Story lovers: do you listen to BBC Radio 4 or BBC Sounds? Search for The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier! It is a beautiful story

Constitution

 Here are the first objects of the WI, as stated in the Constitution, very interesting when you look at what we want from our WI:

The main purposes of the Women’s Institute organisation are:

(a) to advance the education of women and girls for the public benefit in all areas including (without limitation):

(i) local, national and international issues of political and social importance;

(ii) music, drama and other cultural subjects; and

(iii) all branches of agriculture, crafts, home economics, science, health and social welfare;

February Dog Walk

 A small, select and intrepid group of us enjoyed a walk at Broadsands this afternoon. The café stop was especially welcome! Thank you for your lovely company!

Remember those courses at Denman College?

 Long term WI members may recall the former Denman College which belonged to the WI and ran a wide range of courses. Derbyshire Federation has organised a weekend which may be of interest: 

We still have a few places available for our weekend with Derbyshire Federation Of Women's Institutes at Eastwood Hall, Nottinghamshire, on April 5/6th. The cost of £270 covers two days tuition on your course of choice plus en suite single bedrooms and all meals and refreshments. You can enjoy the company and friendship of like minded WI members, particularly in the evening at our renowned Derbyshire welcome and you will have full use of the gym and swimming pool (if you can find the time!). If you need more info contact Barbara.bailey@dfwi.co.uk or to book telephone Derbyshire House on 01332342596 and our lovely Aly will take all the required details. Hope to see you there!

For your enjoyment….

 What is happening for us this week?

Monday - 2pm meet at Broadsands for a walk with your dog. You are all still very welcome to come if you don’t have a dog! Walk ends with a cup of something warming at the café!

Wednesday - 2pm Institute meeting at the Cricket Club. All members + invited guests to hear Robert Hesketh’s talk about ghosts! Remember to bring all the things! (Check your email!)

Painting session!

 Tuesday 25th February 6.30 until 9.15 pm. £20, it will be a painting on canvas, which will be varnished for us afterwards! Please let me know asap whether you are in or can’t make it! Mark will give a demonstration and then guidance throughout. 

It’s WI Time!

 Emails have been sent to each one of our members today…..I hope! I must admit to have been in a kind of tangle with it, so it may be that some may receive more than one, and others nothing at all. Apologies! Please let me know if you haven’t received an email from Brixham WI today! (I know, how are you going to realise if you didn’t get the email? Fingers crossed your good friends might tell you!) 

Here it is, anyway! 

Hello Brixham WI!

At January’s meeting we voted to continue supporting the Yes!Brixham food bank. Please bring your donation if you wish.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 19th February at the Cricket Club, 2pmstart.

We are looking forward to hearing Robert Hesketh talk about Myths and Ghosts! We originally booked him to speak one October - but for whatever reason it didn’t happen!

We will be asking for your ideas and thoughts about our plans and programme for next year, so please come prepared to share what it is you would like from our WI.

Diary dates to note: Monday 17th 2pm Broadsands car park - dog walk (You can join in even if you don’t have a dog! - all welcome!)

Wednesday 26th February craft afternoon: an introduction to the Life on the Edge project and making a scandi woven heart. (Please bring scissors for paper cutting!)

Also! Please bring your name badge, mug, 50p for tea & biscuit, 50p for a raffle ticket and a flower for the competition. 

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday,

Brixham WI Committee

Time for some fun? - update!

More info from Mark about or proposed painting session (still no date as yet!):-

“My suggestion would be that we take one of my Brixham sunset paintings as reference and I demo techniques and guide everyone through that process so it's a tutored (but very fun) session and everyone will produce a piece that they will be really proud of.

 We can do them on a canvas and I can varnish them and then deliver them up to you”

If you are interested in an evening of painting at the Mark Bell Artist shop in Bolton Street (opposite the Birdcage), arranged just for our WI members…please let me know.

Take a look at their Facebook page, or drop in to the shop, and you will see that they organise evenings that anyone can turn up to. The next ones are 28th Feb and 7th March, you would need to sort that out for yourself.

We have 17 people so far, and the maximum number Mark can take is 16. I guess there will be at least one of us who can’t make the date he suggests!

