Newsletter 177 – December 2023

WELCOME!

No Santa today (14 more sleeps to go!) but plenty of food, good company, a Christmas songs quiz and musical entertainment from Ingrid and Norman Cumming.

GLAMORGAN EXPERIENCE: last chance to book for this 2 day event. 

Blancos Hotel in Port Talbot on 4th & 5th April 2024 (Closing date 5th Jan)
Choose one of six courses on offer—details on the notice board—but briefly:
Crafts (5 different crafts)
Felt-making
Gin-tasting with visits plus chance to mix your own gin
History of Margam Park and Margam Abbey with guided walks
Water colours for beginners.
Stained glass – make your own panel or decorative mirror from scratch
£50 deposit required. Fees include hotel accommodation and meals, tutors and all materials.
See Liz if you wish to apply. 

CHRISTMAS FAIR AT ARARAT 

Our table did well. The Committee thanks all those who helped. We took £200 towards our charity account, making the total amount nearly £2000.
Unfortunately, due to lack of space, we could not display all our items for sale, so we have brought them along today. Anything not sold will go to the City Hospice Charity Shop.

ACWW 

After an appeal to members at the main meeting, £66.83 was raised. The Committee agreed to make this up to £100.

GROUPS: Dates for your diaries
Book Group: Wednesday 13th Dec 2023 at 11.00am at La Cucina da Mara
Family History: Thursday 14th Dec 2023 at 10.30am at 113 Pantbach Road
Craft Group: Monday 18th Dec 2023 at 10.30am 18 Heol Stradling
Poetry and Prose: Monday 15th Jan 2024 11.00am at the Ark, Ararat
St Mary’s Gardens: Tuesday 16th Jan 2024 10.00 am. A working party. Suitable for all activity levels.
Please note: following the working party, we will adjourn to the Fox and Hounds for lunch. Other members of the Friends, (i.e. not just those present for the working parties) are invited to join us around 12 noon.
Sunday Lunch Group: Resumes in January 2024
The Bus Pass Group – Yvonne hopes to restart this in the New Year.

BLOG
All our activities are listed on our blog, along with reports and photos from previous meetings
– visit whitchurch-wi-cardiff.blogspot.com 

NEXT MEETING: Monday 8th January 2024 at 2pm.
Subject: ‘Bees – it’s not just honey’ Speaker: Mavis Tierney

Wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas

and all the best for the New Year!

Christmas party – parti Nadolig

Our esteemed presidents,
Linda and Glenys

The December meeting was Whitchurch WI's Christmas Fair.

Ingrid and Norman

The programmed entertainment was unable to come because of ill health. Glenys's sister and brother-in-law, Ingrid and Norman Cumming, kindly stepped in and expertly performed a series of Christmas songs. It was very enjoyable and the members were most grateful and appreciative.

Then we feasted on a wonderful spread of food and tried to answer the questions on a tricky little quiz of Christmas songs provided by Ingrid and Norman. This required a bit of lateral thinking and was a lot of fun.

Merry Christmas to all members and wishing you a peaceful New Year. 

Roedd y cyfarfod Rhagfyr o WI Eglwys Newydd parti Nadolig.

Roedd y canwr bo drefnlennu ddim yn gallu dod i'r cyfarfod achos oedd hi'n sâl. Felly roedd chwaer a brawd-yng-nghyfraith y Glenys, Ingrid a Norman Cumming, gamu i mewn, a ro'n nhw perfformio yn arbenigol sawl o ganeuon Nadolig. Roedd hi'n bleserus iawn ac roedd yr aelodau yn ddiolchgar a werthfawrogol.

Wedyn ro'n ni wledd ar ymlediad of bwyd bendigedig a thrio ateb y cwestiynau o gwis heriol bach am ganeuon Nadolig syn roi gan Ingrid a Norman. Roedd y cwis yn hawlio tipyn bach o feddwl ochrol ac yn hwyl iawn.

Nadolig Llawen i bawb aelodau ac yn dymuno i chi Pen-blwydd Newydd hedd.

(Ysgrifenni gan ddysgwyr Cymraeg - cywirwch plîs.)

 

 

Christmas Fair at Ararat

Whitchurch WI took at stall at the Ararat Christmas Fair. It was well supported by sellers, with stalls occupying three halls at the church. It was also well supported by those looking for present ideas and browsing the interesting variety of items for sale across the event, and was already busy at opening time.

The WI stall was a wealth of donated items. Many thanks to all who gave an item for selling. Thank you also to all members who helped on the day, and those that came and bought things.

My Life as a Puppeteer – Helyn Latimer

 

At the November 2023 meeting, Helyn Latimer informed the members of Whitchurch WI that becoming a puppeteer combined her three passions: drama, art and craft, and teaching.

Helyn explained that puppets are found in all cultures across the world.

She invited members to remember experiences of puppets in their lives, and this led to a lively discussion of childhood memories of puppets, and of their use in theatre and television.

A wide range of different types of puppet were shown. These included:

- simple puppets made during workshops with children, built on a stick with two more sticks to manipulate their arms

- puppets with strings

- glove puppets

- flat shapes, like shadow puppets

- and also detailed and complicated examples used in professional productions.

