Centenary Celebrations
2015 - a busy year celebrating the WI centenary
It all started in the Autumn of 2014.......
Bea (one of our members) remembered visiting Canada and seeing the public flower beds that had been created to honour the WI. Wouldn't it be great if we could do something similar here in the UK?
October 2014
We visited the Poppies at the Tower of London. We invited some guests, one of whom happened to be part of Bracknell in Bloom and Bracknell Forest Council. Over lunch we told her about the flower beds in Canada and how we would like to do something in Bracknell. She loved the idea of a WI flower bed.
Early 2015
The first designs were submitted and approved. We settled on a cup cake shape, with a red cherry on the top and the words WI picked out in yellow marigolds. Our flower bed was to be located near Bracknell's Bus and Train stations roundabout and included a large poster.
11th April
Arrival of the WI Baton in Windsor Great Park. We shared a celebratory lunch with members of Windsor Great Park, Money Row Green (Holyport), Datchet, The Park and Bracknell Wick Hill.
28th May
The Flower Bed is revealed, followed by a Celebration at the Grange Hotel, Bracknell. Our President, Pam Oldroyd delivered a delightful thank you speech acknowledging all the support we had received from Bracknell Forest Council and Bracknell in Bloom. We caused quite a stir with passers-by as we gathered on the grassy mound opposite the roundabout! The flower bed was in situ until early in the Autumn and gave our WI group a lot of publicity.
2nd June
Jan (our Secretary) attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in celebration of the WI Centenary
28th June
We spend the afternoon at St Peter's Church, Cranbourne in a fund raising event to boost out funds
10th September
A double celebration with bubbly and cake to mark the centenary of the Women's Institute and Her Majesty the Queen becoming the longest reigning British monarch!
For more pictures, have a look at our Centenary Gallery below.
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