March newsletter...

Thank you to those that came to our February meeting, in which we welcomed Shelley, who taught us a few reflexology tips and explained some of the many benefits to this treatment.
We all came away with enough knowledge of how to perform a decent hand massage so I hope you’ve all been putting that to good use!

Now, for this month’s meeting we’ll be putting our beautifully massaged hands to good use in the making of bath bombs and a face serum with Philippa.

Philippa has been making her own skin care products for several years now. What started out as pure curiosity has turned into a lifestyle choice looking at skin care recipe alternatives to mainstream cosmetic products. Her biggest motivator to continue to explore different skin care recipes was the effect it has had on her skin.
When one of Philippa's friends was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer and set up Tash's Bashes to fund raise for Cancer Research UK, Philippa decided to help raise money by running workshops to teach people to make their own skin care setting up Pure Scents Natural Skincare. The workshops are not aimed at an academic teaching, but more a hands on experience to learn in a fun environment. All profits from these workshops go to the charity and time is given voluntarily by Philippa.

It’s sure to be a really fun evening, Philippa will provide everything for making the products but we do need everyone to bring a few pieces of equipment as Philippa doesn’t usually run workshops for so many people in one go.

The items to bring are as follows:

• Flexible ice cube trays (to use as moulds for the bath bombs, ideally you will all bring 1 or 2 as the bath bombs will be best left in them for a few hours to set properly)
• A small mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons

Apart from that, just bring your good selves and we’ll see you there!
As always, we welcome guests as well as our members, but where numbers exceed capacity, priority will be given to full members of Malago WI.

Until Wednesday,
MWI x

February news...

Malago WI 2015 got off to a fantastic start in January with Nell Gifford entertaining us with touching, warm and witty tales of her life, from rural country girl to Circus owner and director and all that happened in between.

I could happily have listened to Nell for much longer and judging by all the questions at the end of the evening, you all felt the same way!

If you missed this meeting – shame on you, but it’s not too late to become a member.  Join up at our February meeting instead, just £36.00 cash or cheque and membership for the rest of 2015 is yours.

This month we’ll be getting hands on with a demonstration in reflexology, so bring along your favourite moisturiser for a bit of tuition in hand massage.

Shelley will also be after a willing volunteer for a lovely foot massage treatment, so brush the fluff balls from between your toes and prepare to be pampered!

Don’t forget to bring your unwanted/surplus Christmas gifts to donate to our raffle, and some cash to buy some tickets for the chance to win something you want!  Money raised will go in to the Malago WI funds towards future meetings.

Finally, our committee is dwindling in numbers so if you’re interested in getting involved with the running of Malago WI, let us know and we’ll be happy to give you more information about what that entails.

See you on Wednesday

MWI x

Roll up, roll up, roll up...

The circus is coming to town!

It really is, sort of, because our first guest of 2015 is Nell Gifford.
Nell is the driving force behind the magical Gifford’s Circus and is going to talk to us about how she went from Oxford University English Graduate to Circus supremo. 
She’s written a couple of books on the subject too, they’ll be available for sale on the night, so bring your cheque book or cash so you don’t miss out.  It’s going to be a fabulous evening, behind the scenes tales of circus life - I can’t wait!

Hopefully we’ll see plenty of you next Wednesday, all refreshed after a fun and festive Christmas season and happily settled in to a bright new year.  
 Did lots of you get to Treefest at St Mary Redcliffe church and see our lovely tree, or get to Windmill Hill City Farm Christmas fayre, where we had a successful stall?  There was no meeting in December, but it was still an active month for Malago WI!

Anyway, membership is open now for new members and it’s also renewal time for our existing members.  It’s £36.00 for 2015 membership or we continue to welcome guests at £5 per meeting, if you’re undecided about joining.  Again, cash or cheque is the accepted form of currency on the night!

We’ve still got our lovely Malago WI tea towels for sale, so since you’ll be bringing cash with you, you might as well buy a tea towel too, don’t you think?

It’s very important that we have enough cake to eat next week, of course!  We’ve got a few confirmed, but another 1 or 2 would be great, so please drop us a line here if you can bring along some form of baked goods.

