16 minute read
Members’ Corner
In August, four of us from West Bridgford NWR went on a Nottinghamshire walk, organised by Liz. From the car park of Strelley Hall, the road soon peters out into a track. As we set off, a solitary individual approached and called out, “Watch out for the lions! There’s a tiger too.” My heart sank when I saw that he was following us, however, it wasn’t until we fell back a little that he was able to buttonhole Maggie and engage her in conversation—about the lions.
The first part of the walk is past scrubby farmland, where dogs race out to harass the passer-by, and dilapidated outbuildings are falling apart in yards. But soon we came out into open countryside, and, having climbed a little, and with the sun coming out, we had a pretty view. This is D H Lawrence country: Kimberley, Awsworth, and Cossall, whose Church Cottage was featured in Women in Love. The coal mines of his day are long gone, and a solitary wind turbine stands. Susan Sullivan West Bridgford NWR
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Quizzing success
St Albans 1 area quiz night was a great success with eight groups attending. It was a very warm evening, but we managed to get a good breeze flowing through the hall. There were eight rounds and two marathons, with a break in the middle for an abundance of homemade cakes and biscuits, and tea and coffee. This gave people a chance to mingle and catch up, and almost everyone said that it was the first time that they had been able to meet any other group since before lockdown. They were thrilled to be able to do so, and I have since heard from many of the groups saying how much
It was no doubt our animated conversation that caused us to wander off the route, and our intended fourmile walk ended up being nearer to five miles. But we soon found our way back to Strelley Hall, and lunch in the excellent Mulberry Tree Café. It was only then that we were told that the lions are real, and have caused some concern locally. I don’t know about the tiger.
they are looking forward to another such event. We all left feeling very pleased at how successful the evening had been. Julia Smith St Albans 1 NWR
Ruby reflections
The first meeting of Park Gate NWR was held on 23 March 1982. The hostess of that meeting jotted down a few of her thoughts on the occasion, which we read out during our ruby anniversary meal, and which I would like to share with you now. “First meeting at my house—great trepidation—would anyone come? Well, I knew there would be at least four of us. I’d had half a dozen phone inquiries from advertisements, so hoped for the best.
In the end there were 14 of us, which I thought was doing very well. We also had two members from another group who came to introduce us to NHR (we were called National Housewife’s Register then). This proved to be rather long drawn out and not exactly fired with enthusiasm—a mistake perhaps?
Had hoped to get a programme planned but time ran out so arranged a meeting for a month’s time.
A couple of people went away looking a bit bored. Hope they come back and give us another try…”
And so here we are tonight, 40 years later and still going strong. Many members have come and gone over the years but Park Gate has remained, and will hopefully remain for many more years. It has been a challenge over the last two years but we have pulled together in our own ways—zooming, walking, reading. It was dreadful to lose two of our lovely members during lockdown but they would be so proud of the group, and so should we all. A toast to Park Gate NWR!
Iris Doran Park Gate NWR On a hot sunny day in August, Barnet NWR visited the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, and would like to share their experience.
Amaravati is a Theravada Buddhist monastery in the Chiltern Hills near Hemel Hempstead. Established in 1984 by Ajahn Sumedho, it has its roots in the Thai Forest Tradition. With serene surroundings of grass and trees and ample parking it is open to the public and free to enter.
Approached via the wisteria draped cloisters, the temple, opened in 1999 by the sister of the King of Thailand, is the focus of the monastery. After removing
your shoes, you enter a large, silent, peaceful space, built of English oak without metal joints of any kind. Cushions on the floor invite you to sit and meditate or simply just be. A golden statue of the Buddha dominates one side and there are flowers and candles around it.
The monastery relies on donations of food, flowers and finance for its existence. Everyone is welcome to take part in a daily meal. The food is delicious and also gives an opportunity to speak to volunteers and lay staff, who are very welcoming and happy to talk about Buddhism and the monastery.
Altogether a lovely day with serene memories to take away.