 

The puppets, ranging from an exquisite tiny mouse to a little horse nearly the size of a Shetland pony, all came to life in Helyn's expert hands. Her skills as actor, artist and teacher were indeed demonstrated as she spoke through the personality of the puppets. She was perfectly correct when she said that the puppeteer disappeared as the audience interacted directly with the puppet as a character in its own right. It was a most enjoyable and informative talk.

 

 

 

Newsletter 176 – November 2023

WELCOME!    

GLAMORGAN FEDERATION QUIZ – October 2023

Gill Irwin, Marilyn Roberts, Gay Thomas and Liz Jervis thoroughly enjoyed representing Whitchurch WI at this quiz, despite the dreadful weather on the journey there! The event was well supported by various WI's throughout Glamorgan. Coity were the winners, scoring 101. Our team had a respectable score of 87 – and a safe journey home.      

CHRISTMAS FAIR at ARARAT: Saturday 25th November 12.00 – 4.00pm             

We are hiring a table for this Christmas Fair.  If you are bringing home-prepared produce for sale, this will need to be labelled with ingredients, and postcode. A period of help during the fair, 12.00 - 4.00pm, is most welcome.  Please let a committee member know.       

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

A wreath was laid at the remembrance service at the library on behalf of Whitchurch WI.

ACWW       

Have you noticed a jar containing some coins in a jar marked ACWW? The letters stand for the Associated Country Women of the World which advocates for women in rural and remote communities to be recognised for their global importance all year round.  W.I.’s  have long supported this and you are invited to add some money today before we submit this year’s contribution from Whitchurch W.I.      

GROUPS: Dates for your diaries   
        
St Mary’s Gardens:  Tuesday 14th Nov  2023 10.00 am. 
    A working party, suitable for all activity levels.
Book Group:  Wednesday 15th Nov 2023  at 11.00am at La Cucina da Mara
Craft Group: Monday 20th Nov 2023  at 10.30am 18 Heol Stradling
Poetry and Prose:  Monday 20th Nov 2023 11.00am at the Ark, Ararat
Sunday Lunch Group: Sunday 26th Nov  2023 at 1.00pm at The Pantmawr Inn
Family History: Thursday 14th Dec 2023 at 10.30am at 113 Pantbach Road

BLOG

All activities are listed on our blog, along with reports and photos from previous meetings – visit whitchurch-wi-cardiff.blogspot.com

NEXT MEETING:

Monday 11th December 2023 at 2pm - the Christmas party with musical entertainment.

As usual, we will have a sharing buffet.
Last but not least, we invite members to wear something Christmassy !

Glamorgan Newsletter snippets — Oct/Nov 2023

Glamorgan Federation of Women’s Institutes

Newsleter Volume 14 issue 9     October/November 2023

 

Not in my Name Competition

The 2023 competition is to ‘Design and Make a Tote Bag’ depicting the Not in my Name campaign to end violence against women.
Any Craft medium and technique accepted.

The closing date for entries to reach NFWI-Wales is Friday 3 November 2023

The competition guidelines can also be accessed at https://mywi.thewi.org.uk/wales/nfwi-wales-campaigns-and-projects/not-in-my-name

Candlelight vigil 

to mark 

International White Ribbon Day and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

20 November 2023 

NFWI-Wales, in partnership with Joyce Watson MS, is organising a candlelight vigil at the Senedd on Monday 20 November 2023.
The event will begin at 6pm and end by 7.30pm.
Confirmed speakers include Jane Hutt MAS, Minister for Social Justice and
Derek Walker, White Ribbon Ambassador and Future Generations Commissioner for Wales. We will also hear from a survivor and a representative from each of the political parties.
WI members are encouraged to join us to show solidarity with survivors of violence
against women across the world and to spread the message that violence against
women is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Diary dates—2023

Federation Quiz—£10—Hi Tide, Porthcawl—Tuesday 24 October 2023
Closing date 29 September 2023

Seasonal Dabble Day—£20 Murton Methodist Hall—Saturday 4 November 2023 Closing date 2 October 2023

Tai Chi Taster Day—£5—Pencoed Welfare Hall—Saturday 11 November 2023 Closing date 31 October 2023

Learn to play whist—£5—Ystradowen Village Hall—Saturday 18 November 2023 Closing date 1 November 2023

Christmas Miscellany—Hi Tide Inn, Porthcawl—Thursday 23 November 2023

Christmas Tree Festival—All Hallows Church, Miskin—Saturday 16 Dec 2023 Closing date 3 November 2023

Amy Dillwyn presented by Debra John

Debra John as Amy Dilwen, the Victorian philanthropist

At the October meeting, Debra Dillwyn, dressed in the style adopted by Amy, spoke as if looking back from the age of about 50, musing on the main events and influences on her life. 

Key events, such as the birth of a sister when she was seven, the marriage of her older sister, and the loss of her fiancé, all caused her to question her role within the family and in wider society. 

She remained single and struggled to find a role that was permitted for a female. She wrote feminist novels and joined the suffragist movement. Amy was close to her father and on his death she inherited his factory, and his debts, and became a successful industrialist and philanthropist.

 

This complex person was brilliantly and sympathetically brought to life through Debra's presentation. 

Also at this meeting, Lynette Chappin gave a short talk about The Family History coffee morning and showed the members one of the knee shawls that she finishes off. She crochets together squares knitted by the members, which then go to the residents of Nazareth House care home.