Reports of meetings in 2019
DECEMBER 2019
Our party on the 18th was, as usual a success and, because the business is kept to a minimum in December, everyone has a lovely time catching up with each other on this informal, more sociable evening. Once again, the bring and share meal was terrific and the buffet table was positively straining under the weight of the food on offer. During the evening Jai introduced us all to “the present game” and “the left/right game” which was great fun. The charity Christmas card made by Veronica was particularly lovely this year so it has been picked as the illustration for this month’s report. This is becoming a bit of a tradition in our WI; rather than give each other a card we all collectively sign one, handmade creation by a member for a small donation and this year £38 was raised to benefit Cancer Research UK. Finally, everyone took home a present from Santa's basket, along with the 2020 programme of events and speakers that has been planned by Sheila. A good night had by all, preparing the way for Christmas and the New Year.
NOVEMBER 2019
After the business of our AGM, we welcomed our speaker for the evening, Kevin Ward who is the Stroud Museum Development Manager. He gave an interesting account of the history and restoration of the previously derelict Walled Garden adjacent to the Mansion House – now Stroud museum (a former wool merchant's Grade II-listed house dating back to the 17th century) - and an account of the community's endeavours to bring the garden ‘back to life’ including the planning and erection of a pavilion and the repurposing of an old air raid shelter to be used as a learning space.
With an award from the Gloucestershire Environmental trust £250,000 grant in 2013 and money from the Stroud District Council Kevin gave an insight into the landscaping and preparation work prior to planting using power point slides.
The garden is now maturing and is well shaped and free to visit, which has been designed to look good in every season.
With an award from the Gloucestershire Environmental trust £250,000 grant in 2013 and money from the Stroud District Council Kevin gave an insight into the landscaping and preparation work prior to planting using power point slides.
The garden is now maturing and is well shaped and free to visit, which has been designed to look good in every season.
OCTOBER 2019
For our October meeting we called on our very own member, Janice Cole to share her travel experiences in Japan and we were treated to some lovely visuals projected onto the screen taken from her holiday photo album.
There are quite a contradiction of styles in Japan as very high tech meets customary traditions. For instance, we imagine tea ceremonies, Zen gardens and geishas (to name but a few stereotypes) when we think of Japan culture and these ancient traditions certainly still take place, but they are integrated within a backdrop of high rise buildings and technological developments that make this country completely fascinating.
Janice visited the two major cities, Tokyo and Kyoto and travelled between them via the “bullet train” and, while speeding through the region, did manage to get a glimpse of the tip of Mount Fuji through the clouds.
It was obvious that Janice had had a wonderful time in Japan, despite the weather not being at its best, but she found the people to to be friendly and welcoming, the sightseeing very different and the whole holiday an real experience. We certainly very much enjoyed sharing her memories of this enigmatic country this evening.
There are quite a contradiction of styles in Japan as very high tech meets customary traditions. For instance, we imagine tea ceremonies, Zen gardens and geishas (to name but a few stereotypes) when we think of Japan culture and these ancient traditions certainly still take place, but they are integrated within a backdrop of high rise buildings and technological developments that make this country completely fascinating.
Janice visited the two major cities, Tokyo and Kyoto and travelled between them via the “bullet train” and, while speeding through the region, did manage to get a glimpse of the tip of Mount Fuji through the clouds.
It was obvious that Janice had had a wonderful time in Japan, despite the weather not being at its best, but she found the people to to be friendly and welcoming, the sightseeing very different and the whole holiday an real experience. We certainly very much enjoyed sharing her memories of this enigmatic country this evening.
SEPTEMBER 2019
Our September meeting was a joint one with Hardwicke WI. It’s always a pleasure to meet up with our friends and this month was no exception – they even treated us to refreshments that included sandwiches, sausage rolls along with the traditionally served cakes. A real blow out!
We were all entertained by Jeff Gillett and his wife, Elaine – second time around for us this year, but a different theme on this occasion – this evening they brought us “Songs of Gloucestershire” traditional lyrics and music that had previously been sung and passed down verbally over the centuries, until finally having been collected and recorded in written form for everyone to remember and enjoy for the present time and for posterity.
Jeff is a very experienced musician and plays multiple instruments. This evening he played his acoustic guitar, a mandola and an Appalachian harp. Both he and Elaine sing together beautifully, combining their voices to create harmonies and sensitive interpretations of the customary tales the songs relay.
