Author: gosforthcentralwi

Hi everyone – you’ll recall that we’re launching a photo competition to run through to 31 May. The idea is to take a “nature” photo when your’e out and about on your daily exercise or in your garden or balcony or yard. Plants, animals, skyline – anything that says “ooo” or “aahh” to you because then I’m sure it’ll say the same to others.

You’ll be the judges and the winner will get a prize.

Simply take your photo, send it to me or Lesley and we’ll load them here. We have 2 so far – look at the page headed “Lock down Photo competition” to see them.

Sooo – happy snapping!

Liz

Our April meeting was scheduled for Thursday 9th and, obviously, could not go ahead as planned. Not to be defeated though, we set up a virtual meeting via Zoom and toasted seeing each other with a glass of wine or a cuppa 🙂

Freda Thompson (who had entertained us in 2019 with a talk on “Gorgeous Gosforth”) once again gave us a great presentation  – this time on the history of Grainger Market. Who knew that the Market had cellars that served as air raid shelters…. or who knew that there were once spectacular fountains where live ducks swam? Really interesting and I can’t wait to get back there to look at the ceiling!

It was a shorter meeting than usual and, of course, there were none of the usual updates, raffle etc but it was really nice seeing people again.

Watch this space because we hope to continue with as much of our planned programme as possible – albeit in the virtual world!

It’s a quote that seems particularly apt for the current times and such a great way of looking at things!

Yes, we are staying safe at home, having to self isolate and keep our distance from people and, while that might feel (and is) difficult, it’s also full of opportunity!

It’s an opportunity to get closer to people – ring friends and family (rather than text), reach out to help neighbours you’ve barely spoken to, join in with the community to publicly applaud the NHS and so on.

OK, all of that has to be from a safe distance but that’s just physical distance. The opportunity lies in getting closer to people emotionally, creating bonds that will hopefully last beyond these difficult times – such a great thing to focus on.

Of course, it’s also an opportunity to do things for yourself that you seem never to get round to or those things at home you never have time for. Now’s the time to learn a new skill, take up a new hobby, clean those cupboards  – and feel great about doing it.

As for me, I took the opportunity today to sort through clothes (and yes I cleaned the wardrobes while doing it). Hardly rocket science (that’s a “nod” to Einstein by the way ) but it made me feel good.

So, I wonder – what “opportunities” have you created? Why not share them here? WI women – women in general – are great at “rising to the occasion”, so tell us what you’re doing and help us all fill our time with opportunities we haven’t even thought of yet.

All the best
Liz

Fortunately we heard a lot about kind words at our February meeting…the kind words and the listening skills that the Samaritans bring to each of their callers. Between them our two speakers had over 40 years worth of experience as volunteers, a lifetime of helping and supporting people when they needed it most. I think everyone there was heartened to know that the service exists and humbled that so many provide it. Of course, the Samaritans are always needing volunteers so check out their website to learn more    https://www.samaritans.org/

Looking forward to our March meeting – our AGM – we’ll have another full agenda looking back at the last year and previewing what’s to come in the next 12 months. We’ll also look “wider” than Gosforth Central and discuss the whole WI’s vision for the future. What do we want the WI to represent? How do we want it to be seen? What do we stand for? These are vital questions to ensure that the WI remains relevant in the 21st century as it has been throughout the 20th. These questions are at the heart of why we joined the WI, so please come along so we can all be part of the discussion.

As always, both members and non members are welcome. If you simply want to visit to see what we’re about, no problem – you’ll be made very welcome and won’t be on your own for long!

Hi everyone

My very best wishes for a happy, healthy 2020.

I don’t know about you but, to me, it seems ages since the festivities. Maybe it’s playing catch up with all the “ordinary” stuff that makes it feel such a long time ago? I think January can be a weird month – resolutions made and broken, still eating Christmas leftovers, it’s dark and cold. And only February to follow!!

However, reasons to be cheerful…

There is so much to look forward to. And, from what I hear about our first meeting of the year (on the 9 January), we got the year off to a good start. Our speaker was Rosemary Hayward, a retired dentist who now volunteers to provide dentistry services in Tanzania through the Charity “Bridge2aid”.

Check their website – such amazing work       https://bridge2aid.org/

There were also some really good discussions about the 2020 WI Resolutions, with each person voting on the one that got their support. Such resolutions and the associated campaign work is at the core of the WI and it’s something we feel proud to be part of.

Looking ahead, I’m keen to hear from our February speaker about the work the Samaritans do. It’s a charity close to my heart, providing  much needed support to people in distress. In their own words, “Samaritans works to make sure there’s always someone there for anyone who needs someone”. What a value to have!

Our second anniversary is also just round the corner in March! More about this later.. 🙂

Liz