Chat from the Chair…

A very happy,  healthy and hopefully fantastic 2025 to all of you on a beautiful sunny morning down at the Coast.

Here we are with the decorations all away for another year and I am going to give you all advance (and I mean very advance) warning of some events for the Festive season so there can be no excuses that you weren’t told! It is all about a “Dabble and Dazzle” Christmas event at Cresswell House on Saturday 29th November and a Chairman’s Challenge for all you writers out there. More information on both of these later in this Newsletter.

For all of you who attended the Christmas Celebration at the Cathedral, what can I say?  It was a wonderfully uplifting occasion and I am using the word uplifting because I heard so many members say it on the way out after the service. Canon Zoe was an absolute delight and spoke so movingly and as always the Salvation Army Band was a highlight. I am sure you will all be delighted to know that we have already booked the Cathedral and the Salvation Army Band for this year. I can tell you that George, our liaison man in the band, is doubly delighted because he was quite overwhelmed with their share of the retiring collection and he has a firm date in his diary for this December. If you have never been to one of these services do try to come along as it really does send you home full of happiness and ready for Christmas.

The Board of Trustees met recently for the first time this year and I think I can promise you that they already have got lots of really exciting ideas and projects coming your way. For most of the committees they will be holding their first meetings of the New Year later this month so watch out in future Newsletters for what they have in store for you all. Hopefully we will manage enough variety to tickle the fancy of each and every one of you with craft, food, science, education,leisure, quizzes and competitions but don’t forget that if you have any ideas don’t keep them to yourself, send them in and we will see what we can do.

As usual Jenny McLean has been working really hard on getting the delegates sorted for the National Annual Council Meeting in June. On paper you would think that it all being on line might be easier but it doesn’t seem to be the case and please remember that we need your votes in on your individual voting for the resolutions as set out in the November issue of WI Life. It is extremely important here that your members understand that every vote counts as the proposed resolution from the four choices given will be the one chosen to go forward for actual voting at the National Council Meeting in June, so secretaries must send in how many votes were cast for each proposed resolution.

Our Cresswell Shop has been a great success and I thank all of you who bought either at the Council Meeting held at the RGS in October or at any of the events held at Cresswell House in the lead up to Christmas. We shall be replenishing our stocks ready for Spring so if you are coming to Cresswell House, bring your purse along too!

Looking forward to seeing many of you over the next twelve months.      Marj x