Looking ahead to February, we’ll be holding a raffle of unwanted/surplus/duplicate Christmas pressies , so if you’ve got anything lying around that you know isn’t going to get used (unused, in good condition), bring it along to the January meeting and we’ll hold on to it and co-ordinate the prizes for our February raffle.  The money we raise will go in to our funds so we can continue to bring in exciting and interesting guests throughout the year.

Phew, lots going on, but that's all for now.

Until Wednesday...
MWI x

A starry night...

Well, let me start with a big Happy 6^th Birthday to Malago WI!

It’s really been 6 years since this lovely little branch of the WI began to grow – have you been with us since the start?  No?  Well it’s never too late to jump on board.

If you’re not a fully fledged Malago WI members, October is the perfect time to change that.  New membership opens so you can register for 2015 for £36 and you will get the last 2 meetings of 2014 for free, so come, join us, we’ve so much great stuff planned.

Last month the serious topic of personal safety and awareness was delivered in a fun and practical manner by Andras Millward from FAST Defence.   Simple skills to take forward through everyday life, others that we hope we won’t ever have the need to use – Set, knee!

However, on to our October meeting, we’ll be getting crafty once again making a variety of star decorations.

We’ll have several demonstrated star crafts, including origami, crochet and sewing as well as committee made decorations ready to be embellished.  These will go towards our entry in toTreefest and for selling on our stall at the Windmill Hill City Farm Christmas Fair on Sunday 14^th December – more on that next week!

We’d love you to bring along any of your own ideas that fit the star decoration theme if you’d prefer to ‘freestyle’, or maybe you’re a dab hand at a craft that adapts to our theme and you could share with us – contact us if that’s the case!

We have a fairly decent supply of stuff, but it’d be really helpful if you have anything you could bring to use or share such as gel pens, glitter glue, paint pens,  odds and ends of fabric, felt and wool, paper – and if colours are glittery or festive, then so much the better!

Also, please bring a crochet hook if you fancy having a go at crochet stars – we don’t have enough of those to go round.

This is going to be a lovely informal meeting, in which everyone will be able to produce a few star decorations using a variety of techniques, and enjoy a good chat with fellow members and of course enjoy a slice of cake because we’re also celebrating the 6^th birthday of Malago WI!

In addition to all of those goings on, we’ll also be unveiling our first, bespoke, designer Malago WI tea towel – you’ll be able to get your orders in first to beat the rush when they go on sale at the Windmill Hill City Farm Christmas Fair.

Finally, for those that are already Malago WI members and  would like to get a bit more involved, we’d love to have  some more of you  joining our committee - as someone once said, teamwork divides the work and multiplies the success, so who’s up for it?

See you all on Wednesday,

MWI x

September news...

Hello Malagowers!

Thanks to all who came to last month’s meeting with John Wright.  He knew a thing or 2 about mushrooms, but has anyone been brave enough to go mushroom foraging after listening to his stories?
Not me!  I’ll stick to spotting them and taking a photo but I was thoroughly entertained listening to all he had to tell!

Now, September’s meeting is approaching and the nights are drawing in.  We’ll be covering the subject of personal safety and self-defence, with tips and strategies about awareness and boundaries and using assertive body language and verbal strategies to dissuade an attacker.
 Dress in comfortable clothing and be prepared to get involved a bit too.

We’ll also have some news about a new WI choir group, so if you fancy stretching your vocal chords, you’ll want to come along and hear about the plans for this.

Finally, we’ve started to look for local winter or Christmas fairs that Malago WI could get involved with in order to raise both funds and our profile.  We’ve made some enquiries and will hopefully have news by next week, but if you know of an event that you think would benefit from a Malago WI presence, then do let us know,
 
Until Wednesday 24th,
 
MWI x

Hittin' the road...

Hello there!

As the title says, this month we're hittin' the road! That's to say our regular meeting in the hall has been replaced by a lovely little outing to Aldwick Court Farm for a vineyard tour and a spot of wine tasting and at this moment, the weather forecast continues to be pretty darn fabulous.

