Ashbourne Show
Saturday 15th August 2015
As usual members of Ashbourne WI worked alongside neighbouring Institutes to make The WI Tent at Ashbourne Show a great attraction. Cakes and scones were baked, flowers arranged and craft items made. The sun shone and the public arrived in large, appreciative numbers. Individuals did well in the various categories and Ashbourne's cooperative entry took third place. Ladies from Ashbourne "manned" the craft stall, raising money to donate to Ashbourne Community Transport.
DFWI, ACWW and Denman College were represented in the tent and members of the Ashbourne Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild displayed their work and demonstrated various techniques.
While the preparations involved a lot of hard work and show day was a long one, everyone enjoyed contributing and felt that the tent was indeed a showcase of what the WI is about - working together in a spirit of cooperation for the benefit of all.
DFWI, ACWW and Denman College were represented in the tent and members of the Ashbourne Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild displayed their work and demonstrated various techniques.
While the preparations involved a lot of hard work and show day was a long one, everyone enjoyed contributing and felt that the tent was indeed a showcase of what the WI is about - working together in a spirit of cooperation for the benefit of all.
Off the boats - life on a narrow boat
meeting on 9th July
At a busy July meeting we discussed our plans to celebrate
the WI’s centenary with a tea party at Betty’s Sewing Box in September and
finalised our arrangements for the WI at the Asbourne Show In August. Then on to the speaker.
Liz Holloway’s enthusiasm for the five and a half years she and her partner spent living on a narrow boat was infectious. Progress around the waterways of Britain was leisurely as the boats are restricted to a maximum speed of 4mph but this gave them a different approach to life. We heard about the idyllic times as they viewed the world through the different perspective of the canal and about the amazing characters they met, many of whom became friends to share experiences with. It wasn’t all idyllic though. The difficulties they encountered included being trapped when the land around the canal flooded but, again, the camaraderie of the narrow boat community saw them through.
Liz Holloway’s enthusiasm for the five and a half years she and her partner spent living on a narrow boat was infectious. Progress around the waterways of Britain was leisurely as the boats are restricted to a maximum speed of 4mph but this gave them a different approach to life. We heard about the idyllic times as they viewed the world through the different perspective of the canal and about the amazing characters they met, many of whom became friends to share experiences with. It wasn’t all idyllic though. The difficulties they encountered included being trapped when the land around the canal flooded but, again, the camaraderie of the narrow boat community saw them through.
Biometrics - there'll never be another you
meeting on 11 June
We had a great time last Thursday catching up with all the news from the
WI's centenary celebration week last week. We were lucky enough for
three members to get tickets for the Royal Garden Party - and what a
great day they had. Several members watched the AGM, mostly at home
through the live feed but one member was there in the Albert Hall to
experience the atmosphere of what was a spendid occasion.
Our speaker for the evening was Paul Newsham who told us we were all unique, but showed us how we left clues to our identity everywhere. We were all fascinated by his talk. |
NFWI Annual Meeting
Royal Albert Hall - 4th June 2015
What an experience, it was something always to remember. We had three most inspiring speakers, Lucy
Worsley, Baroness Grey-Thompson and Helena Morrissey.
Lucy is a historian where her work includes responsibility for the empty royal palaces in London. She gave us a potted history of the beginnings of the Women’ Institute. Baroness Grey-Thompson was a wheelchair racer who now sits in the House of Lords. Tanni gave us her history from being paralysed when she was seven years old and her determination to succeed. Our final speaker was Helena who is a very successful businesswoman who also had nine children during this career!
The highlight of the morning was the arrival of the Queen, Princess Anne and the Countess of Wessex. It was so moving to be singing God Save the Queen in her presence. Of course the singing of Jerusalem was marvellous, sends shivers up your spine!
Lucy is a historian where her work includes responsibility for the empty royal palaces in London. She gave us a potted history of the beginnings of the Women’ Institute. Baroness Grey-Thompson was a wheelchair racer who now sits in the House of Lords. Tanni gave us her history from being paralysed when she was seven years old and her determination to succeed. Our final speaker was Helena who is a very successful businesswoman who also had nine children during this career!
The highlight of the morning was the arrival of the Queen, Princess Anne and the Countess of Wessex. It was so moving to be singing God Save the Queen in her presence. Of course the singing of Jerusalem was marvellous, sends shivers up your spine!
