We hope you enjoyed our Easter crafting, hot cross buns, and chat at our last meeting as much as we did. We also hope you had a lovely Easter with an abundance of chocolate, treats and time with loved ones.
 
This month, we continue our crafting theme which is hosted by our very own Suze.
 
Lock down and constant video meetings, inspired Suze to set up SuzieEstherJewellery to try and add a bit of variety and colour into days spent at home staring at a camera!
 
All pieces are handmade by Suze in sunny Bristol, in her cosy garage workspace. She brings a pop of colour to the wearers day and aims to make pieces that the recipient can dress up or down.
 
She combines traditional silversmithing with cold enamel, and polymer clay to give that pop of colour and something a little different. Due to the nature of the processes, each piece will be unique.
 
The pieces are made using recycled silver where possible, and all clay, enamel & waste metal is saved to reused in future projects
 
Suze will show us how we can make our own earrings with polymer clay. All materials will be provided, however if you have a glass work top safer or shining ceramic tile you can bring, this will be helpful to roll out your clay.
 
April is also membership renewals. The membership fee for 2024/25 is £48. As part of your membership, you can attend eleven meetings throughout the year and have membership to WI Avon Fed and National WI. Of the £48, we receive £23.60 of your membership, and this go towards covering the cost of speakers, materials, hall rent (£34 per meeting) and outings.
 
We want to ensure that we offer our members and guests a diverse range of meetings and outings. We have seen a significant increase in our costs and will therefore be increasing the cost of a guest to £8.
 
Membership can be paid by bank transfer or cash.
 
We have another exciting programme planned for the year. We hope to see you on Wednesday 24^th April at 8pm.

March news....

Last month we had an amazing talk from Sam Mackay about the wonders of terrarium and offered us inspiration on how to make our own.   
 
With Easter just a week away, we have double the treats for our March meeting.
 
First, we will be upcycling tin cans to make delightful Easter baskets, plant pots or container to brighten up your home.  We will be providing some materials, but we would also ask you to bring any used tin cans you would like to decorate (which have been cleaned) and wrapping paper or napkins to decorate your tin.
 
In addition, we will also be trying to find the best hot cross bun!  There will be a few to try and judge so we can see which one comes out on top!
 
We hope you can join us in for our Easter meeting, chat, and crafting.
 
See you on Wednesday 27^th March at 8pm.
 

February news....

Last month we had a great start to the year, hearing about the amazing work of Fare Share Southwest from Jenny.   Following the meeting Jenny shared that our donation of £50 is enough to redistribute 200 meals worth of surplus food to those in need, which is really appreciated.  They were also very touched by our food donations.

This month, we are delighted to welcome Sam Mackay from Other World Terrariums  & formerly of MILA plants.
 
Sam is a lover of all things green and a supporter of small independent business who he stocks in The Ethical Gift Shop in SPARKS, as well as a champion of the Bristol LGBTQIA+ community.
 
Sam will demonstrate how to make your very own terrarium, with lots of advice on the best plants to choose & how to care for them.  Sam will also do a Houseplant Q&A for those of you who don’t know your Aspidistra from your Zamioculcas zamiifolia (we had to Google that one!) so get your green fingered questions ready!
 
There will also be the opportunity to buy some plants so don’t forget your card!  
 
See you on Wednesday 28^th February at 8pm.

January news....

 Firstly, Happy New Year! We hope that you all had an enjoyable and restful festive period. It seems a long time ago sine we were making Christmas tree decorations in November. Thank you to everyone who took part and helped us with our festive decorations. The tree looked amazing and was a fantastic addition to Tree Fest.

 
January can be a difficult month, with the sparkle of Christmas behind us, long, dark evenings and changeable weather. It can be hard to get out, but we hope you can join us for our first meeting of 2024. As well as an amazing speaker, there will be cake, tea, and chat.
 
