Newsletters

April Newsletter

Hello friends

Apologies for the lateness of this newsletter, which should have gone out on Thursday. I would like to be able to give you a compelling reason for my tardiness but the truth is that I just forgot! Wishing a very happy Easter to all who celebrate it though. Go easy on the chocolate (that’s a note to self, really).

Meeting Thursday April 13th. Doors 7.30 for an 8pm start
Our AGM has rolled around again – I swear time is speeding by faster and faster. We’ll be choosing the charity for the next twelve months, looking back at our last year, reviewing our finances and voting for a new president. (Any offers? Don’t rush forwards all at once!) It won’t be all business though as we’re going to be having fun with some team competitions, quizzing, and competitive Union Jack trifle making and eating (the making is competitive, the eating won’t be. We are not Americans)

New venue
This month will be our second meeting at the Trinity Methodist church. The address is Argyll Road, Westcliff, SS0 7HL but the entrance is on the London Road. It’s only a short walk from the car park at the top of Hamlet Court Road, or there’s parking in the nearby streets. 
Last month the general feeling was that it would do for us but I know a few people who were sitting near the kitchen said it was chilly. This month we’ll try keeping the serving hatch shut to see if that helps but you might want to wear layers. 
The biggest disadvantage of the hall, as far as I’m concerned, is that we have to set up and take down all the tables. The committee are happy to get the hall ready for you all but we really need everybody to help put down their table and pack away their chair at the end of the meeting. Many hands make light work and all that. 

Next month’s Meeting
Our May meeting has a Great British Sewing Bee flavour with a Transformation Challenge.  (Sneaky preview; those of you who are Sewing Bee fans will be delighted to know that early next year we have one of the semi-finalists coming to talk to us!)

Swapsies Table
I bought a book in for the table last month and was absolutely delighted to exchange it for the latest book by the same author! If you have anything you think somebody else would like, please do bring it in with you. (I could do with some more books please – nothing nasty!) Rather handily, Trinity has a charity shop, so anything that doesn’t get immediately snapped up can be left for the shop. 

Windsor Trip Saturday June 10th. Free transport!
This month’s meeting is your last chance to reserve a place on the free coach. If you want a castle ticket, transfer £26 (with the reference ‘Windsor Trip’) or pay by card in person. Bank details are below.  After this we’ll see if we have any spaces to offer out to friends and family.

Essex Federation County Annual Meeting Tuesday June 27th 2023.
This year the Essex meeting is at the Cliffs Pavilion with Gregg Wallace speaking and music from Danny Foster from The Big Soul Corporation. The early bird rate if you book before April 30th is £16, and after that it will be £20. Hopefully lots of you would like to come and join in the fun. The link for tickets is www.ticketsource.co.uk/fewi

Renewals
It’s £46 this year ( £22.60 for dual members who pay the full whack at another WI) and subs are now due.  Bank transfers are infinitely preferable, as this saves long queues and extra work for the treasurers, but if you can’t do online banking we will accept a card payment. No cash though.
Please could you let us know if you aren’t planning on renewing as it saves Mandy having to chase you up and it means we can offer your place to somebody on the waiting list.

Think that’s everything

Much love

Vanessa

ps Bring your mug!

March Newsletter

Hello friends

Thanks Mandy for taking up the reins and sending out an email while I was on a fancy cruise searching for the northern lights in Norway. I had a completely fabulous time, despite a massive storm with 9 metre waves (which was probably the second worst night of my life, beaten only by my 57 hour labour with my first born! )

Lots to cover this month….

New venue
As you know, we’ve had to quickly find a new home after being unceremoniously kicked out of the Hub, so this month will be at the Trinity Methodist church. The address is Argyll Road, Westcliff, SS0 7HL but the entrance is on the London Road. It’s only a short walk from the car park at the top of Hamlet Court Road, or there’s parking in the nearby streets. Hopefully Trinity will tick all the boxes for us but at the end of the evening we’ll  decide if we like it enough to make it our permanent home.