Royal Garden Party
2nd June 2015
What a great day we had. Three members of Ashbourne WI were lucky enough to win tickets to the WI centenary Garden Party in Buckingham Palace gardens hosted by HRH the Duchess of Cornwall. The palace gardens were filled with over 6,000 WI members making new friends, meeting up with old friends, chatting and having fun.
We expected queues everywhere but everything was handled well, from the security control at the entrance (which was quick and efficient) to the tea tent where we collected our tea.
We chose to enter through the grand entrance, walking up the steps from the carriage entrance, through the palace and out onto the west terrace. There we saw the tea tent on one side of the perfect lawn, the bands playing and WI members chatting. After a stroll round the garden we just had time for afternoon tea before the National anthem announced the arrivel of Duchess of Cornwall accompanied by the Countess of Wessex, the Dichess of Gloucester, and Princess Alexandra.
Despite the grey skies, it didn't rain and the sun came out mid afternoon. We chatted to members from all over the country, some of whom had really long journeys to get there. The gardens are lovely and the afternoon tea delicious. To round the afternoon off perfectly, as the royal ladies left they walked right by us and we got a beaming smile and cheery hello from both the Duchess of Cornwall and the Countess of Wessex. A truly memorable afternoon.
We expected queues everywhere but everything was handled well, from the security control at the entrance (which was quick and efficient) to the tea tent where we collected our tea.
We chose to enter through the grand entrance, walking up the steps from the carriage entrance, through the palace and out onto the west terrace. There we saw the tea tent on one side of the perfect lawn, the bands playing and WI members chatting. After a stroll round the garden we just had time for afternoon tea before the National anthem announced the arrivel of Duchess of Cornwall accompanied by the Countess of Wessex, the Dichess of Gloucester, and Princess Alexandra.
Despite the grey skies, it didn't rain and the sun came out mid afternoon. We chatted to members from all over the country, some of whom had really long journeys to get there. The gardens are lovely and the afternoon tea delicious. To round the afternoon off perfectly, as the royal ladies left they walked right by us and we got a beaming smile and cheery hello from both the Duchess of Cornwall and the Countess of Wessex. A truly memorable afternoon.
County Quiz
30th April 2015
Four members of varying ages and interests had a most enjoyable evening at the quiz venue in Mickleover. The quiz master asked the questions at a steady pace, meaning there was ample time for conferring over our answers. We cannot claim to have covered ourselves in glory but we certainly did much better than we thought we would when we first saw the titles of the rounds. Where was History, Geography, Literature? We confess we should have gained more marks on The WI and Derbyshire Buildings. The least said about Currencies the better. As ever we could have made a wiser choice over which round to play our Joker. However we were more than pleasantly surprised by our good performance on Music, Home and Garden, Natural History and General Knowledge. We came away knowing more than we did before, having had a good laugh and consoling ourselves with the idea that without the teams that don't win there would be no winners.
Dovedale Group Spring Meeting
28th April 2015
We had a really interesting evening with the local group of WIs on Tuesday. In the WIs centenary year we looked back at the history of our institutes and of the federation.
Christine Gardner and Barbara Parkinson came from the federation to tell us about the history of the Derbyshire Federation and, in particular, about the history of our office in Derby, Derbyshire House.
The display tables included WI published books, WI crockery, photograph albums, letters, bills, trophies and much much more. It made a fascinating social history of the last 50 or so years.
Christine Gardner and Barbara Parkinson came from the federation to tell us about the history of the Derbyshire Federation and, in particular, about the history of our office in Derby, Derbyshire House.
The display tables included WI published books, WI crockery, photograph albums, letters, bills, trophies and much much more. It made a fascinating social history of the last 50 or so years.
Pop-up Books
meeting on 9th April 2015
Pop-up Books by Bernie Pedley
At April's meeting members were reminded about the Spring Group Meeting and were encouraged to start thinking about entries and items for Ashbourne Show. Business was followed by a fascinating look at pop-up books. Bernie Pedley explained his interest in this form of paper engineering and we were introduced to the topic via the work of school children and ended up amazed by published books of ever increasing complexity. Bernie's delivery and timing reflect his other career - a professional magician. We were drawn into this three dimensional world, interested by the well loved stories and characters and wondering how pieces of paper could be made to move in so many ways. Bernie was most generous in allowing us to examine his collection of books, which he kept insisting were most certainly not for children to handle.
Barrelhouse Ukulele Band
meeting on 12th March 2015
We had a fun evening at Ashbourne WI
last night. In a packed hall, Ashbourne members were joined by friends and
members from other institutes to hear the Ukulele Band.
