Horsham Normandy W.I.

On a wet and blustery day in March 2019 Anne R and Hazel joined a team of WI ladies to plant 100 oak saplings on the Slindon Estate. This initiative organised by Al Menzies, is an event to mark 100 years of our West Sussex Federation. In conjunction with the National Trust it is part of the largest woodland restoration undertaken by NT. The Slindon Estate was cleared of much of it’s ancient woodland during the First World War to provide timber for pit props & trench supports. During the Second World War it was planted to increase food production.  After farming ceased on the estate in 2013 the Rise of Northwood project began. Our Federation effort is part of this community project. Gathering at the meeting point it was still a mile walk along country tracks & paths before reaching the designated planting site. Here Gabby & Hannah, the NT wardens, were on hand to provide tuition & support for our activity. They had already marked the planting positions and even dug a few planting holes. As the weather worsened we were pleased to have each other for support,  bracing ourselves against the wind. Hannah’s dog Twiggy was there to enjoy the scene, at one stage believing our little oak tree was a play stick! Sadly Anne is not in the pictures as she was busy capturing the scene as Official Observer, although she did also assist with planting.

Kath, Linda. Anne R, Ute, Andrea and Diana H attended the Federation’s Centenary lunch at the Avisford Park Hotel, Arundel at the start of 2019’s 100-years celebrations. Nearly 100 members enjoyed a lovely lunch in a beautifully decorated room; needless to say the chat didn’t stop as we made new friends from around the county. And Linda won a raffle prize – a WSFWI centenary mug.      Congratulations to Janice and her team for such an enjoyable day.

And we made it home before the snow arrived

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Nine members and Lesley’s Mum went to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton to see Calendar Girls’, the Musical, on 9th January. We took a direct train to Southampton, the only hitch being no refreshments on board, so by the time we arrived, we were somewhat parched! However, this was soon remedied, as a table had been booked for lunch. Fortified with food and drink we walked the short distance to the theatre, where we had good seats in the circle. The show was excellent, the music foot-tapping and all the cast looked as though they were having fun. We thought the weather was rather cold for stripping off,  but strip off they did,  to enthusiastic applause.

Our thanks to Jill & Lesley for organising a lovely day out. And thanks to Diana H for this report.

On Tuesday 25th October 2018, we took the train to London. Once we had reached Blackfriars, we had a relaxing walk beside the Thames to the Globe Theatre. This was the dream of Sam Wanamaker who erected a copy of the original Shakespearean theatre in 1997. We spent a short time in the museum, and saw many different types of stage memorabilia. Then we joined the tour, which was aided by each participant having a radio receiver, which meant that we could hear the guide’s commentary however far behind we lagged.

We toured different levels of the Globe, learning of the different disasters and triumphs during the history of the theatre. it was a very informative and enjoyable experience.

                                                                                                               We carried on down Bankside towards Borough  Market. Once there the group stopped for much earned refreshment. Thanks to Jill B and Lesley M for organising the trip.

Thanks to Pam T for these words and Anne R for the pictures.

Members have been busy knitting for the East Surrey Neonatal unit and another consignment was delivered last month by 3 of our members.  As always these items are gratefully received by staff and parents of a new fragile life.                            Other members sew textured dementia mats to help relieve anxiety for patients within this specialised unit. Many interesting items can be worked onto these and members regularly bring suitable trims, buttons and zips along. This can challenge the creativity of the makers and several were shown at recent meeting. 

August is a slow month in our WI with craft and book clubs taking a summer break, no official meeting except our Summer lunch, so the Annual Federation Quiz is a welcome date for the calendar.                                                                                                                                This year we entered 2 teams and were delighted that Anne,Sue, Kath & Hazel were the afternoons winners. Carol M, Pat R, Diana H and Pam T came a very creditable 4th but all had enjoyed the quiz. There had been an excellent mix of reasonably easy questions with ones that meant clawing that elusive answer from the depths of our brains and a few that we just didn’t know!    We all went home tired but happy after a very pleasant afternoon.

Our thanks to the Federation committee for organising this event and to Pat R for submitting this blog.

On the (then) hottest day of the year in late July, six of us went to Standen House (NT), showcasing the best examples of the Arts and Crafts movement, with interiors by William Morris & Co. In addition, it was interesting to read of Miss Beale’s association with and generosity towards her local WI, loaning a not inconsiderable amount of money to build their own hall.      One of the main reasons for the visit was to see the embroidery exhibition, with exquisite work by local artists, not least Anne Sillifant whom we had met as one of our speakers. Some members left several £’s lighter!!        A light lunch in the lovely cool barn rounded off a most interesting visit.         My thanks to Diana for submitting this piece.

Anne, Hazel & Pat went to the tenpin bowling event arranged for West Sussex WI’s at Rustington. The facilities are very good and we joined with two ladies from Felpham WI for our 2 rounds of 10 games. Despite advice from Michele (Felpham WI) our games varied from brilliant (Anne’s first ball was a strike!) to awful (we all found the gutter quite often), and Pat decided that age is catching up with her as she didn’t do as well as last year! Michele  was the clear winner in both matches, however we had a lot of laughs & met other members so thoroughly enjoyed the morning.

Our thanks to the Sport & Leisure Committee for organising another successful event.

An interesting and informative day at the WI Fraud prevention and security day in Dial Post. A joint presentation by Sussex Police and Trading Standards exposed the range of scams that now confront us. However, it was reassuring to learn that there is much we can do to confound these scammers and that these two agencies work together to gain knowledge & remove these unscrupulous people. Sussex Police produce an excellent booklet about staying safe and smart entitled “the little book of BIG SCAMS”. An e-version of this information can be downloaded from their website http://www.sussex.police.uk

After lunch a  brief overview of the new GDPR legislation explained how we, and not only organisations, have to be data aware and the need to think before passing personal details.

The final section was advice from a cyber security expert who gave us much to think about. He concluded with a sheet if hints & tips that I have scanned and placed on our website under the Shared heading.

A thought provoking day.

From a patchwork tutorial at one of our craft sessions last year we created a variety of 4 patch, 9 patch and applique squares. Interest on this task was maintained over the summer and with a vast selection to choose from two members assembled & backed them to make these cosy comforters. A total of five were made and have now been passed on through known contacts, to support women & children at a local refuge house.

We may never know the recipients but we hope that these patchwork comforters bring  some love to their new owners.