The Clifton Women's Institute

We were delighted to meet Claire Callaghan, a hugely experienced, Bristol-based, physiotherapist specialising in female health, well-being and performance.  It was hugely interesting to hear about the particular issues affecting women from perimenopause and beyond and the health challenges we face as our oestrogen levels reduce.  Bringing many years of wisdom, and an obvious passion for her work, Claire shared advice and information on how to protect and support our joints and bone strength, giving us all plenty of ideas about the different ways we can look after ourselves and how to manage and address specific conditions.  You can find out more about Claire on her website: www.clairecallaghan.com.

25 March 26 Meeting - Defibrillator training with St John's Ambulance Many thanks to Ali (pictured-centre), very ably supported by Karen (left) and Sue (right), of St John's Ambulance who joined our March 26 meet-up.  They provided a very engaging and informative session on CPR and how to use defibrillators , including some advice on how to help with choking cases .   As you can see, some of us took the opportunity for some hands-on practice and we all left feeling more confident about what to do if needed.   We also learnt more about the extraordinary and challenging work these kind volunteers do.

Our thanks to Elise Heptinstall-Holmes , who joined our February meeting to tell us about her work as a personal stylist and to share her wisdom on what (and what not!) to wear to suit our body shapes and skin tones.  During her engaging talk, one lucky member  also had a live colour profiling to help us all understand how wearing the right colours can make a huge difference to our appearance and confidence. We'll all be thinking about it as we dust off our Spring wardrobes shortly.   We also welcomed Laura and Verity from the Clifton Suspension Bridge Museum who shared a few words about one of their upcoming exhibitions and how we might get involved. 

  Our speaker at our August meeting was Denise Rudeforth a volunteer from Avon Wildlife Trust. Denise told us a great deal about the work of the Trust which included the habit in Avon Gorge known as 'The Gully.' When asked what members could do to support wildlife, Denise helped us to understand how accessible water in our gardens is an important way to contribute to the preservation of wildlife. 

  Clifton WI Members on the Wallace and Gromit trail. 

The speaker at our June meeting was Professor Paul Crawford who is an academic and an award winning author of fiction and non-fiction. Paul is a leading figure in mental health and he talked to us about his latest book, The Wonders of Dr Bent. Professor Crawford holds a number of fellowships and was an engaging speaker who widened our knowledge of mental health and its impact on individuals, families and society.