BROUGHTON Drama QWIeens
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Broughton W.I. has decorated a tree at the Holy Trinity Church (Eccleshall) Christmas Tree Festival which runs from Thursday 30th November to Sunday 3rd December.
All the decorations (made in W.I. colours of Green, White and Purple), were made by members using recycled materials. It looks very beautiful. There are 61 Christmas Trees on display in the Church decorated by various businesses, retailers, community groups, schools and individuals. |
November 9th 2023 WI Meeting
Our speaker for the evening was Tom Court (ITech) who gave us lots of information about online security. An interesting and thought-provoking talk. Tom operates a mobile IT business serving the local community and also provides support and consultations at Eccleshall Library.
Marie Poole won our annual bursary earlier in the year and she gave us feedback of the 2-day stained glass course she had attended with her mum, Lucy at Amerton Farm.
Both had attended a similar course at Denman a few years ago so they had some previous knowledge of working with glass, and encouraged others to try it out as the recent course at Amerton Farm was excellent. Marie and Lucy brought along the beautiful things they had made for us to admire.
46 members enjoyed the evening and the superb refreshments. Two new members joined boosting our numbers even higher.
We now look forward to our December 14th meeting when our Broughton Drama QWIeens will be entertaining us with a fun programme of dancing, Christmas stories and a pantomime, …. ‘Babes in the Wood’.
Dust off your Christmas hats and outfits ladies!
Marie Poole won our annual bursary earlier in the year and she gave us feedback of the 2-day stained glass course she had attended with her mum, Lucy at Amerton Farm.
Both had attended a similar course at Denman a few years ago so they had some previous knowledge of working with glass, and encouraged others to try it out as the recent course at Amerton Farm was excellent. Marie and Lucy brought along the beautiful things they had made for us to admire.
46 members enjoyed the evening and the superb refreshments. Two new members joined boosting our numbers even higher.
We now look forward to our December 14th meeting when our Broughton Drama QWIeens will be entertaining us with a fun programme of dancing, Christmas stories and a pantomime, …. ‘Babes in the Wood’.
Dust off your Christmas hats and outfits ladies!
Broughton WI at the
Eccleshall Community Forum.
Showcasing our WI at the Eccleshall Parish Forum….
Brenda Howe, Patricia Kennedy, and Yvonne French were our excellent ambassadors.
Brenda Howe, Patricia Kennedy, and Yvonne French were our excellent ambassadors.
Newsletter for November 2023
SFWI 'Dabble Day' 4.11.23 - Christmas Crafts
Today some of our members participated in a crafts ‘Dabble Day’ organised by the SFWI Crafts,Arts and Design Committee at the Checkley village hall. We were able to choose 4 of the 6 crafts available and helped by excellent tutors, produced some lovely Christmas crafts to take home. We all thoroughly enjoyed what turned out to be a really ‘fun’ day.
October 12th Meeting
Broughton WI October 12th meeting saw members creating Christmas tree decorations using recycled materials. We made paper angels and paper chains; knitted trees and bells; decorated fir cones; beaded tassels and macrame rings all in the WI colours of white green and purple. The decorations will adorn our WI tree at the Christmas tree festival in the Holy Trinity Church, Eccleshall at the end of November.
We welcomed two more new members (Chris and Bev), and congratulated Von on winning second prize in the SFWI Rosemary Palmer competition for a door wreath. Next month we look forward to meeting IT Consultant, Tom Court, who will be speaking about ‘On-line Security’.
We welcomed two more new members (Chris and Bev), and congratulated Von on winning second prize in the SFWI Rosemary Palmer competition for a door wreath. Next month we look forward to meeting IT Consultant, Tom Court, who will be speaking about ‘On-line Security’.
14th September Meeting
Finding we had a no-show from our September meeting speaker, we asked each member to write down a fact that no-one would know about them (anonymously) and then these were read out.. and the writer could reveal more detail if they so wished.
What a set of amazing stories were revealed and who knew the huge variety of talents and life experiences of our WI members!
There was much laughter and fascination as members owned their stories and it proved to be such an entertaining evening.
Some of the facts we discovered were that we had a student of the Royal School of Ballet; someone who had beaten Lord Lichfield at a clay-pigeon shoot; a member who had been a ‘Kissagram’ girl; someone who had worked for the World Health Organisation in Geneva; another had enjoyed afternoon tea with Princess Diana. One member had represented Stafford in Archery for 5 years; someone had driven in a Lotus Esprit on the roof of the Fiat Factory in Turin; one member had once kissed Adam Faith (he died the following day!); we have a practicing Lepidopterist; and a member who had been encouraged by an armed policeman to sue No. 10 Downing St. following a fall on the slippery pavement outside (whilst being filmed by TV).
Someone told a very amusing story about meeting their husband on the football terraces and another had sailed to Paris by boat to do their weekend shopping! There were many more wonderful stories shared.
An unexpectedly brilliant evening - and we all know a little more about each other now.
What a set of amazing stories were revealed and who knew the huge variety of talents and life experiences of our WI members!
There was much laughter and fascination as members owned their stories and it proved to be such an entertaining evening.
Some of the facts we discovered were that we had a student of the Royal School of Ballet; someone who had beaten Lord Lichfield at a clay-pigeon shoot; a member who had been a ‘Kissagram’ girl; someone who had worked for the World Health Organisation in Geneva; another had enjoyed afternoon tea with Princess Diana. One member had represented Stafford in Archery for 5 years; someone had driven in a Lotus Esprit on the roof of the Fiat Factory in Turin; one member had once kissed Adam Faith (he died the following day!); we have a practicing Lepidopterist; and a member who had been encouraged by an armed policeman to sue No. 10 Downing St. following a fall on the slippery pavement outside (whilst being filmed by TV).
Someone told a very amusing story about meeting their husband on the football terraces and another had sailed to Paris by boat to do their weekend shopping! There were many more wonderful stories shared.
An unexpectedly brilliant evening - and we all know a little more about each other now.
