The Clifton Women's Institute

                   We went with the flow in our September meeting!  We were joined by Don, who hosts Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi sessions at the Clifton Centre and Library. After telling us a little of the rich history and benefits of this form of exercise, Don led us all through a series of movements to improve our balance, breathing and flexibility. The chi was certainly flowing through us by the end of the evening.   

  Heads, shoulders, knees and toes. And backs, of course. Our August meeting focused on posture and joints as we were joined by Matt Poulter from Kasa Chiropractic (pictured here with our president, Cindy Paul). Matt told us about his work and gave us some valuable advice on how to protect and improve our bones. We were all sitting up a little straighter at the end of the evening!  

  On a very warm and sunny summer’s evening in Clifton we enjoyed a walk over and near the bridge with photographer Nigel Goldsmith. Nigel   gave us some excellent tips for improving our outdoor photography skills and we took some lovely snaps, before repairing to the White Lion for a few well-earned refreshments.

We're sorry to say that tonight's meeting (24 June) has been cancelled as a safety precaution due to the extreme heat warning currently in place.  We hope to rearrange our talk on the history of women in policing to another time.  Stay cool, everyone! (As best you can, at least!)

  We were all abuzz with interest in May as Lizzie Everard (bettysilk.com), a former contestant in The Great British Sewing Bee (2023), talked to us about her early life, inspirations and career in sewing and needlework and her experience on the Bee.   She brought her fabulous Bee creations with her and we had the opportunity to handle them ourselves and marvel at skills and creativity.  

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. 

Clifton WI enjoyed an extremely interesting talk about the Ronald McDonald House Charities (UK). Our speaker, Ericka Heron gave a fascinating account of how the charity supports the families of sick children by providing them with accommodation so that they can be close to their children. As well as a place to stay the charity creates a warn supportive environment at a time when families most need this. There is a Ronald McDonald House in Bristol, and a further link to Bristol is that the charity was co-founded in the USA with help from Dr Audrey Evans who had been educated at Badminton School in Bristol. The charity is separate from the restaurant chain, but some funds are raised through its customers. 

Janet Colley a volunteer from the Royal Osteoporosis Society gave a talk about the condition. Janet raised awareness of the importance of bone health. The Royal Osteoporosis Society has a very informative website which Janet made us aware of. 

 At our March meeting Gordon Young took us on a Venetian Trilogy. Gordon's award winning films, accompanied by some fascinating commentary made mention of famous individuals like John Ruskin, while also bringing us images of modern day Venice. Gordon's skill as film maker, coupled with his detailed knowledge of this beautiful city gave us an extremely interesting evening.

Clifton WI was delighted to welcome Faye Dicker who supported us in thinking about International Women's Day and the role that women play in business and in their communities. Faye is an accomplished public speaker who has worked for the BBC and commercial radio stations. Faye is also a sought after voiceover artist and is well known for having started Freelance Mum which is a networking group for mums who are in business. 

Clifton WI enjoyed a fabulous Burns Night supported by The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society Bristol, who not only demonstrated Scottish dancing, but got us dancing a reel or two. It was great fun and a wonderful way to celebrate our first meeting of 2025. 

  For our 30th October meeting, we are going to have a special treat! Somerset local, Julie of Salsa Stories is coming to talk to us about owning a small business and how she got started making her range of salsas and Tex-Mex* inspired food. She is also bringing a selection of delicious salsas along for us to taste - they range from sweet to spicy, so don't worry if you can't take the heat! Keep an eye out for Julie at local markets around Somerset:  Markets | Salsa Stories .  As always, we will meet at Alma Church at 7.30. Visitors are more than welcome to join us for a £5 donation. You won't want to miss this one - yum! *Tex-Mex is a cuisine found in the Southern United States. It is a blend of native Mexican and Spanish foods.

  We had such a lovely, entertaining walk with Hidden and Haunted Bristol, in place of our typical monthly meeting! It was hot, hot, hot out there, but we pushed on and cooled off at the pub. The refreshments were well-earned, and the company was incomparable. Our next meeting will be at Alma Hall at 7.30pm on 28 August. Our speaker is from Somerset Road Safety, and he will be discussing road safety and having an interactive evening where we can all hone our skills as drivers.  As always, visitors are welcome to come along with a £5 donation, and we look forward to seeing everyone there.

  For our next meeting, we will be continuing our tradition of a summer social and forgoing a typical meeting in Alma Hall. On 31st July , we're taking a walk through Bristol to learn about the more haunted aspects of our fair city, and ending at the lovely Architect Bar on Narrow Quay in Harbourside. We should be at the bar around 9pm, and anyone is welcome to join us for a beverage and a bit of a chat! We resume our speaker programme on 28th August with Steve Greenhalgh from Somerset Road Safety who will talk about safe driving and the road conditions of our area. As always, visitors are welcome with £5 donation, and we will meet in the rear hall of Alma Church at 7pm!

  Our group recently took a trip to Yeo Valley Organic Garden, and had a lovely time! They managed to (mostly) escape the rain, and enjoyed a well-deserved lunch after a full morning of exploring the beautiful grounds. The ladies highly recommend a visit! Join us for our next meeting on Wednesday 26 June at 7:30pm, when we will hear from Andy Workman about the power of positivity, and learn more about thinking ourselves lucky! Visitors are always welcome to attend our meetings with a £5 donation.  Any questions, concerns, or suggestions? Get in touch with us at thecliftonwi@gmail.com.