Every one recognized at least one or two of the towns and villages mentioned in some of the songs performed and it made for a lovely, shared evening for us all.
We were all entertained by Jeff Gillett and his wife, Elaine – second time around for us this year, but a different theme on this occasion – this evening they brought us “Songs of Gloucestershire” traditional lyrics and music that had previously been sung and passed down verbally over the centuries, until finally having been collected and recorded in written form for everyone to remember and enjoy for the present time and for posterity.
Jeff is a very experienced musician and plays multiple instruments. This evening he played his acoustic guitar, a mandola and an Appalachian harp. Both he and Elaine sing together beautifully, combining their voices to create harmonies and sensitive interpretations of the customary tales the songs relay.
Every one recognized at least one or two of the towns and villages mentioned in some of the songs performed and it made for a lovely, shared evening for us all.
JULY 2019
This month Chris Evans, the founder and trustee of The Butterfly Garden project came to give us a talk on how this venture started and the success it has gained – despite any formal planning for it to do so!
Chris grew up surrounded by nature; his father and grandfather were men whose lives revolved around veggies, plants and seeds and Chris was immersed in agriculture from a young age. At nine years old he sowed and grew a tomatoe and, since then, along with potatoes, he has been enthusiastic about them.
Chris had lived and worked at Dundry Nurseries, just outside Cheltenham for 45 years and he still classes himself as a “dirt” farmer – which probably can be interpreted as a hands on, traditional gardener, pleased to sow the seed and pot on the plant himself. The Butterfly Garden came about as a result of six autistic children walking in the door one day, nearly 20 years ago and Chris offering to teach them how to garden for a few hours, one afternoon a week. However, word soon spread and today there are 60–70 people a day coming onto the site every day and, although there is still the opportunity to learn how to garden, there’s also recycling, woodworking, cookery, art and craft activities available. The wellbeing of the volunteers, tutors and the students who take part – people of all ages and including those with any form of disablement – is the core of the project and it now has charitable status and welcomes anyone interested in taking part in anything that excites them and there is no charge attached.
Chris is a very humble guy who does not want to take the credit for this remarkable organisation and he says he marvels at how it has all materialised himself, but without his unique personality this project would not, could not, have come about. Long live the Butterfly Garden!
Chris grew up surrounded by nature; his father and grandfather were men whose lives revolved around veggies, plants and seeds and Chris was immersed in agriculture from a young age. At nine years old he sowed and grew a tomatoe and, since then, along with potatoes, he has been enthusiastic about them.
Chris had lived and worked at Dundry Nurseries, just outside Cheltenham for 45 years and he still classes himself as a “dirt” farmer – which probably can be interpreted as a hands on, traditional gardener, pleased to sow the seed and pot on the plant himself. The Butterfly Garden came about as a result of six autistic children walking in the door one day, nearly 20 years ago and Chris offering to teach them how to garden for a few hours, one afternoon a week. However, word soon spread and today there are 60–70 people a day coming onto the site every day and, although there is still the opportunity to learn how to garden, there’s also recycling, woodworking, cookery, art and craft activities available. The wellbeing of the volunteers, tutors and the students who take part – people of all ages and including those with any form of disablement – is the core of the project and it now has charitable status and welcomes anyone interested in taking part in anything that excites them and there is no charge attached.
Chris is a very humble guy who does not want to take the credit for this remarkable organisation and he says he marvels at how it has all materialised himself, but without his unique personality this project would not, could not, have come about. Long live the Butterfly Garden!
JUNE 2019
Our speaker for June, Celia Hargraves, gave us an insight into the trials and tribulations that need to be overcome to complete the Marathon des Sables. In 1996 Celia took part in this race, which is tagged as “The Toughest Footrace on Earth”. In reality it is not a marathon as we know it, i.e. just over 26.2 miles, but it is a gruelling 144 miles over six days, in temperatures climbing to 120°C at times through the Sahara desert, in Morocco.
Celia finished 33rd out of 200 entrants and gained the title of being the first British women to complete the race. This was an astonishing achievement because getting to the finish line not only meant overcoming huge physical and emotional obstacles, but she had to abide by stringent rules to avoid being disqualified. All competitors had to complete a specific route involving a different distance every day and had to carry everything they needed for the duration of the race in rucksacks on their backs. This included all their food, cooking equipment, first aid, torch, compass, etc. The organisers handed out water each day, rationed to nine litres for both drinking and washing, distributed at check points, but there were also random inspections of kit carried out too and the accommodation were the most basic of tents that only gave the sparsest protection at night.
