The village WI started in 1924 and at the beginning met in members’ houses. By the 1930s it had outgrown that and met in the Court House, a fourteenth century building. When the Village Hall was built in the 1970s the WI moved its meetings there, where they still take place, on the 3rd Thursday in each month at 7.30 pm. The programme of meetings for 2011 is:
JANUARY 20th (Subscription due £30.00)
Lunch at the Lime Kiln (£10);
Meeting at 12 noon followed by lunch;
Good Cause Dip
FEBRUARY 17th
Speaker: Emilie Calhaen - Fascinators;
Competition: A feather
Tea Hostesses: Doreen Cox, Brenda Meaden
MARCH 17th
Singing with Jess Bromfield;
Competition: A musical item
Tea Hostesses: Penny Ellis, Barbara Gasson
APRIL 21st
Speaker: David Taylor – Light Entertainment at BBC (Part 2);
Competition: A Famous or Celebrity Autograph
Tea Hostesses: Marjorie Dams, Jenny Bell
MAY 19th
The WI Resolutions – followed by WI Quilt Project;
Competition: Unusual button
Tea Hostesses: Jackie Godfrey, Dot Francis
JUNE 16th
WI Quilt Project completed;
Competition: Vote for the best Quilt Square
Tea Hostesses: Ilona Streeting, Joan Taylor
JULY 21st
Speaker: Sharandys Somerset Owls – Birds of Prey;
Competition: Item with a bird connection
Tea Hostesses: Betty Walter, Jenny Vaux
AUGUST 6th - Flower Show
SEPTEMBER 15th
Bee Social Evening with Penny Bolton and Jackie Godfrey;
Competition: Something to do with Winnie the Pooh
Tea Hostesses: Mary Brunker, Yvonne Gilliam
OCTOBER 20th (Open Meeting)
Speaker: Mr Paul Atterbury – Andy Pandy to Antiques Roadshow
Tea Hostesses: Christine Shire, Shirley Shire, Val Burdett
NOVEMBER 17th
Annual General Meeting – Plus make a Christmas Decoration;
Competition: Best decoration (vote with ACWW pennies)
Tea Hostesses: Jackie Sherlock, Imogen Pearson
DECEMBER 15th
Christmas Party – with Seasonal Readings and buffet;
Competition: Your favourite tree decoration
Tea Hostesses: Jess Bromfield, Helen Pyke
We now have about 30 members and would like more. The annual subscription is £30.00, payable in January. Members receive a magazine, WI Life, published by the National WI Executive, 10 times a year, and a Somerset Federation County Newsletter, monthly.
Most meetings start with a business agenda, which takes about ½ hour. This is followed, usually, by a talk given by a visiting speaker. We run a small competition, for fun, often related to the speaker’s subject, and we hold a raffle as a contribution to our own funds for which three members have contributed small prizes. The meeting concludes with refreshments and some socializing.
The WI is a charity and is restricted to fund-raising in aid of local community causes Each Spring we hold a function in aid of the Somerset Hospice and in September a Macmillan coffee morning. Members also earn money for the WI by providing teas for Parish Council meetings and for other Village functions on request.
We arrange outings for members, such as a visit to the American Museum in Bath and a Pamper Day in Yeovil College Beauty Department. We get together several times a year at members-only coffee mornings in the Devonshire Arms, on the Green.
We have a skittles team (which won its group last year) and a Scrabble team which competes in the annual County competition.
There are opportunities to join with other WIs’ in classes in crafts, cookery and other hobbies, organized by the County WI Federation.
Contacts for further information: Mrs Jenny Trood President 01458 241368
Mrs Marjorie Dams 01458 241797 chd34@btinternet.com