Around the WI

BENSON

AS reported last month, our March meeting failed to resolve our committee but we all met again in April and, with great determination and the help of our Oxfordshire Federation membership trustee, we elected a new president and treasurer, which has enabled us to move on for another year — year number 98.

At the meeting we welcomed Bridget Hess, the instigator and organiser of our community garden here in Benson, to talk about how the garden has developed.

The garden is situated in the St Helen’s Avenue allotments and is now four years old.

It has received funding from various sources, such as South Oxfordshire District Council, and is available to the whole community to help on it or to help themselves to any produce.

Bridget’s talk was accompanied by a slide show about the garden and she also demonstrated soaps and lotions made from natural products which she has been selling at the recent artisans markets held in Benson parish hall.

Also during April, the Oxfordshire Federation came to Benson to hold another speakers selection day and will again be in Benson on May 23 to host a talk on the Diamond Light Source by Amy Griffin, public engagement officer at the UK’s National Synchrotron.

Diamond Light Source is one of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world and it is located here in Oxfordshire (Harwell).

The talk is open to non-members and details are on the Federation’s website.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, May 22 at 2.30pm when we shall hear an interesting account of the running of a local bed and breakfast business. We can expect one or two humorous anecdotes for sure.

For anyone wishing to join us, visitors are very welcome (£4 entry). Please contact the secretary first by calling (01491) 837885 or email bensonwi@oxfordshirewi.co.uk

Sue Brown

CAVERSHAM

OUR April speaker was Ailsa Claybourne who proved to be fascinating.

Her talk was entitled “The signs of spring”.

She explained that there were three kinds of spring: astronomical, meteorological and phenological.

Ailsa spoke about butterflies, insects, wild flowers and birds. She had some stunning photographs and even shared the sounds of individual bird songs.

We now have our programme set for the coming year and are looking forward to local speakers talking about energy and the changing climate (in May) and sculptures and statues in Reading town centre (in June).

We now meet in the evening (7.30pm) on the first Tuesday of each month.

This change has enabled us to maintain a meeting to suit members with daytime commitments and those looking for a midweek distraction.

If you would like to join us for an evening, feel free to reach out on Facebook or email us on cavershamwi
@berkshirewi.co.uk

Visitors are welcome (and entirely free). Meetings are held in central Caversham in a fully accessible venue for about two hours, including a cup of tea or coffee and time to learn something new, meet your neighbours and discuss local and national issues.

Claire Elliott

CHAZEY

EVERY picture tells a story and this one is all about the cake, celebrating the 42nd anniversary of Chazey WI’s inauguration.

We had a fantastic afternoon at our April monthly meeting, which included a talk on microwave cookery by author and broadcaster Jennipher Marshall-Jenkinson, with some lovely tastings and more samples to take home.

Members of the Caversham and Sonning Glebe branches joined us for the occasion and we were also delighted to gain some new members.

The birthday cake — kindly donated by the Caversham branch of Waitrose — was the highlight of the day. Everyone thought it was brilliant.

Our newly-elected president, Margaret Keen, did the honours in cutting the cake.

Have you ever wanted to find out what the WI does? The Chazey branch meets on the first Friday of every month (2.30pm to 4.30pm) at St Andrew’s Church hall in Caversham (RG4 7AW). All are welcome.

The one exception is the Friday of our annual outing in June, when members will be visiting the National Trust property at Polesden Lacey in Surrey.

Jill Dibben

CLEEVE-BY-GORING

AT our April meeting a representative of Oxfordshire Trading Standards told us about scams and how to avoid them.

After looking at scams through the post, by unsolicited telephone calls and emails, we were all forewarned, if a little worried.

A bring and buy sale was held to raise money for the Association of Country Women of the World, which we try to support each April. Unsold items were donated to local charity shops.

Members were asked to bring a packet of their favourite biscuits instead of a competition.

The clear winner was chocolate digestives and the biscuits were delivered to Wallingford food bank the following day.

At the end of the month we had a walk to add to the amount raised for the ACWW.

Eight members walked along the riverbank for one mile and back, the average some women in the world have to walk to get water.

We then went to the Chocolate Café for a coffee and donated an equal amount to our charity.

