredible to see so much interesting history in our vicinity and the lunch in the middle was pretty good too........ Lots of catching up and chatter as usual, but thanks to Jane for making us just a little more informed on local history in such an enjoyable way.
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STEPPING OUT - APRIL THEATRE VISIT
13 ladies enjoyed a great night out at Altrincham Garrick watching 'Stepping Out'. As promised, this was warm hearted comedy about a group of six very different women coming together for tap dancing lessons. And then there was Goeffrey................
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CENTENARY WOMENS WALK THE WORLD - APRIL 2015
Despite a disappointing turnout, we enjoyed a lovely walk around Tatton Park on Saturday 25th April 2015. We were delighted to welcome friends from The Heatons and Didsbury WIs as well as 2 dogs and a husband! We experienced all types of weather on the 5 mile walk, including sunshine and showers. The route took us to places that most of the walkers hadn't visited before and we stopped off midway round for a picnic under the trees.
All money collected on the day will be donated to ACWW.
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STEPPING OUT - APRIL THEATRE VISIT
13 ladies enjoyed a great night out at Altrincham Garrick watching 'Stepping Out'. As promised, this was warm hearted comedy about a group of six very different women coming together for tap dancing lessons. And then there was Goeffrey................
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CENTENARY WOMENS WALK THE WORLD - APRIL 2015
Despite a disappointing turnout, we enjoyed a lovely walk around Tatton Park on Saturday 25th April 2015. We were delighted to welcome friends from The Heatons and Didsbury WIs as well as 2 dogs and a husband! We experienced all types of weather on the 5 mile walk, including sunshine and showers. The route took us to places that most of the walkers hadn't visited before and we stopped off midway round for a picnic under the trees.
All money collected on the day will be donated to ACWW.
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ORDERLY HOME AND OFFICE - APRIL MONTHLY MEETING
Amanda Manson from ‘Orderly Home & Office’ gave us a fascinating talk on how to ‘declutter’ and improve the way we live our lives. Amanda started by asking us to close our eyes and imagine what ‘clutter’ means to us all! Amanda put into words what most of us thought i.e. clutter is ‘a disordered heap – a mass of objects or anything that stops you doing what you want to do’. William Morris said ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful’. Apparently householders have on average 32 arguments per year on clutter and 30% of household items may be ‘clutter’! Amanda herself has helped many clients to downsize, move house, sort out possessions and find storage solutions. She also advises on how to recycle and get rid of items. Amanda is a member of The Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO) which was set up in London 11 years ago by 4 ladies and now it has 100 members.
Amanda showed us all some unforgettable images of rooms in houses that have become totally cluttered e.g. a child’s playroom, an office, a dining room and even a kitchen. Amanda helps and advises her clients by working out a system of storage but it is essential to sort and ‘get rid’ of things before storage. She showed us lots of helpful gadgets for storage.
The very thought provoking talk ended with a few ‘handy hints’:- 1) decide what your end goal is. 2) Decide ‘do I use it, do I need it, or do I love it’ before acting 3) ‘make the time to give yourself time’. Amanda can be contacted via www.orderlyofficeandhome.co.uk .
Many of us went home with resolutions of our own for reorganising and decluttering, after all it is spring!
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NECG SUMMER MEETING - APRIL 2015
Seven ladies from Fulshaw enjoyed an amusing talk given by Lydia Slack at Woodford Community Centre on Wednesday evening.
Lydia told us many amusing tales from her childhood on a sheep farm in the Peak District National Park, through to her young adult life Swaziland as a volunteer English teacher and would-be netball player and finally her life as a graduate and post-graduate.
After Lydia's talk we were then entertained by each of the WIs present including a highly amusing rendition of WI Life, a poem by Philippa Aitken, given by Wendy Morris.
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Amanda Manson from ‘Orderly Home & Office’ gave us a fascinating talk on how to ‘declutter’ and improve the way we live our lives. Amanda started by asking us to close our eyes and imagine what ‘clutter’ means to us all! Amanda put into words what most of us thought i.e. clutter is ‘a disordered heap – a mass of objects or anything that stops you doing what you want to do’. William Morris said ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful’. Apparently householders have on average 32 arguments per year on clutter and 30% of household items may be ‘clutter’! Amanda herself has helped many clients to downsize, move house, sort out possessions and find storage solutions. She also advises on how to recycle and get rid of items. Amanda is a member of The Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO) which was set up in London 11 years ago by 4 ladies and now it has 100 members.
Amanda showed us all some unforgettable images of rooms in houses that have become totally cluttered e.g. a child’s playroom, an office, a dining room and even a kitchen. Amanda helps and advises her clients by working out a system of storage but it is essential to sort and ‘get rid’ of things before storage. She showed us lots of helpful gadgets for storage.
The very thought provoking talk ended with a few ‘handy hints’:- 1) decide what your end goal is. 2) Decide ‘do I use it, do I need it, or do I love it’ before acting 3) ‘make the time to give yourself time’. Amanda can be contacted via www.orderlyofficeandhome.co.uk .
Many of us went home with resolutions of our own for reorganising and decluttering, after all it is spring!
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NECG SUMMER MEETING - APRIL 2015
Seven ladies from Fulshaw enjoyed an amusing talk given by Lydia Slack at Woodford Community Centre on Wednesday evening.
Lydia told us many amusing tales from her childhood on a sheep farm in the Peak District National Park, through to her young adult life Swaziland as a volunteer English teacher and would-be netball player and finally her life as a graduate and post-graduate.
After Lydia's talk we were then entertained by each of the WIs present including a highly amusing rendition of WI Life, a poem by Philippa Aitken, given by Wendy Morris.
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Admiring the Alpacas!
AFTERNOON WALK - APRIL 2015
What fantastic weather the 8 ladies, 4 boys and 1 husband had when they went on Jane's walk on Tuesday afternoon. They walked across Alderley Golf course to Foden Lane and back, visiting the alpacas en route. After this, they enjoyed some well earned ice creams and tea at the Rifleman's.
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iPAD TRAINING - MARCH 2015
A group of ladies met on Tuesday 24th March for another of Diane's iPad training sessions and also enjoyed Jane's homemade cakes. It's amazing that however much we use our iPads, we always manage to learn something new! We appreciate the effort that both Diane and Jane put into hosting these evenings.
What fantastic weather the 8 ladies, 4 boys and 1 husband had when they went on Jane's walk on Tuesday afternoon. They walked across Alderley Golf course to Foden Lane and back, visiting the alpacas en route. After this, they enjoyed some well earned ice creams and tea at the Rifleman's.
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iPAD TRAINING - MARCH 2015
A group of ladies met on Tuesday 24th March for another of Diane's iPad training sessions and also enjoyed Jane's homemade cakes. It's amazing that however much we use our iPads, we always manage to learn something new! We appreciate the effort that both Diane and Jane put into hosting these evenings.
Trying to learn everything there is to know about iPads
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MAKING EASTER BUNNIES - MARCH MONTHLY MEETING
MAKING EASTER BUNNIES - MARCH MONTHLY MEETING
Whoever would guess this was once just a chocolate egg!
Ladies busy at work enjoying their Dabble Day
Sweet Sensations gave us a very enjoyable and memorable evening showing us how to decorate small chocolate eggs for Easter! We were all provided with two chocolate eggs each and two balls of fondant icing each and some liquid chocolate and plastic knives, forks and spoons to help us in our project for the evening. Our mission was to make an Easter bunny and ‘one other’ decorated egg. Demonstrating to ~50 ladies is no mean task but we all quickly picked up the techniques needed and we produced 50 individually crafted Easter Bunnies to take home to surprise and impress our families and friends. The more imaginative members designed their own second egg e.g. Princess Leah’s head complete with wonderful hairstyle (Hilly) and an impressive horse’s head (Jane). Most of us copied the little Easter duckling which in itself was challenging enough!
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DABBLE DAY - MARCH 2015
Seventeen members and friends enjoyed our first Dabble Day. An array of patchwork fabrics, felts, buttons and trimmings were available to create some really innovative craft items. More experienced folks helped beginners and everyone agreed that they had a lovely day just chilling out and eating delicious refreshments provided by Dee. (Aubergine bake, chicken, baked brie, salads, french bread and a wonderful assortment of desserts and cakes). Many thanks to the Committee and to Kate Hopwood for their help in arranging the first of these "in-house" workshops.
