June news....

 

Thank you for everyone who joined us for our May meeting and Helen Kembery for giving us a very engaging talk, demystifying Reiki.
 
Our June meeting is bittersweet. Over the last few months, we have been engaging with you on the impact of the Supreme court ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, affecting access to single-sex services and spaces. This has resulted in a change to National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) memberships rules and confirming gender at birth. As a committee we have struggled with these changes and what this means to us both individually and as a branch. So it is with a heavy heart that the current committee has decided not to renew their membership and are therefore stepping down. As we do not currently have anyone who would like to take on these required roles, we will have to suspend as a branch of the WI.
 
There is a formal part of this process, where a WI Federation representative must attend a meeting confirming this is the agreed course of action. Therefore, they will be attending our June meeting. Please join us at 7:30 to be part of this discussion and process.
 
We would like to thank all our members (past and present) and guests for their support and understanding – being part of constructive discussions and offering allyship. The community we have built is especially important to us, and we hope to be able to meet as a group in a less formal way going forward.
 
However, even though this is a time of change, we still want our June meeting to be a place to gather, chat and be inspired. Therefore, we are delighted to be joined by Mathew Symonds. Matthew is a very enthusiastic amateur gardener who will share his story of the making of a city garden that shows you that limited space is no barrier to creating a beautiful garden. Get design ideas and planting tips for making the most of growing in a small space. In 2023 Matthew was the winner of the B&Q Gardener of the Year competition. He will be speaking from 8pm.
 
As usual, please come through the theatre entrance and make your way to the second floor.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 24^th June at 7:30pm.