This month, we will be welcoming Jenny Weld from Fare Share Southwest, the region’s biggest food redistribution charity. Jenny will be sharing how they save millions of meals worth of food from going to landfill each year, and instead deliver it to over 400 South West charities, schools and community groups preventing countless individuals from going hungry. With billions of tonnes of UK food going to waste every year and a nation food poverty crisis, food redistribution has become more important than ever. Jenny will be sharing a short quiz about the weird and wacky ways food can become surplus, as well as heartwarming stories about how it gets repurposed.
 
We will not be having a raffle this January, instead, if we would like to, you can bring items to donate to Fare Share. They are currently looking for low sugar cereal, soup, tinned meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables, baked beans, non-chilled juice, cooking oil, chopped tomatoes, pasta, rice, and tinned pulses. Jenny will be on her bike so nothing too big if you would like to donate.
 
We are really looking forward to seeing familiar faces and new ones. If you haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions, coming to a Malago WI meeting could be one.
 
See you on Wednesday 31^st January at 8pm.

Unfortunately, Marian was not able to join us at our September meeting.  But in true WI fashion, all those who attend were able to carry on and make do. We were able to have a chat and get some interesting ideas for future meetings.  Thank you for all the contributions and plans are afoot for an interesting and varied programme of meetings next year.

 
This month, we are delighted to welcome Gordon Young, who some of your met at the Clifton Bridge Vault tour.  Gordon is a born, bred, and buttered Bristolian. He stays out of trouble by keeping busy - organising commemorative blue plaques around our city (39 since 2015) and leading tours on the Clifton Suspension Bridge and into the Leigh Woods vaults. Gordon will be sharing some of his documentary films about all things Bristol.  They have had more than 30,000 hits on YouTube and won prizes in local and national competitions.  For those of you who have met Gordon, we are sure you will agree, it will be a very entertaining evening.
 
We hope you can join us for a chat, cuppa, and cake.
 
See you on Wednesday 25^th October at 8pm.

 Our final outing of the summer was a great success, with a sneak peek at Clifton Vaults hidden under the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge.  Stepping back in time to get a glimpse of engineering excellence.  We were a distinctive sight in hard hats and high vis jackets!

As the night starts to draw in, this month we are back in the hall. Marian Green is a published author and will be joining us to tell us all about folklore and country magic, a longstanding passion of hers.   The subjects of her books range from the Holy Grail to meditation.  As a follow-up meeting, we hope to join Marian on a guided walk in a local green space next Spring where she will show us the plants that have inspired the country magic, she'll tell us about.

We hope you can join us for a chat, cuppa, and cake.

See you on Wednesday 27^th September at 8pm.

 

 

Despite the weather, we enjoyed a great walk and talk from the ever-entertaining Ed Hall, learning more about Bristol’s hidden past.
 
We are out an about again this month and are very excited about our hard hat tour of the Vaults at the Clifton Suspension Bridge on Wednesday 30 August. This is a chance to explore two of the twelve impressive stone vaults that support the Bridge. Discovered just 20 years ago, the largest chamber is 11 meters high and covered in incredible stalactites and was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

There is a maximum limit of 15 for this tour – so if you still want to come and haven’t let us know please email wearemalagowi@gmail.com by Thursday 24^th August to book a place as we only have a couple of spaces left.
 
You need to arrive at the Visitor Centre, on the Leigh Woods side of the bridge, by 6.50pm latest to give you time to get kitted out as the tour will start promptly at 7pm and finish around 8pm. 
 
Please note the following: 
• Wear sturdy shoes with good grip such as hiking boots or trainers. You will not be allowed to join the tour in heels or open-toed shoes
• The tour includes climbing a vertical ladder and passing through a low corridor
• Ensure that any camera or phone will fit in your pocket or bag so that you have two hands free to climb the ladder
• Only small rucksack type bags worn over both shoulders or bags with cross-body straps are permitted inside the vaults. (Large handbags etc. can be left securely at the Visitor Centre during the tour.)
• Be aware that the vaults can be wet and/or muddy inside, particularly after heavy rain. So wear suitable clothing and ensure that cameras or mobile phones are protected from any calcite saturated water which may fall from the ceiling.
 
