WIs in Lockdown

Members of Ashley Welland Valley WI have tried most things during lockdown."Panto Time" occupied a few weeks of writing and rehearsal and it’s amazing what you can do to stop yourself going crazy!  However, here is one President who will never be voted back into office after her Panto performance. The President will never forget either, having to answer the front door, while in rehearsal, in full Cruella-de-Covid costume!

Also at Ashley Welland Valley WI, someone had the great ambition of wanting to knit socks, so a zoom session was set up, with the intention of learning how to knit socks. Our beloved Angela –Sock Knitter Supremo in Chief –sent us an easy pattern, guided us with the correct wool purchase and explained that we COULD manage to knit using four needles. Huge thanks to Angela and another club has been formed – a sock club.(Photo attached below)

Hunsbury Hill WI play reading group gave a wonderful on-line performance ‘Blatant Disruptions’ which certainly brightened up the week. Below are two of the cast in their lockdown costumes!!!

Bozeat WI members have been busy making red hearts to decorate the village for Valentine's Day to cheer everyone during lockdown.

Blisworth WI member, Denise, was inspired to make festive cookies from the recipe in November/ December WI Life.  She says they were easy and delicious but it was time consuming putting the flaked almonds on one by one, but worth it as they look very effective.

Milton Malsor and Collingtree WI committee gave a goody bag to each member before Christmas to say thank you for remaining loyal to the WI throughout the last year. Three members packed the bags before the rest of the committee delivered them. Items included were a Christmas cake, 2 mince pies, 2 packs of biscuits, hand cream, chocolates, a tree decoration, a quiz and the WI booklet. All were delighted to receive their gift. The gift card was made using a photo from last year when our WI had a display in the local church depicting The Holly and the Ivy.

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Cosgrove WI committee prepared Christmas goody bags for their members. The bags contained a Christmas card from the committee, a pot of tete a tete daffodil bulbs, home-made mince pies and shortbread, some chocolate, an orange pomander made by one of the committee, hand cream and a couple of Christmas quizzes.

(The photo has been photoshopped as social distancing rules were complied with!)

Raunds WI’s Committee worked together to produce and deliver a lovely Special Christmas gift bag for each of its members. The Santa package consisted of a surprise wrapped present, chocolates and Christmas Santa, Christmas card, Christmas pudding and an orange. The Committee members pictured are Sandy, Maria, Sue Jane (President) and Lesley.

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Northampton Kingsley WI banner was completed in March 2020. They hoped it’s first outing would have been their annual afternoon tea, but sadly it had to be cancelled. Maybe 2021!

In December 2020 the committee delivered afternoon tea, made by Heather on Kingsley Park, to members.This had been preceded by all members receiving an Advent Calendar.

Hackleton and District WI Christmas goody bag was delivered to members on the morning of their Zoom Christmas party and contained prosecco, a cracker, a bingo card and party popper which were all used to let us partake in the party, as well as mince pie and other goodies. The party included a quiz, bingo, a demonstration on how to make a cracker and they sang carols.

Northampton Martinis WI made and delivered Boxes to all  members.They were opened all together at the December meeting  where the speakers demonstrated how to make cocktails.

Cranford WI delivered splendid Christmas Goody Bags to their lucky members!

Members of Daventry WI received an early visit from Father Christmas - a little bag of fun and treats made, and delivered, by the committee to wish them all as Merry a Christmas as possible and a Happier New Year!

