Former CFWI Chairman and current Assistant Media Officer Sheila Goldsworthy writes a wonderful monthly WI column for The Cornishman. Here is Sheila’s May 2024 column:
“Feed your inner happiness” is a well known slogan for a particular delicious and healthy yogurt but it could equally apply to many of the summer activities organised by CFWI, revelling in our glorious Cornish countryside and discovering an area not especially known to some of us. An upcoming afternoon nature ramble along the Bissoe Valley on Thursday 8 August has an added bonus, and that is that it will be led by David Chapman (Adviser to the Arts and Leisure Sub-Committee) who led such a popular event last year. This ramble will be about two miles in length on a very well-surfaced path with a chance of spotting a variety of birds, butterflies, flowers and dragonflies. However there are more perks available; members can have lunch with David who will be at the café from 12.15pm. So members can come on an informal basis any time between 12.15 and 1.30pm and order their own food from the café. Members will meet in the car park beside the café and bike hire. Cost of the event is £6.
There is a reminder to members who appreciate even more ‘inner happiness’, to travel on a coach to Dartmoor on Thursday 25 July and take in some dramatic moorland scenery. However, our members can also share the colours of the beautiful Garden House at Buckland Monachorum, with an afternoon in Tavistock where there is plenty of opportunity to open our purses. Cost of this event £31.
Even more “happiness” will certainly be created at the Coastal Camping weekend, to be held at Porthpean Outdoor Education Centre, where members will be taking part in a range of activities including outdoor and indoor events, crafts, competitions and fun. Who will be the first member to volunteer for paddle boarding? The event runs from Friday 30 August until Sunday 1 September. Cost is £225 for the full weekend, and £75 for Saturday only.
A visit to the WI Marquee at the Royal Cornwall Show on 6-8 June also brings “pleasure” for many reasons, such as a warm welcome, admiration for the competition entries, bargains to purchase, and chiefly a reviving cup of coffee and a bun meeting up with friends, with a chance to ease aching feet.
There is a very informative Campaigns Corner article in a recent issue of County News about “Cleaning up our Waters for people and Wildlife” following on from last year’s resolution. Some conscientious members have been working towards the benefits of swimming in our rivers, and getting certain areas designated with bathing status. Fortunately, the merits of this scheme were announced on the national news this week, bringing publicity to this worthwhile project.
For those members who wish to exercise their little grey cells there is plenty to challenge. The Arts and Leisure Sub-Committee is inviting members to take part in this years Let’s Go Trophy, asking members to write in any form, prose or poetry, an account of an Arts and Leisure quiz in which they have taken part within the last 18 months. The entry should be no more than 500 words in length and can be entered individually or with the whole team. Entries to be emailed to reception@cornwallwi.org.uk with “Lets go Trophy’ in the subject line of the email, or by sending two copies of the entry to CFWI writing “Lets Go Trophy” on the envelope. Closing date is Friday 31 August.
CFWI is very fortunate to own an illustrious collection of silverware and other trophies awarded each year at the Annual Council Meeting to members for a variety of competitions. The details of two have just been announced. There are two Press Competition cups available: the Boslowick Cup is awarded to a Press Officer in her first year of office and the Whitecross Cup is awarded to a more experienced Press Officer. The Programme Competition awards four trophies, namely the Bugle Cup, the Goldsworthy Trophy, the Andrews Rosebowl and the Lander Cup. These are awarded in categories defined by the number of members in each WI. These important competitions define the character of each WI. Full details and entry are given in this month’s County News.
There is no chance of any of our Cornish members suffering from inertia with this full programme of “happy” events in the next few months.