A Girls' School in South Sudan – March 2026

Caroline Noall kindly stepped in at the last minute to speak at our March meeting as the scheduled speaker had to cancel because of ill health.

She told us about Ibba Girls' School which was opened in 2014. There had been many years of civil war in Sudan and South Sudan was granted independence in 2011. South Sudan is quite a large country – about 31 times the size of Wales. Transport is difficult because of the poor quality of roads and transport networks. Caroline informed us that she had noticed, whilst living in South Sudan for three years in the 1980s, that women and girls did most of the work and had few opportunities for education. 90% of women are illiterate and are more likely to die in childbirth than complete their education. A residential school was established to increase the possibility that girls attending the school would be able to fully concentrate on education, rather than constantly being kept at home to work and care for family members.

South Sudan has a system of nine years of primary education and four years of secondary education. After three years of primary, girls are chosen to attend Ibba School if considered suitable. The school began with one class of fourth years, and has then added a class every year until they were able to offer the complete range of primary and secondary education. They have a principle of 'the pen and the hoe', meaning that the girls learn practical skills as well as traditional academic education subjects. They are taught in English.

The school faces many challenges. Although Ibba is not in a particularly volatile area, security is an issue. A large staff is needed to teach and support the students, and classrooms and other buildings have to be built as the school develops. The school grows much of its own food, but there can be food shortages. South Sudan suffers from hyperinflation which creates financial strains. Nevertheless, every year the number of students who graduate increases. The benefit of education filters down throughout the social network, such as students learning about the importance of hygiene which is then passed down to the home situation, learning how to behave with boys to avoid pregnancy, and the practical uses of numeracy.

Caroline presented a most interesting talk which everyone enjoyed. She donated the speaker's fee to the school and they wrote a thank you letter to our WI. If anyone wishes to support the school they can make a donation on their website.

Meeting Speakers – February 2026

Empowering Communities: enhancing 'carbon capability' for climate action.

Dr Briony Latter, from Cardiff University, and her colleague, Dr Sam Hampton, from Bath University, have been working with the WI and the National Childbirth Trust. Briony visited to present a short, ten-minute introduction to the project. They have been looking at climate change and how it effects us. Briony explained that the project has been looking at how climate change impacts on daily life; have seen that it attracts public support; are stressing that individual and societal choices are important; and raising awareness that we do have a personal capability to reduce our carbon footprint. Areas we can examine personally are the use of energy in our homes; transport, in particular avoiding flying; how we shop; citizenship and our influence on others; and food shopping, consumption and waste, such as eating meat less frequently. Briony emphasised the need for people to have conversations about climate change and what differences we can make personally. The project has discovered that conversations at the hairdressers are a good source of everyday influence.

Women of the Titanic: stewardesses, spies and suffragettes.

Michelle Michaelis gave a detailed and interesting talk on the victims and survivors of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. She also brought a fascinating array of photographs, memorabilia and newspapers all connected with the passengers and crew. The Titanic hit the iceberg at night and many passengers had already gone to bed. Some were woken by the impact but simply went back to bed, unaware of the seriousness of the event. Many passengers believed the ship to be unsinkable, and the situation did not become obviously serious for quite a long time, as the staff were reassuring people that everything was alright, and the musicians continued to play. It was also bitterly cold outside and many preferred to stay indoors where it was warm.

There were 2,224 people on board, but the lifeboats could only accommodate 1100. The crew were not well-trained in lifeboat drill, and the boats were not prepared, lacking lights, water and food. It was over an hour after the collision before the first lifeboat was launched. Some passengers were more frightened of being launched from the height of the deck into the sea than they were of remaining on the ship.

Michelle told individual stories of some of the passengers. One elderly coupled stayed in their cabin to go down with the ship, rather than being separated on the lifeboat. Families were separated because the women and children were instructed to board the lifeboats first. One actress who survived the disaster may have been a spy. Molly Brown and several other women were suffragettes. There were 23 stewardesses on board. Three refused to leave the ship, but 20 survived. Michelle gave many interesting facts and snippets of information, such as Edith Rosenbaum's musical toy pig that she played on the lifeboat to entertain the frightened children (sound available on YouTube: 'Titanic pig'.) 