Another brilliant idea from All on the Board

 Make a note in your diary for this day 2026. We will do it! Each and every one of us is invited! 

With a few more ideas for 14th Feb - we could easily manage Cafentines Day at the Berry Head Hotel! 

What’s On?

Everything is happening for us on Wednesday this week!

11 am : Bookworms with Rebecca Carpenter

1 o’clock : committee meeting

Green Scandinavian Heart

 Here is an idea of the heart we will be making at our craft session on Wednesday 26th Feb, alongside the introduction to our Life on the Edge launch event. Ours will be green, rather than red! 

26th Feb

 Not long to go until our new venture! Exploring our local flora and fauna (let’s hope it’s indoors to begin with!)

Let us know you want to join in! Jackie, our green heart tutor needs to know how many to prepare for.

Cribbage this afternoon

 Thank you, Tina for a great afternoon! We had an entertaining and most enjoyable afternoon, helping each other to remember the scoring!

Have you seen a couple of hands like this before? No skulduggery involved!

This week

 Tuesday 10.30 monthly coffee morning at the Berry Head Hotel

Wednesday 2pm Cribbage at the Rugby Club. Let Tina know you will be there

Thursday 2pm Colouring at the Golf Club. Let Jayne know you will be there.

For your diary:

 This week, in the long month of January we have only one of our monthly events to look forward to:

Monday 2pm Sew Mondays at Jill Haslam’s - newcomers and regulars welcome! Please let Jill know you are coming on our WhatsApp group.

Book Share report from Jayne

 Lovely Bookshare today when Sparks treated us all to cake. Of course we sang. Belated lucky dip for Christmas absentees then a quick chat about Rabbit at Rest and author John Updike.

Discussion about other books read revealed a wide range of genres with people commenting that they were reading books they wouldn’t normally have chosen.

Members had been reading and enjoying books and authors ( Sebastian Faulks, Robert Harris, Val McDermid, Barbara Kingsolver,) recommended at previous meetings.

New recommendations included the Element series by John Aboyne, No one saw a thing, by Andrea Mara and the Terry Pratchet Discworld series. Highly recommended was Moving by Jenny Eclair, whilst For the Love of Dogs (Paul O’Grady) was described as a lovely book.

Two other special mentions were Butter by Asako Yuzuki and Near Future by Suzanne’s Evans.

The new book, the Tenant of Wildfell Hall lead to a brief chat about the Brontë sisters. Our thoughts next month will be interesting.

New Year Meal

 Our New Year meal at the Berry Head Hotel was a very lovely event! Good food, excellent company and all round very enjoyable. A big thank you to Sheila and Jill H for organising everything so well, to Mary H for making our very beautiful place cards and to Lynne for arranging the raffle and flowers.

Yes!Brixham

 At our meeting last week, we voted unanimously to continue supporting Yes!Brixham. 

Here is how, alongside what they have on offer for each of us, if we choose! 

 Diary Dates for this week:

Wednesday: 12 for 12.30 at the Berry Head Hotel for our New Year meal together.

Thursday: 2pm Book Share at the Golf Club (Sorry, I had that at the wrong sports club initially!)

Let’s talk about incontinence

…..came in a very close second during our vote today (including those members who kindly let me have their votes this afternoon on the WhatsApp group. 

Pat has kindly given us some very pertinent and useful information for anyone interested: the ‘just can’t wait’ card is to use when necessary when out in town, for example. Shops will allow the holder to use their facilities. 

The resolution which received the most votes was Bystanders can be lifesavers. Our votes will be sent to DFWI, who will collate and send a response from the whole of Devon WIs to NFWI. 

Resolution 1  15 votes - incontinence

Resolution  2  21 votes - lifesavers

Resolution  3   0 votes - repairs

Resolution  4   4 votes - medication packaging

This Week in Brixham WI

 This week is our Institute meeting on Wednesday at 2pm at the Cricket Club. Please bring your name badge, mug, flower and, if you choose, an item for the Yes!Brixham foodbank.

We will discuss the resolutions, ready for you to make your own decision about which one to vote for. What can we, the WI do to make a difference with one of these?

