Report ; April /May 2017
The quote "Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language" has variously been attributed to Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill but whoever said it the speaker at our April meeting, Rina Tillinger, certainly demonstrated the truth of this quote. Rina, born in the US but a Cheshire resident for many years, gave us some amusing examples of words which both the British and Americans share but which have totally different meanings depending on which side of the Atlantic Ocean you live. The speaker at our May meeting was Joanna Lomas from Street Farm, Tarvin (featured in the April/May 2017 issue of KADRAS Magazine). Joanna explained why she and her husband, David, had decided to start selling raw milk direct to the consumer. She told us about the ongoing safety checks carried out by the Food Standards Agency; how they chose their label design and logo (a picture of a very photogenic pedigree Holstein called Mint) and some of the benefits of raw milk. It was an interesting and entertaining talk and Joanna also brought some of their milk along for us to sample and it tasted delicious. Also at this meeting we had the opportunity to find out more about and vote for or against this year’s WI resolutions, keeping microplastic fibres out of our oceans and alleviating loneliness. Once resolutions are passed the National Federation of Women’s Institutes turn them into campaigns. WI campaigns are about changing things for the better, from equal pay to climate change; from gaps in the midwifery workforce to the plight of the honey bee.
May has been a busy month as many of us joined with other local WIs to watch a presentation by History Wardrobe called “Agatha Christie and Art Deco”. Characters from Christie’s era were brought to life through dramatic readings and dazzling Deco fashions from the 20s and 30s. It was a very enjoyable evening and after the presentation we had the opportunity to examine closely and even gently handle some of the clothes and accessories, from beautifully beaded “flapper frocks” to smart daywear and glamorous evening gowns.
At our June 7th meeting we look forward to welcoming a speaker from The Lyceum Theatre, Crewe. This Edwardian theatre is over 100 years old and puts on a varied programme throughout the year and also hosts a performance by the Cheshire East Youth Theatre. On July 5th our speaker is Michael Murphy a retired history teacher from the Wirral whose talk is entitled "Should be better known British women". We welcome visitors and new members so please join us, we always serve tea, coffee and excellent cakes! You can find out more about us by visiting our website www.kelsallwi.org.uk.
Last but by no means least our youngest member, Mary Gasgarth, took part for the first time in this year’s London Marathon. Mary had been following a training programme for many months and has indeed been running various distances for nearly 20 years. Mary completed the course in just under four and a half hours and was running to raise money for the charity, Mind and so far Mary has raised over £4,000. Well done Mary!!
(Avril Butler . May 2017)