Our next meeting Thursday the 9th. Doors 7.30 for an 8pm start
This month we will be having a pamper and social evening with people doing head massages, reflexology, painting nails etc. There will be Body Shop and Tropic stalls for you to browse and a speaker telling us all about non surgical beauty interventions like botox. I also decided you couldn’t possibly have a girly pamper evening without cupcakes so I’ll be baking a load of my favourite varieties.
We can’t promise that with time restraints and possible numbers attending everybody will be able to have a treatment, so to make it fair we’re going to have a draw, one ticket per member. When your number is called you book your place at the treatment of your choice until all the slots have gone.  Even if you don’t get a place it will still be  a fun evening with loads going on.

Trinity Food Bank
We are meeting at the church that runs the food bank we’ve been supporting, which seems appropriate. A representative will be coming along next week to tell us a bit more about what they do and if you have any donations you would like to bring,  they would be most welcome. As well as food there’s a need for things like toiletries, nappies and wipes.

Swapsies Table
This proved moderately successful last month so we’re giving it another go.  Basically, you bring in something that you don’t want any more and put it on the table. Could be a book, a jigsaw, pretty much anything, as long as it’s in good condition. Then everybody else peruses the donations to see if they want to rehome your cast off. If your donation hasn’t been snapped up you have to take it home with you though.

Charity nominations
If you have a charity you would like us to support in the next financial year, please could you let us know by email by the end of the month, along with a two line explanation. Mandy will compile a list and we will then all vote at the AGM in April.

Windsor Trip Saturday June 10th. Free transport!
This should be  a great day out, especially in Coronation year. WoSWI is paying for the coach so all you need to cough up is the £26 for entry to the castle. Of course, if you don’t want to see the castle you can just have a completely free day trip mooching around the shops or walking in the Great Park. Please let us know by the April meeting if you would like to reserve a place on the coach, and if you want a castle ticket, transfer the money (with the reference ‘Windsor Trip’) or pay by card in person. Bank details are below.  

Essex Federation County Annual Meeting Tuesday June 27th 2023.
This year the Essex meeting is nice and local at the Cliffs Pavilion (last year Jane and I got horribly lost in Colchester!). We will have music from Danny Foster from The Big Soul Corporation and the speaker is Gregg Wallace, who should be entertaining. The early bird rate if you book before April 30th is £16, and after that it will be £20. I announced the draw for a free ticket last month and congratulations to Jo Hughes for winning. Hopefully lots more of you would like to come too and join in the fun. The link for tickets is www.ticketsource.co.uk/fewi

Renewals
It’s £46 this year ( £22.60 for dual members who pay the full whack at another WI) and subs are due in April, although you can pay earlier if you’re feeling organised. Bank transfers are infinitely preferable, as this saves long queues and extra work for the treasurers, but if you can’t do online banking we will accept a card payment. No cash though.
Please could you let us know if you aren’t planning on renewing as it saves Mandy having to chase you up and it means we can offer your place to somebody on the waiting list.

Next Month April 13th
It’s AGM time, where once again I’ll be suggesting somebody else takes over as president, and once again, no doubt, I’ll find nobody else wants to!! On top of the usual AGM business we’ll be having a red, white and blue cooking challenge (and will eat the results!)

Think that’s everything

Much love

Vanessa

ps Bring your mug!

February Newsletter (2)

Hello ladies, 

Just for a change, it’s Mandy here this time. Vanessa is relaxing on holiday so I’m trying to send you all an email for the very first time. Fingers crossed it works! 

New Venue for March Meeting
Those of you who were at the February meeting will be aware that unfortunately we’re no longer able to use the Havens Hub for our meeting as the cafe owner has other plans (though we can’t possibly imagine what could be better than the WI).

We’ve contacted pretty much every venue in the area and have hit lots of brick walls but we have come up trumps with the Trinity Family Centre on the corner of the London Rd and Argyll Rd.  https://www.trinityfamilycentre.org/  It’s a lovely hall and we get to use the spotless kitchen too. This is the location of the food bank we’ve been supporting so it all ties in nicely. It’s a 2 minute walk from the car park at the top of Hamlet Court Road and there’s parking in the streets surrounding the venue. Just one thing though is that we’re not allowed to consume alcohol on the premises.