Celia recounted every stage of the race, each of these having a time limit - one that even meant running through the night. We were all in awe of her perseverance and endurance to have taken on such a challenge and surpass it.
June has been a very unseasonably wet and cold month this year, but hearing Celia’s talk certainly raised the temperature in a virtual sense, making us all feel hot and bothered by the end of it!
Celia finished 33rd out of 200 entrants and gained the title of being the first British women to complete the race. This was an astonishing achievement because getting to the finish line not only meant overcoming huge physical and emotional obstacles, but she had to abide by stringent rules to avoid being disqualified. All competitors had to complete a specific route involving a different distance every day and had to carry everything they needed for the duration of the race in rucksacks on their backs. This included all their food, cooking equipment, first aid, torch, compass, etc. The organisers handed out water each day, rationed to nine litres for both drinking and washing, distributed at check points, but there were also random inspections of kit carried out too and the accommodation were the most basic of tents that only gave the sparsest protection at night.
Celia recounted every stage of the race, each of these having a time limit - one that even meant running through the night. We were all in awe of her perseverance and endurance to have taken on such a challenge and surpass it.
June has been a very unseasonably wet and cold month this year, but hearing Celia’s talk certainly raised the temperature in a virtual sense, making us all feel hot and bothered by the end of it!
MAY 2019
May is the month we discuss the shortlisted Resolutions. This is when we make our voice count and vote if we wish the final proposals to go forward (or not) to the National AGM in June for possible adoption to potentially becoming Campaigns.
The top two Resolutions being put forward are:
(1) A call against the decline in local bus services
(2) Don’t fear the smear
If you want to know more details visit https://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/resolutions-and-mandates
After this "business" we had an in house quiz using question sheets containing cryptic clues to crack, with all the answers being places in Gloucestershire. Thank you Marlene for sourcing such a good one- not too hard that you couldn't score anything, but difficult enough to get the little grey cells working. Another enjoyable, sociable evening had by all.
The top two Resolutions being put forward are:
(1) A call against the decline in local bus services
(2) Don’t fear the smear
If you want to know more details visit https://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/resolutions-and-mandates
After this "business" we had an in house quiz using question sheets containing cryptic clues to crack, with all the answers being places in Gloucestershire. Thank you Marlene for sourcing such a good one- not too hard that you couldn't score anything, but difficult enough to get the little grey cells working. Another enjoyable, sociable evening had by all.
APRIL 2019
April is our birthday month (were 61 this year) and, to help celebrate we invite our friends from Hardwicke WI, along with Pat Chase who founded the Vine Project, a charity to enable orphaned children from a village in South Africa to receive an education. Vulnerable children of primary, junior and secondary school age are provided with school uniforms,, equipment and stationery and in some cases transport and food vouchers to enable them to access their education. The aims of the Vine Project is tosupport the formal education of the children and provide opportunities for vocational guidance and training;
to provide an income for the grandmothers and primary care givers by encouraging participation; to encourage and guide supportive peer activities; to raise international awareness of the social and economic needs of these children by encouraging supportive and informed global links. Pat is very proud that the project has enabled several teenagers to go on to University and gain degrees
It has been running now for over 10 years and every penny raised by the Project goes back to the children. There are no paid workers. The whole project is run by volunteers who spend a total of three months a year in the township with the children.
Pat is inspirational and more information on the work that is done by her charity can be found at http://www.thevineproject.org.uk/
MARCH 2019
When we booked Jeff & Elaine Gillett to come to our March meeting with a view to exploring the Songs of Innocence and of Experience, by William Blake, little did we think we were going to be so engrossed in the subject and, whilst being entertained, learn so much about the man, his poetry and his illustrations.
His Songs of Innocence (published 1789) was not specifically written for children but were a collection of poems that had a naive and innocent quality about them, whilst the later Songs of Experience (published 1794) were more dark, deep and slighter bitter accounts of life but, in both cases, his work was presented on most astounding artwork. Each poem was displayed within a scene that portrayed the subject of the verse and, the really amazing part was that these works had all been etched, printed, coloured by hand, either by himself or his wife, Catherine. It is astonishing to think that to produce the end result, the original text had to be written as if in a mirror.
Among his best known lyrics today are “The Lamb,” “The Tyger,” and the “Jerusalem” lyric from Milton, which is, of course, the WI anthem.