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WILMSLOW WELLS FOR AFRICA
A big thank you to the eleven ladies who baked cakes for the Wells for Africa Souperday. They looked beautiful.
It was lovely to be able to support this very worthwhile local charity in a practical way this year.
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BOOK CLUB - MARCH 2015
The book club met on the same Thursday evening as the walk, and we had a great turnout of ladies, some regulars and we were delighted to welcome some first timers. The book was ‘An Unsuitable Job for a Woman’ by PD James, which was chosen following her recent death.
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AFTERNOON WALK- MARCH 2015
A group of 6 ladies, plus Harry the dog, set off from the Riflemans Pub on Thursday 12th March for a walk led by Jane Rawlings. As always, she took us on a new route, this time out towards Mobberley Golf Club, and we saw parts of Wilmslow we had not been to before. The weather was kind to us as it did not rain although we did encounter lots of mud!
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CINEMAC - MARCH 2015
Nineteen members enjoyed a main course Italian meal at Fina followed by a viewing of "The Second Best Marigold Hotel" at The Heritage Centre Macclesfield on March 3rd. We are sure to continue our Cinema outings, but may investigate alternative restaurants in the future perhaps to give us a taste of alternative cuisines.
Meanwhile we are all wondering where we can find a tutor so that we can master that Indian dancing!
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NEW MEMBERS EVENING - FEBRUARY 2015
Almost 30 ladies attended the new members evening which was held at the Old Dancer pub in Wilmslow recently. Wendy welcomed everyone to the evening and gave us a short talk about the WI and also about Fulshaw and all the many different activities that have taken place over the last two years since she joined.
Next we split into teams for a 20 question general knowledge quiz and then, to help everyone get to know one another, we played 'people bingo'. This involved filling in someone's name who met the specified criteria in as many squares as possible. 'Likes photography', 'can read a map', 'has lived abroad' were just some of the characteristics we were looking for and who would have guessed that two of the ladies present had 'been in a wardrobe with someone famous'!
Lastly we rounded the evening off with some delicious platters of cold meats, cheeses, hummus and assorted breads.
We hope everyone enjoyed the evening and that some new friendships will have been forged.
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Almost 30 ladies attended the new members evening which was held at the Old Dancer pub in Wilmslow recently. Wendy welcomed everyone to the evening and gave us a short talk about the WI and also about Fulshaw and all the many different activities that have taken place over the last two years since she joined.
Next we split into teams for a 20 question general knowledge quiz and then, to help everyone get to know one another, we played 'people bingo'. This involved filling in someone's name who met the specified criteria in as many squares as possible. 'Likes photography', 'can read a map', 'has lived abroad' were just some of the characteristics we were looking for and who would have guessed that two of the ladies present had 'been in a wardrobe with someone famous'!
Lastly we rounded the evening off with some delicious platters of cold meats, cheeses, hummus and assorted breads.
We hope everyone enjoyed the evening and that some new friendships will have been forged.
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Hearing Dogs for Deaf People - February 2015
June and Paddy
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Paddy
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Terry Webb
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The speaker this evening was Terry Webb from ‘Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’ assisted by June who was profoundly deaf and her helper dog ‘Paddy’. Terry talked to the 50+ WI members present on the Aims and Objectives and operation of the charity.
Deafness is a very isolating condition and sufferers can become extremely lonely, and a trained hearing dog will provide independence, confidence and companionship. One million people in the UK have hearing loss and 800,000 are severely or profoundly deaf.
The charity started in the UK in 1979 and now they breed their own dogs and the puppies are trained in two centres (High Wycombe & Bielby near York). The breeds used are cocker spaniels, poodles, golden retrievers and crosses between these breeds. At 8 weeks old the puppies go to a home to live with a puppy ‘socialiser’ then at 14 – 16 weeks old they have one to one training. A new puppy socialising centre is soon to be set up in Cheshire. Dogs are trained to alert their owners to sounds e.g. the doorbell, smoke alarm, telephone, baby alarms etc. Dogs alert their owners by pushing their knee with their nose and then taking the owner to the source of the sound. The dogs are carefully matched to their owners to get the best partnerships but the waiting list for a first dog is 2 years as the demand is higher than the supply of trained dogs. Deaf children can now have dogs as well as adults. There are now ~800 dogs working and altogether since the start of the charity, 1600 have been trained and deployed.
Deafness is a very isolating condition and sufferers can become extremely lonely, and a trained hearing dog will provide independence, confidence and companionship. One million people in the UK have hearing loss and 800,000 are severely or profoundly deaf.
The charity started in the UK in 1979 and now they breed their own dogs and the puppies are trained in two centres (High Wycombe & Bielby near York). The breeds used are cocker spaniels, poodles, golden retrievers and crosses between these breeds. At 8 weeks old the puppies go to a home to live with a puppy ‘socialiser’ then at 14 – 16 weeks old they have one to one training. A new puppy socialising centre is soon to be set up in Cheshire. Dogs are trained to alert their owners to sounds e.g. the doorbell, smoke alarm, telephone, baby alarms etc. Dogs alert their owners by pushing their knee with their nose and then taking the owner to the source of the sound. The dogs are carefully matched to their owners to get the best partnerships but the waiting list for a first dog is 2 years as the demand is higher than the supply of trained dogs. Deaf children can now have dogs as well as adults. There are now ~800 dogs working and altogether since the start of the charity, 1600 have been trained and deployed.
Our tour guide told us about the history of Chetham’s
June then gave a short tribute to her Hearing Dog Paddy who came along to the meeting. Paddy was an older (now retired) shaggy haired ‘mutt’ who had been a rescue dog who had been trained and June was very articulate in explaining how Paddy had given her freedom and confidence when she had been totally deaf. June now has a cochlear implant which has given her some hearing. Paddy was a bit of a star and loved the attention!
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CHETHAMS SCHOOL OF MUSIC - FEBRUARY 2015
Twenty three members enjoyed visiting this historical site in the heart of Manchester. We had a home made lunch of soup and sandwiches, a concert given by four very talented pupils and a tour and talk of the buildings including the Chetham’s Library which is open to the public.
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IPAD TRAINING SESSION - FEBRUARY 2015
A group of eager pupils attended the iPad Training session on Monday 2nd February, hosted by Jane and taught by Diane Atkinson. We all gained valuable information and tips as well as enjoying Jane’s flapjacks and chocolate fudge cake.
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BOOK CLUB - JANUARY 2015
Despite the awful weather, a brave 13 ladies turned out to discuss this month’s Bookclub choice, Appletree Yard by Louise Doughty. The book got a definite ‘thumbs up ‘ from everyone present, although the discussions and debate about the book demonstrated how many of us had different interpretations about the motives and characters of the book. A big thanks to Anne Kerr for choosing this slightly racy and thought provoking book and for leading the questions.
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AFTERNOON WALK - JANUARY 2015
We had a good turn out for our afternoon walk on Tuesday 27th January including 3 new members Doreen, Pat and Margaret as well as Harry the dog. Led by Jane, we left Lindow Common car park and headed over to Morley Green Nursery Cafe where we enjoyed tea and cakes. A short walk brought us back to the car park in time for the school run. Thanks Jane!
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CHETHAMS SCHOOL OF MUSIC - FEBRUARY 2015
Twenty three members enjoyed visiting this historical site in the heart of Manchester. We had a home made lunch of soup and sandwiches, a concert given by four very talented pupils and a tour and talk of the buildings including the Chetham’s Library which is open to the public.
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IPAD TRAINING SESSION - FEBRUARY 2015
A group of eager pupils attended the iPad Training session on Monday 2nd February, hosted by Jane and taught by Diane Atkinson. We all gained valuable information and tips as well as enjoying Jane’s flapjacks and chocolate fudge cake.
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BOOK CLUB - JANUARY 2015
Despite the awful weather, a brave 13 ladies turned out to discuss this month’s Bookclub choice, Appletree Yard by Louise Doughty. The book got a definite ‘thumbs up ‘ from everyone present, although the discussions and debate about the book demonstrated how many of us had different interpretations about the motives and characters of the book. A big thanks to Anne Kerr for choosing this slightly racy and thought provoking book and for leading the questions.
