Brandling Village Walk – Aug 2023
14 of us met at the Jesmond Metro and split into 2 groups. We went on a guided tour of Brandling Village in Jesmond. Our guides were very knowledgeable and I believe we all learnt something.
After the walk we met up at one of the Member’s house for tea and cakes in the garden. Thank you Lesley for your hospitality. The home made cakes were amazing.
City Hall Tour -August 2023
Thanks to Peter and Janis for the really interesting backstage tour of the City Hall in Newcastle. New to some of our members, for those brought up in Newcastle it is iconic, more often than not the first venue you went to, to see a ‘live concert’.
Sitka Irrigation Project in Nepal – 14th September 2023
Great meeting, with a fascinating talk from Eric about the Sikta Irrigation Project in Nepal. One of the National Pride Projects of Nepal but still not completed, the question remains as to whether that is due to bad engineering, corruption or just bad luck?
The lovely raffle prizes courtesy of Cath, were a hand picked, hand tied bouquet of flowers and a home baked lemon drizzle cake. The evening was topped off for one of our four visitors who won the flowers in the raffle!
The plant and produce table was a roaring success … nothing left at the end of the night!
Tour of Lit & Phil in Newcastle – October 2023
14 of us – 6 Gosforth Central and another 8 ladies from other WIs came together for this fascinating tour of the Lit & Phil Society in Newcastle. The largest independent library outside of London, it is open for any member of the public to use. To say it is crammed with books is an understatement! Founded in 1793, it has been in it’s current home, a Grade II listed building, since 1825. We also learned that a section of Hadrian’s Wall runs underneath, alongside the building. Well worth a visit.
All reactions:
Hepple Gin – talk and tasting – October 2023
Thanks to Walter Riddell for a really interesting talk on Hepple Gin, distilled in the remote Northumberland hills. From Hawthorn and Douglas Fir trees, to bog myrtle, lovage, blackcurrants, and of course the prized ancient juniper groves, many of the botanicals for the spirits are at hand, benefitting from the wild nature of the land enhancing the depth of flavour and aromas. Thanks also for the very generous donation for our monthly raffle prize, very much appreciated by the winners! And of course the G&T’s at the start of the evening were most welcome. hepplespirits.com
Thursday 9th November 2023 – Swishing! What a brilliant evening. So many of us went home with ‘new’, no cost, wardrobes.
Thursday 14th December 2023 – Rag Wreath Making and Xmas Party Due to unforeseen circumstances, and at short notice, our Salsa demonstration had to be cancelled. Hopefully it will be rearranged for next year. Thanks to Ann (Gilchrist) for stepping in at the last minute to put on a hastily arranged rag wreath workshop. The results spoke for themselves, everyone enjoyed it, and there was still the Christmas party and Big Raffle. Lots of lovely prizes nicely wrapped up for Xmas.
Talk by local author Haydn Watson – January 2024
Thanks to local author Haydn Watson and his publisher Lynn Davidson for a really interesting talk at our first meeting of 2024. Haydn’s first book ‘A Life Navigated’ follows the life of a man born into a world of constant change, whilst his second book ‘Garn Yem’ is a collection of short stories set in and around South Shields, following the lives of nine young men and their friendship in the early 1970’s. Lynn publishes memoirs, and accordingly believes we all have a book within us. Get writing everyone!
Medical Detection Dogs – February 2024
What an interesting speaker at our February meeting, from Medical Detection Dogs. This small charity has two categories when it comes to training dogs. Medical Alert Assistance Dogs are trained to support people with life-threatening health conditions, saving their lives on a daily basis and helping the NHS by keeping them out of hospital, whilst Bio Detection Dogs are trained to detect the smell of human diseases such as cancer and Parkinson’s and and thus help save lives.
March 14 2024 – NWT
Many thanks to Frances Smiles of Northumberland Wildlife Trust (NWT) for a fascinating talk about the work the Trust does, including the upkeep and maintenance of such sites as Northumberlandia, Weetslade and Hauxley. Amongst the raffle prizes this month was appropriately enough, a bee and bug hotel. nwt.org.uk Northumberland Wildlife Trust
April 11 2024-Red Kites
What an entertaining guest speaker we had this month, Harold Dobson from Friends of Red Kites (FoRK). His talk about the re-introduction and return of the Red Kite to the area was fascinating, and the time flew by! Apparently Red Kites love the colour white, and line their nests with anything they can find that’s white, including shown here, a seal head, the remains of a soft toy minus its stuffing! For more information go to www.friendsofredkites.org.uk where you’ll also find out about their FREE Health Walks every Monday 1.30 – 3.00pm, a distance of approximately three miles. The location of the walk is different each month, for April, it’s Watergate Forest Park, Watergate Lake and Washingwell Wood.
We had invited the members of Jesmond WI to join us, and were very pleased to welcome seven ladies on the night, including their President and Secretary. One of them even managed to win one of the raffle prizes! It’s a great way to encourage bonds and links with a WI very local to us.
Last but not least thanks to Cath for the fab baking.
May 9 2024-AGM and Box Making
Thanks to everyone who came to our AGM, where we heard the annual reports from both the Treasurer and the Secretary. It’s been a busy year, with many of us attending a variety of events, some arranged by Northumberland Federation, some by ourselves. Our Adviser for the night Jenny McLean, gave us very positive feedback and advice for moving forward.
We voted in favour of the resolution to be discussed at the National Meeting in London in June.
Ann Wood was re-elected President by an overwhelming majority. Treasurer, Margaret Valentine, and Secretary, Ann Gilchrist, remain in post for the coming year.
The evening ended with a demonstration by Alison of how to make small gift boxes. It was great fun, with a lot of good chat and some great results … Alison had even baked some shortbread, so we all went home with a gift in our boxes!