Hasbury NWR visited the lovely Rococo Garden in Painswick. There was a BBC crew from the Bargain Hunt programme filming at the time, so maybe some NWR members will appear on national TV!
Groups are invited to post members’ obituaries on their group’s page on the NWR website, via their LO or Website Editor. If you need help with this, please log in to the website and go to https://nwr.org.uk/about/ resources-for-nwr-volunteers/. Scroll down to “Guidance for web editors,” where you can download instructions.
Nina Duncan 1946-2022
Nina had been a member of Hythe & Waterside NWR for over 30 years. Until her illness overwhelmed her, Nina was a vibrant, warm, very involved and never to be forgotten member of our group.
“B” Gillanders
Over the last 20 plus years “B” contributed much to the success of Keyworth NWR. She was a popular member, and an example of someone who accepted and coped with the many strains and sadnesses which came her way. We will be much the poorer without her.
Betty Grant 1937-2022
It is with sadness that Nantwich and Audlem NWR announces the passing of Betty in March. She was quiet, gentle and friendly and will be dearly remembered.
Esme Laird
Dibden Purlieu NWR are very sad to announce the passing of our long-standing member Esme. An enthusiastic member of NWR, she will be much missed.
Fiona McKemmie
Giffnock NWR were deeply saddened when our friend and founding member Fiona passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was a larger than life character—once met never forgotten. Political correctness was not her forte, but this aspect of her character added life and soul to our many debates. Her sense of humour always broke through and raised many a smile and laugh. She will be much missed.
Marina Reed
Long Melford and District NWR are very sad to annouce the death of Marina, a founder member and a loyal friend to many. Marina was a fun-loving, forthright and committed NWR member, both locally and nationally. She went out of her way to welcome newcomers, paving the way to many lasting and valued friendships. No matter what the topic of the meeting, Marina would be there to offer her ideas, or even dress up when required. She will be very sadly missed by all her friends in NWR.
South East Area Jubilee Tea
On 18 August, 63 NWR members from all over the South East of England, from Amersham to Maidstone, from Worthing to New Malden, and even a lovely lady from Dorset, met in Surrey at Denbies Vineyard for a walk and a cream tea. The event was deliberately set in August to avoid snow, fog and other travelling hazards and, perhaps naively, a heatwave had not been envisaged. Yet despite the heat, almost half the attendees set out on the hike, which caused a few ladies to definitely glow. Some completed the full five miles, others opted for three, but it was a valiant effort for all. Consequently, the tea was much appreciated.
With the Queen’s Jubilee year in mind the theme was royalty. Some sported crowns to add to the atmosphere and a demanding quiz required much consultation between members. Do you know which way the Queen faces on a coin, without looking?
There were copies of several scrap book pages to look at, giving us a flavour of what is important to each of the groups. It proved just how diverse NWR is. And the Right Royal Reading Recycle proved very popular—a book swap whereby members arrived with books they no longer wanted and went home with some new ones to keep them busy.
The website reminds us that NWR members are lively minded women, interested in everything and talking about anything. Well we certainly put that into practice with lots of chatter—some of
it possibly about the size of the cream scones—but it was an excellent opportunity for members from many different groups to connect and see how each was faring after the lockdown restrictions, and to get ideas for future meetings.
A wonderful afternoon and a very happy occasion. Sue Jamieson St Albans 1 NWR
Red, white and blue
Marple NWR had a lovely evening barbecue after the Jubilee celebrations, and we all wore red white and blue for this special occasion. It was our first real get together after the pandemic, and a great chance to catch up at last!
Let them eat cake Leicester South
NWR held a Platinum Jubilee party on 6 June. It was a happy gathering, with super food and an amazing cake!
Battling on!
In April, 10 of Battle & District’s 13 members enjoyed celebrating our group’s 20th anniversary at St Leonards-onSea. Over a cream tea and a glass of Prosecco, we reflected on the past and toasted the future of our group. A very good afternoon was had and, as always, there was no shortage of conversation. We are looking forward to the next 20 years!