Let’s talk about incontinence

Bystanders are first aiders

Join the repair revolution

Eliminate landfill medication packaging

Photo taken last summer at Sunny Corner near Truro

Temu or Shein shoppers?

Please take a moment to read this article! 

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdrylgvr77jo

Panto!

 A splendid time was had by all at the pantomime in Paignton this afternoon! An excellent entertainment, much enjoyed with plenty of laughs, shouting, singing and applauding! Thank you to Lynn for organising everything for us! Also to our drivers for taking us! 

Next time let’s all wear a tiara and really enter into the spirit! 

Reading Enthusiasts look here!

 In the library this afternoon for the drumming workshop, I couldn't help but notice the display of childrens’ books! Instantly, that excitement of seeing all of those enticing stories, that I always felt as a child in the library, came back to me!

Then I saw this post on Brixham Library’s Facebook page! Just in case anyone else feels the same!

I’m not sure whether the donation can be made in real life over the desk in the library - I shall find out!

Incidentally, the drumming workshop was wonderful!

Wednesday 15th January 2025

 Our January Institute meeting, next Wednesday at 2pm at the Cricket Club will be the occasion for us to discuss and choose which resolution to vote for. If you wish to continue donating to the Yes Brixham food bank, please bring it along. (Also your flower, mug, name badge)

This is your own, personal, individual vote according to your own choice.

We count the votes and return the results to DFWI, who then pass the votes for Devon on to NFWI. The resolution chosen by the majority will be debated at the NFWI Annual Meeting on 4th June.

The four resolutions are listed in the November/December issue of WI Life magazine, as well as on MyWI and our blog.

Let’s talk about incontinence, Bystanders can be lifesavers, Join the repair revolution and Eliminate landfill of medication packaging

An exciting new project for us!

 https://www.southdevon-nl.org.uk/projects/life-on-the-edge/

Bookworms - January meet

Good morning, Bookworms met yesterday for our monthly meeting. We discussed the doll factory by Elizabeth MacNeal. Overall we found the book compelling more than enjoyable with some gruesome scenes! It showed an insight into the mind of a stalker and their thoughts and we enjoyed references to the great exhibition! Probably not one we’d read again.

Other books/authors read this month include

‘Cyprus maze’ by Fiona Valpy

‘Woman on the ledge’ Ruth Manchini

Lucinda Riley

Ruth Jones

And the Housemaid by Freida McFadden

We all enjoyed the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special!

This months book is A heart full

Of headstones by Ian Rankin

WI National Annual Meeting

 The 2025 NFWI Annual Meeting is a virtual one, observer tickets cost £5 from here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2025-nfwi-annual-meeting-observer-tickets-tickets-1043478230477?aff=oddtdtcreator

Wednesday 4th June

The keynote speaker is Angel Strawbridge!

Another speaker is Emma Bridgewater!

An opportunity not to be missed

Cribbage Club

 What a great way to spend a rather dismal afternoon! Cribbage, fun and a fair bit of chat! Thank you Tina Hemmings for organising and to the others for their company. Obviously Ann held the winning hand!

Meet again Wednesday 5th February in the bar of the Rugby Club. All welcome.

January Coffee Morning

 The monthly coffee morning yesterday was warm, friendly and a great deal of topics were covered during the chatting!

Same again next month: 10.30 at the Berry Head Hotel.

The photo was taken at last November’s meeting when Wendy was presented with a trophy, by Lynn.

Opportunities for a very sociable WI week!

 Well! We began slowly last week - lots of things this week!

Tuesday: 10.30 coffee morning at the Berry Head Hotel. Simply turn up and join in!

Wednesday: 11 - Book Worms. Organised by Rebecca.

2 o’clock: Cribbage - organised by Tina. All welcome, regardless of card playing experience. Please let Tina know you are coming to the bar at Brixham Rugby Club.

Thursday: 2 o’clock - committee meeting at Ann P’s house

Sunday: 1.30 meet in the bar at the Palace theatre, Paignton for the Pantomime! Organised by Lynn!

I have included details below of a drumming session at the library on Saturday; a few of us went to this last year, and it was great!

Something more from ‘All on the Board’