For more information about the tour and route go to  https://cliftonbridge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Access-Guide.pdf
 
Anyone else not booked on the tour who would like to come along for the evening, you are very welcome to enjoy looking round the Visitor Centre exhibition whilst the tour is going on. Afterwards we will then be heading over the bridge for a drink in the White Lion Bar in the Avon Gorge Hotel.
 
For contact info on the day you can call Avril on 07803 954120.
 
We are very much looking forward to seeing those who can join us on Wednesday 30^th at 6:50 pm.

June saw us learning all about swimming Three Channels with Steve Price.  Not an activity for the faint hearted, but Steve was thoroughly entertaining and reminded us of anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Fingers crossed that the British Summer improves for our July meeting as we will be out and about.
In his own lively style, Ed Hall (Mary Hall’s partner) is once again leading a walk for us. This time he will take us around the streets of Bristol’s historic old town area. The walk starts at Bristol Bridge and follows the course of the old Norman walls and Saxon stockade where the line of ancient defences is still evident. There are lots of points of interest along the way, including the last remaining combined church tower/city gate, a remarkable Art Nouveau facade, the oldest city graveyard and an amazing Venetian-inspired bank frontage.

We will meet at 7.15pm at the Merchant Seamen’s memorial at the Welsh Back end of King Street (BS1 4SS). The walk ends at the Corn Exchange, Corn Street, and lasts around 1 ½ hours, after which we can go for a drink nearby.  If you have any problems on the night finding us, please contact Avril on 07803 954120.

We will out and about again in August and want to give you advance information about the planned tour of the Vaults at the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

This is a chance to explore two of the twelve impressive stone vaults that support the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Discovered just 20 years ago, the largest chamber is 11 meters high and covered in incredible stalactites and was built by famous Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

To help you decide if the Vaults Tour is something for you, there is detailed guide. It covers advice including wearing appropriate footwear and taking only a small bag. It describes the route which includes a section where you need to go up a metal ladder with 15 steps, but this is fixed with a handrail within a safety cage. There are also some points you need to crouch down a bit as the headroom is lower. There will be copies of this at the July walk but if anyone wants this in advance contact Avril by email avril@abc-pr.co.uk or on 07803 954120

If you are interested in the tour, please email wearemalagowi@gmail.com to book a place as numbers are limited.  The tour will be from 7-8pm. Anyone else who wants to join us after the tour, we will be in the White Lion bar in the Avon Gorge Hotel. 

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 26^th

June news....

Everyone who attended our pasta making meeting in May had a great time.  We tried our hand at making different types of pasta and pesto to suit all diets.  The results were pretty tasty!

Open water swimming is becoming more and more popular in the UK, from swimming in rivers, marine lakes and even the sea.  If you have thought about it, but not yet took the plunge, our June speaker will hopefully inspire you.

Steve, Three Channels, Price is an honorary life member of Clevedon Amateur Swimming Club. He has swum the English Channel, the Bristol Channel (one way, and there and back!), and the North Channel between Scotland and Ireland.  This is considered the most difficult swim in the world. It has been attempted 73 times since 1924 but only eight successful solo swims have been achieved to date, and Steve was number seven.

Steve has shared his adventurous tales with many WI groups, so we are in for an entertaining and eye-opening evening.

We are still accepting membership payment which are £46.  Membership fees can be paid by bank transfer, cash, or cheque. Any new members will need to complete a membership registration form.

As we enjoy the long, summer evenings, we will be heading out and about in July to learn more on Bristol’s old city.  More details, including times will be in next month’s newsletter.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 28^th.

May newsletter

 

We had a great time in April learning about Egyptology and the grizzly world of Egyptian Gods thanks to the highly entertaining Ali Ball.

For our May meeting, we are going to get a bit foody, with an Italian vide and try our hand at making pasta and pesto.

We will be providing the ingredients for the pasta. You don’t need a pasta machine, but it would be helpful if you could bring your own rolling pin and (wooden) board, although we will have a few spares.   Please bring some tupperware or bag to take it home in.  We will also provide ingredients you can experiment with to make pesto, but please bring any ingredients you would like to try out.