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AFTERNOON WALK - JANUARY 2015
We had a good turn out for our afternoon walk on Tuesday 27th January including 3 new members Doreen, Pat and Margaret as well as Harry the dog. Led by Jane, we left Lindow Common car park and headed over to Morley Green Nursery Cafe where we enjoyed tea and cakes. A short walk brought us back to the car park in time for the school run. Thanks Jane!
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pro-Fit Personal Training - January 2015
Despite below freezing temperature, there was an excellent turnout of 50 members and 8 visitors for the first meeting of 2015. Whilst sipping a champagne cocktail, members cast votes to select the topic that Fulshaw want the WI to campaign for this year at national level. People also took advantage of a new ‘events table’ where they could sign up and pay for forthcoming events.
President Wendy Morris welcomed new members and visitors before introducing the speakers Rachel and Steve from Pro-Fit Personal Training. They had agreed to step in at short notice following a cancellation.
Pro-Fit work at Total Fitness, Handforth and the Cottons Hotel in Knutsford. Their support combines exercise, nutrition and motivational coaching to help people achieve their personal goals whether that is to lose weight, overcome injury or train to run a 10k race!
They talked about how crucial posture is and encouraged the entire audience to assess and measure their own posture. Pro-Fit offered a discounted assessment session for the first 12 members who signed up, this led to a stampede at the end of the meeting!
The meeting closed with tea, coffee and an excellent selection of homemade cakes which included healthy brownies made by Pro-Fit Rachel. They contained no flour or sugar but the secret ingredient was sweet potato.
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PAST EVENTS 2014
On Monday 16th December 2014 we held our annual Christmas party and what a fabulous night we had. Traditionally this is a ticket only event which includes a welcome drink, quiz, hot meal, a raffle and a Secret Santa.
Upon arrival, member were treated to a warming drink of mulled cider and to prepare us for the quiz, there was a brainteaser awaiting us on each table.
There was a slight delay, caused by the urn breaking down, and then we split into teams! Silence descended on the room as Darren, our quizmaster, challenged, teased and tormented us with six rounds of questions.
Half way through the evening, we broke off for food and what a feast we had. Dee, our very own catering committee member, served up lamb tagine and chicken casserole with various accompaniments, followed by a selection of mouth-watering desserts. Then back to the quiz and eventually, as we lingered over coffee and chocolates, the winners were announced.
There was a vote of thanks for all the helpers and then we drew the raffle.Twenty one lucky ladies went home with a lovely festive hamper, with all items having been donated by members of the WI.
Finally, the members left with a gift from the Secret Santa. What a great way to begin the Christmas festivities!
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November Monthly Meeting
What a memorable night our AGM and Sconathon turned out to be! With a record attendance of over 80 ladies, after the usual notices, the evening commenced with the AGM. Sarah, in her role of secretary, gave us her end of year talk in which she highlighted many of the events that have taken place over the last twelve months, which illustrated just what an eventful and varied year we have all enjoyed. This was followed by Tracy, who gave us a brief overview of the annual finances and attendances statistics. She explained how we try and put money into member activities and this is why we have a deficit this year as planned. Up to September this year, the average attendance of members has been 54% and this has increased over the last 2 months and we have 23 members who have attended every meeting this year.
Hilly, as outgoing President, then gave the last key talk of the evening which was both entertaining and emotional. She told us what great fun she has had during her time as President with so many different activities ranging from canoeing, cycling, walking, the new book club, orienteering, theatre trips and a camping weekend. She then amused us with several personal anecdotes as well as explaining how she has tried to develop Fulshaw as a friendly group of ladies open to new starters who don’t know anyone and hoped that this will continue.
She thanked the committee and membership and hoped that we would all give the same support to Wendy, our new President.
As all three ladies were standing down, the posts were filled as follows:
President – Wendy Morris, proposed by Hilly, seconded by Pat Parker
Secretary – Pauline Handley, proposed by Amanda Stevens, seconded by Jennie Palin
Treasurer – Jennie Palin, proposed by Wendy Morris, seconded by Sheila Parker
Hilly then handed over to Wendy who introduced Lorna Davy to explain the rules of the Sconathon. Every member was given two voting slips, one to vote for their favourite savoury scone and the other for their favourite sweet scone. Everyone was then given the opportunity to look at and taste all the scones before placing their votes.
After the Sconathon and tea, Wendy gave a short talk about her own experience of joining Fulshaw and thanked everyone who had made her so welcome. She then presented Hilly, Sarah and Tracy each with a photo album entitled Memories of Fulshaw WI and a personalised cross stitch card.
The results of the Sconathon were then announced as follows:
Savoury Scone – 1st place: Angela Powell (Sun dried tomato and jalapeño pepper), 2nd place: Jennie Palin (Cheesey chive)
Sweet Scone -1st place: Norma Lynn (Treacle), 2nd place: Pat Parker (Mixed fruit)
Check out our recipe section for the recipes for the award winning scones!!
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October Monthly Meeting
Helen Yates gave us an informative presentation about the origins and development of the organization known as “Incredible Edible”. Although this is both a national and international movement, the local story begins in 2010 when Helen was watching a Countryfile programme about Todmorden and this inspired her to try to emulate some of their good practice in Wilmslow. From small beginnings Helen explained the current model as three spinning plates involving community, business and learning and she outlined the growth in the involvement of individuals, schools, supermarkets, shops and the town council.
Many members will be familiar with the various plots, previously unloved but now full of herbs, fruit and vegetables outside Waitrose, the Library, Bank Square, Costa and the Station. They will have also seen the schools’ planters outside Hoopers. Hopefully they also pick and use the crops grown as these are meant for sharing by all.
“Incredible Edible” aims to reconnect adults and children with what is in season and what to do with the food when it is harvested. They support and improve a local economy, based around food, improving the look of the town, boosting community spirit and identity and sharing the knowledge of growing, cooking and sourcing local food.
Information can be found on their website Incredible Edible Wilmslow or contact Jennie Palin. If you wish to be more involved why not come and help on the first Sunday each month at 2pm outside the Library. Help is always appreciated even if you can only make a small commitment. And remember the slogan “If you eat, you’re in!”
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Royal Exchange, An Audience with Sheila Hancock and Jenni Murray - October 2014
Eleven members enjoyed listening to Jenni Murray talking to Sheila Hancock about her early life and career and her new novel which has just been published. Bad luck for our own Sheila who didn’t manage to get to the Royal Exchange due to a cycling accident and now has a broken collarbone. We wish her a swift recovery.
The event was a mixture of the serious and the light hearted. The well loved actress is now 81 years old although she certainly didn’t look it and she was immaculately dressed. During the hour long discussion, it was apparent that she has retained her sense of humour, eloquence and zest for life. She urged the audience to join her in her saying “I am happy today” and to take a little time to appreciate small moments. She believes you are never too old for new experiences and challenges. (I think that is why we are members of Fulshaw W.I. isn’t it?!)
Wendy talked to Sheila Hancock after the show, managing to get her to write a dedication to the “Ladies of Fulshaw WI” in one of her books. Sheila commented that her mum was in the W.I. and said it was “a great institution”. Having more members than the trade unions, the W.I. was very instrumental in getting things done.
Although Wendy said there was a long queue of people, Sheila was not only very willing to talk, but listened to problems and seemed genuinely interested in people’s thoughts.
A lovely lady, a great inspiration and yet another enjoyable afternoon organised by Wendy.
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Tour Around Media City - October 2014
So on October 8th, fifteen of us passed the security checks to enter Media City and now we are familiar with the workings of Radio 6, Match of the Day, Breakfast TV, the Weather Reports and all the sound effects from Radio 4 plays and drama! Who would have known that Gary Lineker sits under lights worth two million pounds or that they have so many flats containing different door closures for authentic sounds during The Archers?
And we also enjoyed a lovely meal at Penelope’s Kitchen.
Thank you to Jane Rawlings for yet another enjoyable day out.
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September Monthly Meeting
Despite a large turnout of fifty seven ladies, there seemed to be plenty of room to circulate around the tables which were awash with every type of bead imaginable. With lots of chattering and laughter, members made some beautiful jewellery including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bookmarks, mobile phone charms and even dust plugs! This was a return visit by popular demand for the team from Beady Beady and a very enjoyable practical session with everyone demonstrating their creative flair. Some people got so engrossed they even missed their tea and cake but they all went home either proudly wearing or carrying their creations in the little organza bags provided. A great event to begin our Autumn season.
