Whitley WI is a large and lively group of women. We have a busy programme of meetings and events which are designed to attract and involve the varying ages and interests of all our members. For a flavour of what we do please see our monthly newsletters.
We are always delighted to greet new members and can assure you of a warm and friendly welcome. Our committee members will introduce you to fellow members and make you feel really at home.
Our meetings are held at 7.30pm in Whitley Village Hall on the first Thursday of every month. Drop in and be sure of a welcome.
Jonty opened her beautiful garden in June for Baking Beauties and other members of the WI to enjoy an afternoon tea and a stroll around the flowers. No rain to contend with, just extreme heat! Jonty had set out the seating in the shade of the trees and even provided a lovely breeze so the weather didn’t stop our enjoyment of the event.
Those present enjoyed the delicious refreshments made by our members and a very sociable afternoon. On behalf of us all Pat L thanked Jonty for her hospitality.
Walking Group
A sunny day for members of both Whitley and Dutton WI to walk around Little Budworth Common following the Woodpecker Heathland Trail. We walked through beautiful woodland, past ponds and met a lady rider on a lovely grey horse who stopped for a chat on the bridle path. We passed the infamous log carved like a dragon which is looking rather weather-beaten now A lovely walk followed by an enjoyable lunch at Tarporley Garden Centre.
Book Club
Our book this month was Transcription by Kate Atkinson. Most of our members found it very difficult to get into and didn’t finish it, others thought it was a really good read. The discussions did lead to discussion around how ‘espionage’ is rather complicated and the book would be worth persevering with. The average score was 7 out of 10.
Every 2 years we have a joint meeting with our friends at Dutton WI – this year it was their turn to host it. They gave us a really warm welcome and an excellent speaker, Ma Baker (Liz Wilson) who talked to us about making our own bread. She mixed together all the ingredients at the beginning – you only need strong flour, salt, water and dried/fresh yeast. She then ‘talked as she kneaded’ as this process takes 20 min to move from a very sticky mix to smooth, stretchy dough.
Liz explained how she fell in love with breadmaking, went on a number of courses and eventually gave up her career as a primary school teacher to set up her own baking business and shop. She planned to take the kneaded dough home to bake tomorrow, but did cut up some of her prepared speciality bakes for each of us to have a taste, and donated lots of others to the raffle.
A really interesting, informative talk, followed by an enjoyable social time, then a brief reminder from the 2 presidents of their upcoming social events. The competition ‘An usual kitchen implement, was won by Janet P from Whitley, with a very old kitchen scoop, in its original packaging and priced at 5/6d.
Many thanks to Dutton WI for a lovely evening, we do share quite a few multi-members.
Thanks to Pat for arranging our May outing to the museum at Warrington Police Station. Pat anticipated CFWI’s Green Month in June – the trip was arranged to fit in with the No 9 bus, with members joining at Whitley, Stretton and Hatton. A slight hiccup with roadworks, but a great idea.
Volunteers showed us round the museum which is spread over many rooms – a very interesting display.funded by voluntary donations
We learned about how the police force developed, and its history – the Warrington Police force was established in 1847. We heard about how the role and equipment used has changed through the ages, and some of the challenges faced by officers today. It was fun to take our seat on police bikes and cars – a good photo to share with the family!
The trip was rounded off by an enjoyable lunch at Grill on the Square. A very good day out, certainly better than an outdoor activity on a rather showery and cold Spring day,
Baking Beauties
Our theme for May was Choux Pastry. Members brought along an interesting and tasty selection of bakes – sweet and savoury. Jonty, as ever, kept us entertained. She not only brought along a very tasty looking choux ring but also her first attempt – rather flat!
Craft and Garden Group
At our last two meetings we have been busy building Mr H and Mrs L Whitley. Our two scarecrows are now in situ by our Sorbus Tree at the Nature Reserve in Raddel Lane.
The few members of the craft group (and Archie) that joined in the fun had great pleasure in getting the legs and arms the right length, let alone the body size. We had a super selection of clothes, hats and footwear to dress them. It is our first attempt at anything like this so the final result is something we can be proud of. Lets hope they are spotted by the Village members over the wonderful bank holiday weekend.
Art Group – Our members met on Bank Holiday Monday– the preferred date – with a topic of ‘Still Life’. Most of us concentrated on Fruit/Veg – you will see from the pictures below that we do have some very talented artists – choosing to use acrylic or watercolours.
Book Club – our May book was No Secrets by David Jacob – a Crime Thriller about the murders of young girls – a lead character had the ability to know whether an individual was being truthful or lying, and this helped in the solving the crime – but a complex story. Our members views were mixed, and they gave the book an average of 6.7
Walking Group
Just a few of us did the walk through Marbury Park which was at its finest, the greenery was in abundance and the birds were singing overhead. Ducks and swans were swimming on the Mere. As we were walking we had a few drops of rain but most of the time were sheltered by the canopy of the trees so it was not a problem. We had lunch at the Stanley Arms.