If you've booked and paid for your place, we'll see you at 7.15pm for a prompt 7.30pm departure on Wednesday 30th July from the site of the old Gala Bingo hall on North Street. (that's the end nearest the Steam Crane pub.)
There's a couple of spaces left, so if you've not got round to booking your place email now to ensure you don't miss out!

Finally, can you help us out for an hour or so on Saturday 9th August please? Malago WI have been offered a stall at Lark in the Park - the launch of the new South Street Park, just near our meeting hall. It's a great opportunity for us to support a community initiative and also promote ourselves locally. There are lots of family friendly stalls and activities taking place on the day for anyone to join in.

Avril Baker is happy to run and co-ordinate a stand making simple childrens kites from packs and also badges from cup cake cases but we need some extra pairs of hands to help out on the day. If you can come along and help for an hour or so please get in touch with Avril via email or call during the day on 0117 977 2002

Thank you!
Until Wednesday...
MWI x

June...

Finally summer has arrived and long may it continue!

Last months meeting was a lovely summery affair, resulting in approximately 70 gorgeous fabric flowers (and a few crocheted flowers) for Vicky at Paper Village to add to the dresses that will be made at her many workshops for the Dress a Girl Around The World project.  Have you signed up for one of her free workshops yet?  Take a look at the Paper Village Facebook page for the workshop date or just pop into the shop and sign up there.

At our May meeting you might recall it was the time of the wooden spoon once more.  All members cast a vote to support (or not) the proposed Resolution of increasing organ donations.  Our majority vote was in favour of supporting the resolution and the information was taken to the AGM held earlier this month.  The resolution was passed with 5981 branches voting in favour and 133 against.

Next weeks meeting is all about boobs!  We’ve got 2 speakers visiting us, firstly Lynn from Perfect Fit in Keynsham will share her considerable knowledge about lingerie and the importance of ensuring you get expert fitting and advice to make the most of your figure whatever your shape and size. Aside from running Perfect Fit Lynn is also a leading light in the Keynsham business community having chaired the Business Association, now the Chamber of Commerce, for many years championing the interests of traders and retailers and the future of Keynsham town centre.

Our second speaker is local community midwife, Tracey Dawn White, who will share her own experience of successfully coming through breast cancer and provide advice on how we should all be more breast aware.
 
We’ll also have a bra bin at our meeting, so bring along your old bras, because simply by binning them you can help raise money for breast cancer research.

Or alternatively, how about sponsoring your own Malago WI team? We’ve entered the Race for Life on Sunday 6^th July, just click the link HERE and help support us and Cancer Research UK.

Finally, as mentioned last month, our July meeting will be a trip to Aldwick Court Farm for a vineyard tour and wine tasting (please let the sunshine continue!)  Places are limited as we’ll be travelling by coach.  It will cost £5 to help cover the cost of the coach hire (£10 for non-members).
So get you name on the list asap if you haven’t already and please bring the cash to the next meeting to secure your place, it’s going to be a fab evening and you don’t want to miss out!

Until Wednesday (don't forget your old bras!),

MWI x

March in to Malago WI...

There’s a definite hint of spring in the air, isn't there?  We’ve seen more sunshine than rain recently and there was at least one day that could be described as warm since we were all together at February’s meeting with Karen Lowe.

 Have any of you spring cleaned your wardrobe with the help of Karen’s useful tips and your new found knowledge of your body shape? 

Or maybe you’ve just experimented by tying your scarf in a different way at every given opportunity!  Whichever, I hope you all enjoyed it.

We’re really getting our craft on this month; firstly March saw the inaugural get-together of the Malago WI craft Club sub-group (that doesn’t trip of the tongue – alternative suggestions on a postcard!)  It was a lovely, informal get together for members only that saw experienced and inexperienced crafters knit, crochet, and patchwork, chat and laugh together.

 

If you missed out this month, don’t worry, it’s a monthly club to be held on the Wednesday 2 weeks before our main meeting.  You don’t have to commit to coming every month or even have a craft project on the go.  Come along for inspiration and friendship.  Drop us a line for meeting details.

