November news.....

Thank you to the lovely Carmel for sharing the great work she does at our last meeting and to Lucy to being an amazing quiz master.

 
Our November meeting will be the last of 2025 and it is jampacked!
 
We will be celebrating our 17^th birthday and hearing about all the greats things we have done over the year.  Members will be asked to vote on the WI resolutions to help determine which one will go forward to next years AGM.  The resolutions are:
 
1.     Accessible public toilet facilities to promote dignity, health, and social inclusion
This resolution is a call for accessible, clean, free public toilets which are fundamental to inclusion and wellbeing, especially for women, older people, disabled individuals, parents and carers. It invites WI branches to take meaningful action—through advocacy, partnership, and community engagement—to support local authorities and civil society in reversing the closure trend and ensuring dignity for all.

2.     Action on women’s homelessness
The NFWI echoes the calls of homelessness charities and urges all levels of government to take action to reduce women’s homelessness, reduce the number of women at risk of homelessness, and improve the quality of temporary accommodation. We call on WI members to support homelessness organisations in their communities and campaign to ensure that all women have a place they can safely call home.

3.     Every child needs a friend
We call on all WI members, the care system, and government to raise awareness of the independent visitor system for children in care in order to increase the number of volunteer Independent Visitors and the children in the care system who are befriended by them. We want every child in care to be offered the opportunity to have an adult figure in their life who chooses to spend a few hours a month with them.

4.     Love Your Vulva – Self checking is your best defence against vulval cancer
Self-checking your vulva is important in ensuring the earlier detection of vulval cancer and to enhance survival chances. We call upon WI members to work together to raise awareness of the importance of self-checking and seeking medical advice as early as possible, and, to help highlight this rare cancer to GPs to promote prompt referrals to medical specialists when needed.

5.     Nearer to Nature
There is a growing body of evidence that getting closer to nature is of great benefit to physical and mental health as well as to the environment. This is called ‘green health’. We call on WI members to work locally to improve access to local green spaces and support others to access it too. We call on health promotion services to increase public awareness of the use and benefits of ‘green health’, and health and care commissioners to support ‘green social prescribing’ in every GP practice.
 
We will be keeping you busy whilst we are discussing WI business by candle painting led by Clare (you will be able to take your candle home at the end of the evening.)
 
After leaving the corporate world, a period of serious illness, and becoming a mum, Clare decided to give herself a gift — the chance to do something she truly loved. That gift became Craft with Clare. What started as a small personal project to reconnect with creativity and joy has flourished into something magical: a growing community built around the simple, powerful act of making things by hand.
 
Through Craft with Clare, she now runs workshops and craft clubs across Bristol that bring people together to slow down, explore their creativity, and enjoy the wellbeing that comes from crafting. The belief is that creativity is for everyone — it’s not about being artistic, but about expression, connection, and taking time for yourself. Every session is an opportunity to relax, create, and leave with a sense of fulfilment.
 
We will be upstairs, on the second floor of the Tobacco Factory which will be signposted from the theatre entrance.  Committee members will also be on hand to direct you.
 
If this is not enough, for those who would like to join us, after the meeting we will go a drink at the bar to celebrate the end of our year and upcoming festivities.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 26^th November.
 

October news...

We would like to say a big thank you to local interior designer Hannah Redden for inspiring us to use colour in our homes in a confident and interesting way.
 
This month, we have a meeting of two parts.  Firstly, our lovely member Carmel, will be talking to us about the work she does for Alive.  Alive is one of the UK’s leading practitioners of meaningful activity for older people. Working within care homes and the wider community, the charity runs a variety of services and innovative projects to bring activities, support, dementia-friendly gardening opportunities and intergenerational connections to older people, those living with dementia, and the people that support them.  This includes community projects such as the South Bristol Dementia Friendly Allotment in Knowle.
 
Following this, we will pit our wits against one another at the Malago WI quiz night! There are certainly some competitive members amongst us, so get your thinking caps on!
 
We will be upstairs, on the second floor of the Tobacco Factory which will be signposted from the theatre entrance.  Committee members will also be on hand to direct you.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 29^th October.

September news

It seems that summer has left us and what better way to say fare well to the warm weather than with a visit to a beautiful cider apple orchard and tasting delicious Branch cider.