WI Business with President Pat (an original Punk in 77/78). Secretary Pam ( a prison visitor) and Treasurer Wendy ( who had survived a cyclone in Mauritius whilst she was stationed there when serving as a WREN).
Brenda Howe reminisces on becoming a student at the Royal School of Ballet.
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Betty explained how to defend yourself from behind.
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CELEBRATING WI DAY on 16th SEPTEMBER
Guess what we are doing on WI Day!
Lesley, Pat, Von and Ros enjoyed a mosaic-making workshop at the SFWI ‘Cornerstone’ in Stafford - led by the the wonderful Lisa Bialek and organised by the Federation Craft, Art and Design sub-committee.
#WIDay23 #HappyBirthdayWI
Lesley, Pat, Von and Ros enjoyed a mosaic-making workshop at the SFWI ‘Cornerstone’ in Stafford - led by the the wonderful Lisa Bialek and organised by the Federation Craft, Art and Design sub-committee.
#WIDay23 #HappyBirthdayWI
2023 Eccleshall Show….Saturday 2nd September.
Brenda's photos:
(Top) Some members of Broughton WI were hard at work early in the morning making sandwiches for today’s refreshments in the WI marquee. It was a well organised production line that completed the task without stress.
(Below) Pat displaying the packs of sandwiches and a smiley Sheila Kettle (- the annual show Voice of an eloquent commentator) who had been on duty since 7.30am. Bravo everybody.
(Top) Some members of Broughton WI were hard at work early in the morning making sandwiches for today’s refreshments in the WI marquee. It was a well organised production line that completed the task without stress.
(Below) Pat displaying the packs of sandwiches and a smiley Sheila Kettle (- the annual show Voice of an eloquent commentator) who had been on duty since 7.30am. Bravo everybody.
Broughton WI meeting
August 10th 2023…
We had a lot of fun and frequently tied ourselves in knots as our speaker Bev Clennell endeavoured to teach us how to stylishly tie scarves. Some were more successful than others with following the instructions but many were adept and produced very elegant results! There was lots of laughter and we all enjoyed it a lot.
Amazing refreshments were provided by Susan, Barbara, Lesley and Jayne.
We welcomed another two new members and Ros’s sister, Deb visited us from Morton WI in West Yorkshire.
A thoroughly enjoyable and very entertaining evening.
Amazing refreshments were provided by Susan, Barbara, Lesley and Jayne.
We welcomed another two new members and Ros’s sister, Deb visited us from Morton WI in West Yorkshire.
A thoroughly enjoyable and very entertaining evening.
Update: - Making lap-blankets for Chemo patients at County Hospital
Eight more blankets in their beautiful bags were delivered to the chemotherapy unit at County Hospital Stafford today. That brings our total to 66
We are hoping to aim for 100 by Christmas.
Thank you again for all your hard work and support with this very worthwhile project.
Thank you Von for making the beautiful bags they look amazing.
Thank you to all the wonderful Broughton WI ladies who have provided blankets /material or wool.
I would also like to say a huge thank you to a very special lady she is Gill Latos's mum..... Joyce Adnitt who is 93 years old! (Photo below)
When Gill told her mum about our project making blankets for chemotherapy patients she dusted off her knitting needles and has made a number of very colourful and beautiful blankets over the last few months she has enjoyed getting involved and is very pleased to be helping to provide comfort for the patients. Joyce was a longstanding member of Eccleshall WI and we are very grateful for her support . Thank you Joyce.
I am humbled and truly grateful.
Thank you all.
Anne. x
We are hoping to aim for 100 by Christmas.
Thank you again for all your hard work and support with this very worthwhile project.
Thank you Von for making the beautiful bags they look amazing.
Thank you to all the wonderful Broughton WI ladies who have provided blankets /material or wool.
I would also like to say a huge thank you to a very special lady she is Gill Latos's mum..... Joyce Adnitt who is 93 years old! (Photo below)
When Gill told her mum about our project making blankets for chemotherapy patients she dusted off her knitting needles and has made a number of very colourful and beautiful blankets over the last few months she has enjoyed getting involved and is very pleased to be helping to provide comfort for the patients. Joyce was a longstanding member of Eccleshall WI and we are very grateful for her support . Thank you Joyce.
I am humbled and truly grateful.
Thank you all.
Anne. x
July 13th Garden Meeting
Broughton WI Garden Meeting July 13th 2023 hosted by Beryl Roe.
Unbelievably, the sun shone all evening and we were able to enjoy our July meeting sitting in Beryl’s beautiful gardens. After an abbreviated business, members were able to explore the gardens which have been open for the NGS on many occasions. Beryl’s husband, Tony, also gave many members a tour of their arboretum which boasts over a thousand different holly tree varieties, and another collection of hazel trees which have amazing autumnal colours. Pat had collected the delicious strawberries from Bearstone Fruit Farm and the Committee had provided scrumptious cakes and scones for refreshments.
It was a really perfect summer’s evening get together!
We will be learning the skill of tying scarves at our 10th August meeting… don’t forget to bring a scarf!
Unbelievably, the sun shone all evening and we were able to enjoy our July meeting sitting in Beryl’s beautiful gardens. After an abbreviated business, members were able to explore the gardens which have been open for the NGS on many occasions. Beryl’s husband, Tony, also gave many members a tour of their arboretum which boasts over a thousand different holly tree varieties, and another collection of hazel trees which have amazing autumnal colours. Pat had collected the delicious strawberries from Bearstone Fruit Farm and the Committee had provided scrumptious cakes and scones for refreshments.
It was a really perfect summer’s evening get together!
We will be learning the skill of tying scarves at our 10th August meeting… don’t forget to bring a scarf!
County Show May 30th - 31st 2023
At the 2023 County Show, in the SFWI Marquee there was an amazing display of items made by members on the theme of 'Around the World'. Congratulations to Wendy Benbow who came second with her beautiful Sashiko embroidery. Pat was working with the County Show committee in the Marquee on the Thursday and met ladies from all over Staffordshire., - one or two may be visiting our WI as a result!