Chris Cox

COCKPOLE GREEN

WE had a busy day on April 17. First of all, we had an open coffee morning.

At our afternoon meeting, we were working out with Samantha Rayner doing a Zumba class.

Zumba’s motto is “Ditch the workout, join the party”.

Samantha was brilliant and did a great job in getting us all smiling and moving. It was fast-paced but everyone could join in, whether standing or sitting.

Each track we danced to seemed better than the last and had us doing moves from salsa, reggaeton and line dancing. We had a lot of fun.

Our next meeting on May 15 will include a talk from Brighter Futures for Children called “Spreading the word on fostering”.

This is an independent, not-for-profit-company set up in December 2018 to deliver the best possible opportunities for the children of Reading, including delivering social care, early help and prevention and educational service, including SEND.

We meet at Crazies Hill village hall on the third Wednesday of each month at 2.30pm and welcome visitors and new members.

Sheila Brockelbank

HARPSDEN-GREYS

OUR president opened the April meeting and welcomed four guests and our speaker James Barr, who gave a fascinating talk on beekeeping.

He lives locally and had brought with him a new beehive, which he had been given for Christmas.

His main reason for keeping bees was to preserve and increase the bee population as they are such important pollinators.

He encouraged everyone to plant bee-friendly plants and to offer to house hives for beekeepers.

After a detailed talk about the life and organisation of a bee colony, he offered us five different honeys to taste, including his own.

They were all very different and dependent upon the flowers from which the nectar was gathered.

He explained that “set” honey is the same as the runny honey that is collected from the combs but once the crystals start to form others develop and the honey becomes “thick”.

The honeys that he showed us had not been diluted by glucose syrup, which often forms a percentage of honey sold commercially.

Our meeting continued with a report by Penny Noble on the Oxfordshire Federation meeting, which had an inspiring talk by the woman commander of RAF Brize Norton.

She is encouraging and supporting more women to take challenging roles within the RAF.

Our extra activities continue with a meeting of book club members and planned visits to local places.

A small group has just delivered some beautiful knitted toys to the Royal Berkshire Hospital for those children who are receiving treatment there. We would love to welcome new members. We meet at Harpsden village hall on the second Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm.

Do come along and hear a talk on podiatry at our next meeting on May 8.

In June we shall have an occupational therapist advising on safety measures in the home.

Gwen Wilding

HOT (HENLEY-ON-THAMES)

OUR April meeting was all about Brakspear and beer.

We learnt about the difference between cask ales and other beers and how to keep them in peak condition.

We also found out a lot about the brewing industry in Henley and how it has changed over the past 200 years, all while drinking a bottle of Oxford Gold served with the president’s savoury scones.

We have had a busy month with lots of events happening within our wider WI community.

President Nicola Taylor and treasurer Rosemary attended the speakers selection meeting in Benson where more than 150 WI women gather to listen to prospective new speakers and to decide if they are suitable to be placed on the recommended list.

Four of our members also attended the first Beechwood Group event of the year at Stoke Row WI, where we were warmly welcomed and provided with a delicious selection of sandwiches, cakes and wine.

The talk was called “Strictly wildlife” as local photographer Simon Booker showed us a delightful array of photos and explained how he got such fabulous results, even dressing up in his camouflage gear.

Our next meeting will be on Friday, May 17 at 7.30pm. We will have the lovely Liz Felix talking about her marvellous millinery. Bring a hat.

Nicola Taylor

OXFORDSHIRE

MEMBERS of the county federation gathered for their annual meeting on March 26.

After the business of the day, attendees enjoyed a series of presentations.

Trustee Jane Finnerty told members about the charitable work of Associated Country Women of the World helping women in poor rural communities.

Sue Smith, climate ambassador, talked about the work being conducted across Oxfordshire monitoring water quality in the county’s rivers and a project with Dr Sam Hampton at the Oxford University School of Geography and the Environment regarding a climate change survey.

Campaigning is in the very DNA of the WI. The very first national WI resolution was passed in 1918 and called for a “sufficient supply of convenient and sanitary houses, being of vital importance to women in the country”.