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Summer Evening Walk - July 2014
WOW, WHAT A TURN OUT!! On Tuesday evening, 30 eager walkers met in the Merlin pub car park. We were delighted to welcome husbands, children and dogs! Jane, as always, did a marvellous job with her map reading and everyone enjoyed finding new paths and trails to explore. Adults chatted, the children played and after having walked for around 2 hours, we finished back at the Merlin pub where a welcome drink was enjoyed by all. Thanks to everyone that came along and an especially big thanks to Jane for organising it.
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Royal Exchange Tour - July 2014
On July 24th, eighteen members travelled by tram, train, bike or bus to meet up at 10.45 am for a tour around the Royal Exchange in St Anne’s Square, Manchester. We learned about the history of this Grade 2 listed building from the first construction in 1729 and it’s trading in spun yarn and finished goods throughout the world including Africa. We were then taken into the ground floor of the theatre where we were told about the formation of the present theatre in 1976 and the damage caused by the IRA bomb in June 1996. It was reopened in 1998. The theatre “in the round” currently contains the set for the production of “Around the World in Eighty Days”. We then went “backstage” to visit the areas of sound production, hair and make-up and costumes. Most people were amazed to hear that even famous actors and actresses were given the same shared dressing rooms with rather basic bunk beds to use between performances. Questions continued to be asked and answered during the tea of assorted sandwiches, scones, jam and cream.
Another very enjoyable event, this time organised by Wendy Morris.
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July Monthly Meeting
We were delighted to welcome back Jane Shepherd again and she did not disappoint. She entertained us with tales of her own and her friends dating experiences, using the internet as well as good old-fashioned ‘snail mail’!
She began by telling us about when, over 10 years ago, she first ‘dipped her toe’ into this world by using a lonely hearts column. This involved going through a telephone process and after receiving a phone bill of over £75, this was an option she quickly stopped using.She then told us about specialist papers that are available such as the Pink Paper, aimed at the gay market. A close friend of hers and senior figure in the media world, using this paper, sent off his profile and several months later, having forgotten what he had written, saw it advertised and ended up writing to himself for a date!!When internet dating came along, Jane entered into this scene, filling out questionnaires to get the correct ‘match’ but all this seemed to prove was that there were no suitable men in the North West as potential dates lived in places as far away as Kent and Glasgow.Many internet dating sites developed such as The Guardian, full of very earnest people who liked to yomp up mountains and ‘mysinglefriend’ (founded by Sarah Beeney), who write your profile for you. But again, Jane found these sites did not produce men in the North West as they are both London-biased.Experience taught Jane some of the jargon used and how to read between the lines. LTR = long term relationship which usually means someone looking for a ONS = one night stand. She saw examples of 60+ year old men, stipulating they were looking for women around 30 years old with an age range and sometimes even a required weight range stipulated!! Jane listed some of the things she wasn’t looking for in a man which includes silly hats, facial hair and the use of bad grammar. She told us she had written back to men giving them feedback about the latter point and had offered tips for making contact with others in the future. A handy hint she offered was always to talk to someone on the phone before you agree to meet. If you can watch TV, read a book and file your nails whilst listening to them on the phone and still be bored, then don’t bother going on a date. As an experienced internet dater, Jane has found that there is safety in numbers and it best to play men at their own game by keeping a few ‘on the boil’ and letting them know about one another. She told us that photos can be deceptive. She met a man once with black hair on his photo but who had yellow hair in reality. When no photo at all is shown on a profile, it is usually a good indicator that they are married! Then there are the con men. Jane went out with a very nice, but young guy from Cameroon who was well aware of their age difference before they met. They met several times despite his comments about the fact he could do with a new car and his sister him to send her money. The final straw came when, despite being in Spain, he phoned and asked whether she would write a letter confirming that he was her boyfriend and that he was going to live with her!! Despite all these tales of woe, Jane entertained us all in her own inimitable style and was pleased to tell us that she had several friends who had met men through the internet and are now happily married.
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Bike Ride to Tatton - July 2014
Whoever would have thought that a 20 mile round trip to Tatton could have so few inclines. Six members enjoyed this ride and the weather held while we ate in the Gardener’s Cottage Restaurant. Thank you to Jane Rawlings for arranging the ride.
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Italian Restaurant - July 2014
On Thursday 3rd July, 20 of us enjoyed a great evening at Giuliano Restaurant in Handforth. The evening commenced with a glass of Prosecco and we then progressed onto a beautiful 3 course meal, with plenty of choice offered for each course and each served with a specially selected wine, all followed by coffee. After the main course, some ladies moved round the table to make sure we all got to meet different people and make new friends. After dessert, we joined into teams to take part in Hilly’s Italian-themed quiz. Not the easiest quiz in the world (!), but we had great fun guessing the answers and Italian prizes were awarded to the winning team. Everyone that attended the evening thoroughly enjoyed it and will be sure to return in the not too distant future.
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Tea and Tents Event - June 2014
Three of our members went camping and enjoyed crash courses on jam making, papercutting, vintage headscarves, face drawing, landscape photography and various crafty projects. There were about 250 members who had come from all over the country. Brilliant atmosphere and companionship. Hopefully the event will be repeated next year and more people will be able to go.
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June Monthly Meeting
WI members were inspired, educated and entertained by the June speaker Zoe McClean. Zoe is a demonstrator working for Sainsburys and she delivered over an hour of cooking tips and anecdotes. The first recipe she demonstrated was a simple leek and salmon risotto. Zoe wanted to dispel the myth that risotto is difficult to cook because it has to be very precise. We learnt not to crush the garlic but to chop it so that the flavour was less likely to cause bad breath. Zoe recommended the most cost effective smoked salmon to use for this dish was the Sainsburys essential range salmon trimmings. The recipe was simple, easy to make and very tasty. While the risotto cooked Zoe made a cream cheese and smoked salmon spread which she used to generously cover a wrap. After topping it with rocket, she rolled it like a swiss roll and then cut it into small pinwheels to create elegant canapes. A second canape was created from toasted baguette rounds topped with mascapone cheese, pesto, antipasta (tomatoes, peppers and mushroom) and a basil leaf. As she worked Zoe described how she started as a shelf stacker in Sainsburys when her children were very young but her catering expertise was soon spotted and eventually led her to a job as a demonstrator. When Jamie Oliver was “Feeding the Family for a Fiver” Zoe appeared on several Sainsburys adverts with the man himself. She described him as very down to earth and friendly. Another part of the job she enjoyed were weekly cooking lessons in the X Factor House. The first year Sainsburys arranged this saw Zoe and her colleagues teaching Jedward and Ollie Muirs how to cook. The next year was even more exciting because she got to work with the boys from One Direction! The audience had the chance to taste all the dishes that Zoe prepared. They were very popular but the best was yet to come. An enormous bowl of Eton Mess was assembled from strawberries, raspberries, cream, creme fraiche, zest of lime, chopped mint and meringue. The whole evening was a great success and it seems likely that Wilmslow Sainsburys had a run of essential smoked salmon trimmings the next day!
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Orienteering – June 2014
There were a total of 13 competitors who competed in six teams. Results were as follows: 1st Julie Pethro – 4100 points, 2nd Tine Daleaard and Aukje Seinstra – 3900 points, 3rd Sheila Parker, Dee Waugh and Helen Hopkins – 3700 points, 4th Gail Hodgett, Tracy Aston and Wendy Morris – 3400 points, 5th Jennie Palin and Amanda Stevens – 3200 points, 6th Julie Southern and Claudia Gibson – 2200 points
Our organiser for this event, Kate Bryant, commented: “A big thank you to all the 13 ladies who joined us for the orienteering on Wednesday and threw themselves into it with such great enthusiasm and even greater energy!! All of the 6 teams went for the longer of the two options (120 minutes rather than 90) and achieved an impressive level of success in locating the correct control points and answering the questions. I didn’t expect anyone to get them all within two hours, but Julie P very nearly managed it, with Tine and Aukje hot on her heels! Everyone arrived back at the pub in a very happy mood, and fell to discussing their routes – looking for all the world like real orienteers! Many thanks to Jane and Steve Rawlings, Dave and Steph Bryant for helping with the planning, and/or on the evening .” Thank you to Kate too!!! If you couldn’t come and would like to have a go or if you enjoyed it so much you can’t wait until the WI organise another one, Manchester & District Orienteering Club organise “Countryside Score” Events around the area which have a similar format being based on a pub, and using enlarged OS maps. The next one is on June 25th at Sutton. Website www.mdoc.org.uk Alternatively there is a “Colour Coded” event (courses for all abilities using a specially drawn orienteering map) taking place at Teggs Nose on June 19th. All are welcome at these events. See www.mdoc.org.uk for further details.
