Sept 2024 – Subgroup Meetings

It was good for our groups to get back together after the summer break. You can see more information and pictures on all of the activities below by visiting the subgroups menu, or just click on the blue/green links

Our Walking Group had an lovely walk around Little Budworth Park. The Book Club discussed ‘Girl Woman Other’ by Bernadine Evaristo. The Art Group had a theme of ‘Holidays’, painting beach scenes and also painting some pictures in the style of some pictures that Jean had seen in Galleries whilst away in Devon. Baking Beauties had a theme of Autumn Fruits.

Our talented artists – CFWI Art Exhibition 2024

Well done to our Artists! Our Art Group entered 6 pictures in the CFWI Art Exhibition and Chris S won the ‘President’s Choice’ with her beautiful picture of St Luke’s Church, Whitley. Chris always has lots of ideas for our group and generously shares her talents and sometimes quirky ideas with us. This picture shows her being presented with her certificate by Selina, the Cheshire Chairman.

The theme of the exhibition was ‘A Life in Cheshire’ and 5 very talented members of our Art Group sent their work along – see below You can see all the paintings in the exhibition by clicking this blue/green link to the Cheshire website

Chris S – St Luke’s Church
Susan L – Cows in the Paddock
Joan B – Living in Cheshire
Chris S – Grappenhall church
Ann C – Busy day on the Farm
Ann O’B – Little Moreton Hall

Cheshire Federation Bowls Final 2024

After getting through to the quarter finals, there were 8 teams playing at Winnington on a stormy day in September. The Whitley team was made up of Ann T (captain), Ann B, Chris S and Jenny R. It was long wet day and playing in hailstone was not the best of conditions!

Our team got through to the final and played against Moulton, who have some very good players and have won the trophy for the last few years. Moulton won again this year, but Whitley did really well to get to this stage and to win the Runners Up shield. Congratulations to our team.

A trip down memory lane, Whitley was runner up in the county bowls to Antrobus in 2013. Thanks to Chris S for this photograph – some familiar faces of current members and old friends! Chris S, Ann B, Pam S, Jean L, Rita C, Pat G and Joan P

Main Meeting – Sept 2024 – The Walton Lea Partnership

Our speaker Dave McClure, a volunteer at the Walton Lea Partnership, told us about the work they do with Adults with Learning Disabilities in the beautiful Walled Garden adjacent to Walton Gardens. The learners gain skills and accreditation in a variety of activities including Gardening, Upcycling furniture, bike repairs, hospitality and Arts and Crafts.

Dave’s specialism is teaching learners and the public about resuscitation and the use of a defibrillator. It was a bonus that he shared this training with us. He brought along a number of Manikins and we all had the opportunity to learn what to do if we came across a person who is ‘unresponsive’, how to apply resuscitation and how easy it is to use a defibrillator. Now, instead of thinking this is a complicated and scary process, we learnt that, as Dave said, doing ‘something’ has to be better than doing nothing. We won’t do any harm worse than just standing by and watching somebody die.

One of our newer members, a paramedic, reminded us that we can look at what Dave was teaching us online at on the British Heart Foundation website on https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/how-to-do-cpr/learn-cpr-in-15-minutes

After our refreshment break Pat shared some memories of the August outing to Dunham Cider Farm. The competition for ‘An upcycled item’ was won by Pam with her Teddy Bear made from mementos of her life and we held the raffle.

Our next meeting on 3rd Oct is Member’s Night – where the committee take a break and a group of members plan and run the meeting – the competition is ‘A Childhood Toy’.

August Outing 2024 – Where the Cider Apples grow!

On what proved to be a very popular venue for Whitley WI’s August Outing, 35 members headed off to The Apple Barn at Dunham Massey.

We were given a warm welcome from owners Chris and Alison Hewitt and samples of two varieties of apple juice were enjoyed – Jazz and Smiths. During the sampling owner Chris talked to the group about the history of this ‘hidden-away’ apple farm. The family have run the farm for over a century and now grow 76 varieties of apple on the 33 acre site, owned by the National Trust.

After sampling the apple juice members viewed a small section of the orchards, reminding one member of her childhood on a family apple farm in Herefordshire. The group then moved to the huge shed holding the apple press, fermentation equipment and bottling plant and listened to an interesting explanation of the processes.

They tasted 2 varieties of cider in the bar area which was decorated with fairy lights and bunting and some took the opportunity to buy some of the bottles of apple juice and cider. The group then headed back through the narrow lanes to the Jolly Thresher Public House in Lymm where a two-course evening meal was served. This meal and the social time was much enjoyed by all. Thanks were given to the staff at the Thresher for their excellent serviceWell done to Pat S for her excellent organisation of this very enjoyable outing.