We’ve booked Trinity for our March meeting and we can see what we all think of it. I’m sure Vanessa will remind us about the new venue in her email just before the next meeting. 

Essex Federation County Annual Meeting – 27th June 2023 – Cliffs Pavilion
Vanessa provided details of the county annual meeting in her last email and we’re going to hold a draw for the free delegate ticket  given to all WIs. 

So, if any of you would like to attend for free, please reply to this email by the end of February. We’ll then pull a name out of the hat and announce the lucky winner. 

The only criteria is that you must be a member of WoSWI at the time of the meeting. 

Tickets are available to purchase via this link www.ticketsource.co.uk/fewi

Trip to Windsor Castle – 10th June 2023
Sarah has arranged a trip to Windsor Castle on Saturday June 10th. Pick-up time and place is to be confirmed. The cost is £26, which is the entrance fee only as WoSWI is paying for the coach. Please email woswi@hotmail.com to reserve a place. Payment should be made by bank transfer by the April 12th meeting or by card at the March/April meetings. At the moment it is members only but if there are places left we will open it to family and friends.

That’s all for now. 

Mandy

February Newsletter

Hello friends

Next Meeting Thursday the 9th. Doors 7.30 for an 8pm start
Following many requests for a comedian, this is the month! Here’s a bit of blurb about Pammie that I downloaded.

A Birmingham born woman with a strong Aussie accent, this former pub landlady turned comedian soon outgrew her small Kent village pub to perform her unique comedy set in comedy clubs and theatres all  over the UK and Europe. A regular at the Edinburgh fringe festival with her one woman shows, typically telling her honest and hilarious accounts of events in her life.

So looking forward to this!

Swapsies Table
I pitched this idea to the committee, having seen it in the Unofficial WI Facebook group, and we’ve decided to give it a go for three months to see whether it proves popular. Basically, you bring in something that you don’t want any more and put it on the table. Could be a book, item of clothing, a plant, pretty much anything, as long as it’s in good condition. Then everybody else peruses the donations to see if they want to rehome your cast off. Only one thing per person can be taken though – you can’t sweep the whole table into a massive bag and flog it all on FB marketplace! – and if your donation hasn’t been snapped up then you have to take it home with you. Simples.

Quiz Night
Much fun was had at the quiz night. Many thanks to Jo for her fab questions, Anne for scoring, Christine for donating her £21 heads and tails win back to the charity pot, and the rest of the committee for setting up etc. I haven’t got the exact amount we raised as yet but it’s around £300. That will help feed a lot of hungry families.

Charity nominations
If you have a charity you would like us to support in the next financial year, please could you let us know by email. Mandy will compile a list and we will then all vote at the AGM in April. The rules are that it has to be a local charity and it has to be something that could benefit local women. So the food bank, or hospital, or our local Age Concern would be OK. The RSPCA  or sending money to Ukraine wouldn’t.

Essex Federation County Annual Meeting Tuesday June 27th 2023.
This year the Essex meeting is nice and local at the Cliffs Pavilion. I went to my first one in Colchester last year with Jane Sealey and we had a really good day. It’s great to feel part of something much wider than just our little WoSWI and the speakers and entertainment were excellent. I remember thinking how lovely it would have been if we had a big group of us to hang out and have a laugh so this is our chance. This year we have music from Danny Foster from The Big Soul Corporation and the speaker is Gregg Wallace, who should be interesting. The early bird rate if you book before April 30th is £16, and after that it will be £20. We do have one free ticket though so we’ll do a draw. 

March 9th
Next month we’ll be having a Pamper Evening and we’ve booked people to do massages, reflexology, nail painting etc. We also have a speaker introducing us to non surgical things we can have done to look more gorgeous, like botox, and we have representatives from Body Shop and Tropic selling their wares. The evening will kick off with a brief talk from the Trinity food bank, telling us how our donations are being used.

See you all next week.