Celebration and Circle Dancing – January 2026

Whitchurch WI enjoyed a celebratory buffet at the January meeting. Our usual buffet at the December meeting was postponed until the new year because the hall was unavailable. The hall was still not available in January, as the new roof was not yet completed, but we were able to enjoy our meeting in the cafe area. A splendid feast was offered through the generous contributions of the members.

Before enjoying the buffet, we were entertained by Pat Adams, who introduced us to Circle Dancing. She enthusiastically declared that it was fun, good exercise, and had 'gorgeous music'. Pat explained that circle dancing is an ancient tradition practised in many parts of the world, including Britain. Most of the dances practised these days come from Eastern Europe. Most villages would have four or five dances that they practised regularly with the whole community coming together to dance -- from infants to the elderly.

For her demonstaration for our WI group, Pat introduced several simple walking dances. Most of the dances included arm movements relating to the theme of the dance, and she encouraged those who remained seated to join in with these upper body movements. She taught seven dances: the first from Armenia; the second from Ukraine; the third dance was a seed sowing dance from North America; the fourth was a tweed-makers dance from the Hebrides; the fifth a Scottish sea shanty; the sixth a Turkish stamping dance, and the last one a selkie dance from the Scottish islands.

The dancing was most enjoyable, and, followed by the buffet, it was a perfect meeting.

Should anyone wish to join in with more circle dancing, Pat has several regular groups and she can be contacted at adamsp37@aol.com for details. She can also be found on Facebook: Circle Dance in Cardiff. The groups are: Insole Court , Thursdays, 11:00 to 12:00; in Fairwater on Fridays; U3A group meets at the Tabernacle in Cardiff, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 11:00 to 12:00; and quarterly gatherings in Bedwas.

A day in the life of a Community Ranger

Rhodri Hughes, a Community Ranger, was our speaker at the November meeting. He told us that he started in the Parks Department, but is now a ranger working with community groups. Their prime focus is nature conservation and biodiversity improvement. The rangers manage a very large area: 407 hectares – the equivalent of 503 football pitches. There are 21 Green Flag sites in the UK and most are in Wales.

The Parks Department began in 1891 and was formed by the Pettigrew family. Pettigrew  was a pioneer gardener. Originally there were park keepers for every Cardiff park, and the last one of these retired in 2022. In 1979 the park keepers’ responsibilities became part of the local authority, and then they were renamed ‘rangers’ in the 1990s. There are three types of ranger: urban, woodland and community. 

Urban rangers cover a wider range of work than just gardening – such as dealing with fly tipping and rough sleepers. Woodland rangers are tree surgeons and highly trained. They are also responsible for the Radyr hydroelectric dam, and for Flat Holme and Steep Holme.

There are nine Community Rangers who work a seven-day week on rotation in all weather. Rhodri said that he finds it interesting and challenging work. They have won the Green Flag award for their guided walks, open days, work with kids, and school trips. They work with all ages – from little reception children to university students. Community rangers also work with volunteers and ‘friends’ groups. Some ‘friends’ groups have existed since the 1990s. Last year there were 4,282 volunteer hours of work completed. They also have working partnership with other organisations, such as Coed Caerdydd, The Local Nature Partnership, Cardiff Rivers Group, Cardiff Conservation Volunteers, charities, and corporate groups. Rangers also help with wildlife monitoring, such as surveys and recordings.

Rhodri has been a community Ranger since September and works a rota of eight days on, two days off; seven days on, four days off. He then gave us a glimpse of what eight days of work might look like:

1. wetland work in the morning and in the afternoon admin, such as answering emails.

2. a Halloween craft event for children, and looking at folklore and mythology.

3. a site meeting with management about the eviction of an unlawful occupation of council land in the morning, and in the afternoon grass cutting.

