This year’s Annual Council Meeting at the Hall for Cornwall is going to be one to remember, so make sure you mark it in your diaries today! Application forms will be sent to WI Secretaries later this month, so keep a lookout for them.
We are thrilled to announce that our afternoon guest speaker will be Esme Young of The Great British Sewing Bee. Those of you who are regular viewers will know her well – and, for those of you who haven’t yet been hooked, you can catch up on the latest series (and all the previous series) of the Sewing Bee on BBC iPlayer.
Esme is, of course, a favourite of many WI members, but she’s much more than a Sewing Bee judge. In the early 1970s, along with four other women who were passionate about fashion, Esme opened a London-based shop called Swanky Modes. Their clothes appeared in magazines and newspapers and were photographed by renowned photographers. The iconic shop attracted a diverse clientele, including Julie Christie, Toyah Wilcox, Princess Julia, Midge Ure, Bette Bright, Viv Albertine, and Grace Jones. In the mid ’80s Esme began working with independent stylists and costume designers, and opened her own studio. She has worked on films, adverts and pop videos, and has made bespoke clothes. Esme has contributed to high profile advertising campaigns and has had individual commissions for such clients as Phil Collins, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Cher and Jane Asher. In her free time, she teaches innovative pattern cutting for graduates and professional students at Central Saint Martin’s College.
We are sure you’ll all want to be in the Hall for Cornwall to hear her in person!
Our morning guest speaker will be Matthew Kenworthy Gomes, of Cornwall Pride. Matthew has been CEO of Cornwall Pride for the past three years and has been an integral part of the organisation for eight years. With over two decades of dedication to LGBTQ+ activism and support, Matthew has worked to make a meaningful impact on communities by uplifting and empowering them. Guided by the core values of “Love Who You Want To Love” and “Be Who You Want To Be,” the aim of Cornwall Pride is to inspire communities to champion a Hate Free Cornwall. The group strives to unite and empower individuals, creating a safe and inclusive environment where everyone can embrace their authentic selves, and this is the message Matthew will be sharing with us in October.
Not only that, but we have some musical entertainment in store for you as well! We will be welcoming Cornwall’s own Bryher’s Boys, who will bring some fabulous sea shanty sounds to the Hall for Cornwall. Bryher’s Boys formed in 2017, and their collective love of the established folk repertoire, both nautical and Cornish, has proved an immediate hit with local audiences, with over 200 performances clocked to date. The group is particularly proud to have been selected to represent the whole of Cornwall in the summer of 2019 at Brittany’s Festival Interceltique, taking their unique mix of traditional Cornish songs and shanties to a new audience of over 800,000 attendees and singing to 9,000 people at a time!
You can book your tickets to the Annual Council Meeting through your own WI, by downloading an application form from our website or by booking through our Ticketsource page.