Much love

Vanessa

January Newsletter

Hello friends

A very happy new year to you all.

 Next Meeting Thursday the 12th
Do you remember a year ago or so when our poor speaker, an expert on willow weaving, turned up, was violently ill and had to go straight home again? We were all most disappointed to miss her talk, especially as she’d lugged in so many interesting examples of her craft, so thankfully she is able to join us next week. I love all the woven willow  art  in the Winter garden at Hyde Hall so I’ll be most interested to see how it’s done.

Unwanted Christmas Gifts Auction
Had a present that didn’t quite hit the mark? Your regifting drawer already full to overflowing? Whether it’s toiletries in a scent you hate (Lily of the Valley, I’m looking at you) or a red lace suspender set from your ever optimistic but somewhat delusional husband, bring them all in and I’ll auction them off. All proceeds to go to our (very grateful) local food bank.

Quiz Night
Sort out your teams of 8 and bring your brains to another of our ever popular quiz nights. Friday January 27th is the date, the Hub is the venue, and £40 per team is the cost. We will be taking payment next week and cards are preferable to cash as they make life so much easier for our treasurers.

Guests
Just a quick reminder that as we are now at full capacity we will be limiting guests to 5 per meeting to make sure our members are safe and comfortable. All guests need to book their spot in advance by email and only one visit per guest.

February 9th
Many people have requested a comedian, and goodness knows we could all do with a laugh at the moment, so for our Feb meeting we have booked the fabulous Pammy. Here’s some blurb about her.

A Birmingham born woman with a strong Aussie accent, this former pub landlady turned comedian soon outgrew her small Kent village pub to perform her unique comedy set in comedy clubs and theatres all  over the UK and Europe. A regular at the Edinburgh fringe festival with her one woman shows, typically telling her honest and hilarious accounts of events in her life.

So looking forward to catching up with you all next week.

Much love

Vanessa

ps.
 DON’T FORGET YOUR MUG!

Christmas Party

Hello friends

I’m writing to you earlier in the month than usual as I want to give you plenty of time to get ready for our Christmas party on December 8th. As you already know, we are having a murder mystery evening. What you don’t know yet is that it’s set around a death at a 50th birthday party in the 1960s! It’s by no means essential – I know not everybody likes dressing up – but if you fancied digging out your flower power bell bottoms or Mary Quant mini dress it would really set the scene and up the fun factor.

The evening’s performance has been specially written for us by Starlight Productions. If you would like to get a sneak peak of their work, they are putting on a panto of ‘Dick Whittington and his Cat’ December 2nd to 4th at St Andrews Church Hall, Shoebury. £8.50 a ticket.

There are a few important things to note:

The evening will start an hour earlier than usual, at 7pm. Doors will open at 6.45pm. This gives us enough time to solve the murder and it also means we won’t be eating too late.

I am cooking a three-course meal so bring an appetite. You need to have reserved your place so this is your last chance to do so if you haven’t already. Strictly members only.

You also need to bring a knife, fork and spoon, and anything you like to drink, plus a glass to put it in. And your trusty mug if you’ll be wanting a hot drink. Do not forget your cutlery or you’ll be eating with your hands! Sturdy disposable plates will be provided.

Think that’s everything. Really looking forward to a great night with you all.

Much love

Vanessa

November Newsletter

Hello friends

Meeting next Thursday the 10th
This month is a busy one!
– We’ll be starting to get into the festive spirit by making 
rag wreathes (although, thinking about it, they don’t have to be Christmas themed if you don’t want). We will be supplying all the materials but if you have a particular colour scheme in mind you are welcome to bring your own fabrics. A wreath is made up of 100-150 little strips of material, each about 1 inch by seven inches. Your own scissors would be useful but Jo has also spent the month pre cutting strips for us. She’s so lovely.
 – There will be luxury 
mince pies from all the supermarkets, cut into quarters, for you to taste and compare.
 – We also have an array of craft stalls to kick off your Christmas shopping. They may well not take cards so make sure you remember to 
bring cash. 