Broughton WI meeting on May 11th saw an excellent turnout and more new members joining. We now have 50+ members! Members were all given a gift to mark the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla - a beautiful set of coasters made by Yvonne.
Pat welcomed Maria Banwell, a local fitness instructor who put us through our paces - encouraging us to ‘use it or lose it’! It was great to see such participation from everyone.
Business followed, - with information given about SFWI upcoming events, the Eccleshall Show on 2nd September, and the latest diary dates for our Craft Club, Broughton Bimblers and Gastronomigals sub groups. A new ‘Entertainments’ sub group will meet in June and plan for our fun Christmas festivities.
We then discussed and voted on the NFWI Resolution and concerns were raised that the title could be seen as ambiguous. In the end we voted against the proposed resolution and not to give a discretionary vote to our delegate for the debate at the NFWI Annual Meeting on May 25th.
Ros then encouraged members to sign up to help at the Croxton Community Well Dressing Festival on Saturday July 1st, and Lucy updated us on the planned Benbow coffee morning on 9th September to raise funds for MacMillan and the Dougie Mac.
Members had brought lots of Coronation artefacts for the competition which was won by Ruth Butter. Pat gave a special thank you to the ladies who had provided the wonderful refreshments for the evening, which had had a ‘Coronation’ theme.
Pat welcomed Maria Banwell, a local fitness instructor who put us through our paces - encouraging us to ‘use it or lose it’! It was great to see such participation from everyone.
Business followed, - with information given about SFWI upcoming events, the Eccleshall Show on 2nd September, and the latest diary dates for our Craft Club, Broughton Bimblers and Gastronomigals sub groups. A new ‘Entertainments’ sub group will meet in June and plan for our fun Christmas festivities.
We then discussed and voted on the NFWI Resolution and concerns were raised that the title could be seen as ambiguous. In the end we voted against the proposed resolution and not to give a discretionary vote to our delegate for the debate at the NFWI Annual Meeting on May 25th.
Ros then encouraged members to sign up to help at the Croxton Community Well Dressing Festival on Saturday July 1st, and Lucy updated us on the planned Benbow coffee morning on 9th September to raise funds for MacMillan and the Dougie Mac.
Members had brought lots of Coronation artefacts for the competition which was won by Ruth Butter. Pat gave a special thank you to the ladies who had provided the wonderful refreshments for the evening, which had had a ‘Coronation’ theme.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
Broughton WI and Croxton Garden Guild members made an excellent job of clearing-out and tidying up 5 wells in readiness for the Croxton Community Well Dressing in 5 weeks time.
Thank you to Linda Mifflin (and Stuart and Frank Clewley), Patricia Kennedy, Pat Wright (and David) & Rosie Hammond, as well as Ken Langford and Marianne Grime.
Great job done!
Thank you to Linda Mifflin (and Stuart and Frank Clewley), Patricia Kennedy, Pat Wright (and David) & Rosie Hammond, as well as Ken Langford and Marianne Grime.
Great job done!
CROXTON COMMUNITY WELL DRESSING FESTIVAL SATURDAY 1ST JULY 2023
The Well Dressing designs were being coloured-in this week by members of the planning committee . They will go on display in Eccleshall Library in June to
publicise the Croxton Community Well Dressing Festival on Saturday July 1st.
A big thank you to WI member Susan Mather for using her graphic and technical
skills to create the scaled drawings.
The event is only 2 months away now and there will be lists to sign at the next meeting for volunteers to help with petalling at the Well Dressing-in-the-Making, baking cakes and drying banana skins etc.
We hope you will get involved with this lovely community project if you can and
then on 1st July come to the Festival to see the 6 beautiful well dressings, visit
stalls and displays showcasing local groups and charities and enjoy the music
and poetry concert in the afternoon.
publicise the Croxton Community Well Dressing Festival on Saturday July 1st.
A big thank you to WI member Susan Mather for using her graphic and technical
skills to create the scaled drawings.
The event is only 2 months away now and there will be lists to sign at the next meeting for volunteers to help with petalling at the Well Dressing-in-the-Making, baking cakes and drying banana skins etc.
We hope you will get involved with this lovely community project if you can and
then on 1st July come to the Festival to see the 6 beautiful well dressings, visit
stalls and displays showcasing local groups and charities and enjoy the music
and poetry concert in the afternoon.
The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla
on Saturday 6th May 2023.
Michael Beasley, son of past Broughton WI member, Jean Beasley was the left-hand man for King Charles at the Coronation. What an honour for Michael - Jean must have been bursting with pride!
A Celebratory Annual Meeting 16.3.23
A week later than calendared due to snow disruption, Broughton WI members were greeted by a roaring fire in the Broughton Parish Room for their Annual Meeting, with Sue Dixon (our SFWI) adviser in attendance to oversee election proceedings.
It was a happy occasion with Rosalind Langford standing down after three years as President along with Committee members Anne Clews and
Von French.
The new Committee were confirmed and Patricia Kennedy was congratulated as she was unanimously voted in as our new President for 2023-24.
Congratulations Pat.!
Ros’s end of term President’s address summarised what a roller coaster of a three years it had been, but despite this Broughton WI had been resilient, risen to challenging times and had successfully grown in numbers.
Ros said:..........
“It’s been an honour to have served as your President for the last 3 years. I can also say that during those years, we have faced some of the most unusual challenges - Covid, Lockdown, our Centenary and both the 70th Jubilee and death of Queen Elizabeth II to name a few. Most importantly it has been a pleasure to watch our WI grow to become one of the most thriving WIs in Staffordshire.
We are a very resilient, talented, friendly and fun loving group with a very attractive programme of events, and a propensity to embrace new and interesting challenges, – all of which have contributed to us welcoming new members from a wide catchment, and we are still growing. This promises well for the future of our WI.