Despite one band member being too ill to attend, the band rose to the occasion and didn't let that spoil our enjoyment - although he was "empty chaired" by his ukulele. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we sang along to hits from across the years and laughed at the stories of previous gigs.
The ukulele may have gained a few more fans now!
Despite one band member being too ill to attend, the band rose to the occasion and didn't let that spoil our enjoyment - although he was "empty chaired" by his ukulele. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we sang along to hits from across the years and laughed at the stories of previous gigs.
The ukulele may have gained a few more fans now!
"The Imposter"
Meeting on 12th February 2015
It was a busy evening for our February meeting with two speakers.
Firstly we heard from Sharon Mellors who is a community involvement worker for Healthwatch in Derbyshire. She explained that Healthwatch gathers views about health services from the public and ensures that people know where to go if they have a problem with healthcare. Sharon left us with contact details and questionnaires to complete.
Firstly we heard from Sharon Mellors who is a community involvement worker for Healthwatch in Derbyshire. She explained that Healthwatch gathers views about health services from the public and ensures that people know where to go if they have a problem with healthcare. Sharon left us with contact details and questionnaires to complete.
This was followed by Fiona Macleod talking about her book and giving us some background to how she came to write it and of her family's connection with the area. She brought to life the period and taught us much about life in those days - we even discovered that women were copying the French fashion of using steel rather than whale-bone in their corsets.
She kept us enthralled with her portrayal of the "Imposter" story. Fiona is a consummate storyteller and used actors from Peakland Players to good effect, narrating passages from her novel. The intriguing story set in our own town of Ashbourne in the mid 1700s tells us of a young woman's struggle for survival. Although Fiona was not born in Ashbourne her family links with the area give her an uncanny feel for it.
It was a truly entertaining and enjoyable evening.
She kept us enthralled with her portrayal of the "Imposter" story. Fiona is a consummate storyteller and used actors from Peakland Players to good effect, narrating passages from her novel. The intriguing story set in our own town of Ashbourne in the mid 1700s tells us of a young woman's struggle for survival. Although Fiona was not born in Ashbourne her family links with the area give her an uncanny feel for it.
It was a truly entertaining and enjoyable evening.
January Meeting
8th January 2015
"Hedge Laying"
We learnt some amazing things at January's meeting including the fact that laying hedges extends the life of bushes and that each county has a different way of doing it. Derek Hale from the National Hedge Laying society described how the work is done. Stems are cut at the base so that they can be laid horizontally and new growth comes from the base of the stem forming a dense hedge after a few months. He brought his hedge laying tools along, which were very sharp and heavy. It was a very good evening.
Christmas Celebrations
December 2014
Our Christmas lunch was on
Friday 19th December and we were joined by partners and friends for
a Christmas meal in the restaurant at Carsington Water. Great food, great company, and
sunshine, what more could we want.
On the afternoon of Sunday 14th December we joined Clifton, Kniveton and Tissington WIs for our group carol service held this year at Holy Trinity Church in Clifton. The church was full and it resounded with our singing of traditional Christmas carols. After the lovely service we were invited to tea and home-made mince pies in the village hall.
Thanks to Clifton WI for arranging it.
Thanks to Clifton WI for arranging it.
The December meeting was our Christmas party which went with a swing as we enjoyed a bring and share supper with some interesting dishes and delicious puddings. After much chatting with a cup of tea we realised it was quite late but we all stayed to make Christmas decorations. Under Lois's expert guidance we made small Christmas wreaths to take home with us. What a great evening.
Annual Meeting
13th November 2014
It was our annual meeting this month when we heard a brief summary of what we'd been doing this year. What a busy year we've had with visits, workshops and fashion shows as well as our normal meetings. Activity at this level involves a lot of people and everyone was thanked for their contribution. Fortunately our finances are sound, and so we move on into a new year.
Our president Lois was standing down after three action packed years and so, once we'd elected a new committee we also chose a new president for 2014/15. Lois was thanked for her great contribution and presented with a bouquet of flowers.
We ended the evening playing board games, which some were more successful at than others, and chatting over cups of tea. It was a good evening.
Our president Lois was standing down after three action packed years and so, once we'd elected a new committee we also chose a new president for 2014/15. Lois was thanked for her great contribution and presented with a bouquet of flowers.
We ended the evening playing board games, which some were more successful at than others, and chatting over cups of tea. It was a good evening.
