Insect Surveying and Recording - April LotE

 This afternoon’s Life on the Edge surveying and recording session was glorious! We learned such a lot from Sam and Stuart today about pollinators, plants, apps on our phones for recognition and recording - it was absolutely fantastic! After an explanation of what we were about to do, why and how, we did two surveys each. The first in the meadow adjoining the car park and the second just along from the café. The weather was amazing and we were engrossed! Stuart had even brought everything to make a cup of tea for us all!

It was relaxing and very enjoyable, definitely to be repeated!

Now we are set to count and record wherever we go! Citizen Science! 

If you are a bit fed up that you missed this superb opportunity, there is another chance for you on May 14th: follow this link to find out https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/south-devon-national-landscape

 

Life on the Edge - next event!

 Our Life on the Edge walk - insect surveying and recording is happening on Wednesday 30th April. 

Time spent in nature has been shown to boost concentration, reduce stress, and improve memory — all while giving you the space to take in new ideas! 
Do you recall listening to Sam, the Conservation officer, at our LotE launch? He will be leading the walk and telling us all about it!

This event isn’t appropriate for dogs, or anyone who isn’t happy about walking on uneven terrain. Please bring a drink and snacks if you need them and wear appropriate footwear and clothing. Meet at the Berry Head car park at the end of Gillard Road ready to set off at 2pm. Ending at 4.30.

Photo taken by Stephen Falk

Oops!

 Sorry, I have made an error on the calendar. Colouring happens on the first Thursday of the month, which will be May 1st. 

Calendar

 

Ever tried bowling?

 Make plans for next Sunday! Our bowls club members have an invitation for us - and anyone else who is interested!

Rainy Days ahead?

 As the weather appears to be encouraging more indoor rather than outdoor activities, here are a couple of ideas which might liven up your day! Click on this link to find out more https://learninghub.thewi.org.uk/

Great Green Bush Cricket

 Our new header photo was taken by Karim Vahed

Sew Mondays!

 Sew Mondays people! We are so very much ahead of the game! Look at this photo I have copied from a post on Facebook!

April Institute Meeting

 At our meeting yesterday we listened to Alex, a first aid trainer from World Class Training, who explained very clearly and thoroughly what happens and how to use a defibrillator. He talked us through the whole situation so that we all came away feeling that we learned a great deal. He also listed the sites of the defibrillators in Brixham. A top class speaker.

Our Annual Meeting ran very smoothly indeed, we re elected Lynn, Sheila, Tina, Ann P, Jill H, Jan DW and Sparks to the committee and Lynn as our President. We received a surprise gift in the form of Ann W as a new committee member!

Mary H has once again created a splendid programme for us - it contains names, dates events, email & blog addresses and a couple of phone numbers, too. On the back are the words to Jerusalem in case you usually have to hum! Everything you ever needed to know and more!

Welcome to Brixham WI committee, Ann Walton!

 

If you didn’t attend yesterday’s meeting, you have yet to collect your programme containing all of the information you need for 2025/26 Brixham WI. In addition you can collect the packet of local flower seeds (with detailed information sheet) to create your pocket meadow as part of our Life on the Edge project.

Contact Tina for your programme and me for the seeds.

Photo from the Oxford Botanic Gardens

Membership news

 We have had an extra fast take up of spaces, so thank you all for paying your subs promptly. Of the 5 women we invited from the waiting list, 4 have now joined too. There is now nobody on the waiting list.

This is how the committee has decided to fill any remaining spaces to conform to the 66 members our bye-law allows.

This information will be posted on the blog and both FB pages later today.

As there appears to be quite a demand to join Brixham WI, it doesn't feel fair for us to pick from the many women who have shown interest after we closed the waiting list, we have decided to invite women to email us on 1st May after 12 noon, at our Brixham WI email.

brixham@devonwi.org.uk.

Only emails received after 12 noon, will be taken in the order of their receipt and those first people will be invited to join us and advised accordingly. Only applications via email will be considered. Women can get a friend to apply on their behalf if an email is difficult for them. Any phone calls or other contacts to committee members will not be acceptable.

When we post this on the Brixham WI Facebook page, we would like it if current members go into the old FB page (not the Members only one) and "like" the post. This will hopefully bring the algorithm to more people.

Thank you.  Tina Hemmings

April Craft

 Next Wednesday 23rd April, 2 until 4pm at Brixham Rugby Club: Hammering flowers! Yes!

Bring £4, a mug, a hammer, quite a bit of newspaper as a pad for your hammering, paper and a few flowers or fleshy leaves. This is a learning by doing opportunity as opposed to a learning from a skilled practitioner.
Photo taken at the Oxford botanic gardens.

Recycling empty blister packs

 Here is a medium sized zero waste bag, £35 from https://zerowastebag.co.uk

Just in case anyone is really interested in recycling the empty blister packs. Thank you to Rebecca Carpenter for finding this out - she reckons this one might last her for about a year!

Life on the Edge

 Our next Life on the Edge project session is on Wednesday 30th April. Meeting at 2 o’clock at Berry Head car park. Wear waterproof gear and comfortable shoes! Insect surveying and recording!

Only 20 places available - sign up at our Institute meeting on Wednesday 16th April!

Calendar update

 Brixham WI is ahead of the game! Even before the resolution is discussed at the NFWI Annual Meeting, we have our defibrillator training at our meeting this coming Wednesday!