Blake was a very religious man, a visionary of his time and is regarded as the earliest and most original of the romantic poets, but in his lifetime he was scarcely noticed and not respected at all.
Jeff Gillett, is a singer and multi-instrumentalist and has set Blake’s poetry to music so, together with Elaine accompanying him on the recorder while he played the guitar, concertina and dulcimer, delighted us all with renditions of some of the work he has created. It was a truly delightful and enchanted evening enjoyed by all.
His Songs of Innocence (published 1789) was not specifically written for children but were a collection of poems that had a naive and innocent quality about them, whilst the later Songs of Experience (published 1794) were more dark, deep and slighter bitter accounts of life but, in both cases, his work was presented on most astounding artwork. Each poem was displayed within a scene that portrayed the subject of the verse and, the really amazing part was that these works had all been etched, printed, coloured by hand, either by himself or his wife, Catherine. It is astonishing to think that to produce the end result, the original text had to be written as if in a mirror.
Among his best known lyrics today are “The Lamb,” “The Tyger,” and the “Jerusalem” lyric from Milton, which is, of course, the WI anthem.
Blake was a very religious man, a visionary of his time and is regarded as the earliest and most original of the romantic poets, but in his lifetime he was scarcely noticed and not respected at all.
Jeff Gillett, is a singer and multi-instrumentalist and has set Blake’s poetry to music so, together with Elaine accompanying him on the recorder while he played the guitar, concertina and dulcimer, delighted us all with renditions of some of the work he has created. It was a truly delightful and enchanted evening enjoyed by all.
FEBRUARY 2019
This evening we enjoyed some very interesting tales from members willing to share their stories relating to the objects they brought along to the meeting. The variety of topics was extraordinary; we had tales of achievement, amazement and amusement. Who knew we had a qualified doctor among us and someone who had walked the Cotswold Way? We had the story of a wartime romance taken from letters between one member's parents and the chance to feel the weight of a pair of police handcuffs that had once been put to use by the father-in-law of another. There was talk of events that had happened when members were younger and living out of the county and fond memories of souvenirs bought back from past, eventful holidays. A Show & Tell evening is always a favourite because it gives us time to get to know each other better, which is very important in our WI. Although we have different backgrounds and interests, we are kindred spirts and just enjoy each other’s company. Wi-Fi and electronic devices don’t necessarily give anyone a greater experience - talking between ourselves is so lovely and tonight just proved it!
JANUARY 2019
We welcomed John Summersby to our first meeting of 2019 to talk to us about the role of a Street Pastor. John is the co-ordinator of Stroud Street Pastors and was a very enthusiastic speaker and also projected some great on-screen images of him and his team “at work”, i.e. being out and about the streets of Stroud on a Saturday night between 10 pm and 4 am, engaging with people and offering advice and practical help when needed.
Street Pastors are trained volunteers from local churches who care about their community and, in Stroud, there are five different denominations represented. Their main role is just to be there to listen, but they are always on the look out to support anyone who is feeling particularly vulnerable or distressed, which might mean being an escort for young women walking alone from the clubs to the taxi rank, handing out bottled water, foil blankets or flip flops to those in need, or administering first aid while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
In the three years they have been in existence, they have proven their work has been valuable support to the police and residents of Stroud. The police are very happy with their performance and have noted a difference, local people living in the centre of town say they feel safer and the young people they connect with tell them they are much appreciated. All extremely positive feedback, but what really surprised us is that the Pastors themselves really, really enjoy the experience and seem to have such a fun time when they are on duty.
The night time economy is perhaps one that passes us by now, but John admits he gains a lot of personal satisfaction from being a Street Pastor and, in his view, 99% of the young people he meets are fantastic and, basically, that it’s just a good, fun thing to be part of.
FEBRUARY UPDATE - A couple of weeks after this meeting we received a lovely message from John as follows:
"Thank you so much for making me feel so welcome to your January meeting. I really enjoyed my time with you. Also thank you so much for the cheque donation towards funds for Street Pastors, Stroud. Your support for us is really appreciated and the money will be used directly on bits and pieces like flip flops, lollies, first aid equipment, or bottles of water. One of your members also donated money to be put into our taxi fund, thank you so much. We appreciate the support from Stonehouse WI and its members. Without such support from the community and from churches we would not be able to offer the support that is needed to young people enjoying the night time economy in Stroud."