Meeting
9th October 2014
"My Life as a Tour Guide"
We had an interesting evening with Mary Garrett who told us of her adventures when she decided to become a tour guide. It was a chance encounter on holiday that encouraged her to apply for the job and, although she was one of the older applicants, she was selected and completed her training without any problem. In fact, she felt she had stayed in the role much longer than most of her colleagues.
Her work took her to Majorca and to Italy and she had some fascinating tales of her busy life there and of what the holiday makers got up to. One of her tasks was to greet people at the airport. It was apparently normal for there to be 105 flights in one day and, at one time, she would have 45 coaches outside the airport waiting to take people to hotels - just as well she could keep a cool head.
Overall she said it had been a great experience but very hard work. I think we will all have a different view of the effort tour guides put into ensuring that we enjoy our holidays from now on.
Her work took her to Majorca and to Italy and she had some fascinating tales of her busy life there and of what the holiday makers got up to. One of her tasks was to greet people at the airport. It was apparently normal for there to be 105 flights in one day and, at one time, she would have 45 coaches outside the airport waiting to take people to hotels - just as well she could keep a cool head.
Overall she said it had been a great experience but very hard work. I think we will all have a different view of the effort tour guides put into ensuring that we enjoy our holidays from now on.
DFWI Autumn Council Meeting
7th October 2014
The meeting started with a minute's silence for the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and on a grey morning the sun briefly appeared, lightening the room.
The Deputy Mayor of Derby gave us an enthusiastic welcome to his city. He spoke with pride about the refurbishment of public buildings and the growth of commerce and industry.
Chrissie Booth's chairman's address looked back over the year and talked of the success of the centenary baton week in June and the well attended 40th anniversary celebrations at Derbyshire House. She thanked us all for the huge amount of bunting which adorned the building for that event.
Our morning speaker was Angela Baker, one of the original calendar girls. She told us the now familiar story of the calendar, bringing it to life for us. At one stage the calendar was so popular that they were posting out 300 - 400 copies a day. At the end of the first year they had raised £322,000, more than they had dreamed about. The project escalated. They won awards, went on television programmes and it to a film and play. The total raised now stands at £4M. Her enthusiasm for the project came over and the room stood to applaud at the end.
Our afternoon speaker was Michael Portillo. He explained that his father was a refugee from the Spanish Civil War and his mother was from Scotland. When he lost his seat in Parliament, he became an entertainer and it was a chance invitation to make one of the "Great Railway Journey" programmes that led to the current series and his fascination with George Bradshaw. Bradshaw was originally a cartographer but spotted that there was no railway timetable for the whole country and so produced the now famous Bradshaw timetable. In 1830 he branched out to publish a tour guide, taking great pride in talking about the success of the country, its mechanisation and industrialisation.
The Deputy Mayor of Derby gave us an enthusiastic welcome to his city. He spoke with pride about the refurbishment of public buildings and the growth of commerce and industry.
Chrissie Booth's chairman's address looked back over the year and talked of the success of the centenary baton week in June and the well attended 40th anniversary celebrations at Derbyshire House. She thanked us all for the huge amount of bunting which adorned the building for that event.
Our morning speaker was Angela Baker, one of the original calendar girls. She told us the now familiar story of the calendar, bringing it to life for us. At one stage the calendar was so popular that they were posting out 300 - 400 copies a day. At the end of the first year they had raised £322,000, more than they had dreamed about. The project escalated. They won awards, went on television programmes and it to a film and play. The total raised now stands at £4M. Her enthusiasm for the project came over and the room stood to applaud at the end.
Our afternoon speaker was Michael Portillo. He explained that his father was a refugee from the Spanish Civil War and his mother was from Scotland. When he lost his seat in Parliament, he became an entertainer and it was a chance invitation to make one of the "Great Railway Journey" programmes that led to the current series and his fascination with George Bradshaw. Bradshaw was originally a cartographer but spotted that there was no railway timetable for the whole country and so produced the now famous Bradshaw timetable. In 1830 he branched out to publish a tour guide, taking great pride in talking about the success of the country, its mechanisation and industrialisation.
Dovedale Group Autumn Meeting
24th September 2014
We joined with Clifton, Kniveton, and Tissington WIs for a group meeting in Tissington Village Hall.
Our speaker was Rosemary Brown of Bluebell Artisan Icecream. Originally a dairy farm, they wanted to develop the business in a way that involved the whole family and the idea of artisan ice-creams was born. The name 'bluebell' was the name associated with their herd of cows.