Doors Opening
As there is an enormous amount of setting up to do this month 
we won’t be opening the doors until 7.30so don’t come early or you’ll be forced to go to the pub down the road. Talking of pubs, if you have been missing a tipple from the bar at our meetings you are welcome to bring your own drinks.

December 8th
For our Christmas celebration we have a murder mystery evening, performed by a cast of actors. As I will be cooking a three course meal for you I need everybody to book their place so that I know how much to cook. (The thought of under catering is the stuff of nightmares!) If you haven’t yet done so, and you won’t be at the November meeting, please drop us an email to reserve your spot. And if you know you definitely won’t be coming could you let us know that too to save Mandy having to following up with people? This is strictly 
members only. As we have a full evening of entertainment we will be extending our meeting hours to start at 7pm and finish at 10pm. Such fun!

Membership is now full!
Since our very popular move to the Hub we have been overwhelmed with interest and new members. We set our capacity at 75, bearing in mind that not everybody comes every month, but, I have to say, last month we were rammed. Any prospective new members will need to join the waiting list and we have also decided, after some discussion, that 
next year we will need to limit guests at our meetings. We have set this at 5 guests per meeting and any prospective guest needs to book in advance by emailing in –  first come first served. Also, a guest can only come once to see if they like us and would like to be added to the waiting list. This decision is purely down to space and available chairs – we can’t have meetings where our members don’t get a seat or we are dangerously packed in like sardines. I do hope you understand, and of course this can always be revisited should things change. 
 
Quiz night
We will be holding one of our ever popular quiz nights on 
Friday January 27th in the Hub. The cost will be £40 for a table of 8 so now’s the time to start putting your team together. Only one table per member please. 

Looking forward to seeing you all next week

Much love

Vanessa

ps.
 DON’T FORGET YOUR MUG!

October Newsletter

Hello friends

Meeting next Thursday the 13th
Some of us have friends and family members who have changed gender or are in the process of making that change. Others of us are completely confused by the whole thing. This is a chance to find out more as we have Gina, a transgender police officer, coming to talk to us about her life. Should be fascinating and eye opening but I’m told that Gina is also very entertaining.

November 10th
Craft stalls, rag wreath making, and taste testing mince pies from every single supermarket, Lidl to Waitrose.

December 8th
For our Christmas celebration we have a murder mystery evening, complete with actors playing the various characters and a three course meal for everybody, cooked by yours truly. This will be for members only so make sure any friends who are considering joining us crack on before we’re full (we currently have three spaces left before the waiting list is dusted off).

I will be asking everybody to book their place so that I know how much to cook. If you are planning on joining us in December but aren’t able to attend the October or November meeting to book in person, make sure you email us and we’ll add you to the list. Let me know if you have any dietary requirements too. 

Guests
If you are planning on bringing a guest along, please would you let us know by emailing in advance? Now that we are very nearly at full capacity we will need to be mindful about numbers in the hall.

Date for your Diary
We will be holding one of our ever popular quiz nights on Friday January 27th in the Hub. More info to follow.

Looking forward to seeing you all next week

Much love

Vanessa

ps. DON’T FORGET YOUR MUG!

September Newsletter

Hello friends

Meeting next Thursday the 8th
Trevor Cornforth from Chalkwell Auctions will be coming to share his tales and anecdotes and value our antiques. Please bring along a treasure or two but don’t go mad and turn up with a trolley full or he won’t be able to do them all. Also, BRING A MUG! If you would be happy to bake a cake for us, please can you drop us an email? We’ll reimburse costs, up to a fiver. 

October 13th
A thought provoking talk with Gina, a transgender police officer

November 10th
Craft stalls, rag wreath making, and taste testing mince pies from every single supermarket, Lidl to Waitrose.

December 8th
For our Christmas celebration we have a murder mystery evening, complete with actors playing the various characters and a three course meal for everybody, cooked by yours truly (clearly had a blow to the head when I offered to do that!!) This will be for members only so make sure any friends who are considering joining us crack on before we’re full.