We are still accepting membership payment which are £46.  Membership fees can be paid by bank transfer, cash, or cheque. Any new members will need to complete a membership registration form.

As many of you will have seen, the Underfall Yard was severely damaged by an arson attack this month. Having visited the Underfall Yard a few years ago, we are keen supporters of the work and their special place in the community. If you would like to and are able to provide some support, please visit their Just Giving page.
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 31^st.

 It was lovely to see so many of you at our March meeting. It was a great evening of chat and felting. We should be extremely proud of our gorgeous Easter creations. 

This month, things get a bit more dark and grizzly as we learn more about ancient Egypt, courtesy of Ali Ball. Ali has been studying Egyptology informally for over 30 years. A teacher by trade, Ali now take Egyptology workshops into primary schools. She is the co-founder of the Kemet Klub which works with the best Egyptologists in the world to create online courses all about ancient Egypt.

Ali will be giving us an idea of the flexible nature of Egyptian religion as we look at different creation myths to get a sense of how the Egyptians explained their world. She will re-tell the grizzly story of the first ever Mummy as we meet Osiris, his sisters and evil brother Set. Murder and jealousy abound, we hear about a religious experiment with monotheism that didn’t go down too well with the Egyptians themselves!

April is membership renewal. The membership from April 2023 will be £46. This includes eleven meetings throughout the year (only £4.20 each) and a monthly copy of WI Life as well as many other benefits. We will be collecting membership fees at the meeting, and this can be paid by bank transfer, cash, or cheque. Please note, we will have no card facilities available this month to take guest payments but we can accept cash or bank transfer.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 26^th.

Hello Malagoers

It was lovely to see so many of you at our March meeting. It was a great evening of chat and felting. We should be extremely proud of our gorgeous Easter creations. 

This month, things get a bit more dark and grizzly as we learn more about ancient Egypt, courtesy of Ali Ball. Ali has been studying Egyptology informally for over 30 years. A teacher by trade, Ali now take Egyptology workshops into primary schools. She is the co-founder of the Kemet Klub which works with the best Egyptologists in the world to create online courses all about ancient Egypt.

Ali will be giving us an idea of the flexible nature of Egyptian religion as we look at different creation myths to get a sense of how the Egyptians explained their world. She will re-tell the grizzly story of the first ever Mummy as we meet Osiris, his sisters and evil brother Set. Murder and jealousy abound, we hear about a religious experiment with monotheism that didn’t go down too well with the Egyptians themselves!

April is membership renewal. The membership from April 2023 will be £46. This includes eleven meetings throughout the year (only £4.20 each) and a monthly copy of WI Life as well as many other benefits. We will be collecting membership fees at the meeting, and this can be paid by bank transfer, cash, or cheque. Please note, we will have no card facilities available this month to take guest payments but can accept cash or bank transfer.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 26^th.

MWI x

March news.....

 

It was lovely to be able to welcome back Zara from Zara Chocolates to talk about all things chocolate (and let us try some of her beautiful products!).

This month, as we gear up for Spring and the Easter, we will be needle felting.  Easy to pick up, it’s an accessible and addictive craft which allows even a complete beginner to achieve lovely results in both two and three-dimensional projects.  All materials will be provided, and one of our members, who is experienced in needle felting, will help show us the ropes. 

Just as a reminder, membership renewals will take place next month.  The membership from April 2023 will be £46.  This includes 11 meetings throughout the year (only £4.20 each) and a monthly copy of WI Life as well as many other benefits.  We will be collecting membership in April, and this can be paid by bank transfer, cheque or card.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 29^th for some crafting, chat, and cakes!

February news...

 

What a great way to start the year with an insightful and though provoking discussion with Jenny Harrison looking at what we can do to help the environment.