The ice-cream quickly became popular within Derbyshire. Bluebells took part in a number of events both in the UK and in Europe, winning many awards.
After her talk, we sampled several ice-creams - vanilla, chocolate, peaches and cream, cherry and amaretto, and gingerbread. All were delicious.
Our speaker was Rosemary Brown of Bluebell Artisan Icecream. Originally a dairy farm, they wanted to develop the business in a way that involved the whole family and the idea of artisan ice-creams was born. The name 'bluebell' was the name associated with their herd of cows.
The ice-cream quickly became popular within Derbyshire. Bluebells took part in a number of events both in the UK and in Europe, winning many awards.
After her talk, we sampled several ice-creams - vanilla, chocolate, peaches and cream, cherry and amaretto, and gingerbread. All were delicious.
Glass Workshop
September 2014
Members of Ashbourne WI spent an interesting morning making jewellery and dishes with Angela Thompson from Glass@thebarn in Tissington. We cut and ground glass before using the pieces to create patterns which were then fired to create our decorative objects. For some there was the added interest of deciding which glass to use as some change colour when heated.
Everyone was delighted with what they had made and we are looking forward to visiting Glass@theBarn again.
See for yourself what's on offer http://www.glass-at-the-barn.co.uk/
Everyone was delighted with what they had made and we are looking forward to visiting Glass@theBarn again.
See for yourself what's on offer http://www.glass-at-the-barn.co.uk/
Meeting
11th September 2014
Make do and mend for the future
September's meeting began with a review of the summer's activities and congratulations to members who had enjoyed success at Ashbourne Show. There were a number of future events to sign up for. Once business had been concluded speaker, Helen Jagger, began her talk. Helen has a lifelong interest in needlecraft and currently teaches the subject. She gave a thought provoking talk on the impact of textiles and the textile industry on the environment and ways in which we as individuals can do our bit to minimise this effect.
She drew attention to the volume of water required to nurture the growth of natural fibres, especially cotton and the fuel required in the transport of both raw materials and the finished products. She touched on the complex issues of low wages paid to textile workers, the conditions in which many of them labour and the subsequent attitude that such cheap clothing is essentially disposable. This of course led us on to the issue of clothing which ends up in landfill sites or is exported abroad at grave consequence to the local textile industries.
Textiles can, of course, be utilised to aid sustainability. Helen described ways in textiles can insulate both ourselves and the home thus reducing heating bills.
Many of us had cause to reflect on the amount of clothing we buy and casually dispose of. Helen went on to encourage us to think about purchasing better quality clothing that lasts or items that can be made do or mended. She described various techniques that can be employed to prolong a garment's life, to recycle it or even to upcycle it. Techniques she mentioned were familiar to previous generations and in some instances are no longer taught; hence Helen's courses in using a sewing machine for instance.
Helen herself makes garments and articles out of fabric which textile factories discard - either because of faults in the weave or dying or because the designs are obsolete. She was wearing a lovely silk, patchwork jacket - both warm and stylish - constructed from factory offcuts which would otherwise have been consigned to landfill.
After Helen's talk there were many questions and reminiscences of techniques used on clothing we had previously owned as well the opportunity to chat over a cup of tea. The competition was a craft item.
She drew attention to the volume of water required to nurture the growth of natural fibres, especially cotton and the fuel required in the transport of both raw materials and the finished products. She touched on the complex issues of low wages paid to textile workers, the conditions in which many of them labour and the subsequent attitude that such cheap clothing is essentially disposable. This of course led us on to the issue of clothing which ends up in landfill sites or is exported abroad at grave consequence to the local textile industries.
Textiles can, of course, be utilised to aid sustainability. Helen described ways in textiles can insulate both ourselves and the home thus reducing heating bills.
Many of us had cause to reflect on the amount of clothing we buy and casually dispose of. Helen went on to encourage us to think about purchasing better quality clothing that lasts or items that can be made do or mended. She described various techniques that can be employed to prolong a garment's life, to recycle it or even to upcycle it. Techniques she mentioned were familiar to previous generations and in some instances are no longer taught; hence Helen's courses in using a sewing machine for instance.
Helen herself makes garments and articles out of fabric which textile factories discard - either because of faults in the weave or dying or because the designs are obsolete. She was wearing a lovely silk, patchwork jacket - both warm and stylish - constructed from factory offcuts which would otherwise have been consigned to landfill.
After Helen's talk there were many questions and reminiscences of techniques used on clothing we had previously owned as well the opportunity to chat over a cup of tea. The competition was a craft item.