KIRTON AND FALKENHAM WI
Next meeting: Thursday Nov 10th at 2.00pm in Kirton and Falkenham Village Hall.
AGM followed by speaker: Felicity Kaplan
Subject: Transcendental Meditation.
Competition: Short sentence on ‘How I like to relax’.
Trading Stall: miscellaneous
If you’re new to the village, are of the feminine gender, and are wondering how you can become part of this new community you’re entering why not join the Kirton and Falkenham Women’s Institute. We’re a lively bunch, have been growing recently and are always looking for new members of all ages. We meet every second Thursday of the month at 2pm in the village hall. Here we are entertained by a variety of speakers on subjects ranging from Suffolk Murders to Costume Design to Transcendental Meditation (see above). Those are just examples taken from this year’s programme. There are always eats provided on a rota basis by members.
If you join you can also become involved in numerous other diversions. In the near future we will be going on an evening tour of Otley Hall by candle-light, devoting our December meeting to Christmas celebrations and probably having a meal out early in 2017. These are just things organised by our own WI. Going further afield out local group always stages an annual meeting with entertainment and delicious refreshments, while the Suffolk East Federation arranges outings, has a yearly AGM at Trinity Park with a nationally famous speaker and takes members on various holidays (I have been on several including one to the south of France). On a national level the main Federation, based in London, holds their AGM in various parts of the country (this year it’s in Liverpool) and this always proves to be a very impressive affair. They also organise highly ambitious holidays including one recently to Canada so that people could visit the place where the WI first started, a village called Stony Creek. Non-members, such as friends and partners, are always welcome to come on such holidays. Besides all of this, the WI owns its own college: a fine old house with luxurious accommodation in extensive grounds near Oxford. Denman runs an enormous range of courses from botanic illustration to instruction on polishing up your driving skills. If any of these activities sound attractive come and give us a look; you’ll be very welcome.
Our speaker at the October meeting was Mr Dennis Lumkin who took us on a journey around Europe and England by means of projected photos and accompanying music. Although he had little to say for himself we found it very entertaining as we were whisked from Vienna to a place called Seefeld which has snow-capped mountains, chalet-style houses, cable cars and even people paragliding off the mountains; all this to the accompaniment of Strauss waltzes. From here we were suddenly transported across the Atlantic to celebrate Christmas at the Niagara Falls before coming back to England and travelling to Cumbria where hot-air balloons floated above the lakes and we visited Hawkshead, Grassmere and Wordsworth and Beatrix potter country. Then followed a zoo in Lancashire, the town of Chester and Southport airshow where we were treated to a fly past by the Red Arrows. Coming back nearer to home we saw Felixstowe in the snow, the River Orwell with its tankers and fishing boats and fishermen on the pier at Harwich. Finally we sailed back across the river on the ferry and came ashore at Languard Point. Although some people would have liked a little more explanation of what they were viewing most voted it a very relaxing afternoon.
Pauline Topple and Valerie Bines
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