Wednesday, 11 August 2021

August 2021

 So, the first real meeting of the year starts on

Friday 13th August - with a change of time to 2.15pm

Dodford Village Hall

Come along!

Saturday, 5 June 2021

WELCOME TO 2021

Well, that was a year that was!

Dodford WI is hoping to restart meetings very soon, starting with a get together lunch at the local giving people a chance to catch up.

So, do get in touch with Pat or Jackie, to let them know if you are interested in joining us, and for further information.

Thank you!

Christine

Friday, 20 November 2020

November 2020

 Here we are in December, with Christmas only a few weeks away. The Dodford Parish Magazine offers a chance to wish HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a GOOD NEW YEAR to all readers and to all our Dodford WI members.

Christmas may not be as we usually know it but hopefully we will find ways to enjoy this special time of year. We can get busy baking Christmas Cakes and mince pies whilst listening to radio plays or favourite music in the comfort of our kitchens. We can turn the news off for a while.

If we end up eating too many mince pies then the great outdoors is just there, open for us to go out and get a bit of exercise, as much or as little as we want. This gives us a chance to wave and chat (socially distanced of course) when we meet along the village roads. We’ve got good views to enjoy, if it’s not raining! We might even enjoy some snow this year?? If it does, we could build WI snowwomen.

We won’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t snow for Christmas because hopefully we will have made an extra effort with our Christmas decorations to add some extra warmth and sparkle to these December Days. A little creative activity with greenery snipped from our gardens will do us good. Door decorations and table decorations are easy and fun to do.

Although WI’s Denman College in Oxfordshire is currently closed and in the process of being sold, which is a huge loss to the WI, the college is now offering online tutorials which cover a range of topics and talks. On a practical level there are courses in cookery and crafts, plus exercise and relaxation. The courses change weekly and run during the day and in the evening too.

Our WI Christmas party has also had to be abandoned. Last year we enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Dodford Inn. Let’s hope 2021 will be a better year.

Until then, we wish all our WI members and Dodford Village a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR


Monday, 20 April 2020

Coronavirus

Normally, meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will always be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.
Unfortunately with the continuing Coronavirus Lockdown, the April meeting still didn't happen.
There obviously won't be a May meeting either.  This would have been our WI AGM and voting on this year's Resolutions.
So all we can do is wish all our WI members and our village as a whole all good wishes, keep safe, keep socially distanced and hopefully we'll meet again soon.

Monday, 23 March 2020

Latest news...

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will always be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.

Unfortunately due to unforseen circumstances our speaker, Terry Church, was unable to join us to give his talk on 'Radio and TV in the 1950's and 1960's.  So the evening turned into a social time with a quiz and delicious refreshments provided by Di Pardoe and Marlene James.  Hopefully we can book Terry again at a later date as it seemed an interesting talk.

Our next meeting was scheduled to take place on 10 April when Tracey Clark would have given us an insight into 'Living on a Narrow Boat'.  Unfortunately due to the current Coronavirus situation the village hall is closed, and therefore our WI meetings are cancelled until further notice. 

So, in the meantime, wishing you all well, stay safe and socially distanced.

Saturday, 14 March 2020

Coronovirus update, cancellation of meeting, April meeting

UPDATE: Dodford WI have suspended their meetings for the meantime, due to the COVID-19 virus and government guidelines.  We feel that the safety of our members is more important.  Stay well and stay safe.  Hope to see you all again sometime soon....

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will always be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.

Unfortunately due to unforseen circumstances our speaker, Terry Church, was unable to join us to give his talk on 'Radio and TV in the 1950's and 1960's.  So the evening turned into a social time with a quiz and delicious refreshments provided by Di Pardoe and Marlene James.  Hopefully we can book Terry again at a later date as it seemed an interesting talk.

Our next meeting is due to take place on 10 April when Tracey Clark should us an insight into 'Living on a Narrow Boat'.   An interesting topic in view of all the flooding which has been experienced recently.
BUT we do not currently know if this is going ahead.

Discussion took place regarding Dodford WI hosting the Bromsgrove and Hillside Group of WI's  'Group Meeting' on Tuesday 24 March 2020 in view of the current Coronavirus situation.  UPDATE 14/2/20: We have now received a directive from Chris Henderson that we should cancel the Group meeting, and that they are currently cancelling other meetings. 

Wednesday, 19 February 2020

March meetings

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will always be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.


Our speaker on Friday 14 February was Mark Billen who gave an interesting talk on 'Tales from The Forest'.  Delicious refreshments were  provided by June Parker and Jackie Meech.

