The Clifton Women's Institute

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: ...

WI Newsletter September 2019 August fun! Our in-house event was small but delightful. The lines we made (things like how far away we were born, etc.) produced unexpected and interesting conversations and the WI quiz that followed showed that we know more than we realise about our organisation.  Smart September Caroline Walton is a personal stylist who offers colour analysis, a wardrobe edit, personal shopping and various bespoke and corporate services – and she’s coming to us this month to share her wisdom! It should be an exciting session. Timing: Please note that we have no access to the hall before 7.30 and setting it up takes about 15 mins minimum. Unless you are involved in setting up, please do not arrive before 7.45. Thanks for your help in this! Denman raffle The raffle has started well. It is only open to members of Clifton WI and it will be drawn at our Annual Meeting in October. The prizes are bursaries for  Denman College. The lucky winne...

August 2019 News Last month: 17 members enjoyed a hour and a half walk discovering the squares of Clifton and Hotwells spotting plaques about the major and minor celebrities who lived there . As well as  historical surprises there were also some geographical ones - such as the steps up to Canynge Square and the steps down to Hope Square.  The walk ended with well deserved refreshment at the Pumphouse, by the river.    Coming up: "Knowing You, Knowing Your WI, aha!" This will be a social evening of fun games and games; getting to each other and more about the WI.  What to know more?  Come along on Wednesday and find out! I f quizzes are your thing then how about getting a team of four for the Avon Federation Quiz on Thursday 17th October (7pm -10pm) at Somerset Hill, The Precinct, Portishead? Please note the closing date is Tuesday 3rd September. Val, our secretary, will be happy to provide more details at August's meeting. Denman College B...

WI newsletter July 2019 Last month: Well that was amazing. Your committee have been washing their hands with real care since Prof. Mark Fielder talked to us about  “Antibiotic resistance in man and animals. Have we reached break point?” This highly technical talk was easy to follow and informative without losing the real science. And who knew that our Membership Secretary had been an early colleague and mentor to such a distinguished scientist? I wonder what other hidden gems we have amongst our members? Coming up: The JULY WALK! This year our walk has been organised by Co-President Eileen and has been carefully checked out by her and Patsy Rose. It looks interesting: Clifton Squares Walk Join us at the corner of Berkeley Square, just up from The Botanist at 7.30pm for a "briesurely" (not brisk but a bit more than leisurely!) walk through some of Clifton Squares, spotting plaques to the famous and not so famous celebrities as we go.  It won't be a surpr...

June Newsletter Next Meeting: Wednesday 26 th June at 7.45pm This month, when you sign in, there will be a badge waiting for you with your name on it.    Please pick up and put on – help us all to remember who we are! Prof Mark Fielder from Kingston University, a former colleague of our membership secretary Sue Easmon, will give a talk on “Antibiotic resistance in man and animals. Have we reached break point?”    A very topical and interesting subject. Resolutions: Last month we voted on the local buses and fear the smear resolution.    At the NFWI Annual Meeting in Bournemouth both topics were debated. •                 96% of delegates voted to call on the government and local authorities to address the decline in local bus services.  •                 97% of delegates voted in favo...

Sadly, Heather, who does Zentangle, is not well. With only 48 hours' notice we have struggled to find a replacement, but are delighted to announce that Pete Quin has agreed to step in and present his latest talk: It's Not Rocket Science: The Bumpy Road to the Moon This is the second time that Pete has jumped in at short notice for us. The first time led to an appearance at the Avon Speaker's Corner, inclusion in the Year Book and many bookings. His talks have proved interesting, informative and easy to follow for a non-scientific audience, while including enough science to satisfy those in the audience who are up to date in astrophysics and astronomy.  This new talk is very timely as this summer, we celebrate 50 years since the first moon landing. Should be interesting!

Next Meeting: 30 th May Heather Lucey is coming to tell us all about Zentangle. On her website, she says: “Creating a Zentangle tile – a 3 ½ square – is a form of artistic meditation as you become completely engrossed in creating an ensemble of simple structured patterns (tangles). The Zentangle method can help increase focus and creativity, provide artistic satisfaction and can support a sense of personal well-being.”  It promises to be a really interesting, fun evening! Resolutions:  We are now at the last local stage of the resolution process for this year. Dianne will give us a brief reminder of the two resolutions that are going forward to this year’s Annual Meeting and then we will vote on each one separately. Each resolution will need two rounds of voting. The first is our decision for or against making the resolution NFWI policy. The second is a bit more subtle. Our representative will be taking our votes forward to the AM on our behalf. At that meeting, she...