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May Monthly Meeting
Our talk by “Quinteassential” was extremely popular and extra chairs had to be put out to cope with the large number of members and visitors.
Sitting around tables we tasted a range of teas blended by this small independent company which was established in Cheshire in 2010. The first was a caffeine free tea known as “Jewel of Africa” which is given to children and is said to have very positive health benefits. Next came a white tea which retains antioxidents and is said to break up fat tissue. Some members certainly pricked their ears up at the thought of that! The “Green Flamingo” tea flavoured with the exotic fruit graviola reminded several members of jelly beans! The “Imperial Earl Grey” was iced and can be served with ice-cream and finally came a signature breakfast tea.
Advice was given about making the perfect cup of tea.
1. The first cardinal rule of brewing great tea is to use good quality tea leaves.
2. When it comes to water temperature, remember – the blacker the tea, the hotter the water. Placing a small amount of hot water in the teapot first to warm it is always good, but be sure to discard that water before adding the leaves and final water.
3. Store your tea properly, keep it away from odours, heat, moisture and light.
4.Use the right equipment .Loose leaf tea is incredibly easy to prepare and can be a very rewarding experience as its a better quality than most teabags. If you are using a traditional teapot without an infuser, use a tea strainer to separate the leaves from the liquor. Use different styles of teapot for different types of tea.
5. Timing is everything when it comes to brewing the perfect cup. Each type of leaf has an optimum brewing time and under brewing and over brewing can both ruin even the best teas. The general rule here is the more fermented the leaves, the more brewing time. Hence, white tea, 1 to 1.5 mins; green tea, 1 to 2 mins; oolongs 2 to 3 mins and black teas 3 to 4 mins.
6. Use freshly drawn water.
We were also warned against drinking black tea after noon and using sugar! Discussion arose about putting the milk in first to avoid cracking bone china cups.
Quinteassential currently sell ten blends of their tea online plus limited edition blends and tea accessories.
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Bushcrafting Day - May 2014
A fantastic day! We built two dens, wamped (you’ll have to ask someone who went to find out about that!), made dreamcatchers and listened to an entertaining story about the history of bling in Alderley Edge. Then there was the food – toasted marshmallows, crumpets and teacakes. We have decided that some of us missed out on all the activities our children now do – we are catching up!
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April Monthly Meeting
Our April meeting was entitled 'Boosting Confidence through Clothes' and was a talk given by Sally Inkster.
Sally impressed us all initially with her great appearance and bubbly personality and then continued to impress us as she gave us lots of ideas about what we should and shouldn't wear to make the most of what nature has given us!
What to wear is a problem that most of us worry about nearly very day and Sally started off by explaining that the answer is all a question of balance.
Our bodies aren't naturally balanced so we have to use tricks to make them appear that they are. Whether we achieve this or not can have a great impact on us psychologically so it is important to get it right. Clothes tell people what and who we are and by the same token, we judge other people accordingly by how they look.
The fashion industry is a huge and lucrative market, out to maximise sales and therefore we need to know our own body shape so we can buy wisely. This can be done by measuring the distance between our shoulder bones and the distance between our hip bones and then comparing them to find which is bigger.
If your shoulders are bigger then you shouldn't accentuate them so don't wear puffed sleeves, shoulder pads, slash necks, tightly fitting jacket sleeves or cap sleeves. Attention should be brought to the hips by the use of pockets on skirts and trousers or wearing skirts that flare out.
Ladies with hips larger than their shoulders are said to have a Mediterranean body and as such should accentuate their shoulders by wearing puffed sleeves, big lapels and no detail on their hips, keeping to tight plain fabrics for trousers and skirts.
Where shoulders and hips measure the same, three different waistlines may be evident - tiny, going in slightly or expanding. If you have a waist then show it off, if not, create one! This can be achieved by wearing tailored clothes, one-buttoned jackets, long necklaces coming in at the middle - all designed to create a 'V'.
Lengthwise, for a balanced body, the crotch should be midway between the feet and the head but 75% of ladies have short legs. Tips to make legs look longer include wearing trousers long enough to hide your shoes and socks, shoes and trousers should all be the same colour. Long cardigans and jackets which make the upper torso look longer should be avoided, so wear short jackets, especially when wearing flat shoes. Never put a horizontal line over something you don't like eg. don't wear a short jacket if you have a waist larger than you would like.
When wearing a skirt or a dress, there are two lengths that look good, either floor length or from the knee upwards and the shorter the skirt, the lower the heel you should wear with it. The longer the skirt, the shorter any jacket you are wearing can be.
Accessories can make or break an outfit and once again it's all to do with balance. The taller and larger your bone structure, the more dramatic your accessories can be. Accessories can take the form of pattern, texture, jewellery or a bust greater than C+. But, you should only wear two of these at a time.
Colour is the last consideration when choosing what to wear. Anyone can wear any colour but it is the shade that is important. Choose your lipstick by checking with your eye colour - it will be obvious what suits you, and the same principle applies when choosing which colours to wear. Hold various coloured garments against your face and see how it can enhance your appearance or drain your natural colour.
By the end of Sally's talk we couldn't wait to get home to check out our wardrobes and then head off to the shops the next day armed with a wealth of new knowledge!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ March Monthly Meeting
The doors opened and it was clear we were going to have a full house. We enjoyed a Kir Royal and chocolate before our president introduced the evening’s speaker. We were all very excited to welcome Gay back. She visited a few years previously and entertained us so much that we were keen for her to visit again, especially for those not lucky enough to have seen her first time round! The talk on this occasion was ‘All about Eve’ – An irreverent view of some of the idiosyncrasies of women (and men!) and things that we can all relate to. Well, make no mistake, there was a lot we could relate to and Gay had us in hysterics! She started off by asking if anybody could remember any stories from her previous talk … Hilly remembered her story of visiting the gym and won herself Gay’s homemade jam! Hilly and Maura were still reminiscing about the story and though she did not re-tell it, it still reduced the pair of them into fits of laughter! And, so it continued….Gay told us about her husband’s purchase of a Sat Nav system and how the first experience of using it to travel to North Yorkshire, sent her a whole different route from her home via roads she never knew existed just to the A34! She never bothered again and now relies on handwritten notes. She started to wonder though, when following said notes to an evening meeting, was asked whether she had crossed the water yet….she thought maybe she was supposed to be heading somewhere remote and exotic, when she finally realised she was only going to Bootle! Obviously, she needs her trusty car and so had it booked in for it’s service. She told us how her husband offered to follow her there but as it was such a nice morning, she decided to walk, enjoy the sunshine and some light exercise. She arrived at the garage all pleased with herself as she handed the key over, only to realise she had left the car on the drive….the walk, should have been on the way back! The stories continued with her take on pilates and how good it is given all you have to think about is your pelvic floor! The capsule wardrobe and the need only for killer heels, pumps, leotard and dress, not always practical on every trip but then again, her husband’s idea of taking one pair of trousers is not the answer either. Especially when his first glass of red wine on board the plane is thrown over them! Gay continued to entertain us with more amusing stories about holidays, Christmas time, Woman’s Weekly and tips on how to make mock fish and stiffening things with sugar syrup and knitting! Before we knew it the evening had flown by and she finally explained how in retirement men appear to change. Those of you who came will remember about keeping the relationship alive, stories of bedtimes but also gifts of blood pressure monitors! We really giggled at the peas and peaches story, M&S and the Ruby Wedding Anniversary! We all need a bit of a giggle from time to time and a good laugh was had indeed! We certainly did and thank Gay again for her fun and friendly evening. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
I-Pad Course - February 2014
Several members are now far more familiar with the workings and shortcuts available on their iPads after an evening’s tuition from Diane “the IT angel”. It was definitely worth braving the elements on the windiest night of the year and the coconut flapjack was divine!