Continuing the craft theme with our March meeting, we’ll be getting crafty and creative with Lisa Stevens.  She’s a wonderful artist creating beautiful, small, textured porcelain pieces such as bowls, tiles and jewellery. 

Take a look at her work here and here.

We’re going to have a go at producing our own masterpieces at our March meeting, focussing on small, flat items such as beads and pendants or small tiles which Lisa is going to take them away to glaze and fire them before returning them to us to use as desired. 

How fabulous – although you might want to leave your own rings at home so they don’t get clay stuck in them!

 So get your thinking caps, Lisa has suggested that you might like to bring some items to shape or add texture to your work such as something to press into the clay, or any shaped cookie cutters that may make it more personal to them. Possibly textured fabrics; lace, brocade, knotting and crochet, all of which are fun to press into clay. Also things like textured buttons, old jewellery, bits of old ironmongery...or natural things like seed pods, leaves and shells. These can all make interesting textures in the clay.

As mentioned last month, a further craft opportunity is the lampshade workshop we’ve arranged with Quincy Lampshades for Sunday 18^th May, 1.30pm til 5pm.  

This is open to members and non-members, but spaces are limited to 25 so email us at wearemalagowi@gmail.com for details and prices and how to book.  Get your skates on and start choosing your fabric!

Finally, thanks to all who donated prizes and bought tickets at last month’s raffle – you helped raise £40 for Malago WI, yippee!

See you all next Wednesday,

MWI

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everybody!

It seems a little late to be saying that, but it’s our first communication of 2014, so think it’s more than justified.
Hopefully you all had a wonderful time over Christmas and 2014 is moving along smoothly for you.

It was lovely to see some of you for Christmas drinks at the Tobacco Factory in December and our November meeting with Ivory Flowers was gorgeous.
Isn’t her shop looking fantastic, brightening up North Street during these drab, wet, winter days?

So here we are, January, traditionally the month for new regimes and resolutions – get fit, lose weight, stop smoking/drinking – essentially stop the fun stuff, straight after a month of indulgence.

It's just too hard, particularly with half full tins of chocolate, Christmas cake, biscuits and other delicious edibles bursting from cupboards and cluttering surfaces.
Far more practical to spend January enjoying all these tasty treats and start afresh in February, surely?

Well, with that in mind, we have Attic Tea visiting us in January for a tea tasting session.
Anne will talk us through the different types of tea available and the health benefits they offer.
Take a look at their lovely website if you’re not already aware of them and their products.
Maybe this will help kick start a healthier regime for February.
There’ll be products available for sale too, so come prepared, cash, cheque or credit card are all acceptable.
I’ll be looking out for the tea with cleansing and detoxifying properties!

As we mentioned at our last meeting, do bring along any unwanted Christmas gifts or excess boxes of chocolates, bottles of wine and so forth (unused and unopened, please!) that you want to get out of your house, ready for our raffle, which we'll hold during our February meeting.
We’ll store the donations until then and can co-ordinate the raffle draw and prizes in to something a little more orderly.

Importantly, please remember that it’s membership renewal month so you will need to pay your annual fee of £34.70 or the £5.00 visitors’ fee. You can pay by cash or cheque, but you only need to fill in the membership form if you’re a brand new member or if any of your details have changed.

Finally, we’d love more volunteers to help with the smooth running of our meetings, so if you can offer your services to help set up the hall before the meeting – committee members are usually there from 7.15pm, or help out with serving the tea and cakes during the break or to make/bring a cake to be served, that would be wonderful.
We’ll be creating a roster for helpers for each month which will be available at our meetings, or you can contact us through the usual channels to offer your help.

Until Wednesday...
MWI x

Let's get ready to party!

Well hello Malagowers,

I think it’s time to admit that the summer – Indian or otherwise, is definitely over! 

We saw it out in style with some tasty seasonal recipes brought to us by Shannon Smith as she demonstrated some recipes using seasonal produce.

We sampled wasabi pea dip, courgette kofte, polenta pan bread and my personal favourite, the lovely, fresh potato and apple salad – why hasn’t it occurred to me before to use yoghurt for the dressing rather than the usual mayonnaise?   I hope you and your taste buds approved.