Stowe Nine Churches' shares its special seasonal meeting:  
"One of the benefits of a virtual meeting is only a few committee members are required to circumnavigate utility works.  Nothing was going to stop Stowe Nine Churches members receiving everything they needed for their Christmas craft meeting, along with a couple of festive treats and a free draw ticket, all suitably wrapped.
Fast forward a couple of days, holding up a box of Elastoplast, President Audrey Mason welcomed everyone to the meeting reminding members to listen carefully to the opening safety brief which followed.  The seasonal paper cutting workshop, was led on zoom by the talented Christine Green from Crafting at the Cottage.
It was an enjoyable evening filled with chatter & laughter along with delight, as the craft unfolded and everyone enjoyed learning this new skill.  The workshop finished with Christine sharing some fascinating history and facts about her craft from around the globe.  
Before the meeting closed, the raffle was drawn with four members winning an extra Christmas gift of a WI ‘bunting’ apron, “Recipes to Remember” the Cynthia Spencer cookbook, ‘she leaves sparkles wherever she goes’ Tote Bag and a WI pen.  While everyone enjoyed a real giggle, sharing chocolates and drinks, virtually in the warmth and safety of their homes, we, like all members, are really looking forward to safely meeting up in person at some point during 2021.  In the meantime the warmest of wishes to everyone."

Creaton WI president delivered to each member a gift bag containing, amongst other goodies, items handmade by each member of the committee - a padded coat hanger, a lace bookmark, medlar cheese, redcurrant jelly and a knitted Christmas pudding hiding a chocolate.  This was followed by Creaton’s very first Zoom meeting which was great fun, with everyone opening one of their gifts to share a Christmas toast!

Aldwincle WI committee decided to buy every member a Christmas present of an amaryllis plant, a card together with  a personal letter from Ruth our president, a 2021 programme and finally the 2021 Membership Booklet, all packed into a lovely Christmassy bag. These were distributed by the committee members.
It has been suggested that we have a competition to see whose grows the best. They will be judged at the first meeting we have in 2021. Watch this space !!

Wootton WI members received a lovely bag of goodies, which was much appreciated and kindly delivered by members of the committee. So much thought put into the contents, plus all the craft (mask, card, bag). Someone worked very hard. PS There was chocolate - but that disappeared before photo was taken!

Suzy from The Good Loaf was Quinton WIs December Zoom speaker. Before the meeting, members received a mince pie and chocolate brownie from the Good Loaf, plus cheesy nibbles baked by Jane. Our generous President Val kindly gave all a bottle of Prosecco. We also ordered bread, rolls and other goodies from the Good Loaf and hope to have a regular weekly delivery to Quinton in the future.  Re:store Northampton also received donations from members, instead of members exchanging Christmas gifts. PS The tiny elf just popped by!!!

Oakley Vale WI treated their members to a postable Christmas gift.The card they received is impregnated with seeds. Once finished with, plant the card on compost, give it a jolly good water then put somewhere warm and sunny. Once the various seeds have grown, plant them into the garden or keep in your pot. You should end with a beautiful display of flowers.The card composts down. A great ecological Christmas gift.
But that's what WI is all about. Our members were delighted and the committee got lots of phone calls and emails of thanks. 

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KHA (Kelmarsh Harrington and Arthingworth) WI provided Christmas bags for their members to brighten their days in this long and difficult year

The President of Woodford and Hinton WI, festively attired, delivered a 'Meeting in a bag' to members, including a Christmas mask she made for each member, home made mince pies and biscuits plus a word search. Everyone was surprised and delighted to see her and it made their day!

Since Covid restrictions began, Welford WI members have been kept in touch.

On WI day in September- a cream tea and a teabag, something to soothe and relax - hand cream, something to look forward to - Aster seeds (the flower of September).

On 25 November each member received an Advent jar, containing 24 slips of paper with various quotes, rhymes, jokes and tasks to complete which will feature as competitions next year.

All much appreciated by Welford WI members.

Just had this December meeting goody bag delivered by Towcester Evening WI treasurer. Cheered me up immensely.

Kings Sutton WI members, family and canine friends, wishing longstanding member Ba Harris a Happy 90th Lockdown Birthday.

Ashley Welland Valley WI gave 'an evening in a bag' to members who then made beautiful gift tags, guided by our very own Chris. Gift tags really easy to make. "It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas"!!

On World Kindness Day, our thanks also to Great Houghton WI who, with wonderful help and support from Helmdon WI (and Stitchers Group) and East Hunsbury WI, delivered another batch of beautiful knitted clothes and blankets to the Growbaby Project.