Our March meeting will be held on 13th when Terry Church will be joining us with his talk on 'Radio and TV in the 1950's and 1960's.  Refreshments will be provided by Di Pardoe and Marlene James.

Don't forget it is Dodford WI's turn to host the Bromsgrove and Hillside Group of WI's  'Group Meeting' on Tuesday 24 March 2020.  We look forward to greeting our fellow WI's on this occasion, and request lots of help from our members to make this an enjoyable occasion.

Saturday, 11 January 2020

January & February Meeeting

'Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will always be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.

Wishing all our WI members a very Happy and Healthy New Year

Our last 2019 get together, on Friday 13 December, was a little different when we enjoyed a Christmas Lunch at The Dodford Inn.  We could all relax and chat, and the only thing to be brought was our usual Secret Santa Sock.

The New Year kicked off on Friday 10 January when Yvonne Cocks joined us for a second time and gave a talk on 'Parachuting and Me'. Most of us cringed at the thought of making a parachute jump!  Delicious refreshments were provided by Jackie Parker and Carolyn Evans.

Our speaker on Friday 14 February will be Mark Billen who will give a talk on 'Tales from The Forest'.  Refreshments wll be provided by June Parker and Jackie Meech.

We will be hosting the WI Group Meeting on Tuesday 24 March 2020.  We look forward to greeting our fellow WI's in the Bromsgrove and Hillside Group of WI's on this occasion, and request lots of help from our members to make this an enjoyable evening.

So once again Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing you during 2020.

Saturday, 9 November 2019

November and December meeting

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will always be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.

Our last meeting was Friday 9 November when Kelly Broadfield from the Dodford Children's Holiday Farm gave an interesting talk about the work that is carried out helping children from inner city schools, special schools and nurseries. Delicious refreshments were provided by Diana Pardoe and Raili Caldicott.

Our next get together, on Friday 13 December, will be a little different this year when we will be enjoying a Christmas Lunch at The Dodford Inn.  Please arrive for 12.30pm.   This year we can all relax and the only thing to bring will be our usual Secret Santa Sock..... 

The New Year kicks off on Friday 10 January when Yvonne Cocks will join us and give a talk on 'Parachuting and Me'. Refreshments will be provided by Jackie Parker and Carolyn Evans.

Tuesday, 23 July 2019

September meeting

As you can tell, there is no August meeting of the WI.

The next event will be the Dodford Show. on 7th September.

Details and classes are available at the Dodford Gardening Club website:

http://www.dodfordgardeningclub.co.uk/dodford-show-schedule-2016/index.html

So practise your baking!

Meanwhile:

Our meeting on Friday September 13th will be a talk entitled: Bromsgrove on the Eve of War - Pat Tansell


Saturday, 8 June 2019

July meeting

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.

Our 'outing' on Friday 14th June took place in Dodford Village Hall with the usual Fish and Chip supper.  Just as well as the weather was attrocious.  Carol Hine, President of Fairfield WI, and our Delegate at the NFWI Annual Meeting held in Bournmouth, gave us a insight of her time at the AM and the results of the Resolutions.  Christine Thomas brought along her Kurling Game, and some of enjoyed a small competition.

Our next meeting will be held on 12 July when Molly Murray will give us a talk on 'The Little Black Dress' !! I understand that this talk has been well received by other WIs.   Refreshments will be provided by Sheila Bretherton, Norma Willis with a little help from Jackie Parker. 

Sunday, 12 May 2019

June Meeting

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.


Pat Jewkes, WI  Adviser, assisted us at the May meeting when we held our AGM and Pat Squires agreed to remain as President.  The committee remains the same with Christine Thomas - Secretary, Sue Swift - Treasurer, Sue Wheeler - Programme Secretary and Jackie Parker - Tea Rota.


There were two Resolutions: 1. 'A Call against the Decline in Local Bus Services' where voting was unanimously 14 votes for the resolution and 2. 'Don't Fear the Smear' where again the voting was unanimously 14 votes for the resolution; and discretion for our Delegate from Catshill WI.   Both these resolutions will go to the NFWI Annual Meeting in Bournmouth on 5th June.

Delicious refreshments were provided by Sue Wheeler, Penny Lydon, and Alice who brought along delicious sponge cakes. 


Our outing on Friday 14th June will take place in Dodford Village Hall with the usual Fish and Chip supper, when Christine will also bring along her Kurling Game.  In order to have an idea of numbers, please let Jackie Parker know if you will be joining us (or not) either on 01527 880640 or email.

Tuesday, 16 April 2019

May Meeting AGM

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.

