Latest news January 2021 

A Happy New Year!

Although we have not been able to hold our usual monthly meetings and get together in our social groups, we have had  quizzes and bingo on Zoom and a walk in Ashton Court. The Bridge Group is meeting on line and other groups have found ways of meeting up respecting Covid 19 guidance and rules.   We have kept in touch with members through  regular newsletters and cards. 

 Our September meeting welcomed our first on-line speaker via Zoom. Steve Loader, gave a well received talk on his work as volunteer Chaplain at Portbury Docks. We have recently donated a number of knitted items, toiletries, chocolate and DVDs to the sailors far from home at Portbury.

  Our speaker for our October meeting was David Allen. Twenty-two of us were entertained by David’s anecdotes, slides and stills about the background to the making of the film Calendar Girls and comparing fact to fiction. It was news to many of us that the film could have been made by Victoria Wood. The final decision to go with the Hollywood option caused a rift between the 11 members of the Rylstone & District WI which continues to this day. 

In November we had a fascinating talk by Clive Burleton on Bristol's White City Exhibition of 1914 and the subsequent use of the site. A story many of us were unaware of.

December saw a very jolly on-line Christmas party that put us in the mood for the festive season.

The following monthly meetings, also delivered via Zoom, are planned:

January 30th 2021    Jonathan Scott will talk about his work as Clifton Station Community Police Sergeant

February 24th 2021    Sally Hare, Hypnotherapist

March 31st 2021    Polina Rumsey, Facial Yoga

We look forward to welcoming new members by any of our Covid-safe means, you will be warmly greeted!

Suspended Meetings

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation Clifton WI meetings are not taking place at the moment. However, we welcome enquiries from prospective new members. We look forward to hearing from you and can be contacted by email at:

thecliftonwi@gmail.com

Urgent News

Clifton WI – Urgent News  Coronavirus (Covid-19)

Following yesterday’s briefing that, regardless of age, we should avoid non-essential contact with each other, avoiding places such as, pubs, clubs and other similar social gatherings, it may come as no surprise that our meeting on Wednesday 25^th March has been postponed. We hope that we will have the opportunity to belly dance with Pat Wright at a later date.

It is highly likely that this will be the situation for the next few meetings.

As regards our social clubs e.g. Bridge, Mah-jong, members should decide themselves whether or not they wish to continue, taking into account recent guidance:

• Anyone with a fever or persistent cough should stay at home for seven days if they live alone or 14 days if they live with others. Anyone who lives with someone displaying coronavirus symptoms should also stay at home for 14 days
• Everyone should stop non-essential contact with others. This is particularly important for people over 70, those with underlying health conditions and pregnant women.

These are truly extraordinary times. Clifton WI is a wonderful social group and will, I’m sure, be looking out for each other. If you do need support while self-isolating please email cliftonwi@gmail.com .

It is important that we stay as connected as possible to alleviate the loneliness and worry that the uncertainty of this situation can bring. We will be looking at ways to help us all get through this.

Keep safe everyone.

March 2020 Newsletter

MARCH NEWSLETTER

LAST MONTH

Maisie from the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre (formerly Bristol Dogs and Cats Home) told us about the vital work the Centre does with Bristol’s vulnerable animals on a daily basis. This is a message of thanks from Maisie.

“The donation of £50.00 from the group will make a real difference to the animals we help, heal and home every day here at Bristol A.R.C. The collection tin donations came to £22.99,bringing the total donation from the group to a fantastic £72.99. Here at Bristol A.R.C. we have been caring for the city’s pets and wildlife since 1887, helping, healing and homing over 14,000 vulnerable animals each year. As you can imagine, it can often be challenging to raise to vital funds required to meet our needs. But thanks to your help, raising a fantastic £72.99, this could cover the cost of caring for an animal like Poppit, the dog, for almost three days! This includes giving them a full tummy, a warm, clean bed, toys and training, plus a routine health check and basic treatments like vaccinations, worming and routine dentistry every day!”

Dianne, our co-programme co-ordinator, mentioned that the knitters amongst us might want to get our needles and wool out and start knitting, hats, scarves and other woolly warmers in time for our September meeting. Steve Loader, a chaplain from the Mission to Seafarers, will be telling us about his work supporting seafarers. The ones from much warmer climates benefit from having woolly hats, etc when they reach Avonmouth in the cold winter months.