4. working with volunteers at Coed y Felin, Lisvane, putting up fencing to prevent erosion by people who don't keep to the paths.

5. sharpening tools, and an evening bat walk which 74 people attended in Hendre Park, St Mellons .

6. assisting storm response tree gangs dealing with fallen or dangerous trees, such as an old tree that had come down across the path at Forest Farm.

7. Meadow management and green hay trials. This is taking cuttings from one area with a lot of wildflowers to other areas with fewer wildflowers, such as taking mowings from Forest Farm and Grange Moore Park to other areas. The grounds maintenance team do most of the mowing.

8. working with Friends of Saint Mary's Gardens in Whitchurch. This friends group was started by WI members for the community and wildlife. It's won awards. This year it was very close to getting a level five, and that's what we're going for next year.

October 2025 meeting – The Taff from Source to the Sea

Keith Jones spoke to us about The Taff from Source to the Sea. We learnt that the River Taff starts in the Brecon Beacons, 873 m above sea level, as two separate rivers: the Taf Fawr whose source is near Pen y Fan, and Taf Fechan whose source is located near Corn Du. The Taff officially begins at the confluence of the two rivers, just north of Merthyr Tydfil. It then
flows south for approximately 42 miles (67 km), through several towns, including Pontypridd and Taff's Well, before ending in Cardiff Bay, where it empties into the Severn Estuary. 

Its catchment area is huge and up to 40 rivers join it by the time it reaches Pontypridd. Because of the geology of the Brecon Beacons rain does not soak in. It all goes into the Taff via 40 rivers by the time it reaches Pontypridd. There are three main reservoirs: Cantref, Beacons and Llwyn-onn.

Historically the river ran black due to intensive industry with the exception of miners' fortnight when the pits were closed. Its transformation is an environmental success. Flooding occurs often in Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil with Storm Dennis in recent times causing devastation.

Historically the river has been vital for industry and water supply – with numerous reservoirs built along its course – today it supports migratory fish like salmon and trout. The river valley boasts impressive structures including railway viaducts, historic bridges (like the iconic Pontypridd Bridge), remnants of iron works, and a preserved section of the world’s first passenger railway.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel altered the course of the River Taff in Cardiff in the mid-1800s to make way for his Great Western Railway, and to create a more suitable site for Cardiff Station. The river was moved west, away from its original course near Cardiff Castle, and now flows next to locations like Cardiff Arms Park and the Principality Stadium . This also provided a flood-free area for the new station.  

Though impacted by pollution incidents, the river has shown resilience, and continues to be an
important feature of the Welsh landscape. The Taff flows into Cardiff Bay, an artificial lake created by the construction of the Cardiff Bay Barrage in the 1990s, before flowing into the Severn Estuary.

September 2025 meeting – Life in Pantomime

Ceri Stennett, son of Stan Stennett, illustrated his talk about his father's career in pantomime with slides of the pantos' advertising posters. Stan was a Cardiff lad. He was an orphan but had a happy childhood, raised by relatives. He was an extrovert and happy to be a show off. Stan had wanted to join the RAF during WWII but his eyesight wasn't good enough, being almost blind in one eye after a childhood mishap. So he joined the artillery. After the war, he entered talent contests and won one. The prize was theatre work for the BBC, and so his love of theatre work began.  

In the early years of his career, Stan worked as a lorry driver during the day and as an entertainer in the evening. He was spotted by the comedian Ossie Morris which led to more opportunities. He appeared in the radio show, Welsh Rarebit, and became the compere, along with Harry Secombe. Stan worked with many people who became famous, such as Morecombe and Wise. Stan and Eric Morecombe shared a sense of humour, and used to play pranks on the crew with whoopee cushions. Ceri told the story of a pumpkin, being used as a prop in a show, being insured for £1,000,000 by Stan. One of the conditions of the insurance was that the pumkin never be taken on a bus. Stan took the pumpkin on to the top deck of a double-decker bus and dropped it out of the window. It smashed to bits. The insurance payment was settled at £50 and donated to charity. It was a good publicity stunt.