Earls Barton Millennium WI members were both surprised and delighted to receive a Goodie Bag containing a WI Tea Towel, Puzzle Book, scented candle in a tin, hand cream, flower seeds, tea bags, biscuits and chocolates all in a glittery bag. It helped in a small way to keep connnected in these unprecedented times. Lucky them!!

Daventry Timken WI got into the Christmas Spirit by making crackers via Zoom

A Bozeat WI member showed other members how to make poppies from old plastic bottles. Many hours were spent during the Covid 19 lockdown painstakingly shaping and painting hundreds of poppies. Some were made into a Wreath which was placed on the war memorial in the cemetery and others were attached to netting and displayed on the WI flower planters in the village.

Hunsbury Hill WI

We will remember .... a beautiful display of poppies at Hunsbury Hill Country Park. Many thanks to all those members of HHWI who contributed to this  years memorial display which has seen the addition of a variety of coloured poppies:

Red - remembrance & hope                                                                            Purple - in honour of the animal victims of war

Black - African, Caribbean, Indian and Asian contributions        White - peace

East Hunsbury WI members crocheted and knitted poppies to contribute to a wonderful Remembrance Day display outside the library. One member made the large felt poppies and the President worked on attaching poppies to the display.

Another member laid a wreath, on behalf of East Hunsbury WI, at a ceremony at the memorial bench with Parish Councillors.

Ashley Welland Valley WI had a "carve and show" evening for Hallowe’en. Fruit, pumpkins and other vegetables were carved and even knitted, with wonderful results!

Shivering members of Bozeat WI held their socially distanced October Committee Meeting in the garage of their Secretary. Keep up the good work ladies!

Broad Green WI Committee Members, Hubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble, ready to deliver the October meeting bag which had a Halloween Theme! 

Hunsbury Hill WI - Celebrating
It was National WI Day on 16 September 2020, and to celebrate Hunsbury Hill WI held a coffee tea and cakes day. They restricted numbers throughout the day, to stay Covid-safe and socially distanced. The weather was very kind, with warmth and sunshine, so we were able to hold the event outdoors. Members bought raffle tickets for the tombola that Chris Gorton organised and gifts from the craft items supplied by Carolyn Stone and Tina Bodsworth. And, of course, there were delicious, home made cakes for everyone. All proceeds went towards St Benedict’s church porch project, and they were very grateful to receive a donation of £105!

When Bozeat WI was thinking about ideas to involve the local community, President, Jill, thought a Scarecrow Festival would be a good way to involve both adults and children.  Everyone had a lot of fun creating their scarecrows and the Judges found it impossible to choose a winner from the excellent entries.  Everyone got a prize!

Harlestone WI decided to hold a number of mini meetings in members gardens during July and August. They were a great success allowing members to meet up socially in small groups and to get to know each other a bit better.

Members of Great Houghton WI with some of the contributions they make monthly to take to Re store and  Growbaby project at Northampton Foodbank — with Restore Northampton and Growbaby - A Project of Re:store Northampton.

Blisworth WI is pleased to add this painted stone to the village Covid 19 pebble snake started at the beginning of lockdown. There are now over 500 stones representing numerous organisations and people’s thoughts during the last six months.

Ashley Welland Valley WI determined to take advantage of the good weather, arranged an outside Keep Fit / Wiggling session with Julie Matthews of Corby Health and Fitness. Members met outside the cricket club in East Carlton and entertained the village with their energetic wiggling. In honesty, we are just trying anything together in the sun at the moment. Really good session.

Cranford WI
In August we held our very first club meeting using Zoom with a speaker and it really was a great success. At 7pm, 17 members eagerly joined the first Cranford WI Zoom meeting to hear a talk by Rachel Dymott. It was based on her favourite hobby of getting close and personal to the natural world around her. Rachel who began her talk by telling us a little about herself. She gained her love of nature from her grandmother who would take her and her siblings on country walks, showing them the beauty of natural things.