COMING UP THIS MONTH:

Please note a change to our programme. At our meeting on Wednesday 25^th March at 7.45pm we will all have the opportunity to join Pat Wright in a Belly Dancing experience. It would be a good idea to wear something comfortable. Pat, however, will be bringing along the scarves and chain belts!

Clive Burleton’s talk about Bristol's White City has been re-scheduled for June’s meeting.

Clifton WI Survey 

Thank you to those of you who completed our annual survey at last month’s meeting. Surveys will available to anyone who has not completed one. This information will enable the Committee to find out what you thought of our monthly speakers/events in 2019 as well as knowing about any suggestions for talks and events in the future you may have..

OTHER NEWS:

WI Raffle 2020 – Val will have tickets for this year’s raffle; 1^st Prize £10,000. Full details of all the prizes are in the March addition of WI Life.

Beautiful Gardens – Avon Federation have written to see if any of us have “truly beautiful, interesting and unusual gardens” which could be featured in future issues of WI Life. If your garden fits the bill and you would like to find out more please speak to Val or send an email to  thecliftonwi@gmail.com

Coronavirus (Covid -19)  At the moment there is no specific advice around meetings, so we hope to see you on the 25th, confident that you will be aware of the advice given by Public Health England to protect yourself and others from catching coronavirus. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

FINALLY

If you think you might like to become more involved in your WI e.g. setting up an outing/event, helping the committee members, please contact us. We would love to hear from you at our meetings or via our email

Palomar Theatre Focus Group

We finally have a date for our focus group we came to talk to you about last month.  All are very welcome. Here are the details below:

Palomar Theatre’s focus group on exploring the words ‘Empower’, ‘Nurture’ and ‘Recognise’.

Date:

Thursday 5th March, 5:45pm-6:45pm

Venue:

Westbury on Trym Village Hall, Committee Room.

Address:

Village Hall

Eastfield Road

Westbury on Trym

BS94AG

Directions:

BUS:

If you’re coming from Alma Church, you can catch the number 1 bus from Clifton Down Station bus stop to Southfield Road bus stop. 

CAR:

It is a 9 minute drive from Alma Church. Head up Whiteladies Road, then stay on Westbury Road until you take a right onto Eastfield Road. 

PARKING: 

You can access free parking in the Westbury Hill Car park which is under a 5 minute walk away from the hall.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. All you need to bring is your lovely selves! The focus group will be roughly 45mins-1 hour, consisting of discussions and writing exercises with prompts from us. We welcome all opinions and do not believe there is  a ‘right’ or ‘politically correct’ one. 

Please let me know if that is alright and if anything is unclear!

Best wishes,

Kate  

Email: info@palomartheatre.co.uk

Website: www.palomartheatre.com

Facebook: @TheatrePalomar

Instagram: @PalomarTheatre

Twitter: @PalomarTheatre

 

February 2020 Newsletter

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

LAST MONTH

Dr Helen McCarthy, “The Appetite Doctor”, gave us food for thought (!) about appetite retraining and a simple and natural way to eat more healthily.

We also considered the 5 resolutions put forward for this year. The results of the votes were:

• Potential Stem Cell Donor Registration: 9 Votes
• Protect our Precious Helium: 6 Votes
• End Modern Slavery: 5 Votes
• Female Crash Dummies: 3 Votes
• Talk of Death and Dying: 2 Votes

Later in the year we will get to know which of these resolutions will be taken forward.

Subscription Renewals:

Thank you to everyone who has renewed their WI subscription and completed the membership form. The form is attached again to the newsletter circulated by email in case there are any others who would still like to join us at our meetings and the additional social groups. Apologies if you have already indicated that you are unable to re-join this year and many thanks for letting us know.

Potential new members can contact the membership secretary, Sue Easmon, for a membership form (s.easmon@btinternet.com).

Palomar Theatre - Kate told us about how she and her colleagues are in a work and development period for a new show and they wanted the voices and opinions of a range of women. Kate thanked us for the responsive welcome received and will be in touch with a date and venue for their focus group.

