Committee Report 2019
North Tonbridge Committee Report 2019
Another good year for North Tonbridge W.I. We begin our new year with 41 members, which includes 1 new member. Our numbers have decreased this year, as 2 members have not renewed and we sadly said goodbye to 3 long standing members and friends, Rosemary Overall, Pam Evans and Brenda Overton.
Our meetings each month have been well attended and we have had a wide variety of speakers, some on serious matters, such as Message in a Bottle from Tonbridge Lions and others educational. In July we had an illustrated talk on the Northern Lights which was informative and left many of us wanting to make the trip ourselves to enjoy this natural spectacle. Later in the year we had an entertaining musical evening by representatives from the Orpheus Centre. An evening enjoyed by all members. We had informal speakers at our Christmas Social Evening – while we enjoyed our mince pies and an opportunity to chat, our guests also enjoyed our mince pies and talked individually to members on Home Safety.
In November we had a successful Christmas Fair Coffee morning and increased our funds. There were a variety of stalls, including homemade cakes and jams, crafts and Christmas gifts. In January we changed the venue to Tonbridge Bowls Club for our New Year Lunch. It was wonderful that so many of our members were able to attend.
This year ended with our 50th Birthday celebration in April. Our speaker explained that the greater the quantity of cocoa used, the higher the quality of chocolate and demonstrated these differences with lots of chocolate tasting . We all learnt to let the chocolate melt in our mouths and that one square of dark chocolate can count as one of our 5 a day! We had a number of guests from Tonbridge ‘Group’ W.I. and from the Federation, who helped us celebrate and enjoy the buffet spread and wonderful birthday cake made and iced by Sheila Hinton.
As well as our monthly meetings, there have been a number of other activities. The Book Club meet once and month and have read and discussed a variety of genres. The Craft Club also meet monthly. This year, supported by other members and friends, they have been busy knitting and crocheting for a number of different projects – we made a total of 980 poppies for Tonbridge Poppy Appeal. Other projects include cardigans and hats for new born babies in the Philippines, twiddle muffs and Forget Me Knots for Dementia. A new Lunch Club has been set up, which meets every four to six weeks, giving members another opportunity to meet and socialise.
This year has been the 100th Birthday of Kent West Kent Federation and special birthday events were organised by the Federation. On a hot sunny day in May, members attended a Garden Party in Hawkhurst, enjoying entertainment and a traditional high tea. In July, another sunny day and an art and craft event in the grounds of Aylesford Priory with flower displays, photographs and craft demonstrations. Margaret Lewis displayed her upcycled cushion along with one from each W.I. in the Federation. It was quite an amazing collection. The year end with Centenary Carols in Maidstone with the pew ends decorated with seasonal wreaths made by W.I.’s in the Federation.
Of course, there have also been the Annual Days for Home Economics when we were entertained by Jim Buttress ‘The People’s Gardener’ with a whistle stop round of the Royal Parks. At the Art & Craft Annual Days the speakers talked of The History of Blueprinting, Enamel Design and May Martin gave us an entertaining overview of her life and shared stories that lead to her TV Stardom.
And there have been a wealth of other workshops organised by the Federations with opportunities to enjoy learning new ideas and meet with friends.
At the ACWW Lunch, progress was reported on Project 1033 ‘Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness in India’ and how in just a few months, from 15 trained volunteers, 400 women and 100 adolescents have attended meetings and become more aware. This year, our W.I. has raised £75.07 in 2ps and 1ps contributing towards the Federation target of £4,451.
A busy year both for The Federation and for us.
We now enter another busy year and our 50th Birthday year. We hope you all enjoy our new programme and will be able to come and further celebrate our birthday at some of the extra activities that the Committee have been busy organising.