A few successful things that stand out for me on reflecting back over the past year are celebrating multiculturalism with our African Drumming meeting; holding our first ever (and very profitable) Craft Stall at the Eccleshall Craft market; crafting thousands of poppies for our poppy installations at St Paul’s and St Peter’s, together with a beautiful wreath for Remembrance Sunday.
We have been pursuing a ‘Making a Difference’ theme during the year which has, for example, inspired members to collect provisions for Refugees; knit blankets for chemotherapy patients and teddy bears for ‘Buddy Bags’ as well as delightful ‘WInnies’ knitted for the Jubilee and secreted around the community to bring joy to their finders, … and recently helping Marie recycle thousands of bras in aid of Breast Cancer research and support vulnerable women in West Africa.
I hope we will continue with our ‘Making a difference’ project.
Other firsts we celebrated were winning the SFWI Garden Festival Competition (well deserved Audrey); seeing our Centenary pear tree flourish & give a bumper crop of fruit in its first year; and the snowdrops, crocuses and primroses we planted for the Centenary becoming well established at Boughey’s Well in Croxton. It is wonderful to see our WI make a difference to our local environment… I always feel proud to see the daffodils in bloom opposite the BPR that we planted back in 2010!
We have also enjoyed some wonderful theatre trips, garden visits and workshops this year and it is great to see our June garden meetings being enjoyed locally at Charnes and Sugnall Hall gardens.
Another thing I am proud to have seen formed or develop over the last three years are our sub-groups – the Broughton Bimblers; Gastronomi-gals and Craft club which all meet every month under the excellent leadership of Carol, Brenda and Von. They all enrich the Broughton WI experience.
We now embrace modern technology in the way we run our WI; - we use Zoom for our meetings when needs require; we email the minutes of meetings and a monthly Newsletter out to members. We have our own logo and Broughton WI Facebook page and website to help with publicity and promotion and we use a WhatsApp group for our Committee chat. Most recently, we have successfully lobbied to have WiFi installed in the BPR.
Technology has provided us with opportunities and enhanced the efficiency in running our WI, … but it does not ‘rule us’, and the best thing about our WI is our monthly face to face meetings, and the fun and friendship that provides.
Our success as a WI is in every way due to our members being ‘open’ to new ideas, engaging in activities and of course our wonderful committee members who I have nick-named the ‘Dream Team’ because they are such a generous, talented and kind group and I could not have wished for a more supportive and willing team to work with.
Thank you ladies.”
Sadly our hyacinth bulb competition had not been a great success with many of the bulbs flowering prematurely- added to by a week’s delay for the meeting. The winning pink hyacinth was nurtured by Judy Thompstone.
Amazing refreshments provided by the ‘Benbow Clan’ were enjoyed by all and the evening finished with thanks and a presentation of gifts of a pearl necklace (created by ‘The Pearl Lady’) to Ros from members and also a rose aptly named ‘Rosalind’ from the Committee.
The new Committee was announced as:
President: Pat Kennnedy
Vice Presidents: Brenda Howe and Ros Langford
Treasurer: Wendy Benbow
Secretary: Pam Smith
Programme Secretary: Deborah Hill
Committee: Marie Poole, Michelle Bugliarello and Eileen Heal.
Best wishes to Pat and her team and to another exciting and fun year for Broughton WI.
Jayne Frawley celebrating the strong and inspiring women suffragettes of Manchester.
A very special lady ........
Sad news, … we heard today that Maud Amos, our lovely and truly amazing, generous and inspiring member passed away yesterday. She would have been 97 years young at the end of this month. Maud has not been very well for the past year or so, but well into her nineties, she would drive to WI meetings, and particularly loved the camaraderie and challenges offered by Craft Club and the Well Dressing-in-the-making. A talented craftswoman, she loved to try new things and nothing ever seemed too difficult. She always put others first, never seemed to tire, and never sat down when absorbed in a task, (- often drinking her tea cold because she had forgotten to drink it). She had some amazing life-stories to tell, but it was a life well lived. We will miss her very much, and send our condolences to her family and friends.
VOTING FOR RESOLUTIONS SHORTLISTED FOR 2023
There were 4 resolutions shortlisted for 2023... (I'm afraid ours didn't get selected).
See below for details. We each voted for our preference at the February meeting.
Total votes cast = 31
1. Save Water: 18 votes
2. Women to Women (tea pickers): 2 votes
3. On-line gambling ; 3 votes
4. Clean Rivers: 8 votes.
The tally of votes has been sent to Federation who will forward them to National with votes from across the County.
There were 4 resolutions shortlisted for 2023... (I'm afraid ours didn't get selected).
See below for details. We each voted for our preference at the February meeting.
Total votes cast = 31
1. Save Water: 18 votes
2. Women to Women (tea pickers): 2 votes
3. On-line gambling ; 3 votes
4. Clean Rivers: 8 votes.
The tally of votes has been sent to Federation who will forward them to National with votes from across the County.
Wishing you all much joy, good health and happiness in 2023.
Broughton WI Meeting
12th January 2023
Making a Difference’ and Voting on the shortlisted Resolutions.
Ros welcomed everyone to the meeting and wished everyone a Happy New Year.
NFWI Resolutions shortlist – discussion and voting: This was led by 4 Committee members in a round-robin format. The 4 shortlisted Resolutions for 2023 were discussed and voted on. The majority of votes were for the “Save our Water”Resolution followed by “Clean Rivers for People and Wildlife”. The results will be passed on to Federation Office for counting and onward referral to National Office. It will be interesting in due course to find out whether our voting pattern is reflected in the countrywide vote.
Everyone then enjoyed refreshments which included a cake made by Brenda Howe (from a recipe in last month’s WI Life) which was a favourite of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen must have had a very sweet tooth!
The evening concluded with our annual fund-raising ‘Raffle of Christmas Excess’ organised by Anne which is always a lot of fun.
