Previous meetings 2016
During December's meeting we were entertained by a talented hand bell ringer who showed us how to play lots of different types and styles of music and then let us all have a go! We kicked off the festive season with some Prosecco and nibbles and then raffled a fabulous Christmas hamper.
November 2016
Our November meeting was a lively and sociable one with all members taking part in a practical session getting all the goodies made by our members ready for sale.
Our president had kindly made a large number of Christmas cakes which members were invited to decorate. These were then wrapped in cellophane and decorated ready for sale.
Another large group went to work making the dozens of pots of jams and jellies/pickles and chutneys made by our members look fabulous. They all now have a colour coordinated cover and hand written label and look fantastic. Just right as gifts, very professional and perfect for Christmas. A third group of ladies spent the time packaging up all the lovely hand kntted toys and novelty items, making ttem also look lovely. It was a really good sociable session with even the visitors joining in, and we were all surprised by just how much we now have to sell. All we need now is good weather!!!
October 2016
In October we were treated to a demonstration by JaniceTattersdill, a member from another local WI, who talked about her experiences as a florist and showed us lots of different techniques for creating autumnal floral arrangements. These were then used as raffle prizes and much appreciated by everyone. Followwing this we spent time in our craft groups with many finishing off items for sale at the Christmas Extravaganza
Lovely work ladies!
September 2016
September's meeting was well attended despite the appalling weather conditions! We paddled into the hall through the flooded carpark carrying our crafting equipment and welcomed Fiona birchall who came to talk to us about Storytelling. We enjoyed a very interesting half hour and were all entralled and inspired by her amazing talent.
During the refreshment break we were encouraged to inspect the entries for the 'Flower Arrangement in a Tea Cup' competition, and placed our Pennies for Friendship against the one we thought was prettiest, obviiously having a nice cup of tea and piece of lovely cake at the same time!
Following this we split into our crafting groups and had fun learning new skills and perfecting old ones. The meeting ended with a much drier walk home!
August 2016
August's meeting was well attended even though it is peak holiday season. Our speaker during the evening was one of our members who treated us to a very interesting talk about LIfe and Travels in India and Nepal.
She spent a number of years in both India and Neal when her children were small, both working and travelling around, and we spent a very happy 3/4 of an hour looking at the slides and photographs she took on her travels, and listening to the detailed descriptions of the culture, history and architecture of the countries she visited.
Following this and after a break for refreshments (of course!), we split into our craft groups and spent the rest of the meeting teaching and learning new skills to great effect. Flowers were arranged, wool was knitted and crocheted, paint was painted cards were made and photography techniques discussed. A great evening was had by all!!
April 2016
The April meeting at Chapel Hall was very interesting and left us all wanting more!
We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to listen to one of our members talking to us about French Village Life. She was kind enough to bring along lots of samples of local food and wine for us all to enjoy whilst we listened to a brilliant description of the trials and tribulations of buying a french house, moving in and getting to know about a different country, culture and slower pace of life. Unfortunately, due to a packed schedule, we ran out of time and so are looking forward with great pleasure to French Village Life - Part Two sometime soon!
Following refreshments we were treated to a talk about the resolutions proposed by National for this year. Being a new WI we have not been involved in the resolution process this year, but look forward to voting at the next meeting, having listened to a very in depth analysis of the pros and cons of each resolution.
May 2016
Our May meeting also featured two speakers. The first from Wokingham Borough Council talked to us about all the exercise and activity classes available in the Wokingham area and encouraged us all to give them a try - we were treated to a sample session of seated exercise which made us all laugh out loud! It seems there is plenty available for those who are looking for a challenge and many were encouraged to give a class a try.
The second speaker was a former air stewardess who founded the charity Dreamflight. Many had not heard of the charity before, but having been told about the fantastic opportunities the charity offers to disabled children, many were inspired to go home and spread the word via friends and family, and hopefully support it in some way in the future. A brilliant evening was had by all.
June 2016
In June we were very lucky to have the opportunity to hear a speaker from the Friends of Reading Abbey telling us all about the history of the Abbey and the work being done by the Friends to maintain and protect the Abbey for future generations. We were all enthralled by the lecture and slide show and are now looking forward to visiting once the ruins are opened up once again to the general public.
July 2016
This month's meeting featured a speaker who is a miliner in her spare time and who assured us that 'Everyone Can Wear A Hat'! Thanks must be sent to Julie from Temptation Hat Hire (temptationhathire.co.uk) for a great evening and for proving that indeed we all can! We all had great fun trying on lots of hats in different colours, shapes and sizes, and following her guidelines, found the perfect ones to suit,. See our Facebook page for pictorial evidence!