The Clifton Women's Institute

The 2016 May Walkfest, sponsored by the City Council, is launched on Thursday 28 April with a "compass walk" - four walking routes of about 10 miles each from four "corners" of the city, converging on the City Centre. Walkers can join the routes at any point - eg Cafe Retreat on The Downs at 3pm, or Redland Parish Church at 4pm -  and a general intro and info "reception" for everybody will be held at the Centre from 5 to 7.30pm The May Walkfest features over 150 guided walks all over the city, all of which are bookable and most free of charge, but many fill up well in advance so don't leave it too late. The programme is scheduled to go online at the end of March, and leaflets will be available in libraries and information centres in early April. https://www.bristol.gov.uk/streets-travel/bristol-walking-festival

Tuesday 24 May - Three Exhibitions at the RWA The January visit to the RWA for the 250th anniversary of BOV was  so successful that we have decided to revisit the RWA for its series of spring exhibitions. "Inquisitive Eyes: Slade Painters in Edwardian Wessex 1900-1914", the primary exhibition, was described in a recent review as  "captivating". It focuses in particular on Augustus John, William Orpen and Vanessa Bell and their time spent painting in Dorset. This is complemented by two further concurrent exhibitions: "Imagined Landscapes", which explores an alternative understanding of place in contemporary art, and Simon Quadrat's solo exhibition exploring notions of place and memory.  Details of all three exhibitions can be found here:  http://www.rwa.org.uk/exhibitions/ This will be an afternoon visit, preceded (for those who wish) by lunch at Papadeli at the RWA. The cost of entry is £6.95 and as is customary for WI outings, we ask for a

Our recent (and ongoing) recruitment drive has been a great success and we're delighted to welcome lots of new members. Please check this website regularly for information and updates. Meanwhile do browse through the pages to see what's on offer, especially the Special Interest Groups - if you'd like to join or want to know more, email the convenor who can add you to her email list. Also don't forget there's a lot on offer from our group HQ based in Keynsham -  www. avonfwi .org.uk  - so check this too. Printed copies of their monthly newsletter are also available at each Clifton WI meeting. Avon Federation organise visits, day courses and lectures - even holidays abroad and in this country - so do keep in touch to make the most of your WI membership.