Our next meeting is on Thursday 9th February,… . Our 102nd Birthday, when we will be entertained by the Broughton Players! Members were invited to dress up and celebrate in style.
Photos: Bags of 1,960 bras; Growing hyacinths; Bags of blankets for chemotherapy patients.
Ros welcomed everyone to the meeting and wished everyone a Happy New Year.
- Recycling: Marie Poole updated everyone on the project re. recycling of bras for Breast Cancer research and W. African women which has been ongoing since last September. The original target has been well beaten as we have now collected 1,960 bras! The number had been boosted by an amazing donation from the staff and women of nearby Drake Hall Prison (who have their own WI), who donated 1,200 bras!! Marie has more donations coming in and expects to ‘burst through’ the new target of a 2 thousand bra collection. Anne Clews remarked what an amazing effort it had been and that all the ladies in Eccleshall and the surrounding areas must be going bra-less. Well done to Marie for her perseverance to make this project a success.
- Buddy Bags: Eileen Heal was thanked for her donation of a large amount of material, which Yvonne French will use to make the Buddy Bags that we were told about at our November meeting
- March Hyacinth Bulb competition: – Ros reminded everyone that the bulbs should be removed from their “dark place” by the end of this month, watered lightly and placed on a window sill. There was then a general discussion - a couple of members said theirs had already flowered! Perhaps some hadn’t quite followed instructions.
- Blankets for Chemotherapy Patients: Anne Clews reminded us that this project was originally proposed for completion in 2021, - our centenary year, but had been delayed by Covid. The Chemotherapy Ward at Stafford County Hospital are now accepting blankets again, so Anne hoped to present our blankets to them at the end of March. They can be knitted, crocheted, quilted or made from fleece and be a minimum size of 1 metre square. Yvonne has kindly agreed to make individual cotton bags to hold the blankets. The bags will then be given to patients by ward staff, and they then become the patient’s own property so they can be used at the hospital and also at home.
- Our popular sub-groups, Broughton Bimblers (walking group), Gastronomigals. (Dining group) and Craft Club outlined their upcoming activities and dates for January. For the benefit of new members, Ros outlined preparations for the 2023 Well Dressing Festival which will be held on Saturday 1st July. Planning meetings are on-going, and involve people from a wide variety of community groups and interested locals.
- Eccleshall Show 2nd Sept – Sheila Kettle thanked everyone who had helped in any way at last year’s Show. She told us it had been record breaking in many ways and that planning was already well in hand for this year’s event, which they hoped would be just as successful.
NFWI Resolutions shortlist – discussion and voting: This was led by 4 Committee members in a round-robin format. The 4 shortlisted Resolutions for 2023 were discussed and voted on. The majority of votes were for the “Save our Water”Resolution followed by “Clean Rivers for People and Wildlife”. The results will be passed on to Federation Office for counting and onward referral to National Office. It will be interesting in due course to find out whether our voting pattern is reflected in the countrywide vote.
Everyone then enjoyed refreshments which included a cake made by Brenda Howe (from a recipe in last month’s WI Life) which was a favourite of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen must have had a very sweet tooth!
The evening concluded with our annual fund-raising ‘Raffle of Christmas Excess’ organised by Anne which is always a lot of fun.
Our next meeting is on Thursday 9th February,… . Our 102nd Birthday, when we will be entertained by the Broughton Players! Members were invited to dress up and celebrate in style.
Photos: Bags of 1,960 bras; Growing hyacinths; Bags of blankets for chemotherapy patients.
BROUGHTON WI DRAMA QWIeens
CONGRATULATIONS TO VON
The SFWI Rosemary Palmer craft competition for a wreath in any medium. Our Yvonne French was placed second and it looked really beautiful. Well done Von.
Remembrance Service at St Paul’s Church, Croxton 12.11.23.
Patricia Kennedy laid a wreath on behalf of Broughton WI and Wendy Benbow did one of the readings in Church.
‘We will remember them’.
* The 2023 Broughton WI Remembrance wreath was made by Lucy Gleave, Wendy Benbow and Mandy Moore.
‘We will remember them’.
* The 2023 Broughton WI Remembrance wreath was made by Lucy Gleave, Wendy Benbow and Mandy Moore.
LAP BLANKETS FOR CHEMOTHERAPY PATIENTS.
I would like to let you know that following discussion with our President Pat and other members of our WI we have decided to make our delivery of blankets in theIR beautiful bags in December our final one for this project.
We are hoping to make 100 as our final total which would be a wonderful achievement making it twice our original total of 50.
The decision to complete the project now will allow other projects to be put forward and other worthwhile challenges to be undertaken by our members.
I would like to say a huge thank you to all our members and relatives and friends who have supported this very worthwhile project it’s been my pleasure and privilege to represent Broughton WI in achieving our goal.
I would like to say a very special thank you to Yvonne French who has been my wing woman on this project and has produced the lovely bags which have accompanied the blankets.
Could I please ask if you have any blankets that you want including in the December delivery to bring them to our next Wi meeting on Thursday 14th .
My sincere thanks .
Anne x x
We are hoping to make 100 as our final total which would be a wonderful achievement making it twice our original total of 50.
The decision to complete the project now will allow other projects to be put forward and other worthwhile challenges to be undertaken by our members.
I would like to say a huge thank you to all our members and relatives and friends who have supported this very worthwhile project it’s been my pleasure and privilege to represent Broughton WI in achieving our goal.
I would like to say a very special thank you to Yvonne French who has been my wing woman on this project and has produced the lovely bags which have accompanied the blankets.
Could I please ask if you have any blankets that you want including in the December delivery to bring them to our next Wi meeting on Thursday 14th .
My sincere thanks .
Anne x x
BROUGHTON WI POPPY INSTALLATIONS
The Broughton WI poppy installations were put in place on Friday 3rd November at
St Paul’s Church, Croxton, and St Peter’s Church, Broughton. They looked very vibrant in the morning sunshine.