Our April meeting was different, with a visit to Holt House Retro Cafe.  We enjoyed delicious refreshments provided by Jan; and her partner, Gary, gave us a demonstration on distressing a painted wood shelf.  After a wander around when a few purchases were made, we bade goodbye.

Our next meeting is Friday 10 May when we will be holding our AGM and vote on this year's two Resolutions.

They are

1)  A call against the decline in local bus services.
Over the last decade there has been a massive decline in the number of bus services, particularly those in rural and semi-rural areas. In order to alleviate loneliness, improve health and wellbeing, as well as promoting sustainable development, the NFWI calls on the government and local authorities to increase subsidies and work in partnership with bus companies and community transport operators to enable an adequate provision of services.
2) Don’t fear the smear                                                                                                                                         Screening saves around 5,000 lives a year, yet attendance is currently at its lowest for a decade. The NFWI urges WI members to attend routine screening, to take action to raise awareness of the importance of this screening.   Information is offered in April issue of WI Life. Please read and bring your views along to our meeting.

Refreshments will be provided by Sue Swift and Flossie.

Please come along and support your WI.

Sunday, 17 March 2019

April Meeting

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.



At our March meeting we were entertained by David Wornham, who asked for 24ft of table to display his huge collection of wind instruments.  We had tremendous fun listening to his description of these instruments, some quite bizarre.  An evening with a difference. Refreshments provided by Jackie Parker and Di Pardoe. 


On Friday 12th April we will be visiting

Holt House Vintage Interiors and Cafe

49 Birmingham Road,  Bromsgrove B61 0DR.    

Please note earlier arrival time of 6.30pm  

I believe we can use the Lidl car park opposite

Light refreshments will be provided.

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

March meeting

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will always be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.   

First of all, very sadly we have to tell you of the passing of one of our long-term members, Madge Albutt.  She will be greatly missed by friends at WI.  She was always a ready and willing helper at Jumble Sales, etc.  Her funeral will take place on Thursday 21 February at Dodford Church.

At our meeting on Friday 8 February we enjoyed a very interesting and informative talk on Worcester Porcelain - A Collector's Tale by Colin Millett, ably assisted by his wife, Frances.  Delicious refreshments were provided by June Parker and Carolyn Evans.  Jackie Meech was due to help, but had an unfortunate incident with a supermarket trolley and now has a broken leg.  We wish her a speedy recovery.

Sadly only nine ladies enjoyed this talk, and we would appreciate more support at our future meetings.  We could also do with more members, so please feel free to badger possible candidates.

At our March meeting David Wornham will entertain us with 'Tuneful Tunes'.  David has visited our WI before.   Refreshments with be provided by Jackie Parker and Di Pardoe. 

Monday, 14 January 2019

February Meeting

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will always be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free. 

The New Year kicked off on Friday 11 January when Vincent Williams and Jon Goodson gave us a very interesting talk on 'The WI at War'.  Very topical at the moment.  Delicious refreshments were provided by Rosemary Tilt and Judy Richardson. 

Our meeting on Friday 8 February will be a talk on Worcester Porcelain - A Collector's Tale by Colin Millett.  Refreshments will be provided by June Parker, Carolyn Evans and Jackie Meech (welcome aboard the tea rota!!)

Tuesday, 8 January 2019

January meeting

Our first meeting of the new year will be on Friday 11th January.

This meeting will feature speakers Vince Williams and John Goodson talking about WI AT WAR

See you there!

 

Friday, 23 November 2018

December meeting 2018

Our Christmas meeting will be on Friday 14th December, where we shall be having a hot supper; members to bring salads/puddings and of course the usual Santa's Socks!

Sunday, 21 October 2018

November Meeting

Dear members

Our next meeting will be on Friday 9th November, where Roger Costan from Age UK will be talking about the history of computers.

Do come along.

Our Christmas meeting will be on Friday 14th December, where we shall be having a hot supper; members to bring salads/puddings and of course the usual Santa's Socks!


Tuesday, 25 September 2018

October meeting

Meetings of the Dodford WI are held on the second Friday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Dodford Village Hall, and visitors will always be made welcome, and for potential members the first visit is free.

Well there is now a chill in the air, so at our meeting on Friday 14 September we enjoyed a Cookery Demonstration by Sheila Udeshi.  Delicious refreshments provided by Jean Sleigh and Penny Lydon.

Our next meeting will be held on Friday 12 October when Richard Churchley will entertain us with his talk on Wayside Wonders, so I wonder what this will be about!!   Refreshments to be provided by Carolyn Evans and Margaret Rea.

Sheila Udeshi from the September meeting: