It's been a year since there was any activity on this site;  has anybody missed it?

 It's now almost the end of January 2026.   The month has been wet and chilly at times, but WI members managed to attend the meeting on Wednesday 14th.  It was a social afternoon with games and a quiz.  Members also had the opportunity to cast their votes for the choice of Resolution to be debated at the NFWI Annual Meeting in the summer.  The Resolution on accessible public toilet facilities was a clear winner.  

 In addition to that Annual Meeting, the County annual meeting will take place on Wednesday 20th May at the Brentwood Centre.  Tickets were on offer at a reduced price during January. and seven members signed up to attend.  Essex is a large county but Brentwood isn't very far from Harlow, so the committee has agreed that minibus travel to the site will be subsidised from welfare funds.     The big draw at this meeting will be Patrick Grant, well-known as a judge on The Sewing Bee and a champion of British-made clothing.  

Harlow WI's next meeting is on Wednesday 11 February at 2pm.  The talk, by Andy Malcolm, is called A History of Fish & Chips, and the competition is for a decorated rock or stone.  

 Things to remember: there will be a Silent Auction at the March meeting, so remember to bring along any unwanted presents (must be in new condition and preferably in the original packaging).  Members will be able to bid for any item, and the highest bid will secure the item.  Any unsold items can either be reclaimed by the owner or will be donated to the local charity shop.  Money raised will go into the Welfare Fund.  

 

 

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

 Due to various technical malfunctions (not to mention incompetence on the part of the writer), very little has been published about Harlow WI this year.  Despite this, the year has been fairly satisfactory with some good meetings and interesting speakers.  It is hoped that, before the end of the year, a series of pictures will be published showing some of the highlights of the past twelve months.

December’s meeting will have a speaker, Siobhan Pierce with a talk entitled “From Clown to Corporate”.  The competition is for a pretty Christmas Cracker.  There will be the usual Raffle, refreshments and notices about forthcoming events.     

FEBRUARY WITH HATS

 Because of a variety of seasonal ailments, only twenty members and two visitors attended the February meeting.  The good news is that both visitors are planning to join the WI.

After Jerusalem and the President’s greeting, the business of the meeting (minutes and announcements) proceeded briskly, and then the speaker was introduced.  Susan Widlake runs Mill House Millinery which makes bespoke hats and fascinators.  As well as bringing a selection of hats to display, Susan talked enthusiastically about her life and how she turned an interest in millinery into a successful business.   She has often been the subject of magazine articles and is sometimes asked to lend pieces for exhibition.  She went through the making of a hat step by step and then showed each of us how to make a small ‘lily’ ornament, suitable for attaching to a headband.  This proved remarkably straightforward, even for the most fumble-fingered of us!  She also showed us how to reduce the size of a too-large hat by using padding in discreet places.  Her talk was enjoyed by everyone, and much close interest was shown in the hats on display.  

After the tea interval, the raffle was drawn and the competition judged.  After a quick reminder about forthcoming events, the National Anthem was sung, and the President wished everyone a safe journey home.  

DECEMBER 2023 AND NEW YEAR 2024

 The WI Christmas Lunch, held on the last Wednesday of November, was another triumph for the catering of Mrs Irene Walker and her team.  As last year, we had a buffet which more than satisfied the appetites of members, with enough for some take-home parcels.

The December meeting saw the Bishop’s Stortford Ukulele band entertain a packed hall of members and friends.  They were very well-received and members enjoyed singing along to many old favourites.  

The refreshments for December included mince pies of course, and we all admired the Christmas Tree which had been decorated by committee member Pat Stone.

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 10th January at 2pm in the WI Hall.  This will be mainly a social afternoon but we will be discussing and voting on Resolutions - so look out your copy of the November/December WI Life and cut out the voting slip.  (There will be some spare voting papers if you’ve already committed your magazine to the recycling.)  The competition will be for a pretty bracelet.

We apologise for the lack of recent photographs.  This is due to some technical difficulties which we’re trying to overcome.  We’ll keep trying!

WE WISH ALL MEMBERS, FRIENDS AND FAMILIES A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2024.