Outside guest speakers included Chris Coe, from the Plunkett Foundation in Woodstock, who told members about the work of the foundation across the country helping create community businesses for local people.

It was fascinating to hear that the founder, Horace Plunkett, also played a part in establishing the WI movement back in the early 1900s.

After lunch members were treated to a most interesting and engaging talk by Gp Capt Claire O’Grady, station commander at RAF Brize Norton.

During her career so far, Capt O’Grady has completed command and staff appointments in personnel, welfare, discipline and infrastructure and completed operational tours in Kosovo, Iraq, the Middle East and Afghanistan.

She also talked about the RAF Gender Network and how life in the armed forces has changed since she joined at the age of 18.

Women are now able to join all professions in the armed forces.

Operational innovations have been made for women, in particular uniforms, maternity uniforms and equipment design.

Gp Capt O’Grady explained that the air force now recognises valuing a person leads to better retention.

Having achieved this career while a working mother, she is truly an inspiring woman. Federation chair Tracy Strain said: “With the help of just three part-time staff, our county organisation is run by volunteers, trustees and WI advisers. They too have been inspired to take on those roles.

“Our annual meeting provides a great opportunity for our members from all over Oxfordshire to meet up and exchange ideas. It has been such a great day.”

There are 117 WI branches across the county. The WI provides women with fun and friendship plus the chance to learn new skills, get involved within the community both locally and nationally and take part in a wide range of activities.

Members meet monthly to hear a speaker and throughout the month can enjoy a variety of other events and activities.

For more information and details of how to join, email fedsec@oxfordshirewi.co.uk or visit www.oxfordshirewi.co.uk

Linda Mustill

PEPPARD

OUR president Val welcomed everyone to the April meeting, in particular our three new members, Gilly, Eileen and Liz, who each received a welcome pack.

Grateful thanks to Sandra who had, once again, produced the programme for the year.

Members were reminded that subscriptions were due.

Lesley related the ongoing saga of the dishwasher which Peppard WI was providing for Peppard War Memorial Hall with the help of grants.

The resolution going forward to the National Federation’s annual meeting is “Dental health matters”, which we will have the opportunity to vote on at our next meeting.

Irene’s report on the Oxfordshire Federation’s annual meeting was read. Wallingford WI had won the poster competition.

Next year’s competition is a poem describing what the WI means to its members.

Val was one of the winners in the 400 Club draw in
February.

The National Federation’s annual meeting is on June 5. Tickets are available for the federation raffle.

Those wishing to order bulbs should let Sandra have their order with their cheque.

Our speaker this month was Michael McLeod, author of Senses at War 1642-1649.

He gave us a fascinating and humorous insight into “A taste of history”.

Concentrating on the 17th century, he described the story behind some paintings, Caravaggio’s fruit basket and others by Vermeer, explaining how the fruit in each added to the story behind the picture.

Michael slowly built up a still life of his own, giving the meaning of each item, for example, the lemon looks beautiful but has a bitter taste.

In the 17th century it was believed everyone belonged to one of four humours, sanguine, choleric, melancholic or phlegmatic.

Michael amused us by pointing out which of our prime ministers fitted which humour and what we should or shouldn’t give them to eat if they came for a meal.

He went on to describe how ailments were treated and the belief that God gave a sign by the appearance of food and plants, for example, the walnut looks like a brain.

There is a herb garden in Kew Palace where each plant has an inscription about how it was used in medicine.

Michael went on to describe food served at banquets, in particular pastries and pies.

He invited us to try the food he had prepared from recipes he had researched from the time.

The chocolate was delicious. His cake, which had yeast in it, needed the addition of a spread and the bun recipe was said to be that used in the buns burnt in the bakery in the Great Fire of London.

On Wednesday, May 8 Jane Fletcher will be coming to tell us about “Memories: making the most of your possessions”.

Join us at Peppard War Memorial Hall from 2pm.

This will be followed by a coffee morning in the hall on Thursday, May 23 from 10am to noon. The £5 entry includes cake, coffee or tea plus a raffle ticket. There will be handicrafts and preserves on sale.