Now as the nights draw in and the temperature drops, what do we have to look forward to?

Only Malago WI’s 5^th Birthday Party and AGM!!!

We can’t wait – no we really can’t.  So we’re having it 1 week early on Wednesday 23rd October.

We’ve got lots in store for our 1940’s blackout party; food, music, movies, memorabilia and a fabulous pop-up parlour specialising in hair and make-up in the 1940’s style.

Do come dressed for the occasion, you may also get the chance to have your hair or make-up done by our parlour professionals – you’ll definitely be able to watch and learn and pick up some tips.

And as if that isn’t enough for you, membership also opens for new members, so if you’ve been coming along as a visitor until now, this is your chance to join up for 2014 for the small sum of £34.70 (and you get the last 2 meetings of 2013 for free – irresistible huh?)

We also have the AGM formalities, which will be confirming our committee for the coming year.  It shouldn’t take up too much time and then we can all enjoy a good, fun and very sociable evening.

Do say you’ll be there!

See you on the 23^rd

MWI x

Drawing you in to June...

 

So, how good was May’s meeting?  It really was a huge success and proved a great social occasion as well, a great set up for a good chat with edible treats to boot!

 

Sue Duggan from Teach Me Sugarcraft let us into some of the secrets of decorating cupcakes and under her skilled tuition, within minutes we were all turning out artistic creations everyone could be proud of. A big thank you to Sue and also to our May cake makers.

 

The relaxed format of the session meant we also had a chance to chat and meet one another which has resulted in lots of suggestions for our 2014 programme, but do keep the suggestions coming through all the usual channels as this will take some time to finalise.

June’s meeting will be challenging our skills in the art of life drawing. Deb Pearson has spent her life around art – she is a life drawing model, passionate collector of art and a regular at the RWA Drawing School.

 

Deb will lead our session, starting with tips and advice on life drawing before taking up a series of poses for us. (NB there will be nudity involved!!)

Please can everyone bring a sharpener and rubber and if you have your a favourite sketch book do bring this along too. But don’t worry if you don’t have your own as there will be paper, art pencils and charcoal provided – so avoid pale clothing with all that charcoal and graphite around.

 

As the summer kicks in just a reminder that July’s meeting will be a hands on craft session with Liz Ferguson making all sorts of beautiful decorations for our WI stand at the Bristol International Kite Festival (31 August/1 September).

 

If you can help with our Kite Festival stand in any way, whether it's baking cakes, loaning props or decorations, your time to (wo)man the stand over the event weekend, advice, previous experience, storage space... anything!  Please do let us know, many hands make light work as they say.

 

See you all next week,

 

MWI x

May the sun shine!

 

 

With a spring in their step Malagowers arrived ready for an evening of style tips and image-boosting with Karen Lowe, only to find, instead, local JP Bob Bennett, as Karen had to cancel at the very last minute!

So with a quick switch to our mind set, from clothing and fashion, to crimes of passion (ahem!), the energetic Bob quickly won us over with an insight into the role of a magistrate, followed by a mock crime which, through filmed interviews with the victim and suspect, encouraged us to question our attitudes and perceptions as the case progressed. 

An interesting fact of the evening: Bristol has the highest number of female magistrates in the country, go us!!

Huge thanks to Bob who stepped in at the eleventh hour and we’ll be seeing Karen at our February 2014 meeting.

On to this month’s meeting, Sue Duggan from the wonderful Teach Me Sugar Craft  will be inspiring us with her crafty cake creations.

 She will demonstrate how to decorate our cupcakes before letting us loose on four of our very own to take home…or eat in the break. They may or may not look something like the wonderful picture above - but that's really down to you!

Sue is a font of knowledge when it comes to cake decorating both large and small scale, and will be happy to answer any of your decorating questions or queries, she'll also be bringing some decorating paraphernalia which will be for sale so you may want to bring some extra money with you.

We will provide everything you need to decorate the cakes, but you might want to bring an apron just in case, or our fabulous Malago WI aprons will be on sale for you to purchase on the night for the new, reduced price of £8.00.