As well as a long career in pantomime and entertainment both in the UK and abroad, Stan appeared in the TV show, The Black and White Minstrels, and in the soap opera, Crossroads. For pantos in South Wales he wrote scripts that would be particularly relevant and funny for the locals. Ceri explained that 1974 - 79 was the pinnacle of Stan's career with five years of topping the bill in the pantomimes at The New Theatre in Cardiff, and receiving an MBE for his contribution to entertainment. Stan helped raised 1000s of pounds for charity, opening fetes and such like. For a long time Stan had a stuffed dog called Bonzo as a part of his act. Unfortunately Bonzo disappeared one night, believed stolen, and had to be substituted with another dog.

Stan wanted to continue working even into his eighties, but sadly suffered a stroke during an operation to insert a heart stent. Ceri described how he sat by his father in hospital singing songs from the pantomimes. Although unable to speak, Stan moved his lips and clearly enjoyed joining in with the songs. Sadly, after three weeks in hospital, he died.

Ceri is himself something of a performer having appeared many times in pantomimes as a stand in. He also worked as a stage manager, and learned puppeteering while Sooty and Sweep were part of the cast of a pantomime. His professionalism was clear from the enjoyable, interesting and well-presented talk, which was enjoyed by all members.

July 2025 meeting

The meeting began with a short presentation by Dr Kristian Skoczek, Post-doctoral Research Associate for Cardiff University's REVAMP project. He talked to us about the eye condition glaucoma and how we could help with new research. They are aiming to find better ways to detect visual field loss and are looking for volunteers aged over 40 to help them. It was an interesting talk, and Kristian stayed till the end, seeming to enjoy hearing about musicals that would have been produced long before he was born, and the singing. Many members talked to him after the meeting and he was pleased with so many people offering to be involved in the project.

Christine Purkiss entertained us with the Story of Rodgers and Hammerstein – and with her wonderful singing. Not only does she have a beautiful voice, she animates the lyrics bringing the songs to life. Her presentation was highly professional and also informative, lighthearted and witty. She also included a few anecdotes about her singing career.

The original production of Oklahoma was in 1943. It featured the tensions between farmers and cattle drovers. The original production also included ballet. It appeared as a film in 1955, being the first wide screen production. Christine sang the title song.

Her next song came from Carousel which was produced in 1947. Christine sang 'June is Busting Out All Over.'

This was followed by fascinating information about South Pacific, which won the Pullizer Prize. Mary Martin was a favourite singer of Rodgers and Hammerstein, but often stars were given the leading roles in the film productions of their musicals with Mary's voice dubbed. Christine sang 'Some Enchanted Evening'.

Next we heard about The King and I, with Christine singing 'Getting to Know You'. From Flower Drum Song we were had a delightful performance of 'I Enjoy Being a Girl'. Then the last musical described was the famous Sound of Music, in which everyone sang their own songs we were told. Christine entertained us with the title song and 'Climb Every Mountain'.

What a wonderful way to round up the first half of the year and break for the summer. The speakers were followed by tasty cakes with our beverages. Have a lovely summer.

Pilgrimages to Nepal and Bhutan – April 2025

One of our members was the speaker at the April meeting. Nor'dzin Pamo showed slides about her trips to Nepal and Bhutan. As a practising Buddhist these trips were pilgrimages rather than just tourist holidays.

Nor'dzin explained that there were three main reasons why she, her husband, and other members of her Buddhist lineage made these pilgrimages. The first reason was to visit Tibetan and Bhutanese teachers with whom they had connections, and to make new contacts with other teachers. 