Interested to know more…

 ..about the thrift clearwing in our new header photo? Photo taken by Rob Skinner

 Annual Meeting 16th April 2025 - 3.30pm

Brixham WI held at Brixham Cricket Club

1. Minutes of 2024 Annual Meeting

2. Matters Arising

3. Byelaws

4. Financial Statement - Ann Parker, Treasurer

5. Committee Annual Report - Sparks Beattie, Vice President

6. Adoption of Annual Report - Lynn Asher, President

7. Result of ballot for the committee - Lynn Asher

8. Election of President - Sparks Beattie

9. Vote of Thanks to the Committee

10. President’s Address - Lynn Asher

11. Close of Annual Meeting

    
    

    
    

    Minutes of Brixham WI Annual Meeting

     2.00 p.m.  17th April 2024 

    
    

    1. All members had paid, receipts issued and GDPR papers signed.

    2. Jerusalem was sung.

    
    

    3. Minutes of previous Annual Meeting, distributed previously, were approved.

    
    

    4. There were no matters arising.

    
    

    5. Two byelaws were reviewed: membership to be limited to 60

    President’s terms of office to be limited 3 years, extended to 4 if members so wish.

    
    

    6. Treasurer Ann Parker presented the financial statement, hard copies of which were available to all members. After Ann Parker proposed its adoption, seconded by Barbara Lawrence, members, by show of hands, agreed.

    
    

    7. Committee’s annual report, prepared by Sparks Beattie was read by Tina Hemmings, is attached at appendix.

    
    

    8. President Jayne Stone thanked committee and members for their contribution to another successful year before inviting questions.  There being none she proposed adoption of the Annual Report, which members supported by show of hands.

    
    

    9. Result of ballot for committee: the following members were elected: Lynn Asher, Sparks Beattie, Jan De Witt, Jill Haslam, Tina Hemmings, Ann Parker, Sheila Parissien, Jayne Stone

    
    

    10. Independent tellers, Viv Watt and Maggie, conducted a secret ballot, resulting in Lynn Asher becoming President.

    
    

    11. Sue Martin proposed a vote of thanks to the committee after which Jayne Stone gave the vote of thanks to the tellers.

    
    

    12. The Annual meeting then closed, and a normal monthly meeting was held.

    
    

Book worms from Rebecca

 Bookworms met today and we talked very briefly about our book “late in the day” by Tessa Hadley. None of us like it and some like me didn’t finish it. It was boring, slow and middle class entitlement!

Other books we have enjoyed this month are

Local missing girl by Claire Douglass

The house at Helygen by Victoria Hawthorne

The suspect by Rob Rinder

Sunrise on the reaping by Suzanne Collins

This months book is the housemaid by Frieda McFadden

Second Tuesday of the month coffee morning.

 A few of us enjoyed the monthly coffee morning today at the Berry Head Hotel. On the way I spotted some green alkanet - as favoured by our dotted bee fly! There was a solitary bee visiting today!

Making your garden more welcoming to wildlife.

 

Calendar for your diary

 

Welcome home!

more Brixham bugs, chez Jill P, Mary H et moi!

Our LotE species

 Would you like to know more about the pollinator species in our LotE project? Look at the description at the bottom of the photo. Scroll down through the posts on this page to find information about the brown banded carder bee, the dotted bee fly, the glow worm, the Mediterranean oil beetle and the silver studded blue butterfly.

Or find them all by clicking on this link: https://www.southdevon-nl.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/LotE-Meet-the-species-optimised.pdf

Looking for more information

About how to look after the wildlife in your garden? Look no further than this link:  https://www.thehabitatgroup.uk/gardening-for-wildlife

Life on the Edge

 This morning Lynn, Fiona, Anj and I spent a couple of hours in the Chart Room café (it’s a hard life) discussing how we can all make the most of our Life on the Edge project. If you want a bit more information about the pollinators and plants they like, click on this link: https://www.southdevon-nl.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/LotE-Meet-the-species-optimised.pdf

Have you planted your pocket meadow yet? Preferably in a grass free area with fairly poor soil. You might be using some planters, tubs or a 1m square section of your garden. As long as it is in Brixham (& Churston, Jill H and Aldene!) as we need to make pathways for our invertebrates to follow inland. If you don’t yet have your seeds, we will be giving them out at our next Institute meeting on 16th April.

 A message to all members from the committee - please read to the end! 

We are aware that through the process of dealing with the waiting list and allocating spaces as they came up, there have been several times when women have come to Tina (or maybe their friends have) to say that they are sure they are on the waiting list, and when will they be called. We want to explain how the process Has been handled. Any woman who contacted Tina, or any member who gave me a name and email address, were noted in her book with the date of contact. As spaces arose, they were asked to join our Institute (in date order).
As time passed, the committee decided to close the waiting list and anyone after that was advised of this.
From time to time, Tina emailed the remaining ladies to ask if they were still interested. Those that did not reply were taken off the list.
From there we had a core of ladies, the earliest had come on the list in 2022, and these were invited to join for April 25 (and we had a bye-law to authorise this).
We took every application on the date of first contact, and so to hear there are women out there who think they are on the list is disturbing. So, to give everyone the chance to fill the few spaces we have, we have decided to do the following.
We will announce that applications are open on a certain date and time and the first ones to apply will get the place(s). We will publish this announcement after 16 April 2025 when everyone in our Institute has had the chance to rejoin. We will put it on the blog, and FaceBook (the old WI Members FB, which is open to all). People have to apply through our WI email, which will be published alongside. Calls to committee members or other routes will not be acceptable. This will disadvantage some, but we will accept emails from their friends who apply on their behalf.
This first come, first served approach is the fairest way we can think of, and the applications made by email will also be taken in time​//date order.