Brigstock WI
Brigstock WI celebrated its 102nd birthday with a stunning cake made and decorated by Lesley French. Although the Birthday Dinner had to be cancelled, every member received a piece of the wonderful cake. It must have been hard to cut up such a masterpiece!  Happy Birthday Brigstock WI !

Harpole WI
Members enjoyed a Prosecco Afternoon Tea and the opportunity to catch up with friends again after ‘Lockdown’.

Bozeat WI
So many WIs have been coming up with inventive ways to spend lockdown and Bozeat WI is no exception, deciding to 'blitz' the street signs in the village!  With the blessing of Wellingborough Council and a very welcome 'thank you' donation from Bozeat Parish Council, Bozeat's intrepid ladies donned their Marigolds and, buckets in hand, set off to clean the grime from the street signs and make them sparkle.  Wonderful "before" and "after" photos!  Well done Bozeat Blitzers!

Before

After

Great Billing WI
The committee made posies for all our members. A small gift was added in a little organza bag with a label with a suitable message.  Along with the gift the President made rainbow brooches out of felt.


The President received this one - very pretty - she is drying the lavender to  put in the organza bag. She also received a tea light in a glass holder and a scrummy chocolate!

Northampton Martinis WI
This week Northampton Martinis sent off 66 pairs of bonding squares for premature babies and their mums.

Kilsby WI's members received a treat!

Ashley Welland Valley WI member Helen has been asked back again to present another show.  Quite a lot of Ashley Welland Valley WI members will get a name check in the songs. Her music choices celebrate women and friendship and Helen will tell the world just how wonderful the WI is and how it’s helped her during  this Lockdown.
The latest show is "Desert Island Discs" with discs chosen by members. Helen will read out the reasons the discs have been chosen.
Tune in on www.beatrouteradio.co.uk at 5pm on Saturdays

Milton Malsor & Collingtree WI  have produced a booket for all to enjoy. War memories from family and friends were added to make the book more interesting. You can find it on our website -  http://tinyurl.com/miltonmalsorcollingtreewi under Archives and Photos. Take a look and enjoy!

Hunsbury Hill WI has joined the Hope Centre ’Street by Street’ campaign. HH WI had amazing success in just one street, when more than 100 food and household items were collected over one weekend and were taken to the Centre. Since then, more streets have donated. Congratulations HH WI. We know how much your efforts are appreciated.

Ashley Welland Valley WI Member, Now A Lockdown Radio DJ
Helen Chown, of Ashley Welland Valley WI, normally waves her husband off to his, “Mr Slimm’s Radio Show,” on www.beatrouteradio.co.uk on a Monday night. Helen got bored and so recorded her own Lockdown themed music, interspersed with talk about her choices and it was aired on a Saturday night in May.
Her hour of music included songs such as, David Bowie’s, “Heroes,” for all the keyworkers, The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” Steely Dan, “Stuck in the Middle With You,” etc. etc. The choices were personal to Helen, or in sympathy with all women, “Stuck In.”  We are hoping that she will be doing another hour soon – all our WI Picks!

Northampton Martinis WI is finding lots of ways of keeping in touch and having fun “virtually”, including quiz nights, a pudding club and a book club.  Below are some fabulous photos from their weekly craft challenge, the Food Art competition and the Rainbow competition!

Towcester Evening WI
Thanks go to our members who made these drawstring bags for NHS staff. They were delivered to Northampton General Hospital  and were very much appreciated- in fact pounced upon!
It has been great that TEWI has been able to help the NHS in a practical way during this pandemic and it is not just those that have the sewing skills that have contributed but members who donated fabric and did the collecting and delivery of the bags. Great work from Inspiring Women!

Towcester Evening WI collected hand creams from their members and delivered to the hardworking staff of the NHS

Towcester Evening WI learned that the local Care Home residents were missing seeing fresh flowers, so the Gardening Club delivered a few!  Such kindness.

Great Houghton WI shows support for the NHS
A display of blue hearts and pom-poms in High St, created by the WI to show support for  the amazing NHS staff and key workers.