The second reason for embarking on pilgrimage was to experience 'Buddhism as ordinary'. Nor'dzin said that this was important for people brought up in a country where Buddhism was not the religion of the culture. It was important to establish that one's interest in Buddhism and Buddhist practice was real and not just a fantasy because it felt unusual and exotic. One way in which pilgrims experience everyday practice in Kathmandu, Nepal, is to join the local people and other practitioners for kora. Kora is the circumambulation of a sacred place. Boudanath is a small town which used to be surrounded by fields up until the late 1970s, but has now been subsumed by the city of Kathmandu. The Great Chörten (Stupa), built in the 6th century is the focus for kora in Boudanath.

Nor'dzin then described a long hike to a nunnery called Nagi Gompa, in the Himalayan foothills (3,200m), and visits to monasteries. 

She explained a particular personal interest in an image that is usually painted on the outside wall of a place of practice. This image is called 'The Wheel of Life' and pictorially exemplifies the fundamental teachings of Buddhism. Eventually she commissioned her own thangka (painting on cloth) of this image and used it to illustrate her book 'Travelling at the Speed of Mind' about this teaching. 

 The third reason for her pilgrimages was to 'address an historical prejudice'.  Nor'dzin talked a little about the history of Buddhism in Tibet to introduce this topic. The 'first spread' of Buddhism occurred in the 8th century instigated by King Trisong Détsen. Two streams of Buddhism were established: Padmasambhava's Red Sangha (monastic community) and Shantarakshita's White Sangha (non-monastic, yogic community) and they were considered equal at that time. The Red Sangha are monks and nuns, wear red skirts and shave their heads as a symbol of renunciation. The White Sangha are non-monastic yogis and yoginis, wear white skirts and never cut their scalp hair as a symbol of embracing everyday life as practice.

 Then about 100 years later a king suppressed Buddhist practices, destroying monasteries and persecuting practitioners. This led to practitioners retreating to the outer regions of the Tibetan Empire, which at that time included areas of Nepal, Bhutan and northern India. Buddhism returned to royal favour in the 11th century and two new schools were established, but with an emphasis on monasticism as the preferred style. This was the 'second spread' of Buddhism in Tibet. The original form of Buddhism became known as the 'Nyingma', meaning 'Ancient Ones'. The trend toward favouring monasticism was compounded in the 14th century with the creation of a new, entirely monastic school of Buddhism, and with both spiritual and political power and wealth becoming invested in this school. The White Sangha came to be regarded as disreputable and undesirable by those favouring the dominant monastic school, but nevertheless continued to the present day. 

In Bhutan, Buddhism was never suppressed, and the wholly-monastic school never arose, so the religion practised in Bhutan is still from the 'first spread' where the Red and White Sanghas are regarded of equal value. Nor'dzin explained that her lineage is Nyingma, and White Sangha, so it is most valuable to go to a country and experience Buddhism without the historical prejudice against the White Sangha that developed in Tibet.

Nor'dzin talked about her two trips to Bhutan. On the first trip they flew to central Bhutan and then drove back to Paro in the west, visiting many places on the way. On the second pilgrimage they flew to eastern Bhutan and stayed there for a few days at Chador Lhakang before returning to Paro. A lhakang is a place of practice for Red and White sanghas.

She highlighted two other places of particular interest near Paro: a 15th century suspension bridge created by 'the Da Vinci of the East', Thantong Gyalpo; and a steep climb to Taksang (Tiger's Nest).

She finished with a few whimsical photographs of interesting hats available to purchase in Kathmandu!

Volunteering in Rwanda – Mary Watkins

Mary Watkins began as a primary school teacher, and then worked for Welsh Water as an education officer visiting schools. Water Aid was founded by water companies in the 1980s, and Mary was selected in 2008 to go to Rwanda as their representative. This led to her and her husband volunteering for VSO in Rwanda – for one year initially, 2013 – 2014, and later for another year in 2018.

Mary described Rwanda as a beautiful, green and lush country; very hilly and with a lot of rain. Most of it is above the height of Ben Nevis and this contributes to maintaining a general temperature of 20° – 25° all year round. It is a similar size to Wales but has a much denser population at around 13.5 million. The land is terraced for farming and one main crop is tea. She informed us that 'Yorkshire' tea comes from Rwanda. The capital city is Kigali, which is modern and clean.

