Category: Member’s News

Our Platinum Jubilee celebrations got off to a cracking start this on Thursday 2^nd June with a fabulous Jubilee Tea. We were all assigned tasks by our President who had earlier that day masterminded the decoration of the hall – thanks to Alan W, Bob T & Chris E for all their hard work in making this happen ! The hall & garden looked simply magnificent. Members got to work ensuring the afternoon was a memorable one for the 70+ local residents who attended.

Behind the scene members plated up a scrumptious tea for everyone whilst others prepared our fantastic and much anticipated huge raffle, and trade tables.

  After our friends and neighbours had enjoyed their tea we all enjoyed a rousing sing along before ending the day with us all standing to sing God Save our Queen.

On Saturday 4^th June our members played a key role in our village Jubilee Fun Day. This was a joint community effort.  Our main role was to organise a host of competitions for all ages to enjoy. For this we hired a huge marquee, a team of ladies decorated this in red, white and blue rosettes and bunting. On the morning of the event entries began to flood in for competitions all with a Jubilee theme. Everyone had worked very hard to produce entries of a very high standard indeed. We also organised the street party, crafts for the children and made jellies for the Teddy Bears Picnic.

Our ladies also contributed to the event in other ways – notably as members of the local Art Class, whose display of Jubilee themed paintings in the Village Hall was amazing!

In the WI Marquee we had fantastic stories, posters, gardens on trays and some incredible robots made with up-cycled material from local children. Adults entered cup cakes, Jubilee decorated Hats and flower arrangements worthy of county standards.

You can see the absolute delight on the faces of some of the children who won, pictured with their winning entries.  All the winners were presented with a commemorative Jubilee crown.

During the afternoon children enjoyed making a range of crafts with some of our very talented members.  Throughout the day we were royally entertained with some fabulous music and enjoyed a picnic street party. The day rounded off nicely with a challenging quiz.

…. although not necessarily at the same time!  A small group of ladies met at The Deer Park for Afternoon Tea in April & had an enjoyable time.  It felt quite odd to not be serving teas, but we coped! The savoury items were varied & something different, but the main talking point were the ‘Earl Grey scones’ – they were huge yet very delicate, so we all got very messy eating them.  A cake selection followed, with resulting full stomachs. Doggy bags were taken home!  A huge ‘thank you’ to Kate B for organising this afternoon out.

Debbie, Chris G, Chris L, Yvonne & Mary met up to ‘craft along with Gaye’ in the village hall creating cards using the ‘In the moment’ stamp set.  They stamped, embossed, coloured in, blended & used 2 masking techniques to create amazing cards. Well done ladies!

Next requests?  Papercrafting wreaths for the Jubilee … & then ‘Christmas cards’!

How do you show solidarity with all those in Ukraine who are suffering as a result of the invasion of their country by Russia?  Our President, Karen Wakefield, changed our display at the WI garden outside the Village Hall.  The ‘Hope Springs Eternal’message, still relevant today.

February was ‘Show the Love’ month for us in The Ridwares WI – hence the green hearts display by the WI garden area outside the Village Hall.  WI’s throughout the country focused their attention on environmental issues during the month, & we are no exception.

Green hearts were worn by many ladies to our February meeting where Gavin Cordon came to talk to us about ‘For the Love of Bees’.

Did you know that it’s the female worker bees who do all the work?  Neither did we in The Ridwares WI, but, according to Gavin, it’s true.  Drone bees, however, are all male and their sole responsibility is to fly out of the hive to mate with the queen. Their role ends when they are are no longer fertile.  Fascinating …. & the honey tasting wasn’t bad either!  Needless to say, Gavin’s local honey was the best tasting.  Another very enjoyable, & informative evening.

Our monthly competition encouraged us all to produce something from recycled materials – quite a range of ideas!  Bees were also the focus for more crafting endeavours when some of our ladies got together to craft door & window hangers with Gaye – ‘SOS for Bees’ is one of our WI resolutions that we continually come back to & keep in mind.  So do look out for these crafty bits & pieces around the village!  What would be your ‘green heart climate pledge’?

February is also Quiz Time! ….. with the annual SFWI County Quiz at the Showground.  The competition is fierce – some teams have been through a selection process prior to the evening itself, whilst others have practiced a lot!  The Ridwares WI team – aka Jeanette, Angela, Tina, & Gaye – well, we take it seriously, but are also there to have a good time.  The colour theme was ‘NHS blue’, so our picnic table decor was colour co-ordinated accordingly & Gaye had made some nurses hats for us to wear.  Angela, being the only ex-nurse on the team wasn’t too sure about their authenticity, but gave an ‘A’ for effort!

And as for the results? We didn’t win…. but came in the top 10!

June 2021 saw something approaching ‘normality’ return to life in the Ridwares for our WI ladies.  Firstly that meant working with the BKV Team, & other villagers, to re-plant the village in a blaze of colour.  That meant numerous planters throughout Hill Ridware itself as well as round the village hall in particular.  Kate Britt has updated the WI heart border and the new VE/VJ planter was co-ordinated with its red & white colour scheme.  The weather kept good for us – for a change –  and everyone’s hard work was rewarded with fruit cake, smiles & comments from others as to a ‘job well done’!  The watering rotas now begin in ernest as we hope for proplonged sunshine.  The plants, let alone us, need it!

The Committee managed to meet ‘in person’ for the first time in months and are working hard to re-do the programme of meetings and events for the rest of this year & for the new WI year of 2022.  Karen Parsons (Secretary) had been keeping a bottle of Prosecco especially for the occasion, which was much appreciated and , together with the strawberries & chocolate cake, certainly kept the little grey cells of those present fluid & whirling.  Thank you for your hospitality Karen.

Jackie Layzell, one of our ladies & a member of  Lichfield Litter Legends, was also active during the St Giles Summer Solstice Walk, along with her fellow ‘litter fairies’, not only completing the walk itself round Lichfield City Centre but also collecting litter en route!  Great fun was had by all – and lots of money raised for local Hospice care.  Well done Jackie!

Congratulations to Gill Bradbury’s daughter, Caroline, on her promotion to a Deputy Headship in a Leeds Primary School, and to Estelle, Tina Gough’s grand-daughter  on her BA Hons degree from Nottingham University.  A new career & life in London awaits her. Congratulations also to Abbie & Ellie on their respective University Degree success.  Good luck to them all in the future.