Camidge and Stringer
Former CFWI Chairman and current Assistant Media Officer Sheila Goldsworthy writes a wonderful monthly WI column for The Cornishman. Here is Sheila’s August column:
We all need a good laugh, so the WI is obliging! Members have an opportunity to see a show “Turning History into Theatre”. Camidge and Stringer present “Wish We Weren’t Here: Disappointed Literary Visitors 1820-1917”. This full length show with an interval offers film, humour, a range of 19th and 20th century visitors and the chance of audience participation. This talented duo, Camidge and Stringer, bring history to life using original sources such as newspaper reports, journals and letters plus their own imagination, for this light hearted multi-media show. The date is Friday 20 October at 2pm at Chy Noweth an Conteth. The cost of £12 includes an ice cream in the interval.
We have even more gratifying events to look forward to this autumn, entitled the Winter Talk Series. We all thrive mentally when hearing a good speaker. A series of three talks which starts off on 15 November with Flotsam Flo who will tell us her story leading to her current work creating beautiful products that would otherwise be going to landfill. The Cornwall Bat Group talks about bat ecology and behaviour on 17 January. The February talk on 21 February will consist of a member of the Morrab Library Photo Archive giving an illustrated talk about some places we are familiar with. For those of us who have been fortunate to have heard a Morrab Library presentation before, members can be assured of a professional homily. The cost is £10 for each talk but if booking for all three the cost is £25. Time: 10.30am (tea/coffee and biscuits) for talks at 11am-12 noon.
Kate Doran aka Flotsam Flo
The WI has always had a reputation for being innovative, so the Creative Wellbeing workshop promises just that, to improve our personal wellbeing and mental health through pen and paper. The tutor for the day, Emma, will give an introduction to creative journaling, supplying templates to get you started before you progress further at home. The cost includes materials used on the day as well as a starter pack of a notebook and pen to take home! Please bring a packed lunch but tea/coffee and biscuits will be provided. Date: Friday 6 October, from 10am until 3.30pm. Cost: £20.
The splendid Photography Competition is back again. The classes for the 2023 competition are Animals, Portrait, Action/Movement and My Favourite Photograph. The fifth class, also My Favourite Photograph is a novice class for anyone who has not won a first prize in the CFWI photography competition before. The entry form and details were sent out with the June County News. Entries are £1 per entry and to be sent to Chy Noweth an Conteth. Closing date is 31 August. The photographic talent among Cornwall’s WIs is well known, which members can witness for themselves at the Annual Council Meeting in October, when the winning entries will be displayed and the best entry overall will be awarded the Greeves Cup.
We have a wealth of craft days to take pleasure in, spread all over our county. All on Thursdays, they are at Marshgate on 26 October, Marazion on 2 November and at Chy Noweth an Conteth on 16 November, all running from 10am until 3.30pm. The crafts are: a Dorset buttons necklace, a wax flowers table centre, fabric origami, vellum embroidery, knitted decorated Christmas wreaths and a hand-stitched appliqué picture. What a diverse selection. More information is in the August County News in regard to choice of crafts. The cost is £15 which includes tea/coffee and biscuits. A soup and cake lunch will be available for £5 or bring a packed lunch.
More good news is on the horizon concerning a sustainable future for the Denman Trust. We have such unforgettable memories of our times spent at that captivating institution, especially when the Cornwall took over the college on several occasions. There are now plans to launch the The WI Learning Hub powered by Denman, which will be officially launched in January 2024 and will give access to free educational content for members. Amongst various ways of the continuation of education there will be national grants to federations along with expertise and support from their national team to regionally expand the WI’s educational network based on the needs identified by members locally without significant travel or personal expense. This can only be a huge asset for a rural county like Cornwall especially if the magical Denman atmosphere can be ignited. We await further information.
Many Fairtrade Farmers choose to invest the extra income they earn from Fairtrade on a wide range of projects aimed at adapting to climate change and protecting biodiversity. We need to keep spreading the word that choosing Fairtrade is a fairer future for people and the planet. So that shopping list at the supermarket should have Fairtrade in capital letters at the top, to remind you to buy a Fairtrade item. An extra banana is good for you.