Christmas Fair, November 30th

A few photos from the Christmas Fair on November 30th at Ararat Church, where we raised £100 for our charity: Wales Air Ambulance.

December 2024 Meeting

The speaker for December was Peter Davis – a poet. He informed us that his love of poetry was inspired by a past Reverend of Ararat Church, Reverend George Evans, because he used to quote from 'The Hound of Heaven' by Francis Thompson.

Peter stated that even though poetry may not be everyone's cup of tea, as a topic for a WI meeting was highly appropriate for three reasons: firstly poetry is creative, and the WI is creative; secondly we all have lines of poetry in our minds – and he called for suggestions which many members provided; and finally the WI's anthem is 'Jerusalem' by William Blake.

 

 

The format for his talk was to quote several poets on a particular topic and then round up with a piece of his own poetry on that topic. Some subjects were whimsical, some amusing, some touching, and some serious and thought provoking. His poetry was most approachable and enjoyable. 

The rest of the meeting was dedicated to socialising and eating the wonderful food that everyone had brought to share. The Christmas spirit was rounded off by finishing with a rendition of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' with each table allocated one of the numbers to sing and mime to. Everyone was in good voice and had a jolly time.

 

IT course 28 Nov 2024 – Apps

The smaller number of attendees allowed for 1:1 help throughout so the format became more interactive than usual.

We started with everybody visiting the Ararat website.

We then had a general introduction to working on-line, with explanations and hints on e.g. icons, cookies, tabs, bookmarks, using audio input and output, etc.

We practiced using QR codes on our devices.

The main part of the time was spent on learning about and downloading a wide range of Apps = quick access to favourite websites, available from Appstore (i-phones)  or google play (android). Apps can be deleted by ‘press & hold’ the icon which will bring up an option to delete.

Examples of useful Apps:

Ask Silver – a government approved system which you can join and it will use WhatsApp to notify you of the latest scams.

Screenshot – capturing what is on the screen to enable it to be sent onwards. On android this is done by holding Off and Vol down simultaneously – the shot is saved in Gallery.

Shopping on-line – download Apps from chosen stores.

U-Switch – government-approved site for comparing and choosing utility providers.

BBC Sounds – a free App for podcasts (audio documentaries), music, live radio, on-demand programmes and audio-books. 

TV 0nline – some free e.g. BBC, ITV, and some subscription e.g. Netflix and Prime.

YouTube – free – vast range of instructional videos.

Seeing AI – aim the screen at text – it will narrate what it sees.

Health – NHS Wales online can include booking appointments, requesting repeat prescriptions, looking at your health ecord (varies with each GP centre).

Torch – built in to most phones. For android, swipe down from top of screen to find torch icon. For i-phone ask Siri or use control centre.

Another fascinating session – many thanks to Lucy and to the BT volunteers.

Newsletter – December 2024

December meeting:
9th December in Ararat Church Hall, Whitchurch Common, 2 pm.

Main speaker – Peter Davis: ‘Everyday Life – That’s Poetry For You.’

The December meeting is the Christmastime gathering and always an enjoyable event, with buffet food to share, a host of seasonal clothing on display, and this year table decorations to vote for.

 

 

Outings:

Details of outings, sign-up sheets and payment are all available at the meeting.

The 2025 outings are being planned, so look out for notifications in future newsletters.

    HOTTER SHOES – this visit was well attended on November 12th with many members benefitting from the offers.

    ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND DRAMA – this event took place on November 19th. Although the visit was a little shorter than expected, it was enjoyed by all who attended.

    The ‘SWING INTO CHRISTMAS’ concert at the RWCMD on the 23rd November, as part of the Down for the Count Orchestra’s 2024 tour, was thoroughly enjoyed by 9 members.

    IT TRAINING with AbilityNet – the second session took place on November 28th. It was a smaller group this time which meant that members had one-to-one attention from the volunteers. The next session will happen in the new year.

Our Charity – Wales Air Ambulance
 
Whitchurch WI had a stall at the Ararat Christmas Fair on November 30th. There was plenty left over from the summer fete to stock the stall, plus a table where Nor’dzin would write your name in Tibetan script. Liz, Marilyn and Yvonne staffed the stall and we thank them for their time and energy. £100 was raised through their efforts.

Information

Link to the Glamorgan Newsletter.

MyWI site (registration and log in required)

Survey ‘Count Me In’ about shaping the future of the WI (registration and log in required)

Groups:

Choir: The choir will meet again in January. Date to be confirmed.

Book Group: Wednesday 11th December / 11.00 am / La Cucina da Mara, Whitchurch

Craft Group: Monday 16th December 2024 / 10.30 am / 41 Cherry Orchard Road, Lisvane

Tangle Art Group: Wednesday 18th December / 2.00 pm / 5 Court Close, Whitchurch

Family History: Monday 6th January / 2.00 pm / 113 Pantbach Road

Sunday Lunch Group: will meet again in January. Date to be confirmed.
 
Poetry and Prose Group: Monday 27th January 2025 / 11.00am / The Ark coffee bar, Ararat. 

 

Following meeting:

13th January in Ararat Church Hall, Whitchurch Common, 2 pm.

Main speaker – Rosemary Chaloner: ‘My Life as a Butlins Redcoat’

 

🎅🎄   Merry Christmas to One and All  🎄🎅

and a Happy New Year!