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Cinemac - January 2014
Eight members enjoyed an Italian meal at Fina followed by a showing of “The Railway Man” at Cinemac on Thursday 23rd January. It is hoped to arrange similar events. Please let the Committee know if there is a film you would particularly like to see.
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President Wendy Morris welcomed new members and visitors before introducing the speakers Rachel and Steve from Pro-Fit Personal Training. They had agreed to step in at short notice following a cancellation.
Pro-Fit work at Total Fitness, Handforth and the Cottons Hotel in Knutsford. Their support combines exercise, nutrition and motivational coaching to help people achieve their personal goals whether that is to lose weight, overcome injury or train to run a 10k race!
They talked about how crucial posture is and encouraged the entire audience to assess and measure their own posture. Pro-Fit offered a discounted assessment session for the first 12 members who signed up, this led to a stampede at the end of the meeting!
The meeting closed with tea, coffee and an excellent selection of homemade cakes which included healthy brownies made by Pro-Fit Rachel. They contained no flour or sugar but the secret ingredient was sweet potato.
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PAST EVENTS 2014
On Monday 16th December 2014 we held our annual Christmas party and what a fabulous night we had. Traditionally this is a ticket only event which includes a welcome drink, quiz, hot meal, a raffle and a Secret Santa.
Upon arrival, member were treated to a warming drink of mulled cider and to prepare us for the quiz, there was a brainteaser awaiting us on each table.
There was a slight delay, caused by the urn breaking down, and then we split into teams! Silence descended on the room as Darren, our quizmaster, challenged, teased and tormented us with six rounds of questions.
Half way through the evening, we broke off for food and what a feast we had. Dee, our very own catering committee member, served up lamb tagine and chicken casserole with various accompaniments, followed by a selection of mouth-watering desserts. Then back to the quiz and eventually, as we lingered over coffee and chocolates, the winners were announced.
There was a vote of thanks for all the helpers and then we drew the raffle.Twenty one lucky ladies went home with a lovely festive hamper, with all items having been donated by members of the WI.
Finally, the members left with a gift from the Secret Santa. What a great way to begin the Christmas festivities!
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November Monthly Meeting
What a memorable night our AGM and Sconathon turned out to be! With a record attendance of over 80 ladies, after the usual notices, the evening commenced with the AGM. Sarah, in her role of secretary, gave us her end of year talk in which she highlighted many of the events that have taken place over the last twelve months, which illustrated just what an eventful and varied year we have all enjoyed. This was followed by Tracy, who gave us a brief overview of the annual finances and attendances statistics. She explained how we try and put money into member activities and this is why we have a deficit this year as planned. Up to September this year, the average attendance of members has been 54% and this has increased over the last 2 months and we have 23 members who have attended every meeting this year.
Hilly, as outgoing President, then gave the last key talk of the evening which was both entertaining and emotional. She told us what great fun she has had during her time as President with so many different activities ranging from canoeing, cycling, walking, the new book club, orienteering, theatre trips and a camping weekend. She then amused us with several personal anecdotes as well as explaining how she has tried to develop Fulshaw as a friendly group of ladies open to new starters who don’t know anyone and hoped that this will continue.
She thanked the committee and membership and hoped that we would all give the same support to Wendy, our new President.
As all three ladies were standing down, the posts were filled as follows:
President – Wendy Morris, proposed by Hilly, seconded by Pat Parker
Secretary – Pauline Handley, proposed by Amanda Stevens, seconded by Jennie Palin
Treasurer – Jennie Palin, proposed by Wendy Morris, seconded by Sheila Parker
Hilly then handed over to Wendy who introduced Lorna Davy to explain the rules of the Sconathon. Every member was given two voting slips, one to vote for their favourite savoury scone and the other for their favourite sweet scone. Everyone was then given the opportunity to look at and taste all the scones before placing their votes.
After the Sconathon and tea, Wendy gave a short talk about her own experience of joining Fulshaw and thanked everyone who had made her so welcome. She then presented Hilly, Sarah and Tracy each with a photo album entitled Memories of Fulshaw WI and a personalised cross stitch card.
The results of the Sconathon were then announced as follows:
Savoury Scone – 1st place: Angela Powell (Sun dried tomato and jalapeño pepper), 2nd place: Jennie Palin (Cheesey chive)
Sweet Scone -1st place: Norma Lynn (Treacle), 2nd place: Pat Parker (Mixed fruit)
Check out our recipe section for the recipes for the award winning scones!!
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October Monthly Meeting
Helen Yates gave us an informative presentation about the origins and development of the organization known as “Incredible Edible”. Although this is both a national and international movement, the local story begins in 2010 when Helen was watching a Countryfile programme about Todmorden and this inspired her to try to emulate some of their good practice in Wilmslow. From small beginnings Helen explained the current model as three spinning plates involving community, business and learning and she outlined the growth in the involvement of individuals, schools, supermarkets, shops and the town council.
Many members will be familiar with the various plots, previously unloved but now full of herbs, fruit and vegetables outside Waitrose, the Library, Bank Square, Costa and the Station. They will have also seen the schools’ planters outside Hoopers. Hopefully they also pick and use the crops grown as these are meant for sharing by all.
“Incredible Edible” aims to reconnect adults and children with what is in season and what to do with the food when it is harvested. They support and improve a local economy, based around food, improving the look of the town, boosting community spirit and identity and sharing the knowledge of growing, cooking and sourcing local food.
Information can be found on their website Incredible Edible Wilmslow or contact Jennie Palin. If you wish to be more involved why not come and help on the first Sunday each month at 2pm outside the Library. Help is always appreciated even if you can only make a small commitment. And remember the slogan “If you eat, you’re in!”
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Royal Exchange, An Audience with Sheila Hancock and Jenni Murray - October 2014
Eleven members enjoyed listening to Jenni Murray talking to Sheila Hancock about her early life and career and her new novel which has just been published. Bad luck for our own Sheila who didn’t manage to get to the Royal Exchange due to a cycling accident and now has a broken collarbone. We wish her a swift recovery.
The event was a mixture of the serious and the light hearted. The well loved actress is now 81 years old although she certainly didn’t look it and she was immaculately dressed. During the hour long discussion, it was apparent that she has retained her sense of humour, eloquence and zest for life. She urged the audience to join her in her saying “I am happy today” and to take a little time to appreciate small moments. She believes you are never too old for new experiences and challenges. (I think that is why we are members of Fulshaw W.I. isn’t it?!)
Wendy talked to Sheila Hancock after the show, managing to get her to write a dedication to the “Ladies of Fulshaw WI” in one of her books. Sheila commented that her mum was in the W.I. and said it was “a great institution”. Having more members than the trade unions, the W.I. was very instrumental in getting things done.
Although Wendy said there was a long queue of people, Sheila was not only very willing to talk, but listened to problems and seemed genuinely interested in people’s thoughts.
A lovely lady, a great inspiration and yet another enjoyable afternoon organised by Wendy.
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Tour Around Media City - October 2014
So on October 8th, fifteen of us passed the security checks to enter Media City and now we are familiar with the workings of Radio 6, Match of the Day, Breakfast TV, the Weather Reports and all the sound effects from Radio 4 plays and drama! Who would have known that Gary Lineker sits under lights worth two million pounds or that they have so many flats containing different door closures for authentic sounds during The Archers?
And we also enjoyed a lovely meal at Penelope’s Kitchen.
Thank you to Jane Rawlings for yet another enjoyable day out.
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September Monthly Meeting
Despite a large turnout of fifty seven ladies, there seemed to be plenty of room to circulate around the tables which were awash with every type of bead imaginable. With lots of chattering and laughter, members made some beautiful jewellery including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bookmarks, mobile phone charms and even dust plugs! This was a return visit by popular demand for the team from Beady Beady and a very enjoyable practical session with everyone demonstrating their creative flair. Some people got so engrossed they even missed their tea and cake but they all went home either proudly wearing or carrying their creations in the little organza bags provided. A great event to begin our Autumn season.