Mary went to Rwanda to train teachers. At the time she arrived in 2013, nursery schools were just being introduced. She knew nothing about teaching nursery age children, let alone training nursery teachers and had to learn on the job. 

A big initial obstacle that she met in all the schools she worked in was a lack of age-appropriate furniture in the schoolrooms – and sometimes a lack of any furniture at all. The second major hurdle was to move teachers away from simply 'repeating words after the teacher' as the primary method of education.

Mary is clearly a creative and natural teacher as she found ways of using whatever was available to create teaching resources, such as bottle tops for learning numbers and counting; making a dice from a toilet roll tube; cutting open milk bags, toothpaste tubes and juice cartons for all sorts of purposes. Eventually she produced a book which showed what could be used as a teaching resource, how to make it, and how to use it. She continues this work from home in Wales to this day.

Over the time that Mary was volunteering in Rwanda she worked in more than 100 schools. To travel to the different schools she was transported on the back of a motorbike through muddy dirt roads, across rickety bridges, and even occasionally by boat to reach schools on islands. 

Her husband was asked to teach tag rugby. Having expected about 18 students to turn up, over 200 arrived! This eventually led to Mary and her husband being part of the charity 'Friends of Rwanda Rugby' which has been most successful. 

As well as training teachers, Mary has also helped trained tailors through the Isooko project, by raising funds to provide sewing and knitting machines. She had brought along a selection of the colourful and beautiful products made by the women of the Isooka project, which included fabric elephant toys and giraffes, dolls, aprons, bags of various sizes, hats and other items – all very reasonably priced. She explained that 50% of sales went directly to the workers and the remainder was used to fund further projects and to provide necessary equipment. The members enjoyed browsing the items and there were quite a few happy sales.

My Life as a Butlins Redcoat

Rosemary described Billie Butlin as a genuinely nice man, and an astute businessman. He saw an opportunity in the early 1930's to provide a service and also create a business.

 

 

At that time, anyone who could not afford to stay in an hotel used a bed and breakfast place or boarding house. In these establishments holiday makers were required to be off the premises from after breakfast until early evening. This meant that holiday towns were full of people sitting on benches and frequenting coffee bars, especially when the weather was inclement. They had to be out and about with nowhere to rest, read or play games in private. Billie Butlin's first holiday camp was in Skegness. Although facilities were rather basic, every family or group had their own chalet which was available to them throughout the day. The cost of being at Butlin's included three meals a day, entertainment, competitions and activities, and every camp had a private beach. Only drinks and exceptional activities, such as horseriding, incurred an extra cost.   

 

Over time, further holiday camps were set up, such as in Brighton and Barry Island. The camps also had shops, facilities such as barbers, and beautiful, professionally maintained gardens. Photographs were taken around the camp every day and displayed the next day for people to buy. Every photograph was an advert for Butlins -- and example of Billie Butlin's skill as an entrepreneur. 

 

 

The entertainments were a good starting place for new talent. It was a great opportunity for them as they would be given a whole season of employment. Performers who later became stars appeared at Butlins, people like Ringo Starr, Dusty Springfield, Jimmy Starbuck and Rod Hull. 

 

In 1939 three of the Butlins camps were taken over and used for army training, but returned to being holiday camps after the war. Billie Butlin also branched out into hotels where the accommodation was a bit more luxurious. All camps were maintained to a high standard however, with beautifully decorated performance halls. 

 

 

Rosemary showed many fascinating photographs of Butlins holiday camps. She herself became a Red Coat in the 1960s at the Pwllheli camp. The Red Coats arose from a suggestion that the camps needed people to show guests around and inform them what activities were available that day and where they were taking place. Rosemary had trained as a dancer but worked as a general Red Coat helping in all areas of the holiday camp. She said that it was an enjoyable life but hard work. The days were long and they had to aways display a cheerful disposition even if they were very tired. 

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.