WI News

These are: 1, ‘Plastic Soup – Keep Microplastic Fibres out of our Oceans’ and 2, ‘Alleviating Loneliness’.

1. These fibres are shed from synthetic clothing with every wash and are the main contributor to micro plastic contamination of the oceans. The NWFI calls upon the government and industry to research and develop innovative solutions to this problem in order to stop the accumulation of microplastic fibres in the oceans.

2). To work alongside health and social care providers and their local communities to raise awareness of the causes and impacts of loneliness. This will ensure better identification of lonely people in order to be able to offer them the appropriate assistance and support.

The results of the WIs’ voting will be taken to the annual meeting by the various WI delegates, who will vote according to their branch’s wishes.

All Hampshire WIs hold their own annual meetings in May when the presidents and committees are elected. This is the meeting when changes can be made, some of the presidents and members of the committees retire, new ones are elected into position and some are willing to remain. Some WIs sing Jerusalem at their May meetings as it is an important and essential meeting of all WIs. The preceding year is reviewed in the secretary and treasurer reports.

Most of the May meeting of Andover Afternoon WI was taken up with the annual meeting and the discussions on the resolutions. It was suggested that instead of a coach outing the WI explores ways of visiting more local places by train, bus or using members’ cars. There were plenty of suggestions of destinations but no final decisions were made.

The members of Charlton WI sang Jerusalem at their May meeting, which is their birthday meeting. The WI is proposing to fund a Denman Bursary and information on this was given to members. New book and lunch clubs were launched. A summer outing to Chartwell was discussed. Following the serious part of the meeting a splendid cake was cut, and slices were served to all members along with wine and soft drinks. The evening ended with several games of bingo.

At their May meeting Goodworth Clatford WI members welcomed a representative from Andover Crisis Centre to tell them more about the work done there. Most were aware of the residential services offered to women and their children by this charity but knew little about the wider range of outreach work in the community and schools or the counselling service. What they learnt made them determined to increase their efforts in supporting this charity. Following the annual meeting and discussion on the two resolutions members were able to enjoy some social time and to sign up to forthcoming activities including the WI’s outing to Arundel.

Abbotts Ann WI, like all the WIs in Hampshire, held its annual meeting in May. The retiring secretary, Cecilia Cotton, was thanked for all her hard work. The president, Kate Bennett, is known for her wit which makes the meetings fun and this meeting was no exception. She decided to give her account of the previous 12 months in a quirky poem she had written entitled ‘President’s Board Game’.

The two resolutions to be put to the vote at the NFWI annual meeting were debated at length.

There were many activities to sign up to — there is so much more to belonging to the WI than just the monthly meetings.

Anton / Danebury Group arranged a theatre trip to London to see ‘The Girls’, a musical based on the film ‘The Calendar Girls’. This in turn was based on the experiences of a WI in Yorkshire which made a calendar to raise funds for the hospital which had treated the husband of one of the members who had died from a form of leukaemia. It was a brave venture for these members who emulated the famous Pirelli calendars, which used semi-naked women. The memberss from the Andover area thoroughly enjoyed their day in London. The musical was amazing, with the music by Gary Barlow who had also written the words with Tim Firth. The cast were very enthusiastic about what they were doing, which came across to the audience, and they received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the performance.

Hampshire County Federation of Women’s Institutes (HCFWI) in association with Newmarket Holidays arranged a long weekend in France to visit Monet’s Garden, Rouen and a whole day in Paris.

Two coach loads of members, from all over Hampshire, and a few husbands enjoyed the break. After some delay they arrived at their hotel for a late dinner and time to settle in.

Up early the next morning they went to the garden. The trip was too early in the year to see the water lilies that Monet made famous in his paintings, but the garden was beautiful. All the trees, around the pond and in the garden, were in full leaf which at this time of year looked fresh and green. With a little imagination one could easily picture the lily pond with all the flowers. The rest of the garden is kept in Monet’s colour schemes, but not necessarily to his exact planting — the colour being more important than the actual flowers.

In addition to a 12th century Gothic cathedral Rouen is famous for being the city where Joan of Arc was executed by the English. There is now a magnificent modern church near the site of her execution. From the outside it looks like an upturned boat, and inside are wonderful stained glass windows from an earlier church near the site, and a statue of Joan. The centre of the church is semicircular to focus on the altar.

The day in Paris was the day that the new French president was being inaugurated, so it made things a bit difficult for the coach drivers and couriers. However they went where they could and everyone had a lovely and very comprehensive tour of Paris. After that several of the members went up the Montparnasse Tower to the viewing platform on the 59th floor for the view of the city, from the very top of the building. The view is said to the best view of Paris. The Eiffel Tower can be seen, not far away, with all the other sights clearly in view.

The members were taken back into the centre of Paris and dropped-off in the Champs Elysees area for some free time, before being taken to the River Seine for a trip on one of the Bateaux Mouches. This is a fantastic way to see Paris from a different viewpoint.

By this time it was getting near dinnertime and they were taken to a small restaurant for dinner with entertainment. The restaurant was quite small which made for a cosy atmosphere. The entertainment turned out to be a duo of father and son, playing a banjo and accordion, and singing. Although not to operatic standards they were good and entertained all the members very well.

Then it was back to the coaches where the members found that the coach drivers were willing to provide more of the tour of Paris, to show them some of the sites missed during the morning, and the Eiffel Tower by night. All in all it was a very busy and tiring day.

In the Salisbury Museum, in the ceramic gallery, is a small display of spoons. They have been knitted, stitched and crocheted and then dipped in white porcelain, to make ‘Porcelain Spoons’.

This project started over a cup of tea and piece of cake in the museum’s café. Clare Spender, then NFWI craft adviser and Louise Tunnard, the marketing officer at the museum wanted to find a way to highlight craft and to publicise the museum for members of the WI in the local area. What better way than to use spoons? Many spoons were found in 1850 when the medieval drainage channels were cleared and they represent the museum’s first collection.

Clare and Louise thought that a really unusual and creative response would be to invite members of the WI to workshops to knit or crochet spoons. Each spoon is individual and the idea that each member maker would create her own unique spoon was a very appealing one. Clare then approached Julie Miles, a ceramic artist, to dip each handcrafted spoon in porcelain thus transforming it into a delicate work of art, which could then be displayed as part of an exhibition at the museum.

The suggestion to have the spoons knitted or crocheted expanded into other crafts. Some are made from fabric, some are made by the technique of needle-lace, and others are made using other needlecraft techniques. Some of the spoons are large and some are tiny and delicate, with every size in between, and as the original idea suggested each is unique. All have been dipped in the porcelain and the final result is stunning. Julie has indeed transformed craft into art.

The Anton / Danebury Group round of the HCFWI quiz was played the week after the Paris trip, with most of the WIs in the group taking part. It was won by the team from Andover Afternoon WI, with a score of 131. The team will go on to the final, which will be held in Eastleigh later in the year. The teams from Longstock & Leckford and Whitchurch WIs were in second place with a score of 127.