For those who took a WI Spring bulbs catalogue at the end of April’s meeting, please make sure you bring your order form and either a cheque for the total amount payable to ‘Malago WI’ or cash, so we can make the order before the beginning of June.

As a committee, we've begun thinking about our programme for 2014 meetings and would love to have some input from our members, so we'll be looking for your suggestions this month. 

We will have an anonymous suggestions box in the hall, and suggestions slips on every table. Malago is your WI and we really value any ideas you have for meetings. If you know anyone who might be willing to run a meeting or maybe you have a skill that you would like to share or a topic area that you'd like to see included, then this is your opportunity to let us know.

Finally, we are looking for new members on the committee, so if you are interested or would like a bit more information about what being on the committee involves, please speak to any of us during May’s meeting and we will be happy to tell you more. We will all be wearing blue name stickers on the night so you can spot us!

 

See you soon,

 

MWI x

 

Spring in to April

 

Having enjoyed a Magical March meeting with professional storyteller Martin Maudsley, huddled around candlelit tables listening to tales of enchanted forests, river gods and hidden treasure which, in turn, lead on to musical interludes of apples, sunshine and cider and a bit of riddle solving,  it felt like a fitting end to the dark, cold months of winter.

But now, here we are in April, enjoying longer, lighter evenings and the occasional, teasing glimpse of what spring has to offer, yet still waiting for it to fully unfurl!

So while we continue the wait, let’s get on top of our wardrobe woes with the help of renowned image consultant Karen Lowe.

Have you been shopping for jeans recently and thought ‘Which style will best suit me?’

Do you know which garment is the best style for you?

With Karen’s help we have the chance to indulge in body shape SOS.

Bring some items you struggle to wear, get ready to wardrobe de-junk and learn the style of great accessorising, the importance of correctly fitting underwear and how to dress in a way to flatter our bodies.

Karen has helped a number of clients refresh their style and increase their self-esteem to boot, now who wouldn’t benefit from a little bit of that?!

We look forward to seeing you all on the 24^th April!

 

Toodle pip!

MWI x

February forever

Doesn't it feel like this month has dragged its feet? We'll be kicking up a storm in our dancing shoes this week, however, with the February meeting of Malago WI!

The Sambazinhas will be joining us on Wednesday 27 February at 8pm, giving us a high-kicking demo of their festival show. And, of course, we'll all get the chance to join in, so don't forget your (flat) dancing shoes and clothes suitable for copious amounts of jiggling and shaking.

Don't worry if you were expecting the rather more sedate Farrow & Ball - they will be coming up at the August meeting.

Just a brief one this month, without further ado allow me to thank the wonderful Janine Chisholm who inspired us all to make-do-and-mend last month, plus the cake-bakers from January's meeting - resolution-busting deliciousness all round. And don't forget to sign up for your membership at Wednesday's meeting - places are going FAST! (Just like our samba-dancing feet...)

Tchau, Malagozinhas!
MWI x

Happy noo year!

Well, hello Malagowers

It's been a while since we've seen you all (at November's glorious chocolate-making extravaganza). Christmas chaos and new years have come and gone, and we're ready to get Malago WI all set for 2013.

Kicking of the year in style is our January meeting - Wednesday 30 January, 8pm. Janine Chisholm of Custard Clothing is coming to talk thrifty style, something we could all learn something about. Janine is an expert in customisation, alteration, and all things fashion, darling. As well as talking us through the basics, Janine will be able to advise on revamping individual items so bring along a lack-lustre linen or a fading frock and find out how to breath new life into your wardrobe.

Don't forget to bring along cash or cheques (£12.99) if you're interested in buying Janine's book - Thrifty Style: Clever ways to revamp your wardrobe.

If you haven't already joined up, we're still accepting Malago WI memberships for 2013. For just £33, you get a year of thrilling meetings, sociable events, and the finest cakes known to humanity.

Speaking of which, we need refreshment executives to volunteer their services please. Make a cake or help out in the kitchen - either way, drop us a line to let us know.

And finally, we do like to eke out the Christmas cheer just as long as we can, so we're holding a raffle. Bring along an unwanted gift to add to the pile, and together we'll beat those January blues.