This month is one for chocolates lovers!  We are delighted to welcome back Zara from Zara’s Chocolates who will talking about all things chocolate and letting us sample some of her indulgent delights.  A lifelong chocoholic, Zara completed the École Chocolat Professional Chocolatier Programme and then began experimenting in her home kitchen.    Zara’s chocolates have been a presence on North Street since 2013.  Keeping production on a small scale and making everything by hand, in-store in an open kitchen, are central values for Zara's Chocolates.

Thank you to everyone who brought unwanted gifts to our January meeting. We will raffle them at this month’s meeting to raise funds for your Malago WI.  We can take card payments, but please feel free to bring cash.

Just as a reminder, the Lionesses will be playing at Ashton Gate on Wednesday 22nd so traffic may be busier than normal, and parking might be a bit tricky.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 22nd.

 

Happy New Year from Malago WI.  We hope you have an enjoyable festive season.

It seems a very long time ago that we met for festive crafting and mince pie tasting.  A great time was had by all.

The dark nights and the terrible weather can make it very difficult to come out this time of year, but why not join us to kick our exciting programme of events for 2023 this January.  The last few weeks have demonstrated how our climate is changing.  We are delighted to welcome Jenny Harrison, who is passionate about environmental and ethical awareness.  She has volunteered as a Greenpeace speaker since 2019 and will talk to us about current environmental issues and how we can do our little bit to make a difference.

Some of you may have received some gifts that you would like to ‘re-gift’ so please bring them along and we will raffle them to raise funds for your Malago WI.  We can take card payments, but please feel free to bring cash.
Members will have the opportunity to vote on this year’s resolutions to go to the AGM later in the year.  This year, the proposed resolutions are:

1. Save our water – every drop matters
2. Women to women – turning over a new leaf in the lives of women tea workers
3. Online gambling harm: time for action
4. Clean rivers for people and wildlife

If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can send you vote to us by email.

We now will be meeting in the main church hall which will give us much more space.  When you arrive, please come through the main entrance.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 25^th.

Last month we pitted our wits against are very own Quiz Master, Vivienne.  A great night was had by all, and with only a few football questions, the scores were tight!

It’s that time of year again when we start talking about Christmas! We are delighted that this year, we can offer several Christmas activities.

Our November meeting will be all about the festive season.  We will undertaking a blind mince pie testing, pitting the High Streets favourite shops and brands against each other to vote for our favourite Christmas staple.  We will also be getting back to some crafting making Christmas decorations including stars and origami Christmas trees.  All instructions and materials will be provided, but feel free to bring along some favourite paper (printer thickness or thicker would be ideal) and any embellishments you would like to add.
 
After many years of not being about to meet up socially, we are also arranging a Christmas social where we can have a drink and chat.  This will be on Thursday 15^th December at 7:45pm for 8pm at North Street Standard.  We hope you can join us!
 
If you are not able to make any of our Christmas gatherings, we wish you a happy and healthy festive season and look forward to you joining us for our exciting 2023 programme of meetings!  
 

Last month we had a lovely evening with the extremely talented Angie Parker, who gave us an amazing insight into her journey to set up a highly successful textiles business.  We were very privileged to see her amazing work up close.

Now we are into the full swing of Autumn, we are going to get cosy in the hall.  Our very own Vivienne will be putting together some trivia and brain teasers to test the grey cells, whilst ensuring we have some fun.  In teams of up to four, you will be able to test your knowledge and pit your wits against Malago WI’s Quiz Master.
 
This is a great opportunity to have a drink, snacks and chat, so please feel free to bring along a friend (or two!)
 
We will also be holding our annual AGM, so we will reflect on what we have been able to achieve over the last year after some turbulent times.

Our October meeting marks Malago WI’s birthday so why not join us to celebrate.

See you on Wednesday 19th!  
 

 It was unfortunate that our Buttercream workshop at Little Kitchen was cancelled at such short notice. We hope to be able to rearrange this at a later date. It was lovely to catch up with those who joined us for a drink.