On the edge of Pershore stands Tiddesley Wood, 6,000-years-old and mentioned in the Domesday Book, so Pershore NWR decided that this would be the place to plant a tree for the NWR jubilee.
The wood is managed by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, who, while not planting more trees in the wood itself, are extending an adjacent orchard of local varieties of apple, pear and plum. Pershore is famous for its plums, and we chose one of the oldest varieties—the Pershore Purple. Planting only takes place once a year, so this was done in February 2021, when it resembled a slim twig, bare of leaves. There was then a delay in obtaining a suitable plaque with which
Our dedication ceremony, with Bob Gilmour of the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust
to dedicate the tree, but finally, with due ceremony, this took place in August, by which time the tree was in full leaf and had grown and established itself. Angela Gerrard Pershore NWR
Wantage NWR Gardening Group spent a most enjoyable July day at Waterperry Gardens, near Oxford. It was interesting to see the plants which were in bloom at this time of year, including the long herbaceous border, the rose garden, the waterlily canal and more. We all felt the gardens were a source of inspiration and certainly look forward to returning in the future.
Adapt and thrive
Aston NWR are grateful to all those at NWR who have worked so hard to keep our organisation up and running since March 2020.
From the day we could no longer meet in our usual way, we adapted and made use of the talks, newsletters and variety of information that came from Head Office in order to continue “meeting” on Zoom or sometimes in parks or on walks—the guidance from NWR helped us sort out so many different ways of continuing. We eventually all learned to use Zoom, and now organise meetings via a WhatsApp group, as well as having a general, very well used, WhatsApp group which we started on day one. As we mostly meet with our sister group, Rotherham, I feel we now all know each other much better and have been able to give each other all kinds of support. A positive from Covid!
We are now meeting in a church hall, reverting to houses when numbers are small. We have discussed amalgamating with Rotherham under a new name, as we have held our meetings together for many years, but people are understandably keen to keep the individual identities and it doesn’t cause a problem. In fact, having two LOs means having someone to share the work with, which has been invaluable during the last two years! Judith Roddis Aston NWR
Lichfield NWR
enjoyed a summer social at their local garden centre. It was the last week in May and the garden, in one of the more elevated positions in the area, was immaculate, the colour at its best, ready for the group to gather in the sunshine and explore the myriad issues pertaining to their favourite drink—A Brew with a View so to speak. And then it rained. Significantly. Ah well, it was an opportunity for the house to be cleaned!
We started with a musical introduction: Everything Stops for Tea by Jack Buchanan. It’s curious how, unexpectedly, lyrics resurface, and without any prompting we instantly formed a choir!
We talked history and politics, taking in tea smuggling, the tea tax and the Boston Tea Party, the Opium Wars, and the American War of Independence. We discussed tea customs. One of our members described the Japanese tea ceremony she had experienced, and showed us the special Chasen, a tea whisk carved from a single piece of bamboo, used to whisk the matcha tea powder into hot water. We looked at the various types and blends of tea—green, white, black, Assam, Darjeeling, Lapsang Souchong, Oolong, Earl Grey—the list went on.
Many of us arrived with a cherished china tea cup and saucer, and it was fascinating to hear their stories. One Poole Pottery specimen was gifted to the owner when she started university. Another Royal Albert cup and saucer was purchased from Harrods with the owner’s first pay packet!
We finished up with a Shostakovich story. The composer was bet that he couldn’t complete an orchestration of the song Tea for Two in under an hour. He succeeded in 40 minutes, and the piece was named The Tahiti Trot. No doubt that gave him a thirst, as it did us. We put the kettles on and produced a selection of different brews to accompany the compulsory scones, jam and clotted cream. An informative afternoon was spent without the need for any umbrellas! Jan Calder Mellor NWR
8 California; 9 Michigan; 10 Pennsylvania. 5 Florida; 6 South Dakota; 7 Georgia; 4 Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa; 1 Pennsylvania; 2 Utah; 3 Kansas;
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