Jennifer Smith

REMENHAM

APRIL was a busy month. Four of our members attended a first aid course at Mortimer, which covered several scenarios, including bleeding, burns, strokes and the use of a defibrillator.

We all agreed that a refresher course is always useful.

“Are you sitting comfortably?” This is the question we were asked by a team from HSL, the furniture company, when they visited our WI.

Area manager George told us how the family-run firm was set up in Dewsbury in 1968 by Jeffrey and Patricia Burrows to produce comfortable, quality furniture.

This would improve the way people sit and would help with back pain, muscle health and circulation.

Research at Leeds University has shown that sitting in a properly fitted chair for an individual has a number of benefits.

It reduces your heart rate, increases oxygen flow to the lower limbs and lowers blood pressure.

In 2021, HSL received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Innovation for frame design.

All the furniture is made in the UK and fabrics from Sanderson, Morris & Co and Moon offer a wide choice of design.

The team brought many chairs to the meeting, which could be adapted to suit all sizes and shapes and these were all tried by our members.

Everyone received an HSL “party bag” before going home.

The book club met a few days later to discuss Daughters of War, the first in a trilogy by Dinah Jefferies.

This is set in France in 1944, where in a river valley of the Dordogne, in an old stone cottage on the edge of a beautiful village, three sisters long for the end of the Second World War.

Everyone agreed it was an excellent read and many are now reading the second book in the series.

The club’s next book is The Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble.

This is the story of a group of young women who work in the Tiffany’s workshop.

Five members attended the Berkshire Federation’s annual meeting in Reading.

After an address by the Mayor of Reading, this was a mixture of annual reports and some interesting speakers.

Tickets are now available for the Remenham WI tea masterclass on June 10 at 2.30pm from Daphne at wi.daphne@hotmail.com or Irene on 0118 348 8805.

Daphne Austen

SHIPLAKE

PRESIDENT Sue Lines opened the April meeting by thanking Fiona Cooke for chairing the annual meeting in her absence.

Members who had retired from the committee were presented with plants as a thank-you and special mention was made of Rosemary Appleby who had served as treasurer for 35 years.

Sue had taken photos of the postbox topper and is going to take another one to include Joan Jolley, who had organised the making of the topper but had not been available for the picture.

Members have volunteered to bake cakes or give two hours of their time to help at the Henley Arts Trail at Shiplake Memorial Hall on the weekend of May 4
to 6.

Any profits will be given to the Bluebells day centre in Henley, which supports people with dementia.

Shirley Cooke will be selling plants from her front garden during this weekend and profits from this will go to Cancer Research.

The Big Help Out will take place on Friday, May 10 when all members are welcome to help tidy the memorial hall gardens.

A reminder was given about the outings for the year, including dates for open gardens in the area.

The meeting was interrupted by Michael Stirling advertising his upcoming musical performance at the memorial hall, which took place on April 19.

The speaker was Hayley Scott, talking on “A day in the life of a Metropolitan Police crime scene investigator.”

She explained all the steps that have to be taken at a crime scene and the difference between fingerprints and finger marks.

She told us of some of the crimes she had been involved in solving.

Hayley was a very good speaker and held everyone’s attention with many questions following.

The next meeting will be held at Shiplake Memorial Hall on May 15 at 2.30pm. All welcome.

Judy Rolstone

SONNING COMMON

OUR hall was set up with us all spaced out as we were in for some seated exercise.

After the birthdays were acknowledged, president Sue welcomed back our popular instructor Jeanette, who spent time explaining why exercise was important for us to keep flexible and demonstrated which muscles need using the most to keep blood flowing to and from the heart.

Who knew calf muscles were so important to send back the blood that has gone south with gravity (along with a few other things sometimes)?

After her humorous talk, we got down to the exercises amid occasional laughter.

Our tea break was even more welcome than usual and we had a good chat and look at the displays.

Flower of the month attracted plenty of entries and the sport-related items produced very interesting explanations.

Sue gave us all the news of possible outings and then gave her report as our delegate at the Oxfordshire Federation’s annual meeting.

Another member gave an amusing report of a recent audition for the speakers event.

Our regular coffee morning for anyone in the village is on Wednesday, May 1 so will be over by the time this is read but is bound to have been a success!

