Here we are in June and the National Annual Meeting at The Royal Albert Hall will have been and gone by the time most of you read your Newsletter. I hope that all of those members who attended online as observers enjoyed the day as much as those of us who were there in person did. Attending a National Meeting is a wonderful experience and I hope that, if you get the opportunity for the next in person one in 2027, you give it some serious thought as there is nothing quite like it especially when thousands of ladies join together in singing Jerusalem at the beginning. I know that your delegates will share their thoughts of this year’s meeting with you during the next few weeks, either in person or by sending a written report, so you will get a flavour of what happened from a personal perspective.
Over the past few weeks WI Advisers have visited around fifty Annual Meetings and as an Adviser I have visited some WIs for the very first time and have discovered some fascinating things. After all I didn’t know there was a committee position of Chief Clipboard Waver and Keeper of the Cupboard, but I know now that Pegswood with Bothal have one and that in Hepple, a small WI, everyone is on the committee and to cap it all I really didn’t know
I would be doing 14th Century dancing at Hartford Bridge. You may hear more of my experiences at Marj on a Mission events the first of which is on Wednesday 19 June at Beadnell WI Hall where there will be fun, lovely refreshments and a fabulous raffle (and hopefully the sun will shine too). Seriously though, thank you to all WIs that have welcomed their Adviser. A huge thank you to my fellow Advisers for the hard work and long distances
they travel to see you all and to listen to, and bring back, your thoughts, ideas and concerns. My poppy appeal is growing very fast for which I thank you all and hope that many of you will see the finished cascade in November. I was given the very first two poppies at Riding Mill when I attended their Annual Meeting and Geraldine Bruce who had made them handed them over to me.
My thanks go also to Lancaster Park for their kind donation and here I must make an apology to the ladies of Bamburgh WI as they didn’t get a mention in the Newsletter in February for their generous donation in late November. I must add that I did send a thank you but as the December Newsletter covers two months it really did slip the net and so if for any reason any other WI has not had a mention please believe me when I say that we are very grateful for every donation that we receive.
On the subject of raising funds please don’t forget that for every £1 spent on a National Raffle ticket 60p comes back from National into Federation funds. There are some lovely prizes on offer too and you still have time to buy a ticket.
In this mailing your Secretary will have received the application for the Literary Lunch at Hexham Mart on Wednesday 2 October where our guest speaker will be Dr Mel Gibson who is an expert on girls comics. It only remains to say if you have an old Jackie (good for the anxious questions page) or Bunty lying around please bring it along and listen to Mel, chat to friends, enjoy a three course lunch and participate in the legendary bottle draw.
Well enough of this rambling, maybe it’s time to get all my gear together ready for the trip to London. Whatever you are doing in the coming month either personally, with your family or WI wise, have a lovely time and I will for certain see quite a lot before the next Newsletter.
Marj x
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