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Summer Evening Walk - July 2014
WOW, WHAT A TURN OUT!! On Tuesday evening, 30 eager walkers met in the Merlin pub car park. We were delighted to welcome husbands, children and dogs! Jane, as always, did a marvellous job with her map reading and everyone enjoyed finding new paths and trails to explore. Adults chatted, the children played and after having walked for around 2 hours, we finished back at the Merlin pub where a welcome drink was enjoyed by all. Thanks to everyone that came along and an especially big thanks to Jane for organising it.
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Royal Exchange Tour - July 2014
On July 24th, eighteen members travelled by tram, train, bike or bus to meet up at 10.45 am for a tour around the Royal Exchange in St Anne’s Square, Manchester. We learned about the history of this Grade 2 listed building from the first construction in 1729 and it’s trading in spun yarn and finished goods throughout the world including Africa. We were then taken into the ground floor of the theatre where we were told about the formation of the present theatre in 1976 and the damage caused by the IRA bomb in June 1996. It was reopened in 1998. The theatre “in the round” currently contains the set for the production of “Around the World in Eighty Days”. We then went “backstage” to visit the areas of sound production, hair and make-up and costumes. Most people were amazed to hear that even famous actors and actresses were given the same shared dressing rooms with rather basic bunk beds to use between performances. Questions continued to be asked and answered during the tea of assorted sandwiches, scones, jam and cream.
Another very enjoyable event, this time organised by Wendy Morris.
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July Monthly Meeting
We were delighted to welcome back Jane Shepherd again and she did not disappoint. She entertained us with tales of her own and her friends dating experiences, using the internet as well as good old-fashioned ‘snail mail’!
She began by telling us about when, over 10 years ago, she first ‘dipped her toe’ into this world by using a lonely hearts column. This involved going through a telephone process and after receiving a phone bill of over £75, this was an option she quickly stopped using.She then told us about specialist papers that are available such as the Pink Paper, aimed at the gay market. A close friend of hers and senior figure in the media world, using this paper, sent off his profile and several months later, having forgotten what he had written, saw it advertised and ended up writing to himself for a date!!When internet dating came along, Jane entered into this scene, filling out questionnaires to get the correct ‘match’ but all this seemed to prove was that there were no suitable men in the North West as potential dates lived in places as far away as Kent and Glasgow.Many internet dating sites developed such as The Guardian, full of very earnest people who liked to yomp up mountains and ‘mysinglefriend’ (founded by Sarah Beeney), who write your profile for you. But again, Jane found these sites did not produce men in the North West as they are both London-biased.Experience taught Jane some of the jargon used and how to read between the lines. LTR = long term relationship which usually means someone looking for a ONS = one night stand. She saw examples of 60+ year old men, stipulating they were looking for women around 30 years old with an age range and sometimes even a required weight range stipulated!! Jane listed some of the things she wasn’t looking for in a man which includes silly hats, facial hair and the use of bad grammar. She told us she had written back to men giving them feedback about the latter point and had offered tips for making contact with others in the future. A handy hint she offered was always to talk to someone on the phone before you agree to meet. If you can watch TV, read a book and file your nails whilst listening to them on the phone and still be bored, then don’t bother going on a date. As an experienced internet dater, Jane has found that there is safety in numbers and it best to play men at their own game by keeping a few ‘on the boil’ and letting them know about one another. She told us that photos can be deceptive. She met a man once with black hair on his photo but who had yellow hair in reality. When no photo at all is shown on a profile, it is usually a good indicator that they are married! Then there are the con men. Jane went out with a very nice, but young guy from Cameroon who was well aware of their age difference before they met. They met several times despite his comments about the fact he could do with a new car and his sister him to send her money. The final straw came when, despite being in Spain, he phoned and asked whether she would write a letter confirming that he was her boyfriend and that he was going to live with her!! Despite all these tales of woe, Jane entertained us all in her own inimitable style and was pleased to tell us that she had several friends who had met men through the internet and are now happily married.
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Bike Ride to Tatton - July 2014
Whoever would have thought that a 20 mile round trip to Tatton could have so few inclines. Six members enjoyed this ride and the weather held while we ate in the Gardener’s Cottage Restaurant. Thank you to Jane Rawlings for arranging the ride.
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Italian Restaurant - July 2014
On Thursday 3rd July, 20 of us enjoyed a great evening at Giuliano Restaurant in Handforth. The evening commenced with a glass of Prosecco and we then progressed onto a beautiful 3 course meal, with plenty of choice offered for each course and each served with a specially selected wine, all followed by coffee. After the main course, some ladies moved round the table to make sure we all got to meet different people and make new friends. After dessert, we joined into teams to take part in Hilly’s Italian-themed quiz. Not the easiest quiz in the world (!), but we had great fun guessing the answers and Italian prizes were awarded to the winning team. Everyone that attended the evening thoroughly enjoyed it and will be sure to return in the not too distant future.
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Tea and Tents Event - June 2014
Three of our members went camping and enjoyed crash courses on jam making, papercutting, vintage headscarves, face drawing, landscape photography and various crafty projects. There were about 250 members who had come from all over the country. Brilliant atmosphere and companionship. Hopefully the event will be repeated next year and more people will be able to go.
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June Monthly Meeting
WI members were inspired, educated and entertained by the June speaker Zoe McClean. Zoe is a demonstrator working for Sainsburys and she delivered over an hour of cooking tips and anecdotes. The first recipe she demonstrated was a simple leek and salmon risotto. Zoe wanted to dispel the myth that risotto is difficult to cook because it has to be very precise. We learnt not to crush the garlic but to chop it so that the flavour was less likely to cause bad breath. Zoe recommended the most cost effective smoked salmon to use for this dish was the Sainsburys essential range salmon trimmings. The recipe was simple, easy to make and very tasty. While the risotto cooked Zoe made a cream cheese and smoked salmon spread which she used to generously cover a wrap. After topping it with rocket, she rolled it like a swiss roll and then cut it into small pinwheels to create elegant canapes. A second canape was created from toasted baguette rounds topped with mascapone cheese, pesto, antipasta (tomatoes, peppers and mushroom) and a basil leaf. As she worked Zoe described how she started as a shelf stacker in Sainsburys when her children were very young but her catering expertise was soon spotted and eventually led her to a job as a demonstrator. When Jamie Oliver was “Feeding the Family for a Fiver” Zoe appeared on several Sainsburys adverts with the man himself. She described him as very down to earth and friendly. Another part of the job she enjoyed were weekly cooking lessons in the X Factor House. The first year Sainsburys arranged this saw Zoe and her colleagues teaching Jedward and Ollie Muirs how to cook. The next year was even more exciting because she got to work with the boys from One Direction! The audience had the chance to taste all the dishes that Zoe prepared. They were very popular but the best was yet to come. An enormous bowl of Eton Mess was assembled from strawberries, raspberries, cream, creme fraiche, zest of lime, chopped mint and meringue. The whole evening was a great success and it seems likely that Wilmslow Sainsburys had a run of essential smoked salmon trimmings the next day!
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Orienteering – June 2014
There were a total of 13 competitors who competed in six teams. Results were as follows: 1st Julie Pethro – 4100 points, 2nd Tine Daleaard and Aukje Seinstra – 3900 points, 3rd Sheila Parker, Dee Waugh and Helen Hopkins – 3700 points, 4th Gail Hodgett, Tracy Aston and Wendy Morris – 3400 points, 5th Jennie Palin and Amanda Stevens – 3200 points, 6th Julie Southern and Claudia Gibson – 2200 points
Our organiser for this event, Kate Bryant, commented: “A big thank you to all the 13 ladies who joined us for the orienteering on Wednesday and threw themselves into it with such great enthusiasm and even greater energy!! All of the 6 teams went for the longer of the two options (120 minutes rather than 90) and achieved an impressive level of success in locating the correct control points and answering the questions. I didn’t expect anyone to get them all within two hours, but Julie P very nearly managed it, with Tine and Aukje hot on her heels! Everyone arrived back at the pub in a very happy mood, and fell to discussing their routes – looking for all the world like real orienteers! Many thanks to Jane and Steve Rawlings, Dave and Steph Bryant for helping with the planning, and/or on the evening .” Thank you to Kate too!!! If you couldn’t come and would like to have a go or if you enjoyed it so much you can’t wait until the WI organise another one, Manchester & District Orienteering Club organise “Countryside Score” Events around the area which have a similar format being based on a pub, and using enlarged OS maps. The next one is on June 25th at Sutton. Website www.mdoc.org.uk Alternatively there is a “Colour Coded” event (courses for all abilities using a specially drawn orienteering map) taking place at Teggs Nose on June 19th. All are welcome at these events. See www.mdoc.org.uk for further details.