Penny Noble

STOKE ROW

IT was a busy but exciting start to the new programme in April in which we hosted two meetings, a very successful coffee shop at the Woodcote community centre and a hugely enjoyed cooked lunch for a local over-60s group as well as our regular activities.

At our monthly meeting we started the evening with a session of chair Zumba led by Thea.

Our members attending via Zoom were also able to join in.

We discovered that sitting down did not make Zumba any easier but we kicked our legs and waved our arms with great enthusiasm and had a thoroughly good time trying to follow Thea’s graceful example.

We recovered over tea and some delicious homemade cake left over from the coffee shop.

Stoke Row WI was pleased to host the Beechwood Group meeting, which was attended by more than 50 people.

The group is composed of seven local WIs, meets twice a year and provides the opportunity to meet other members in the area.

The evening started with a glass of wine and a splendid supper in the style of afternoon tea before everyone settled down to enjoy an excellent talk from Simon Booker about his work as a wildlife photographer.

This was followed by a quiz and a raffle.

Our next meeting in May will be our resolution meeting at which we decide whether or not to support this year’s resolution entitled “Dental health matters”.

One of our members, who is a retired local dentist, will be talking to us about her work in the UK and abroad to help us understand more about the consequences of ignoring dental health.

Looking ahead, our members will be taking part in an Indian print workshop, skittles, croquet, a theatre trip and a mini break to York at the end of the year.

There will also be meetings of the craft, book and games groups as well as swimming, coffee and chat sessions on Zoom, walking and dining.

Why don’t you come along and try one of our meetings? You would be most welcome to visit us.

Please contact our secretary via email at stokerowwi@oxfordshirewi.co.uk

Denise Stanworth

WHITCHURCH HILL

SEVENTY-ONE and counting — the age of Whitchurch Hill WI.

To mark the occasion, members enjoyed a buffet lunch in our meeting venue, of Goring Heath parish hall.

The committee provided the savouries while members provided the desserts.

An excellent balance with plenty of time to socialise after the business of the day had been conducted.

Earlier in the month we enjoyed a lunch at the Four Points and we will soon be travelling in the opposite direction to sample the menu at the Rising Sun in Witheridge Hill.

We will soon become connoiseurs of the local hostelries — there are worse hobbies to have!

But enough about food. Whether with members of Whitchurch Hill WI or with members from other groups, there is plenty else to occupy our time.

A speakers selection evening is happening later this month, an opportunity for WIs to hear prospective visiting speakers give a flavour of their talks.

This helps WI groups tailor talks to suit the needs and interests of their respective members.

If physical activities are more interesting then a taster archery session is available in the summer, organised by our Berkshire Federation.

Walks are often on the agenda too while those who prefer craftwork are encouraged to participate in locally run events.

In our WI a group meets monthly to natter while knitting items for the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

As a community activity, May is always busy.

We run the very popular tea tent at Whitchurch Hill fete on bank holiday Saturday and this requires the cake makers among us to practise our baking skills ready for the big day.

Those less inclined to bake often lend their services to serve the teas, wash the crockery, clear the tables etc. There are plenty of tasks to go round.

Maybe we will see you there.

Sally Bergmann

WOODCOTE

SALLY Lambert welcomed the members to our April meeting.

Birthday cards were given to Margaret Carter and Pat Hunt.

Pat had bought her beautiful hoop which she had entered in the Oxfordshire Federation competition.

The speaker was Peter Tickler who spoke about crime fiction.

He was very entertaining and got everyone involved in planning their own crime fiction characters. Shirley Bryant should consider a new career in crime writing!

This was followed by a crime quiz.

We had a lovely tea. Thank you to Sandra Dickson and Doreen Knox.

The bloom of the month winner was Carole Shelley-Allen with her pretty flower.

The lunch club is going to the King William at Hailey. Thank you to Sally for organising this.

Thank you to everyone who supported our coffee shop at the community coffee shop. It was a very successful morning.

In May we will have our resolutions meeting to consider the motion “Dental health matters”.

Come and join us in the village hall on the third Wednesday of the month, starting at 2.30pm.

Judy Williams