President Pat Kennedy will lay a wreath on behalf of Broughton WI at the Remembrance Service at St Paul’s on Sunday 12th November. All are welcome to attend.
St Paul’s Church, Croxton, and St Peter’s Church, Broughton. They looked very vibrant in the morning sunshine.
President Pat Kennedy will lay a wreath on behalf of Broughton WI at the Remembrance Service at St Paul’s on Sunday 12th November. All are welcome to attend.
Our October 2023 Newsletter
The evolution of ‘The Poppy’…..
Lap blankets for
chemotherapy patients.
I delivered 10 more blankets in their lovely bags to the Chemotherapy unit at Stafford County Hospital today.
The nursing staff were delighted to receive them.
Thank you to Von for her continued support and hard work to produce these beautiful bags.
One of our new members Ann Crump who enjoys sewing has very kindly offered to make some bags, - so thank you Ann.
So far due to your generosity and support our total now stands at … 76.
That’s a wonderful achievement and thank you to everyone who has supported in any way.
I would love to think we could deliver 100 by Christmas so again I’m asking for your support and I’m sure that together we will achieve it.
As the nights are drawing in my knitting needles are red hot so please join me in supporting our lovely patients who will be receiving treatment over the next few months.
Any donations of blankets /wool/or material would be gratefully received.
My sincere thanks.
Anne x x
The nursing staff were delighted to receive them.
Thank you to Von for her continued support and hard work to produce these beautiful bags.
One of our new members Ann Crump who enjoys sewing has very kindly offered to make some bags, - so thank you Ann.
So far due to your generosity and support our total now stands at … 76.
That’s a wonderful achievement and thank you to everyone who has supported in any way.
I would love to think we could deliver 100 by Christmas so again I’m asking for your support and I’m sure that together we will achieve it.
As the nights are drawing in my knitting needles are red hot so please join me in supporting our lovely patients who will be receiving treatment over the next few months.
Any donations of blankets /wool/or material would be gratefully received.
My sincere thanks.
Anne x x
Remembrance poppies will be plastic-free and recyclable for the first time this year in a move to reduce single-use plastics. The new poppy is the first redesign of the historic symbol since the mid-1990s.
Our new Broughton WI Banner.
BROUGHTON WI ANNUAL DINNER 7.9.23
On a beautiful summer’s evening ), 53 members of Broughton WI and partners met up at Tern Hall Hotel for their Annual Dinner. Thanks to Brenda Howe and Patricia Kennedy for their organisation and to Wendy Benbow and Mandy Moore for the beautiful table flowers.
Everyone enjoyed pre-dinner drinks on the terrace and then a wonderful 3-course meal. The evening was rounded off with a traditional raffle organised by Anne Clews.
A perfect setting on a glorious summer evening!
Everyone enjoyed pre-dinner drinks on the terrace and then a wonderful 3-course meal. The evening was rounded off with a traditional raffle organised by Anne Clews.
A perfect setting on a glorious summer evening!
Our September Newsletter....
BROUGHTON WI JUNE 2023 NEWSLETTER.
June 8th Meeting
On a wonderful summer’s evening, the speaker for Broughton WI ‘s June meeting - was Hannah Justice who came to tell us all about the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. What an amazing service they provide. Their crews treat some of the most critically ill and injured patients across the Midlands each day. It costs £11 million to maintain the three aircraft and the provision of a lifesaving service each year and the Charity is fully dependent on voluntary donations. Several members were amazed that such a ‘key’ service was not under the umbrella of the NHS and that it provided its own pilots, doctors, paramedics, admin., etc. As well as monetary donations, the Midlands Air Ambulance has busy charity shops in Newcastle-Under-Lyme and Shrewsbury, where you can donate pre-loved goods for them to sell.
The business part of the meeting discussed the Rosamund Harrison Group meeting; preparation for the forthcoming Well Dressing and the Eccleshall Show as well as the range of courses, events and competitions provided by SFWI.
We welcomed another three visitors to the meeting, and were delighted to see Pam T had made the meeting and was looking very well following her recent op. The evening was concluded with an amazing buffet provided by Mesdames Frawley, Symington, French and Davies.
The business part of the meeting discussed the Rosamund Harrison Group meeting; preparation for the forthcoming Well Dressing and the Eccleshall Show as well as the range of courses, events and competitions provided by SFWI.
We welcomed another three visitors to the meeting, and were delighted to see Pam T had made the meeting and was looking very well following her recent op. The evening was concluded with an amazing buffet provided by Mesdames Frawley, Symington, French and Davies.
Bags for lap blankets for chemo patients.
I've made another 17 bags for the blankets for Anne to take to Stafford County Hospital this week.
The material was kindly donated by Vicki Evans and Anne.
We are still needing cotton material to make them.
Any cotton is ok as long as it’s washable.
Any quantity as we can always make them into a useable size.
Thank you, Yvonne x
The material was kindly donated by Vicki Evans and Anne.
We are still needing cotton material to make them.
Any cotton is ok as long as it’s washable.
Any quantity as we can always make them into a useable size.
Thank you, Yvonne x
The May 2023 Broughton Newsletter.
April 13th 2023 WI Meeting.
Our new President, Pat Kennedy thanked everyone for their support. We had three members from Mucklestone WI (which has sadly folded) visit us for the evening with a view to joining and Pat Woodcock from Maer & District WI joined as a dual member. The new programme for 23 - 24 was given to members and then a special treat, as everyone was presented with a
beautiful badge to wear on which our Broughton WI logo was displayed. Everyone thought they were lovely and put them on straight away.
Marie Poole was thanked for initiating and bringing this lovely idea
to fruition. It was a fitting start for the next Broughton WI Centenary!
Everyone enjoyed the speaker for the evening - Luke Sarjeant (an ex
prison officer) who talked about his ‘Life behind bars’.
Members then enjoyed the delicious refreshments provided by Carol,
Christine and Ruth before the business part of the meeting where a lot
of SFWI and Community information was shared with members.