COMING UP THIS MONTH:

Maisie from the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre (formerly Bristol Dogs and Cats Home) will be spreading the word about the vital work the Centre does with Bristol’s vulnerable animals on a daily basis.

Re-gifting stall - please bring along any gifts which were perhaps not what you wanted and could find a new home. This year we are including books - fact or fiction - that are a good read and in good condition, please.

Clifton WI Survey

At the meeting you will be able to pick up and complete an annual survey. This information will enable the Committee to find out what you thought of our monthly speakers/events in 2019 as well as knowing about any suggestions for talks and events in the future you may have..

IN MARCH:

International Women's Day - there are various events across Bristol including that of Bristol Women’s Voice at City Hall on Saturday 7th March 2020 to celebrate with thousands of women from across Bristol. You can expect a day packed with performances, activities, discussions and workshops brought to you by many organisations.

For other events please see the link to International Womens Day in Bristol on:

www.bristol247.com

FINALLY

If you think you might like to become more involved in your WI e.g. setting up an outing/event, helping the committee members, please contact us. We would particularly welcome helpers for organising our refreshments. We would love to hear from you at our meetings or via our email -  thecliftonwi@gmail.com

January 2020 Newsletter

Welcome to 2020!

2019 has been a year packed with lots of interest and activity both at our meetings and in our many and various sub groups. We hosted the Durdham Downs Group event to the Botanic gardens and visited the BBC, following an entertaining talk by Emma Britton. The year ended with our Christmas Party at 99 Queens, where in a convivial setting, we socialised over some delicious food and drink. 2020 looks to be just as eventful!

Our first meeting of the year on Wednesday January 29th will be a busy one!

Firstly the business side of things!

Membership

January is membership renewal time. Subscriptions are £43 for full members (£21.10 for joint members) Please help us to help you by printing out and completing the attached membership form (necessary for renewers as well as first time members) IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING! Subscriptions can be paid by either of the following options:

1. BACS. 

Make your BACS transfer no later than end of day on Monday 27^th January 2020. This will allow your payment to reach our account before the meeting on the 29^th when you will be issued with your receipt.      

Transfer £43 to             Account No: 23438360        Sort Code: 30-99-08

These bank details are the same as last year

It is critical that you put your name in the reference line on your transfer.

If you are paying via BACS but are unable to attend the January meeting with your completed membership form, please post it to Sue Easmon (details below*).

2. Cheque  or cash

Please put cheques or cash (exact amount preferred) in an envelope together with your completed membership form. Cheques should be made out to Clifton WI. Write your name on the front of the envelope and whether it contains cash or cheque and bring it to the meeting. Cheques and membership forms may also be posted to Sue Easmon*

Please remember, if you want to join our sub-groups you need to be a member of Clifton WI.

*Sue Easmon

Membership Secretary

Clifton WI

34, St. John’s Road

Clifton

Bristol BS8 2HG

Secondly, the campaigning side of things!

Resolutions:

At the beginning of the meeting, members of the Committee will be giving very brief descriptions of each of the resolutions proposed this year. You will have a chance to discuss them during the evening and we will ask you to vote at the end. We will collate all the votes and send the totals to Avon for inclusion in the national figures. It's one member, one vote and all votes get counted individually (i.e. we don't just tell them which resolution got most votes from Clifton WI).

The resolutions up for discussion this year are:
1. A call to increase potential stem cell donor registration
2. Female crash test dummies
3. End modern slavery
4. Time to talk about death and dying
5. Protect our precious helium

There is detailed information about each of these resolutions in the November/December edition of WI Life or visit thewi.org.uk or log into MY WI.

Thirdly, the educational and entertaining side of things!

Our guest speaker Dr Helen McCarthy, “the appetite doctor”, will be talking to us about the psychology of eating and weight loss.

Some of you maybe interested in the information  sent to us from Clifton Climate Action, about  the free talks they are organising in  January, February and March. All of the talks are held at Clifton Library on the second and fourth Thursday of each month e.g .  How to get Traffic Free Spaces in Bristol Thursday 23rd January.    Their website - www.cliftonclimateaction.org  has more information.

Looking further ahead:.

At our February meeting Katie Love will be telling us about Bristol Animal Rescue

At that meeting we will also be having our popular re-gifting stall – so hold onto those presents which were not quite what you wanted and can now be found a new home.

