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.
 

It was lovely to welcome volunteers from St John’s Ambulance to our April meeting, to hear about the great work they do and get some hands on practice.

 
This month, we are delighted to welcome Helen Kembery, a Reiki practitioner of 3 years. Helen practices in Bristol and is a specialist of long distance Reiki. She will be talking to us about Reiki and its benefits, the points she works with, the principles and how they are important. As well as when you might choose to utilise Reiki.
 
You may have already seen the signs already, but June signals the Bedminster Festival of Gardening which culminates in Bedminster’s Secret Gardens. There are lots of events to take part in or take a leisurely stroll around beautiful gardens in the local area.
 
At April’s meeting, we discussed 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. You may have questions around this and the impact on Malago WI going forward. Therefore, we plan to meet at 7:30 at our May meeting to allow time for questions and discussion. If you cannot attend, please email us if you have any questions.

As usual, please come through the theatre entrance and make your way to the second floor.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 27^th May at 7:30.

April news....

We had a lovely time at our March meeting, getting into the Easter spirit, decorating delicious biscuits. There were some beautiful and colourful creations.

In some form, we all recognise the green uniform of the St John’s ambulance. From supporting events large or small or providing first aid training, St John’s Ambulance, and their team of dedicated volunteers support thousands of people each year.
 
For our April meeting, we will be joined by volunteers from St Johns Ambulance, who are based close to here, at the Harry Crook Centre on Raleigh Rd. They will be talking about '3 ways to save a life' campaign which includes CPR; recovery position and choking as well as touching on common first aid issues. We are planning for a fun and informative session with a chance for some hands on demos and to learn new skills.
 
April marks membership renewal. The cost of membership for 2026/27 will be £54 and can be paid by cash or BACS transfer. We have been asked that all subscribers this year are made aware of the new NFWI membership eligibility, which states ‘From April 2026, WI membership is only open to women registered female at birth (biological women) who have reached the age of majority.’
 
As usual, please come through the theatre entrance and make your way to the second floor.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 29^th April.

March news....

 Thank you to everyone who joined to paint pottery at  Made at Nest.  There were some lovely creations and a lot of chat!

 
This month, we return to the Tobacco Factory and as we move into Spring, we have an Easter theme (where is the year going!)
 
We will be decorating biscuits (egg-shaped) in preparation for Easter.  Biscuits, icing and piping bags will be supplied. We will be trying out 3D and feathering techniques.  You will be able to practice first, before working on your final master pieces.
 
As usual, please come through the theatre entrance and make your way to the second floor.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 25^th March.

February news....

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first meeting of the year.  It was lovely to hear about the benefits of strength training from Amanda Giles and catch up over tea and cake. 
 
For our February meeting, we have our first outing of the year.  We will be meeting at Made at Nest on North Street where will be painting our own piece of pottery.   
 
We'll all get to paint one small piece of pottery each.  The team at Nest will glaze and fire it and will need contact details from everyone so that can let each person know when their piece is ready for collection (usually a week later).
 
There will be refreshments available to buy. You may want to bring an apron /wear old clothes and other than that all equipment is provided.
 
We plan to start at 7pm and will be finishing around 8.30pm.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 25^th February.