Sharon King

For a variety of reasons it was not possible to organise our annual summer outing for the first week in August this year, as we usually do, instead we opted for the second week, Thursday 13th, but never again. The first venue selected was vetoed, the next two were unable to accommodate us …

Continue reading

As a reward for reading our very long newsletter last month, our news this month will be brief and to the point. The Supper Club went further afield and met at The Plough in Sparsholt and enjoyed excellent food on a warm summer’s evening. It was a very busy venue and we had …

Continue reading

There is a lot to tell you about this month, so I should go and put the kettle on before you settle to read this month’s report of our activities, as we have been celebrating being 100 years old. Not personally you understand, but the Women’s Institute first came to these shores, from …

Continue reading

  This month was our Annual Meeting and I don’t think I can do any better than share with you part of our President, Kate Bennett’s report of the past 12 months. “Well, I have completed my first year as President and must say I have found it interesting, educational, challenging at times …

Continue reading

I believe it is a given that most women give a lot of thought to their wardrobe; what to buy, what to wear, how it looks, does it fit, does the colour suit …. etc. – but do we think about whether our choices actually reflect our role in society. I very much …

Continue reading

We have watched the latest exploits of Dame Judi Dench and her cohorts, as they enjoy a second lease of life in The Second Best Marigold Hotel, savoured an excellent supper at the newly opened Lion in Clanville and laughed with Janet Street-Porter at the HCFWI Spring Meeting in Portsmouth Guildhall. At the …

Continue reading

Instead of sharing our own memories at this month’s meeting, due to a last minute change to the Programme, it was our mother’s and grandmother’s memories which were invoked. It was Deborah Wheeler, or at least her alter-ego Mrs Queenie Stacey, who took us back to 1942, in the midst of the World …

Continue reading

Mention was made last month of the Centenary Baton which is making its progress through England, Wales and the Islands culminating in its arrival at the Royal Albert Hall on 4th June. Well it passed through our corner of Hampshire on Saturday 17th January, but blink and you missed it! Despite all the …

Continue reading

  At this month’s meeting Trisha Lewis took us down memory lane with the aid of music, illustrations and memorabilia as she reminded us of Christmases past. She sang, encouraging us to join in with the familiar tunes, and showed us various objects she had collected along the years. We were transported back …

Continue reading

There was an element of jeopardy for this month’s meeting; would our replacement speaker turn up or not?   All concerns were immediately dispelled when Andy Rhind-Tutt, not only arrived on time, with his wife, but also turned out to be one of our best speakers ever.  Andy is a very busy man and …

Continue reading