Pat reminded everyone about the upcoming County Show, the events
to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III and the Croxton Community
Well Dressing Festival.
The next meeting is on Thursday May 11th, 7pm, when ‘Move with Maria’
will be the activity for the evening; we will vote as to whether our delegate should vote for the Resolution re ‘Clean Rivers for people & wildlife’ at the NFWI Annual Meeting, and there will be a competition for a ‘Coronation Artefact’. We look forward to seeing you then.
beautiful badge to wear on which our Broughton WI logo was displayed. Everyone thought they were lovely and put them on straight away.
Marie Poole was thanked for initiating and bringing this lovely idea
to fruition. It was a fitting start for the next Broughton WI Centenary!
Everyone enjoyed the speaker for the evening - Luke Sarjeant (an ex
prison officer) who talked about his ‘Life behind bars’.
Members then enjoyed the delicious refreshments provided by Carol,
Christine and Ruth before the business part of the meeting where a lot
of SFWI and Community information was shared with members.
Pat reminded everyone about the upcoming County Show, the events
to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III and the Croxton Community
Well Dressing Festival.
The next meeting is on Thursday May 11th, 7pm, when ‘Move with Maria’
will be the activity for the evening; we will vote as to whether our delegate should vote for the Resolution re ‘Clean Rivers for people & wildlife’ at the NFWI Annual Meeting, and there will be a competition for a ‘Coronation Artefact’. We look forward to seeing you then.
The culmination of a wonderful project inspired by a very special lady.
Anne Clews’s has written a lovely report (see below) and shared photographs. How fitting that the first person to receive one of our blankets was our very own Pam T. who happened to be in the chemo ward at County Hospital when Anne and Von handed them over.
Blankets for chemotherapy patients.
“When we were discussing projects for our WI centenary year , I remembered a conversation I had with Catherine (Kate) my lovely late sister in law who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2013.
She said that during her chemotherapy treatment she received a lap blanket from a local knitting group and she found it very helpful and comforting in combating the cold.
So we started knitting and Yvonne, (my neighbour), had the idea of putting the blankets in a bag so each patient could have their own individual blanket.
The Covid Pandemic meant that we couldn’t deliver the blankets to our local chemotherapy unit but at last we were able to deliver our blankets and bags (16 in total) to Stafford County Hospital Chemotherapy unit on Thursday 30th March 2023.
Jackie one of the Sisters on the chemo unit was thrilled to receive the blankets and felt the patients would benefit from them greatly.
What a lovely surprise that Pam Trafford (one of our WI members) arrived at the unit and we were delighted to give her the first blanket in its bag.
We have included the instructions for the blanket in the bag and if anyone wants the design of the bag it can be purchased for £2.99 from www.lizzycurtis.com all proceeds go to children in need.
A label marked ‘Broughton WI’ has been attached to the bag.
My sister-in-law died on 11th June 2017. She was a wonderful person- a nurse like me, …. I miss her very much, - she was full of fun and very much loved by her family, friends and patients.
To honour her memory I wanted to include her in this project so
‘a hug from Kate ‘ seemed appropriate and Von printed it on the inside of the pocket .
A huge thank you to Von for her support and skill and for being my wing -woman on this project.
Thank you to all our lovely WI ladies who have contributed in any way.
I am sincerely grateful.” Anne Clews
Blankets for chemotherapy patients.
“When we were discussing projects for our WI centenary year , I remembered a conversation I had with Catherine (Kate) my lovely late sister in law who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2013.
She said that during her chemotherapy treatment she received a lap blanket from a local knitting group and she found it very helpful and comforting in combating the cold.
So we started knitting and Yvonne, (my neighbour), had the idea of putting the blankets in a bag so each patient could have their own individual blanket.
The Covid Pandemic meant that we couldn’t deliver the blankets to our local chemotherapy unit but at last we were able to deliver our blankets and bags (16 in total) to Stafford County Hospital Chemotherapy unit on Thursday 30th March 2023.
Jackie one of the Sisters on the chemo unit was thrilled to receive the blankets and felt the patients would benefit from them greatly.
What a lovely surprise that Pam Trafford (one of our WI members) arrived at the unit and we were delighted to give her the first blanket in its bag.
We have included the instructions for the blanket in the bag and if anyone wants the design of the bag it can be purchased for £2.99 from www.lizzycurtis.com all proceeds go to children in need.
A label marked ‘Broughton WI’ has been attached to the bag.
My sister-in-law died on 11th June 2017. She was a wonderful person- a nurse like me, …. I miss her very much, - she was full of fun and very much loved by her family, friends and patients.
To honour her memory I wanted to include her in this project so
‘a hug from Kate ‘ seemed appropriate and Von printed it on the inside of the pocket .
A huge thank you to Von for her support and skill and for being my wing -woman on this project.
Thank you to all our lovely WI ladies who have contributed in any way.
I am sincerely grateful.” Anne Clews
Farewell to one of our WI members and remembering a really lovely lady.
Sadly, after a very brave fight, we lost the lovely Pam (Cliff) on Thursday 6th April. Much loved sister of Lucy, Wendy, Mandy; Auntie to Marie, and sister-in-law Carol… we send them all our love and condolences. Pam will be remembered as a happy and generous member of our WI; - lover of crafts and art and a member of the ‘Benbow Clan’. We will miss her very much.
Teddy bears made by Carol Benbow for the Buddy Bag Foundation
Following the November presentation by the Buddy Bag Foundation, Carol felt compelled to do something to help the poor, traumatised children that this
charity supports. In April she delived a huge bag of collourful teddies to the
library in Eccleshall for collection and distribution by the Foundation. If other members would like to make some, knitting patterns for the teddies
can be found on our Clubs page on page 5.
Well done Carol.
charity supports. In April she delived a huge bag of collourful teddies to the
library in Eccleshall for collection and distribution by the Foundation. If other members would like to make some, knitting patterns for the teddies
can be found on our Clubs page on page 5.
Well done Carol.
