And what a year it was as we celebrated ‘being 70’ in style!
At our May AGM we celebrated with cheese & wine, ate the last of our fabulous 70th birthday cake & unveiled our ‘yarn bombing’ with a rainbow of knitted squares… A bright addition to our village landscape which quickly became a prominent visual marker! We were all issued with new name badges & this website was launched…..
Our Midsummer tea in June was another rousing success…. The cake flowed freely … there was cake, cake & yet more cake: no one could have wanted any more! It really was a ‘great get together’!
…..as was our July skittles evening in Hamstall Ridware … A fun filled evening was had by all!
Somehow, we also managed to fit in a garden walkabout in the village on a lovely summers’ evening. Helen & Meryl talked us through the ‘old’ Hill Ridware – a fascinating evening topped off with wine en route (courtesy of Pat & Sel) & coffee, tea & cake at Jo & Bernard’s.
Menafest in July had us filling jars with an amazing assortment of things for our Jarbola stall – another successful endeavour for us. But, why oh why, did the weather have to change that Saturday of all days?
September saw us visiting the walled garden in Elford … & presenting our planted ‘boxer shorts’ (well, perhaps not ‘ours’ exactly….) to an unsuspecting public …. Followed by our ever popular ‘braskets’ in October, we helped to raise awareness of prostrate cancer & breast cancer, & created photo opportunities for residents, workmen & visitors alike! 
And we played skittles at Hamstall yet again!…..
Oh what a night we had in late September, when we held our special 70th birthday event – a 40’s Evening.
The hall looked spectacular decked out in red, white & blue & we were entertained by the fabulous Jayne Darling who sang songs from the 40’s & 50’s. Our very own ‘supermodels’, organised by Betty, then took us on a fashion memory lane journey through the 7 decades of our existence.
What a fabulous time we all had!
November saw us in a more sombre & reflective mood as we remembered the centenary of the Armistice with our own ‘veil of poppies’ and unveiled ‘Tommy’. A lovely service of remembrance & dedication was led by the Rev Deborah Sheridan, with children from Henry Chadwick school reading some poems, together with Helen & Jeanette. Joyce Hopkins laid a wreath at Tommy’s feet on behalf of us all. It was lovely to see so many villagers sharing with us at this event & joining us for refreshments afterwards.
The ‘Tommy’ silhouette was our gift to the village to commemorate the coinciding of our 70th birthday & the centenary of the Armistice. A fitting tribute to all who served.
November saw us also participate in ‘World Kindness Day – painted stones, flower posies & decoupage hearts were left around the village in secret. We all know that kindness is not just a one-day-a-year-thing, but individuals really did appreciate the thought. Spirits were lifted as a result.
… & there was our members craft evening where we tried new things, or practised existing skills… & caught up with each other. Sometimes you just can’t beat a good old natter!
December, of course, was another busy month with our Christmas meal out at Beaudesert & our ever-popular community event – Tinsel & Trimmings. The Christmas tree lights were switched on by the Menafest crew, whose fundraising efforts we will be supporting again in 2019. It marks the beginning of Christmas for many village residents. We also visited Tatton Park, decorated for Christmas with ‘Food, Glorious Food’. January 2019 saw us cheering & laughing at our annual visit to the pantomine in Birmingham… Oh no it didn’t!…. Oh yes it did!
Things quietened down for a month – although we did celebrate Chinese New Year with a wonderful meal at the Stables restaurant, The Chadwick Arms – … until the Welsh Tea in March. Again, the hall was packed… it didn’t snow this year… & a fun afternoon was had by all.
The monthly community coffee mornings – aka ‘Take a Break Cafe’ – continued with our March coffee morning coinciding with Shrove Tuesday. So, pancake races were in order – accompanied by much hilarity with our ‘tossing’…!
We also celebrated our 71st birthday at ‘Mabel’s. The conservatory was awash with ‘our’ fushia pink – the room, birthday cake, flower arrangements, hampers for the raffle, party favours… let alone all the ladies present … looked amazing! It was lovely to welcome guests from throughout the Blythe Group, as well as Helen Newman (SFWI Chair) to celebrate with us. Kate’s Party kept us entertained & a great night was had by all. Perhaps being ’71’ won’t be that bad, after all…
April saw us celebrate St George’s Day in style with another of our ever popular afternoon teas. Again the hall looked marvellous – as did the raffle & the food. But, how is it that 4 minutes after our official opening time of 3pm, we had used up every single tea & coffee pot…???? Another afternoon full of fun & friendship was had by all. We went back to The Chadwick Arms for another Chinese meal at The Stables restaurant – yummy as ever!
We do like to stretch our brain cells as well… so fielded teams for the SFWI centenary quiz. The county showground was awash with suffragette purple, green & white – we racked our brains, tried to spell correctly & enjoyed our picnics. We’ve also attended SFWI county meetings & Homes & Gardens days at the showground , listened to a variety of speakers & shopped…..
Wendy & Dot, however, also planted oak trees in The National Forest & helped ensure that a small part of the SFWI Centennial wood is ‘pure Ridwares’!
We also ‘learnt’ a lot through our speakers… the various enterprises at Buzzards Valley & how they came about as well as inheritance tax planning & how to protect our assets. We travelled with ‘Shirley Valentine’ to the Greek Isles & learnt the importance of a correctly fitted bra, from someone who loved talking ‘boobs’! Hidden gems of Staffordshire were uncovered & we discovered what being ‘maid to Lord Lichfield’ involved. We learnt about mother & baby units in prison, educational adventures in Walsall & all about The Shadows. There was even some hand-jiving to the live music!
So, what a year we’ve had. Full of fun & friendship , tears & laughter. Karen showed us The Huxley Cup… & we said ‘au revoir’ to Desley as she left us for a new adventure in Cornwall. Sadly, we also lost 3 dear, wonderful ladies – Pauline Bradbury, Carmel Hemmings & Mollie Astbury. 3 roses have been planted in their memory in our memorial rose bed – the Rev Deborah Sheridan led a lovely blessing ceremony during our last coffee morning. RIP ladies. You are sorely missed.
So what next for us? Well, we’re in the midst of ‘BKV’ endeavours… & there is a new knitting/crocheting challenge for us all. Get those needles out & ready ladies – we’re yarn bombing again!!!!!
Here’s to another year of fun & friendship – Ridwares style!