Next year
2023 is taking shape nicely. The willow lady will be making a much anticipated return in January. And due to popular demand we have a comedian in February! Cougar Pammy, hot from her four star reviewed show at Edinburgh, will be coming to tickle our funny bones and brighten up a dreary time of the year. We’re working on your other ideas and will be talking about them at the meeting next week, so watch this space.

Trips
Our outing to Barnards Farm in Orsett is on September 4th (this Sunday) meeting at 1pm. You’ll need to book your own ticket and sort  out transport but if you need a lift, let us know and we’ll see what we can do. Below is some info I’ve copied from their site.

The creation of this garden over the last 35 years and opening in aid of the National Garden Scheme has been a labour of love for owners Bernard and Sylvia Holmes. A visit is an exuberant, absorbing experience not to be missed. Extending over 17 hectares, the garden’s heroic size is matched by the memorable main vista between undulating yew hedges, and the fantastic collection of sculptures including works by Anthony Gormley and Elizabeth Frink and a Sitooterie by Thomas Heatherwick.

The garden also holds the Plant Heritage national collection of Malus and children love the numerous discoveries to be made and the miniature railway. 

Raffle
We’re trying out a new slimmed down raffle with fewer prizes but higher value, including envelopes of cold hard cash! (Probably not all that cold, or hard either for that matter, as it will be notes, but you get the picture!)

Looking forward to seeing you all next week

Much love

Vanessa

August Newsletter

Hello friends

Picnic
We will be gathering next Thursday 11th at Shoebury East Beach at 6.30pm. Anne will be marking the meeting spot with one of those tall festival flags so look out for the rainbow colours fluttering in the  sunshine (hopefully!). You’ll need to bring a chair and your picnic.

Membership Numbers
Wasn’t our last meeting fabulously busy and buzzing? Our new venue really does seem to be bringing people in and we had a record number of guests, seven of whom have become members.  Due to the surge in interest we’ve realised that we’re going to need to put a cap on numbers, so if you know anybody who is thinking about joining, tell them not to miss the boat! Can I also ask you to please let us know in advance if you would like to bring a guest, rather than just turning up with them? It helps so much with planning. Thanks in advance.

Alcohol
Just a quick mention that you are welcome to bring a bottle of wine or your tipple of choice to meetings, if you miss not having the bar. Can I urge you to bring a mug too. Those little cups and saucers barely hold enough for  a pixie and it’s a complete pain when we’re left with a load of washing up.

September Meeting
Next month we’re going to be having an antiques expert to share his stories and anecdotes and also value our treasures, just like the Antiques Road Show (only with cake). This is your chance to dig out great aunt Edna’s stuffed poodle or your cherished Ming vase.

The rest of the year in brief
In October we will be having a thought provoking meeting with a transgender police officer. November is Christmas themed and we’ll be sampling and comparing festive food offerings from all the different supermarkets so we can stock up on our favourites, plus we’ll be making a rag wreath. We’ll also have craft stalls so if you know anybody who would like to have a stall, please let us know.  Our December celebration will be a murder mystery party!

Trips
Our outing to Barnards Farm in Orsett is on September 4th, meeting at 1pm. You’ll need to book your own ticket and sort out transport but if you need a lift, let us know and we’ll see what we can do. Below is some info I’ve copied from their site. (If you’re wondering what on earth a ‘sitooterie’ is, I’ve looked it up. It’s a Scots word for a garden house ie somewhere to ‘sit oot’! And a malus is an apple tree. Even though it sounds like a snail). 

The creation of this garden over the last 35 years and opening in aid of the National Garden Scheme has been a labour of love for owners Bernard and Sylvia Holmes. A visit is an exuberant, absorbing experience not to be missed. Extending over 17 hectares, the garden’s heroic size is matched by the memorable main vista between undulating yew hedges, and the fantastic collection of sculptures including works by Anthony Gormley and Elizabeth Frink and a Sitooterie by Thomas Heatherwick. The garden also holds the Plant Heritage national collection of Malus and children love the numerous discoveries to be made and the miniature railway. 

See you in September

Much love

Vanessa