This month we are back at British Road and joined by Angie Parker. Angie is a weaver, designer and colourist based in BV studios in Bedminster. After being taught rug weaving at art college in the 1990’s, she pursued a career in costume for a number of years whilst continuing to weave on small scale collections. During this time, she developed the original style for which she has become known since setting up her business.

Angie will be talking about the ups and downs of setting up in business around a young family in a challenging marketplace. She will also cover pushing out of your comfort zone and embracing the hormone roller-coaster, all though uplifting colourful woven textiles. There will be a slide show and samples of Angie's trademark woven textiles on display, plus a Q&A session at the end.

If you enjoyed some of our outings exploring the local area, you might be interested in a series of talks exploring the hidden histories of Bedminster and Southville taking place in September and October.

See you on Wednesday 28^th.

 In July we took part in a lovely, interactive drawing workshop led by Kate Miller, an experienced teacher and artist. It was great to be able to discover our inner artist and use a range of materials.

We are out and about in August and getting hands on again with a buttercream workshop at Little Kitchen in Totterdown.  Set up by Claire and Madeline in 2014, Little Kitchen, is a hands-on cookery school, getting the people of Bristol cooking good food from scratch. 

We will be starting at 8pm with a short talk about Little Kitchen, followed by a buttercream flower demonstration and opportunity to do our own buttercream work on a takeaway cupcake. Some snacks will be provided, and there will be refreshments for sale.

This will be a one-hour workshop, so the Committee will be going for a drink at The Oxford afterwards if anyone would like to join us.

Places are limited so please can you let us know if you would like to attend by 24^th August by emailing wearemalagowi@gmail.com. Guests are welcome at the cost of £10.

Please note the meeting is on Wednesday 31^st August, so see you then.

Our June meeting saw us take a guided walk of Manor Woods Valley led by Peter Loy-Hancock, who was able to tell us lots about the ecology, wildlife, and history of the site. Despite the terrible weather during the day, the evening stayed dry for us, and it was lovely to make the most of the long mid-summer evening.

In July we will be able to enjoy a drawing Workshop led by Kate Miller, an experienced teacher and artist. Kate will be helping us loosen up our drawing, gain confidence in our own style of mark-making and enjoy an evening of creativity. There will be opportunities to use pens, pencils, and charcoal and to work on a range of paper sizes. We will be back at the hall, but if the weather is nice we will venture into the garden. Kate will also be bringing some art and cards to sell.

Please note, that due to the school summer holidays, we will be meeting one-week earlier than usual on 20th July.

As a heads up, we will be out and about again in August visiting Little Kitchen to learn some cake decorating skills. Places are limited so we will be asking for sign up by about a week before the meeting. If you would like to attend, please email wearemalagowi@gmail.com

See you on Wednesday 20^th July

 

Thank you for everyone who joined us at May’s meeting. Experienced physiotherapist Claire Callaghan gave us an insight into women’s health and some simple things we can do to keep fit and healthy.  Here is a helpful reminder of what we can do to help ourselves.

For our June meeting on, we will be making the most of the long evenings with a leisurely walk around Manor Woods Valley Local Nature Reserve, accompanied by a knowledgeable guide who will point out the many features of interest. There will be frequent stops to explore ancient and ‘new’ woodlands, the Malago, wildflower meadows and an orchard. Our guide will describe the human and natural history of each area, and the management practices being used to maintain and improve them.

The walk will include some slopes and uneven ground, including a few steps. Distance covered - 2.1miles/3.4km. Meet at the Vale Lane entrance to the site at 19:30. Postcode BS3 5RU. Parking is available on Vale Lane behind Tiley's Motors. If you need help getting there please email wearemalagowi@gmail.com.  Please wear sensible shoes and bring a drink. We will bring some cake and savoury snacks to share.

The national WI AGM took place in Liverpool earlier in June. Our votes in support of this year's resolution (Women and Girls with ASD & ADHD - under-identified, under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, under-supported) were forwarded.  We are pleased to announce that it was carried with 96.5% of the votes. Please have a look at was this means and the resources available on the WI website 

We look forward to seeing lots of you on the 29th.