Until Wednesday...
MWI x

Art, cakes and DIY

Dear Malago WI

How are you keeping? Well, I hope, despite the unseasonable chill. For those who weren't at April's meeting, we hope you'll notice an improvement in our diction from here on in. Selina from InterCre8 did us proud - we learnt trick after well-enunciated trick designed to get our vocal cords waggling like never before, and I doubt I'll ever forget our little library mime. A triumph.

But it wasn't all fun and bumping into each other - there was the serious business of resolution votes to contend with too. The results are now in and I can reveal that, although a very close-run contest, the Megafarms resolution just pipped Libraries to the post. More on campaigns later in the year.

Coming up next month, we have Jo Behari, DIY expert extraordinaire, who will give us the lowdown on easy ways to Do It Ourselves and fix those annoying little jobs about the house. Hooray. Membership has hit record levels, and we are now freezing membership - this means May's meeting will be members only. No guests for the time being, but we will be sure to let you know when membership is open again.

And don't forget: this weekend is the Southbank Bristol Arts Trail, when wondrous arty delights await you in homes and other locations across Southville and beyond. Malago WI will be selling cakes and creating children's crafts at the Tobacco Factory market on Sunday, 10am-2.30pm. Pop by and say hello!

*Last minute call - is anyone a dab hand at face painting? If you could spare two hours to paint faces at our stall, please contact us ASAP (wearemalagowi@gmail.com). Thanks *

That's all for the time being. All together now: Mo Mah Meee Mah Malagooooooo....

MWI x

We May never be the same again...

Wow, Malago, is it just us or was Jane Brocket pretty blooming good?

Those beautiful quilts, the colours and fabrics, the enthusiasm with which she brought her subject to life... We could tell you liked it too - the oohs and aahs when she revealed each quilt made it sound like you lot were watching a firework display.

Turns out, Jane quite liked us too. If you lived in Bristol, Jane, we'd have you in a Malago minute. What an evening.

And we have another couple of exciting evenings coming up for you, the first being our Swish - the clothes and accessories swap which takes place on Friday 18 June at 8pm (taking place at the Pilates Moves studio). Tickets are £6 which includes a glass of wine and nibbles, and the event's open to members and non-members alike so bring your friends. Tickets can be reserved by emailing jointhewi@gmail.com or you can pay on the night.

For the uninitiated swishers amongst you, the idea is that you bring at least 3 good-quality items you love but no longer use (with hangers please), which entitles you to take home 3 new-to-you items for your summer wardrobe. Simple but brilliant. And you can buy extra tokens if the selection of goodies leaves you unable to choose, and don't forget to bring a bag to take it all home in). Come along, it'll be a blast. All proceeds go to making your WI bigger and better.

June meeting

It's time to get the bangles out for our re-scheduled Bollywood night! Snowed off back in January, the June meeting will give you an opportunity to learn a few moves from Mother India, and enjoy a hot cup of chai and some delicious spiced cakes and snacks.

The June meeting is on Wednesday 30 June at 8pm, Ebenezer Methodist Church hall. Please wear your finest, brightest, spangliest garb, accessorised with jingly bangles and chandeliearrings. (But do make sure you're comfortable, and don't wear heels.)

Best of Bedminster

Malago WI intends to be part of the Best of Bedminster show again this year, date to be confirmed but it'll be a September Saturday. We will be serving our famous tea and cakes, as well as cupcake-decorating. We will need volunteers to help on the day, as well as to make cakes to sell. BoB is our favourite fund-raiser, and it's a great way to let south Bristol know about us and our activities, while helping out a good cause. Email us or let us know you can help by chatting to one of the committee next time you see us.

We're off to raid our wardrobes for some extra-special Swish treats.

See you soon!

Malago WI x

February forever

Dear women of Malago,

It may be the shortest month, but it feels like February has gone on forever. Roll on Spring! While we wait for the daffs to come up, here's the latest from your local Women's Institute.