Marie sends the bras packing!
An article submitted to WI Life.
At our 2023 meetings Broughton WI (Staffordshire) had been looking into how our members could ‘Make a Difference’ via various means including opportunities to increase our recycling efforts.
It all started at a committee meeting back in August 2022 when committee member Marie Poole suggested we could be involved in a bra-recycling project. She had found a scheme that collects unwanted or unloved bras and through a network of bra banks raises vital funds for pioneering breast cancer research, (for every tonne of bras collected, ‘Against Breast Cancer’ receives £700 to fund their research.). The same bras also help to support small businesses in developing countries in Africa. Of course, recycling bras through this textile recovery project prevents bras from going into landfill. Another bonus…. reuse / recycle and protecting the environment too!
At our August meeting, Marie introduced members to the project and encouraged them to sort through their lingerie drawers and bring in any unwanted bras. Coincidentally, the activity for our August WI meeting was West African drumming led by David from ‘Joliba’, and when he heard Marie explain the recycling project he commented that on his visits to The Gambia he could confirm that women going braless was seen as a symbol of poverty. In West Africa, Bras - let alone well-fitting ones - are an expensive rarity when food and shelter come high up the list of necessities and sadly women who go out without a bra are more likely to be the target of rape and sexual abuse. Inspired by Marie’s talk, a week later David sent a package to our W.I. with bras that he had collected from his friends and family. This donation was added to the bags full of bras brought in by Broughton WI members to the September meeting, prompting someone to remark that the women of our local villages must have all been walking around bra-less!
September’s meeting had a talk and demonstration on the topic of ‘A well-fitting bra’, and Marie set a target to collect 1,000 bras by Christmas! Arrangements were made for bras to be collected at various places in our local community including at Drake Hall (our local HM Women’s prison) which also has a WI group.
By November the 1K target had been well and truly smashed with over 2.000 bras
collected. They were stored in Marie’s mother’s garage and needed boxes, - so Marie
enquired at the local Morrison’s supermarket to see if they had any banana boxes that she could use for storage. When Morrison’s found out what she needed them for they became very interested and wanted to help support the project by organising an in-store collection.
So, the total currently stands at 2,200 bras and counting! Marie is making plans for these to be shipped to the bra bank by the end of March.
Our W.I. feels this has been a very successful and inspirational project both for our WI and the local community and will hopefully ‘Make a Difference’ to many lives both here in the U.K. and in W. Africa.
Well done Marie!
Entries for the SFWI Rose Deag novice water-colour painting competition on the theme of birds:
Maureen Arnold .....
Very sad news ladies…Maureen Arnold passed away on the morning of 18th February. She had spent the last week in hospital and had been asleep for most of the time.
She was a long-standing member of our WI and member of the Craft Club; - a larger than life character with a great sense of humour. We shared some fun times. She bore her recent illness very bravely over the last 3 years and I know we will miss her very much. Our condolences to her family. Some photos of Maureen are attached below which show her fun and entertaining side and her love of crafts - in particular knitting and crochet. Her funeral was held on 15th March. 12 noon at Stafford Crematorium. |
Broughton WI 102nd Birthday Meeting
Broughton WI ... our 102nd Birthday Meeting was celebrated on 9th February. We had a wonderful attendance and started off by toasting our WI with a glass of bubbly and then enjoying a fun version of the Beetle game called 'Party Bug'.
We were then entertained by the 'Broughton Players' ( Carol Benbow, Vicki Evans, Brenda Howe and Judi Maitland with support from Pat K and Eileen) directed by Wendy Benbow. A short sketch ( last performed by our WI 50 years ago) which was a funny tale about a group of ladies at a Health Spa - two of whom has misread the 'brochure' and thought they were staying at a luxury hotel with good food and relaxation! It turned out to be quite a different experience. The cast managed to get the whole room participating in their fitness routine - with a lot of giggles too!
Well done to all those who took part and for all the hard work they had put into preparing our entertainment.
Well done to all those who took part and for all the hard work they had put into preparing our entertainment.
The evening continued with the cutting of the beautiful birthday cake made by Kate Kennedy and singing of 'Happy Birthday'. The 2023 Bursary was drawn and Marie Poole was the lucky winner. The members enjoyed refreshments provided by the committee, and Jayne Frawley brought along her prematurely flowering blue hyacinth which scented the room. We look forward to seeing the rest of the hyacinths in flower at our March 9th Annual Meeting!
Dig out those bras!
UPDATE: Marie has now collected 1,960 bras. Amazing!!
Marie will continue to collect your old and unloved bras for the 'Bra recycling against Breast Cancer' charity.
Info. …..
“Our bra recycling scheme takes your unwanted or unloved bras and through our network of bra banks raises vital funds for pioneering breast cancer research.
The same bras also help to support small businesses in developing countries in Africa and around the world. Together with our recycling partners, our textile recovery project prevents these bras going into landfill before giving them a new lease of life in countries such as Togo, Ghana and Kenya, where bras remain expensive to produce locally.
Successful ventures like this provide an income for families in developing countries whilst providing employment for people living in the UK. Any bras that are genuinely beyond redemption are dismantled and disposed of properly.
For every tonne of bras collected, Against Breast Cancer receives £700 to
fund our research. With over 30 million women in the UK you could really help make a difference.
Info. …..
“Our bra recycling scheme takes your unwanted or unloved bras and through our network of bra banks raises vital funds for pioneering breast cancer research.
The same bras also help to support small businesses in developing countries in Africa and around the world. Together with our recycling partners, our textile recovery project prevents these bras going into landfill before giving them a new lease of life in countries such as Togo, Ghana and Kenya, where bras remain expensive to produce locally.
Successful ventures like this provide an income for families in developing countries whilst providing employment for people living in the UK. Any bras that are genuinely beyond redemption are dismantled and disposed of properly.
For every tonne of bras collected, Against Breast Cancer receives £700 to
fund our research. With over 30 million women in the UK you could really help make a difference.