MEMORIES OF HER MAJESTY
I know that many of you will have signed a book of condolence for the late Queen Elizabeth II and I know at least one person who travelled to Edinburgh and filed past the coffin in St Giles Cathedral on Monday 12 September. For her it was quite an experience and one that she was pleased to have undertaken. Maybe others of you have in fact been involved in one way or another in the events following the passing of Her Majesty.
Equally I suspect that, in a reign that spanned seventy years, many of you will have attended events also attended by Her Majesty but how many have actually met and been introduced or spoken to her. Our very own Federation Treasurer Norma Birch met the Queen when she was Mayoress of Newcastle upon Tyne. Some of you may have received an honour from her at Buckingham Palace. I can think of a few who received honours, but did they actually receive the award from Her Majesty herself?
I have been lucky enough to have seen her on many occasions such as the St Leger race meeting at Doncaster many years ago, through the Highland Gathering at Balmoral in the mid 60’s to the WI Royal Garden Party in 2015. They are all special memories, although I have never had the pleasure of speaking to her, but which of you have and where is this leading?
If you have in fact been lucky enough to have spoken to the late Queen and you would like to tell us when it was, where it was and why it was and you can keep your story to 100 words then please send them into the Office where we will keep them all together in a memory book and may publish some of them in the Newsletter in the coming months.
I look forward to reading your stories and learning a little more about some of our members and the reasons behind their stories.
Marj x
ACWW – Marj Read
Hello ladies. As you know, since the pandemic we have not done any real fundraising in the way of special events in aid of ACWW and hopefully next year we shall rectify this so keep an eye out in future Newsletters. Despite not having big events, your donations by way of the envelopes sent out each year have raised a magnificent £953.25 in 2022 so thank you all so much on behalf of Associated Country Women of the World.
New Beginnings at Newbiggin! – Susan Corbett
Members of Newbiggin by the Sea WI enjoyed a trial session at their July meeting of gentle stretching and relaxation with Jules Buchannan, That Yoga Woman. The evening was enjoyed so much we have booked Jules for weekly Tuesday sessions (excluding 1st Tuesday of each month) commencing 13 September contact newbigginwi@outlook.com
A very special delivery will have happened by the time you read this. Rachel Mulanney our youngest member, [pictured with our most Senior Member, Amy Firmin} is pictured with gifts to welcome her new baby! Very significant as no one can remember when a member had a new baby! We celebrated with beautiful baby themed cupcakes by Gladys Campbell.
Stannington on a Stroll – Christine Westerback
In August, Stannington members were blessed with perfect weather as we went for a stroll around Clark’s Bog, a little-known private nature reserve in Morpeth. We were shown around by Peter Matthewson who is the driving force behind the reserve and its development and who gave us a marvellous talk earlier in the year.
The reserve was named after the first farmer back in the mid 1800’s and during its life has been used to trial armoured vehicles for D-Day, sand extraction and a dam built to drain the bog. It is now a varied environment maintaining and increasing biodiversity with ponds, woodland, and reed beds. The reserve is alive with everything from dragonflies to ducks, badgers to birds and an abundance of wildflowers. We were lucky enough to spot Henry the almost tame rabbit, roe deer, swans with their cygnets and a variety of waterfowl. We ended the evening sitting in the still warm air enjoying a refreshing drink and some goodies. A very pleasant evening. You can find out more about the reserve here: https://petesbogblog.com/home/
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A time to talk about the causes of breast cancer and how we can act to prevent it. While not all breast cancer cases are preventable, studies show that at least 30% of cases are.
By making simple changes to your lifestyle, you can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer. This October Breast Cancer UK will be highlighting ways you can get active to reduce your risk. Studies show that being physically active can significantly reduce your risk of breast cancer.
GET INVOLVED AND STEP OUT FOR BREAST CANCER
Can you walk 300,000 steps in 30 days? Join the Step Out challenge and act to prevent breast cancer.
Speakers Corner
Beeswing – Is a local tradition singing group performing mainly Tyneside songs. They had a wonderful time singing at a women’s group and would like to do more if possible. They charge enough to cover travelling expenses at any time of day to suit and for as long as agreed. Contact: Fraser Gill T: 07958 063 301 E: frasergill@icloud.com
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