January's meeting

It was amazing to see so many happy faces at our January badge-making session. Welcome, first-timers, and welcome back, old-timers. We hope you enjoyed yourselves, and made some new friends. Thank you for your generous cake donations which totaled £41.60 for the Haiti earthquake relief fund.

Membership

We're nearly full, which is an amazing start to the year! If you haven't yet joined, email jointhewi@gmail.com for an application form - places are limited, so don't hang about if you like us. Membership is £29.50 - cheques made payable to Malago WI. If you want to come along and see what we're all about, you'll have to wait a little longer. Our February meeting is full, but March 31 sees us donning smocks to attempt a self-portrait or two, in advance of the Southbank Arts Trail.

February's meeting

For those of you who are paid-up members, our next meeting takes place on Wednesday 24 February when we'll be making Morphs with Aardman. Could it get any more exciting than this? Members will each receive a Morph-making kit complete with enough plasticine to construct your own model of Tony Hart's malleable friend with help from one of Aardman's top animators. There will be a prize for the best effort, as well as a raffle to raise much-needed funds.

Bread-making workshop

For those of you booked on one of the bread-making workshops with the wonderful Mark's Bread, please make sure you bring along your payment to the February meeting - £12 cash or cheque please. The photographic evidence from the first session is up now on our Flickr site - it looked a lot of fun. Very impressive.

Reclaim the Night

On Friday 26 February, representatives from Malago WI will join Bristol Feminist Network to take part in Reclaim the Night - an international campaign against sexual violence, with very obvious links to the WI No More Violence Against Women campaign. These marches empower women to stand together and reclaim our right to be out in our city at night free from the fear of violence and harassment. If you'd like to join us on the march, from 6-8pm, please email us at jointhewi@gmail.com.

That's all for now.

May your jack never flap,

Malago WI x

Short days, long nights... Autumn has fallen

Dear Malago-ers

To everything, there is a season, and this is fast becoming a nippy one. Still, at least you now have the wherewithal to knit yourself a Winter hat. Or at least you do if you were one of the 87 (87!) women who came together to knit away the last of that Indian summer at September's meeting. Wow! We couldn't quite believe it ourselves. We weren't expecting you all, so apologies that we ran out of tables, chairs and knitting needles. Hopefully, though, we made do and you had a lovely evening. Next time we'll be ready for you... Well done to all who completed a mini-hat - they've gone to Innocent to warm up those chilly smoothies, and pictures will be up on our Flickr site soon.

Speaking of which, October marks our first birthday, so we're celebrating with a party on Wednesday 28 October. Apologies to non-members, but as we have 'official business' to attend to, it is open to paid-up 2009 members only (who should all know about the change of venue, and have a beautiful invitation to remind them). Nibbles, birthday cake and a welcome drink will be provided, bring pocket money for the cash bar afterwards (and we are asking for a suggested donation of £4 to cover part of the party cost). If you did take an invitation but now cannot come, please let us know by emailing jointhewi@gmail.com - it'll mean we can give your place to someone else.

Some of you might have seen a handful of fellow members baring, well, not much actually, in the Evening Post last week. Our support of the Berate campaign objecting to the Tesco plans at Ashton Gate reached new highs (or lows, depending on your perspective) when we posed nude-ish behind a banner - huge thanks to the brave ladies who took part, and to Alice for taking such beautiful pictures. BBC Radio Bristol interviewed Alice and Lottie on Tuesday morning, live on the Breakfast show, which generated much debate with listeners calling-in to give their views on the subject. There is still time to object (by email, post or online - until 31 October) and we have submitted our official objection as a local, interested organisation. Keep those fingers crossed...

Coming up

Malago WI are official tea-and-cake purveyors to the opening of a new playground at Gore's Marsh, Winterstoke Road, on Sunday 25 October, between 10.30-3pm. Come down, look around, have a go on the slider (or the urn! Spare pinnies available).

Sharpen your pencils for November's creative writing session, taking place on Wednesday 25 November, usual place, usual time.

And put Saturday 5 December in your diary - we've organised a Christmas cupcake-decorating workshop to get you in the festive mood. More details and an opportunity to book your place at October's party.

We're off to practice the words to 'Happy Birthday'.

Until we meet again,

MWI x