The Clifton Women's Institute

One25 is a Bristol charity which helps women to leave sex work. One of the many ways we can help them is by donating complete or partial hospital or prison packs, comprising a specific list of items which you will find here . Lorna will be collecting donations at the October meeting so if you'd like to help this highly-valued charity you have a month to collect the items they request. If you can donate a complete pack, please bag and label it accordingly - maybe you could get together with one or two friends and assemble a pack between you? Otherwise, individual items will be gratefully received for One25 to make up packs. http://one25.org.uk/about-us/

Are you making any kind of preserves with your autumn produce, or are you about to make mincemeat or Christmas cakes or puddings? If so, it would be great if you could make extra for the Clifton WI stall at the Royal York Christmas Fayre in early December. Last year this was a big success both financially and in publicising Clifton WI and we gained several new members early in the new year, so we'll be running a stall there again this year selling all kinds of home-made baking and preserves. The WI ethos of home baking and preserves still counts for a lot, and people couldn't get enough of our lovely home-made provisions at the last two fetes, so we'll be counting on your generosity in the run-up to Christmas to pile our stall high! But not everybody loves to bake or make preserves, so if cooking isn't your thing, then don't be shy - come and buy!

Grateful thanks to Jane Golding for starting the Theatre Group several years ago now, and for running it ever since with calm efficiency. Jane has now retired from this role and passed the baton (usherette's torch?) to Paulene Denyer. If you have any ideas about future theatre visits Paulene would love to hear from you. Meanwhile, t hree new Hippodrome shows are on the horizon: The Commitment - featuring over 20 classic soul hits (February 2017) Sunny Afternoon - memories of The Kinks in their heyday! (March 2017) Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes (April 2017) If you're already a member of the Theatre Group you'll have received details directly from Paulene, and if you would like to be then you need to email her without delay on psdenyer@gmail.com. See under the Special Interest Groups tab for contact details of the other groups' organisers.

Would you like to join other Clifton WI members and attend a catwalk show at Bristol Fashion Week? The event runs from 28 September to 2 October at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, and you're invited to meet up for the 6pm show on Friday 30 September. Tickets cost £8.95 and can be booked online  here The catwalk shows last 45 minutes and M&S are sponsoring goody bags and refreshments on arrival. If you'd like to go, please book your own ticket and let Barbara Quin know by emailing her on  barbaraquin@email.com   Barbara will wait at the fountain in the central atrium from 5pm and will need to know who's turning up, then the plan is to join the queue by 5.40 as recommended, and go in together. Afterwards if you don't need to hurry home you may wish to browse the new trends in the shops.

Mah-Jong is fun, fast and keeps the brain cells active - something we all need to do!  Jan Hamilton is hoping some members will be interested in playing Mah-Jong on a regular basis during the winter months. If there are enough people interested she'd be glad to get a new Special Interest Group up and running so please email her on  jan@tuffleighhouse.com or speak to Jan or Patsy at a Clifton WI meeting. This could perhaps run monthly, and it's envisaged that it'd be an afternoon group meeting in a local pub, but Jan would host the initial meeting or two and the potential membership could sort out the details between them.

We have been invited to a screening of a new feature film which was shot in and around Bristol and stars a local cast mixed with international artists, actors and singers - including Beth Orton in her first acting role. LIGHT YEARS was made by local BAFTA-winning film maker Esther May Campbell and premiered at the Venice Film Festival.  Esther recently ran a successful crowdfunding campaign and as a result LIGHT YEARS will now play at the Watershed on Monday - Thursday 26, 27, 28 and 29 September at 1810 each day. Aware of the difficulties that women can face in the creative arts, and in particular film and television, Esther is keen to invite local WI members to watch the film and has negotiated with the Watershed for a discounted price. All you have to do is inform the box office by phone or in person that you're a member of Clifton WI and you'll get the concession. Watershed: 0117 927 5100