WHITLEY WI

whoops!…It is wet

The Annual Whitley Rose Queen (now in its 72nd year) is a wonderful celebration of village life in Cheshire, in fact anywhere in the World.
Whitley WI were happy to join in with the fun and help at this event.
Whoops…what about the weather forecast? Would the event get washed away? Would everything get wet? Would anybody come at all?
YES YES YES…. The Rose Queen Committee made a huge success of the event, by moving stalls inside the Village Hall and the Rose Queen Crowning inside a purposely erected giant marquee.

Sue and Chris

It was good to see so many WI members at the event, with some playing a special part. Sue is President and Chris had been specially asked to crown Laura as this years’ Rose Queen.

Team Raffle

Irene and Dorothy

June and Annette

Hello Dolly

Blooming Marvellous

All went to plan with the little attendants looking especially smart in their brand new outfits.
The newly crowned Queen was entertained by a local Brass Band and dancing performed by youngsters at Whitley School.
Afternoon tea was enjoyed by so many, tea pots were constantly filled, stalls visited , raffle , games , tug of war and the famous ‘pig race’ , were all part of the fun.
Sadly the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight by a Lancaster Bomber had to be cancelled…may be next year?
This year was the first time Whitley WI had had a craft stall at the Rose Queen Event… Led by the expertise of Annette, punters could purchase many different hand crafted items, from dishcloth bloomers to duster dollies, as well as the traditional jars of homemade jam, that the WI is so famous for.

Jam without Jerusalem

The WI send their thanks to our wonderful Rose Queen Committee and the many members who helped on the day to make the event such a success…
So here’s to next year…Bigger and better again!

The Church and Friary of St Francis, known locally as Gorton Monastery, is a 19th-century former Franciscan Friary in Gorton, Manchester. The Franciscans arrived in December 1861, and carried out most of the building work themselves. It was completed in 1872 but closed for worship in 1989.
It is a Grade II listed building, classed as High Victorian Gothic architecture
In 1997, Gorton Monastery was placed on the World Monuments Fund Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World alongside Pompeii, the Taj Mahal and the Valley of the Kings.
The church and associated friary buildings underwent a £6 million restoration programme supported by funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and European Regional Development Fund. The project was completed in June 2007 when the restored buildings opened as a venue for conferences, business meetings and community events.

30 members of Whitley WI enjoyed a visit to this monastery where the theme was that of an Old Style Music Hall. Many members dressed in the fashion style of the times … It is amazing what we can find in our wardrobes.

The entertainment was of a very high standard; we sang along to songs from the past, experienced magic moments courtesy of Mr Trick, waved flags and somehow fitted in a three course lunch.
So much fun, in a beautiful historic building…but without the thoughtfulness and superb organisation from Chris our Culture Club leader, it wouldn’t have been possible. Sincere thanks from all who went.

Meeting the neighbours….always a good thing to do.

Learning from an expert

Whitley Garden Interest Group happily accepted a kind invitation from Park WI (a neighbouring WI) to visit the garden belonging to the daughter of one of their members in WHITLEY.

Are we at Chelsea?

What a treat to see a magnificently planned and maintained garden, hidden from view when you walk or drive around Whitley.
So many different features, from the courtyard pond (the koi were camera shy) , the recently built raised beds garden…. It looked like we were at the Chelsea Flower Show, …. but in Whitley.

A knot garden

The knot garden  was well established and perfect, was followed by  a walk down the extensive back lawn to a natural wildflower area bordering on to a boundry stream…

A wire rooster was a favourite of many.. where can you buy one?

Cock a doodle!

Wisteria…wow!!

The high light was definitely a Wisteria walk which was total perfection.
Members enjoyed the company of each other, our friendly neighbouring WI , and our wonderful local hostess, who served us with tea, coffe and homemade cakes, with expert input from Ross the gardener.

An afternoon to remember in our lovely village of Whitley.

Thank you to Park WI and Victoria.

Its just a piece of cake… or so Whitley WI Craft Group thought. You have the cake…it just needs decorating….
HOWEVER…Clinical precision was needed.
A simple flower!!! Oh no… mine’s fallen apart!!!

Whoops.
This was a great afternoon for Whitley WI craft group. Led by member Anne. (a cake decorating expert) …

There was total silence in the room..nobody could speak…so great was the concentration.
But then…Eureka… it all came together and members were delighted with their newly learnt skills.
Thank You to Anne for your expert tuition as well as your patience.
So looking forward to our next group icing modelling session.

YES… The WI is all about Educating Women….We have learnt so much.

Where can you buy a brand new pair of shoes for under a fiver?
Homemade jam, marmalade and cakes, books and magazines , curtain material, home-crafted goods,cd’s, birthday cards, soft toys, scarves, jewellery and plants at less than a quarter of the cost of high street shops?
ANSWER…at Whitley WI’s Trading Table
So many bargains to be had. Indirectly we are helping to “save the planet”, by recycling and reusing items, not throwing out anything that somebody else can use, as well as making a bit of money for ourselves and Whitley WI.

Happy Shoppers

Bargain Hunt!