Finally, if you think you might like to become involved in any way e.g. setting up an outing/event, getting involved in the current WI resolutions, running a fundraising activity, helping with setting up or serving refreshments at the monthly meetings, or helping on the committee, then please contact us. We are always happy to hear from you: thecliftonwi@gmail.com

November Newsletter

November Newsletter

Last month:

October was our Annual Meeting. Thanks were given to Barbara Quin, our co-president, Sally Meadows, our treasurer and Jan Ward, former secretary and programme co-ordinator who were stepping down from the Committee. Helen Bowen, our new Treasurer, Dina Tetlow and Ann Pulteney were welcomed onto the new committee joining Eileen Bartlett, president, Val Brandon-Joyce, secretary, Sue Easmon, membership secretary, Vanessa Pilley, refreshments and resolutions and Dianne Pitt, programme co-ordinator.

Pete Quin, “An Accidental Musician” entertained us with songs and stories of his musical journey.

Eli Whittaker and Jo Perrett were winners of the Denman Bursary raffle. We look forward to hearing about their Denman experiences.

Coming up this month

Simon Rye will be giving a talk entitled “SlumAid in India”. We will be finding out about Simon’s charitable work in India – setting up schools for children in slum areas.

The Christmas Party is on Wednesday 11th December at 99 Queens, Queens Road, Clifton BS8 1LW, starting at 7.45. There will be a buffet, quiz and raffle. Our November meeting will be the last chance to purchase tickets, £15.00, Numbers are limited and tickets are selling fast!

If you cannot make the meeting and want to join in the Christmas fun please email thecliftonwi@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday 27^th November at 7.45pm

October News

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

LAST MONTH:

Caroline Walton, Personal stylist, helped us decide whether we were apples, pears, strawberries or rectangles as well as giving us tips on what those body shapes should wear.

On September, the 26^th, the Annual Meeting of the Avon Federation of WI’s took place at the Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston- Super-Mare. There was the usual business, followed by the Chair’s address which this year was about change and how we deal with it. We were advised “not to live in the past lane!"

There were two speakers – Steve Loader, the Port Chaplain from Portbury Docks and Amanda Owen, The Yorkshire Shepherdess. Steve told heart warming stories of how he is able to provide practical, emotional and sometimes spiritual support to seafarers, from all over the world, who are away from home for long periods of time. Amanda gave an entertaining account of her journey to becoming a shepherdess, wife, mother of nine, writer and hill farmer.

COMING UP THIS MONTH:

October is Annual Meeting time. We will be saying “thank you” to the present committee and saying “farewell” to Barbara, Jan and Sally who are standing down. Some present members, Eileen, Sue, Dianne, Vanessa and Val are willing to stand again. Helen has agreed to be Treasurer and Ann and Dina to join. There is still room for more – so please, if you would like to play a part in your WI  please let us know.

At the meeting we will be signing off the Annual Report and the Financial Statement. You should all have received copies of these documents. If, having read them, you have any queries or questions please email them (thecliftonwi@gmail.com) by Monday 28^th October.

Pete Quin, will be our speaker this month. Many will recall Pete’s entertaining and interesting talks on Astronomy and Rockets. This month Pete, “An Accidental Musician” will give a musical presentation in the form of singing and telling us about his journey as a professional musician. There will be an opportunity for us to join in!

Denman College Bursary Raffle

We will be drawing the raffle at the end of the evening. The October meeting will be the last chance to buy raffle tickets for generous bursaries for Denman College. The lucky winner will receive a voucher for £360 (which covers most 2 day courses) and the "runner up" a  voucher for £150 which covers a one day non-residential course. This is an ideal opportunity to enjoy the Denman experience.  If you want to know more about courses on offer then visit https://www.denman.org.uk/courses. Please note there will be no cash alternative. 

LOOKING AHEAD:

November;

Zentangle has been cancelled. Instead Simon Rye will be talking about his charitable work in India setting up schools and  teaching children from "slum" areas.

December:

The Christmas Party is on Wednesday 11th December at 99 Queens, Queens Road, Clifton BS8 1LW, starting at 7.45pm. There will be a buffet, quiz and raffle. Tickets, £15.00, will be on sale at the October and November meetings.