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May Monthly Meeting
Our talk by “Quinteassential” was extremely popular and extra chairs had to be put out to cope with the large number of members and visitors.
Sitting around tables we tasted a range of teas blended by this small independent company which was established in Cheshire in 2010. The first was a caffeine free tea known as “Jewel of Africa” which is given to children and is said to have very positive health benefits. Next came a white tea which retains antioxidents and is said to break up fat tissue. Some members certainly pricked their ears up at the thought of that! The “Green Flamingo” tea flavoured with the exotic fruit graviola reminded several members of jelly beans! The “Imperial Earl Grey” was iced and can be served with ice-cream and finally came a signature breakfast tea.
Advice was given about making the perfect cup of tea.
1. The first cardinal rule of brewing great tea is to use good quality tea leaves.
2. When it comes to water temperature, remember – the blacker the tea, the hotter the water. Placing a small amount of hot water in the teapot first to warm it is always good, but be sure to discard that water before adding the leaves and final water.
3. Store your tea properly, keep it away from odours, heat, moisture and light.
4.Use the right equipment .Loose leaf tea is incredibly easy to prepare and can be a very rewarding experience as its a better quality than most teabags. If you are using a traditional teapot without an infuser, use a tea strainer to separate the leaves from the liquor. Use different styles of teapot for different types of tea.
5. Timing is everything when it comes to brewing the perfect cup. Each type of leaf has an optimum brewing time and under brewing and over brewing can both ruin even the best teas. The general rule here is the more fermented the leaves, the more brewing time. Hence, white tea, 1 to 1.5 mins; green tea, 1 to 2 mins; oolongs 2 to 3 mins and black teas 3 to 4 mins.
6. Use freshly drawn water.
We were also warned against drinking black tea after noon and using sugar! Discussion arose about putting the milk in first to avoid cracking bone china cups.
Quinteassential currently sell ten blends of their tea online plus limited edition blends and tea accessories.
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Bushcrafting Day - May 2014
A fantastic day! We built two dens, wamped (you’ll have to ask someone who went to find out about that!), made dreamcatchers and listened to an entertaining story about the history of bling in Alderley Edge. Then there was the food – toasted marshmallows, crumpets and teacakes. We have decided that some of us missed out on all the activities our children now do – we are catching up!
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April Monthly Meeting
Our April meeting was entitled 'Boosting Confidence through Clothes' and was a talk given by Sally Inkster.
Sally impressed us all initially with her great appearance and bubbly personality and then continued to impress us as she gave us lots of ideas about what we should and shouldn't wear to make the most of what nature has given us!
What to wear is a problem that most of us worry about nearly very day and Sally started off by explaining that the answer is all a question of balance.
Our bodies aren't naturally balanced so we have to use tricks to make them appear that they are. Whether we achieve this or not can have a great impact on us psychologically so it is important to get it right. Clothes tell people what and who we are and by the same token, we judge other people accordingly by how they look.
The fashion industry is a huge and lucrative market, out to maximise sales and therefore we need to know our own body shape so we can buy wisely. This can be done by measuring the distance between our shoulder bones and the distance between our hip bones and then comparing them to find which is bigger.
If your shoulders are bigger then you shouldn't accentuate them so don't wear puffed sleeves, shoulder pads, slash necks, tightly fitting jacket sleeves or cap sleeves. Attention should be brought to the hips by the use of pockets on skirts and trousers or wearing skirts that flare out.
Ladies with hips larger than their shoulders are said to have a Mediterranean body and as such should accentuate their shoulders by wearing puffed sleeves, big lapels and no detail on their hips, keeping to tight plain fabrics for trousers and skirts.
Where shoulders and hips measure the same, three different waistlines may be evident - tiny, going in slightly or expanding. If you have a waist then show it off, if not, create one! This can be achieved by wearing tailored clothes, one-buttoned jackets, long necklaces coming in at the middle - all designed to create a 'V'.
Lengthwise, for a balanced body, the crotch should be midway between the feet and the head but 75% of ladies have short legs. Tips to make legs look longer include wearing trousers long enough to hide your shoes and socks, shoes and trousers should all be the same colour. Long cardigans and jackets which make the upper torso look longer should be avoided, so wear short jackets, especially when wearing flat shoes. Never put a horizontal line over something you don't like eg. don't wear a short jacket if you have a waist larger than you would like.
When wearing a skirt or a dress, there are two lengths that look good, either floor length or from the knee upwards and the shorter the skirt, the lower the heel you should wear with it. The longer the skirt, the shorter any jacket you are wearing can be.
Accessories can make or break an outfit and once again it's all to do with balance. The taller and larger your bone structure, the more dramatic your accessories can be. Accessories can take the form of pattern, texture, jewellery or a bust greater than C+. But, you should only wear two of these at a time.
Colour is the last consideration when choosing what to wear. Anyone can wear any colour but it is the shade that is important. Choose your lipstick by checking with your eye colour - it will be obvious what suits you, and the same principle applies when choosing which colours to wear. Hold various coloured garments against your face and see how it can enhance your appearance or drain your natural colour.
By the end of Sally's talk we couldn't wait to get home to check out our wardrobes and then head off to the shops the next day armed with a wealth of new knowledge!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ March Monthly Meeting
The doors opened and it was clear we were going to have a full house. We enjoyed a Kir Royal and chocolate before our president introduced the evening’s speaker. We were all very excited to welcome Gay back. She visited a few years previously and entertained us so much that we were keen for her to visit again, especially for those not lucky enough to have seen her first time round! The talk on this occasion was ‘All about Eve’ – An irreverent view of some of the idiosyncrasies of women (and men!) and things that we can all relate to. Well, make no mistake, there was a lot we could relate to and Gay had us in hysterics! She started off by asking if anybody could remember any stories from her previous talk … Hilly remembered her story of visiting the gym and won herself Gay’s homemade jam! Hilly and Maura were still reminiscing about the story and though she did not re-tell it, it still reduced the pair of them into fits of laughter! And, so it continued….Gay told us about her husband’s purchase of a Sat Nav system and how the first experience of using it to travel to North Yorkshire, sent her a whole different route from her home via roads she never knew existed just to the A34! She never bothered again and now relies on handwritten notes. She started to wonder though, when following said notes to an evening meeting, was asked whether she had crossed the water yet….she thought maybe she was supposed to be heading somewhere remote and exotic, when she finally realised she was only going to Bootle! Obviously, she needs her trusty car and so had it booked in for it’s service. She told us how her husband offered to follow her there but as it was such a nice morning, she decided to walk, enjoy the sunshine and some light exercise. She arrived at the garage all pleased with herself as she handed the key over, only to realise she had left the car on the drive….the walk, should have been on the way back! The stories continued with her take on pilates and how good it is given all you have to think about is your pelvic floor! The capsule wardrobe and the need only for killer heels, pumps, leotard and dress, not always practical on every trip but then again, her husband’s idea of taking one pair of trousers is not the answer either. Especially when his first glass of red wine on board the plane is thrown over them! Gay continued to entertain us with more amusing stories about holidays, Christmas time, Woman’s Weekly and tips on how to make mock fish and stiffening things with sugar syrup and knitting! Before we knew it the evening had flown by and she finally explained how in retirement men appear to change. Those of you who came will remember about keeping the relationship alive, stories of bedtimes but also gifts of blood pressure monitors! We really giggled at the peas and peaches story, M&S and the Ruby Wedding Anniversary! We all need a bit of a giggle from time to time and a good laugh was had indeed! We certainly did and thank Gay again for her fun and friendly evening. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
I-Pad Course - February 2014
Several members are now far more familiar with the workings and shortcuts available on their iPads after an evening’s tuition from Diane “the IT angel”. It was definitely worth braving the elements on the windiest night of the year and the coconut flapjack was divine!
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Cinemac - January 2014
Eight members enjoyed an Italian meal at Fina followed by a showing of “The Railway Man” at Cinemac on Thursday 23rd January. It is hoped to arrange similar events. Please let the Committee know if there is a film you would particularly like to see.
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