 
This month, we return to the cosy Tobacco Factory where, local interior designer Hannah Redden will be joining us for an inspiring one-hour talk all about making our homes feel more “us.” Her session, “Designing with Colour and Confidence”, will explore how to bring personality into a space, how to choose colours you’ll love for the long term, and simple ways to make a house feel both stylish and welcoming. Expect plenty of down-to-earth tips and ideas you can take away and try at home.
 
Hannah studied at the Glasgow School of Art and has called Bristol home for nearly 20 years. She runs Hannah Redden Interiors, helping families across the city create homes that are practical, personal and full of character. She also teaches at the Bristol Folk House and is passionate about supporting Bristol’s creative community.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 24^th September.

August news....

Following our lovely evening at the BS13 Flower Farm in Hartcliffe last month, this is our final outing of the Summer before we return to the Tobacco Factory.
 
We will be visiting a unique heritage apple orchard in Abbots Leigh, near Ashton Court. This is being rewilded and carefully restored by owners Chris and Jane to provide British cider apples for cider making by Ed of Branch Cider, Bristol. Chris will walk us through the orchard explaining what they are doing to encourage bats, birds, and wildlife generally while selectively replanting wood apple varieties. Chris and Ed are also involved in a project to restore and maintain one hundred orchards around the West Country. Ed will then take us through the process of making cider from the raw apple juice and show us around the Cidery. Finishing with a tasting of Branch Cider’s range and a chance to buy some to take home (NB Cash only!)
 
As there is limited parking at the Orchard we need to arrange lift sharing. If you indeed to come along, please can you email us at wearemalago@gmail.com and let us know if you need or are able to provide a lift, by Monday 25^th August.  Please arrive by 6.45pm for a 7pm start. We will aim to finish at 8.30pm
 
To get to Branch Cider, head out of Bristol on A369 up Rownham Hill, which turns into Abbots Leigh Road. At the George Pub turn left onto Manor Road and continue along this windy road - you will see the apple orchard on your right. Keep going until you see Chris & Jane’s new house (BS8 3RS) which is the only one with this postcode. Or W3w: castle.poetic.tower
Parking will be through the gates by the house.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 27^th.
 

July news....

We had a lovely meeting in June, hearing from Mark Chapman, about his highly successful COR in Southville and have recently opened the highly acclaimed RAGU in Wapping Wharf.

 
On Wednesday 30th July, we will be heading out for a visit to Heart of BS13 Flower Farm, a social enterprise and charity creating and inspiring change in Hartcliffe and Withywood. The charity plays an active role supporting the local community with food insecurity via a community freezer and kitchen; advocating for climate action; and growing celebration and sympathy flowers in line with their ethos of sustainability and soil health. 
 
They offer education initiatives and outreach work to promote their message and to increase awareness of the changes we can all make everyday to safeguard the future of our planet. 
 
Their priority is firmly rooted in the community with their long-term strategy to eventually reduce organisational reliance on grants, as well as to offer high quality opportunities for people in BS13 to develop vocational skills and find jobs. They have three enterprise streams that align with their work programmes. The Flower Farm supports vocational training and jobs in horticulture. The Climate Action Hub offers a range of climate and environmental opportunities, specifically aimed towards young people and supporting them to consider jobs and education in the green economy. The Kitchen, produces a range of high-quality meals that are sold in retail outlets across the city of Bristol to financially support the Heart of BS13 Community Freezer.  
 
We will meet with Sol Harmsworth, the Horticulture Program Manager for a tour and a talk. 
 
Please note that we will be meeting at the earlier time of 6:45pm for a 7pm start. There is limited parking, so we suggest car sharing to reduce our impact on the farm during our visit. If you haven't already arranged a lift with someone or you can offer a lift, please let us email:wearemalagowi@gmail.com and we will endeavour to put you in touch with each other.
 
The flower farm is not usually open in the evening so we will have to go to the back gate to access the flower farm. There will be a sign by the flower farm gate.
 
The address is: 
 
Heart of BS13 flower farm  - (the metal gate at end of the road)
Court Farm Rd, Bristol BS14 0DF - anyone with accessibility needs can park on site (there are about 3 spaces on site)
 
Please can you park a little further up the road, near the John Harvey arms, so the residents get to park by their houses.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 30^th.