Upper Clatford Women’s Institute meets on Third Wednesday of the month in the King Edward VII Memorial Hall,Village Street,Upper Clatford,Sp11 7QL at 7.30pm. There is usually a guest speaker followed by refreshments and time for a chat and the evening ends with a short business meeting which deals with past and forthcoming events. We are a friendly group of about 36 members and are always pleased to welcome visitors and potential new members to our meetings. We have a Drama Group, Craft group, Theatre group, Book Group, Walking Group and a Lunch Group, all of whom meet on a regular basis. We also organise trips and events covering a wide range of interests, so there is usually something to suit everyone.
New Members are always promised a warm welcome. If you simply wanted to come along as a “taster”, then please contact one of the numbers below and you would be more than welcome to come along as a guest to begin with.
President: Elizabeth Male
Vice President: Carol O’Leary
Secretary: Maureen Dyson
Treasurer: Pam Finlay
Committee: Rene Pinchbeck, Pam Finlay, Jane Cooke, Jenny Welsh, Liz Male, Maureen Dyson, Shirley Adams, Morag Cameron, Carol O’Leary
Committee Meetings are usually held on the first Monday in the month at 2.3opm
Our Programme for 2017/18 includes talks and acitivities, some of which are listed below
2017
September meeting: Moringa Oleifera – with Helen Carter
October: A group trip to Salisbury Races
October: Group meeting – Trading Post at Weyhill Fairground
October: Some members are attending the Area Meeting at The Anvil, Basingstoke
November meeting: “From Dalek to Digital” with Deborah Wheeler
November: Fun Race Night with supper – tickets from Pam Finlay
December: Christmas Lunch at Esseborne Manor
December: Annual Christmas Mince Pie coffee morning 7th Dec – village hall am
2018
January meeting: Resolutions
January: Quiz Night with supper 20th Jan – tickets from Pam Finlay
February meeting: Upper Clatford Centenary Meeting – Meal and entertainment
March meeting: Joyce Grenfell – with Trisha Lewis
April meeting: Our Lost World – with Antony Wood
May meeting: AGM
June meeting: Dung & Harlots – Part III – with Andrew Negus
We are always looking for new speakers who can entertain and inform our group on a wide range of topics. Our speaker selection group meets at the beginning of each year to organise the programme and everyone is encouraged to come along and put forward any ideas they may have for topics for the year.
We are very involved in village activities. We have a bee-hive which provides honey for us to sell on our produce stalls throughout the year and we look after a “bee friendly” garden at the Village Hall.
We hold an Annual Cream Tea, usually in August, which is very well patronised. We sell home made scones & jam, hold a raffle and normally have a craft table of items we have made, together with other produce, plants and bric a brac.
In addition, we have an Annual Mince Pie coffee morning in December, again which is always busy. We have small gift items on sale, again usually things the craft group have made themselves, together with home made mince pies/cake etc. These events are held in the village hall, Upper Clatford.
We also provide a tea tent at the Upper Clatford Village May Fayre each year, which again, is always a resounding success and contributes to the village funds. The Village May Fayre committee then distributes those funds to various groups and organisations within the village, our WI being one of them. In 2017 we put this towards funding a days Pottery Workshop for our members which was tremendous fun. In 2018 we intend to put our grant towards our Centenary Celebrations – 100 years of the WI in Upper Clatford.
Anyone interested in joining us please contact Liz Male (01264 359319) or Maureen Dyson (01264 394806), where you would be promised a warm welcome from this friendly group of women.