June 13 2024-NHSN
Thanks so much to Julie and James from the Natural History Society of Northumbria for a really interesting talk tonight. We found out all about Gosforth’s Wild Web, a two year National Lottery Heritage Funded project, which is an opportunity for us all to share the nature we notice around Newcastle. Wildlife needs safe places to live in and travel around the city. These places are wildlife corridors, not only green spaces but gardens, back streets and hedgerows. Together they create a web of highways for the wildlife. The more that is known about local wildlife and where it is, the more it can be protected, cared for and enjoyed. The idea is to take note of nature around us and then share sightings with Gosforth’s Wild Web.
www.nhsn.org.uk/gosforths-wild-web
July 11 2024-St. Oswald’s Hospice
Not our usual venue, but due to a mix up over bookings we ended up in the church itself. Our speaker from St. Oswald’s Hospice, Emily gave a really interesting talk on the wide ranging services provided by the Hospice, both in the hospice itself and within the wider community.
There were two tables selling goods on behalf of the Hospice, one a community table selling items hand made by volunteers, and the other selling retail items. All proceeds taken on the night went to the Hospice.
Our thanks go to Emily for the presentation, Elaine, the volunteer fundraiser on the community table, and Liz, Cath and Pat the retail volunteers.
The really good news is that Elaine took £95.50, and the retail table took £120.80, so a total of £216.30 was raised on the night. Brilliant.
August 15 2024-Guided Walk of Leazes Park, Newcastle
In place of our usual Thursday night Members’ meeting in August we had a recess. However, 14 of us went on a guided walk. Thanks to our Newcastle City Guides Julie and Sue, we discovered lots of hidden gems and stunning architecture around the area, all overshadowed, quite literally in some cases, by St. James’ Park.
Julie, who pulled together the walk, was pleased how it had gone and we all appeared to enjoy it too. We each gave a donation and they raised £175 for MS. Amazing sum which Julie was thrilled with.
September 12 2024 – Gardeners’ Question Time with Frank. This was a huge success. The questions and chat flowed all night. The most important thing to take away from it seemed to be the quality of the soil. Once you get that right then the good fruit and veg crops follow. Needless to say, the produce on the ‘bring and buy’ table didn’t last long.
October 10 2024 – Silk Painting with Fran Castle
What a great night. Many thanks go to our Member Fran for the talk, demonstration and guidance. Everyone had a go and went home with a sample. The photos don’t do them justice. The first two images are a hand painted community banner which Fran brought along, it shows what can be achieved with time and practice. The following ones are those we had a try at on the night.
November 14 2024 – Marzipan Fruit & Chocolate Truffles with Pat & Cath
Another great night. Many thanks to our Members Pat & Cath who demonstrated making these delicious treats. We all then had a try ourselves and the results were amazingly good! We presented them either in decorative boxes or in cellophane wrap with bows. They looked so professional. Well done to everyone.
December 2024 – Salsa Dancing and Party Night
What a great night. Thanks to Carol Minto for teaching us how to salsa dance. She rounded off our speakers for the year in flamboyant style. Wine and nibbles followed, plus a sneaky little Christmas quiz, and the raffle to end all raffles with about a dozen gifts, all wrapped, so no one knew what they were getting! Merry Christmas everyone and see you in 2025.
January 2025 – Swishing
Our first meeting of the year, and taking into account the Festive holidays, our pre-arranged speaker cancelled at fairly short notice. No need to worry … we organised a Swishing event in a matter of days. Everyone brought items along for the big clothes swap, and by the end of the night almost everything was on its way to a new home. What a great night, and a great start to the New Year. Well done everyone for making it happen.
February 2025 – Emily Ward Art
What a great night, a great buzz in the room with lots of chat prompted by our fantastic speaker for the evening, local artist Emily Ward from Emily Ward Art. What an interesting story she has to tell. Emily paints in the main, landscapes and seascapes, then she and her small loyal workforce produce the associated gift range … and all here in the North East. This just makes it even more appealing. emilywardart.com https://www.facebook.com/EmilyWardArtist
March 2025 – Ian Williams, The Amble Poet
Huge thanks go to Ian, for his performance at our meeting on 13th March. His poetry was humorous, witty and steeped in a world known to all of us … everyday life! If you get the chance to see him perform don’t let it pass you by.
April 2025 – Rachel, Reflexology
Thanks to Rachel of R&R Therapy for a lovely evening on 10th April. Just watching her practicing reflexology on one of our members’ feet was relaxation in itself.
May 2025 – AGM, VE Day Celebrations and Bystanders Can Be Lifesavers
Fantastic meeting on 8th June 2025. Such a lot going on including our AGM. Our visiting speakers were from Seaton Sluice PAD Support Group. Retired paramedic Chris, and current paramedic Gary delivered a presentation and demonstration on bystander CPR and the safe use of a Public Access Defibrillator. The charity has an aim to one day have public access defibrillators next to all fire extinguishers.
Food rationing during the Second World War: Thanks to Gill for her inspired display of the weekly food allowance per adult.
June 2025 – Bayeux Tapestry.
Thank you to Catherine Stevenson for an insightful presentation last week into the messages hidden with the Bayeux Tapestry, which it turns out is not a tapestry after all but an embroidery on linen. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
July 2025 – Midlife Dramas in Pyjamas
Thank you to Marie Thom for a wonderful evening of entertainment. Your story, your poetry and your experiences, resonated with all of us, the boiling hot night adding realism to the evening with hot flushes and frizzy hair in abundance. Some of us came prepared with fans, we are living proof of your story. A brilliant night of fun and laughter.
Gosforth Central Women's Institute 