Dovedale Group Craft Dabble Evening
25th April 2024
Wyaston Village Hall echoed to chat and laughter as Ashbourne, Kniveton and Tissington WIs came together to try their hands at various crafts. Members of DFWI's Craft Team guided members through the intricacies of creating fondant flowers, iris paper folded cards, crocheted book marks / brooches and embroidered book marks. Everyone left with at least 3 items completed and there was a beautiful cake to raffle.
County Quiz
25th April 2024
Our team had an enjoyable evening at the County Quiz. After a shaky start - those world capitals can be tricky - they produced excellent results in subsequent rounds. Their final score was 78 out of 90.
Winging it Blind
11th April
Strongly scented spring flowers greeted members at our April meeting. Our speaker was Simon Mahoney who spoke to us about losing his sight and the care and help he had received, especially from The Blind Veterans organisation. Simon, a former Royal Marine officer and social worker explained the various causes of sight loss and how it is essential to seek medical consultation at an early stage. He is the author of Winging it Blind, A Descent into Darkness and First Catch Your Rabbit - a manual for working in a kitchen when you have no sight.
With the help of his assistant, Simon judged the acrostic Spring poems members had written for the competition. There was a record number of entries - some of which are above.
With the help of his assistant, Simon judged the acrostic Spring poems members had written for the competition. There was a record number of entries - some of which are above.
Blue Plaques
14th March
Members were delighted to see Paul Newsham once again. He delivered an informative talk about the history of Blue Plaques and some of the individuals to whom they are awarded. It was interesting to note how many of these we recognised as we toured London, commenting on the buildings where they had lived. An added, unconnected bonus was a selection of optical illusions and pavement art which had members in lively conversation as they tried among other things to work out whether an elephant did indeed have 5 legs or 4!
At this meeting members also had a report from our delegate about DFWI's Council Meeting at The Winding Wheel. This month poppies were sent to The Standing with Giants installation. A few more Easter eggs were handed in to add to the appeal for children in Ukraine and as generous as ever members donated items to be taken to victims of domestic violence.
At this meeting members also had a report from our delegate about DFWI's Council Meeting at The Winding Wheel. This month poppies were sent to The Standing with Giants installation. A few more Easter eggs were handed in to add to the appeal for children in Ukraine and as generous as ever members donated items to be taken to victims of domestic violence.
The 1953 Flood at Sutton-on-Sea
8th February
The yellow weather warning for snow disrupted our plans for February's meeting as snow prevented the speaker from travelling to Ashbourne and would make access to the hall difficult. Undeterred we moved the meeting online and one of our members stepped in at the last moment with a fascinating talk on the 1953 floods at Sutton-on-sea. She told the story of the flood and its lasting impact on the residents from pictures, newspaper cuttings, children’s stories written at the time bringing to life the drama of the event.
Freshwater Pearls
11th January 2024
The hall was packed for our first meeting of the year despite the cold weather. Our speaker Rachelle Maltz-Jones gave a fascinating talk about Freshwater Pearls and how she involved with them. She talked of the power of pearls and how quality pearls are passed down the generations. We learnt about the difference between natural pearls, fresh water pearls and sea water pearls, and she showed how they grow in all shapes and sizes, passing round various examples.
Our competition of “a piece of jewellery” resulted in quite a range of new and old pieces, some with fascinating stories.
Our competition of “a piece of jewellery” resulted in quite a range of new and old pieces, some with fascinating stories.
Dovedale Group Christmas Meeting
Thursday 7th December 2023
The Dovedale Group of WIs - Ashbourne, Kniveton and Tissington - held their Christmas meeting at The Venue. Annie from On a Wick and a Prayer told us about setting up her business, how candles are made and how to get the best out of burning our candles. After some tasty refreshments from Betty's Vintage Tea Room we then made our own candles. It was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a wet winter's afternoon.
St Oswald's Christmas Tree Festival
Until Friday 5th January 2024
A taller and "leggier" tree than usual proved ideal for our Christmas roses this year. After a slight difficulty with the lights - they worked at home both before and after being in church! - everything came together beautifully.
Christmas Lunch
30th November 2023
We didn’t let the frosty roads put us off as we all gathered at Carsington Water for our early Christmas lunch. We lingered chatting after the lunch which was, as usual, lovely. A good time was had by all.
Annual Meeting
9th November 2023
Our November meeting proved to be a really busy meeting. It was our annual meeting when we heard reports showed that our finances are sound and summaries of our very busy action packed year. The silver cups were presented to our competition winners - one for the most points in the competitions held at the meetings and one for the most points in the WI tent at the Ashbourne Show. The committee for next year was appointed before we elected our president.
After a break for tea and biscuits we started making the flowers for decorations for our Christmas tree in St Oswald’s. We also collected knitted angels for the Methodist Church’s Craft & Chat project.
After a break for tea and biscuits we started making the flowers for decorations for our Christmas tree in St Oswald’s. We also collected knitted angels for the Methodist Church’s Craft & Chat project.
The Blind Woodturner
12th October 2023
We had an inspirational talk from Chris Fisher, The Blind Woodturner, at our meeting this month. He had worked as an engineer but woke up one morning to cloudy vision and was completely blind four weeks later. After some difficult years he taught himself woodturning using YouTube videos and progressed to qualify as a Master Craftsman and now teaches woodturning. Describing himself as a woodturning artist, he talked us through how he had made the candle stand for St John’s church which was on display in the hall. His approach to dealing with his initially devastating sight loss by discovering new skills and a new way of life was inspiring.
Our competition for ‘a wooden object’ attracted a range of beautiful entries.
Our competition for ‘a wooden object’ attracted a range of beautiful entries.
Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire
14th September 2023
Our speaker in September was the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Liz Fothergill, who gave us a fascinating insight into her life in that role as the King’s representative in the county. She explained the history of the role as well as what it involves today. Appointed during covid, she had an intense time at the start with the Queen’s jubilee followed by the death of Queen Elizabeth, the proclamation of the new King, the funeral and the coronation in addition to all her regular duties. It is a really busy role but she is supported by a number of deputy lieutenants who represent her at events. Despite her busyness she clearly enjoyed meeting such a wide range of people, many of whom have left a lasting impression on her.