November news....

Thank you to everyone who came to our October meeting and AGM.  It was great to hear your ideas about future meetings.  We all loved creating an origami Christmas tree forest and trying on some gorgeous kimonos thanks to Yukiko.
 
Our last meeting of 2019 will have a distinctly festive feeling with a range of Christmas treats and music to help get us in the mood for the festivities throughout December.  We will be joined by Rachel Heaton, a local artist who has been dabbling in art for a lifetime. Art is total escapism for her, it is an excuse to hide away and ignore her family
 
A member of Redcatch Art Club, she loves to shock with her outrageous approach of slapping the paint on super quick and watching what emerges. At the moment she loves painting dogs and cats but also creating images of people on stones.  She will be exhibiting her work at this weekend’s Totterdown Front Room Art Trail.
 
Rachel will bring along examples of her amazing artwork and painted stones to inspire us to paint our own which we can either keep or choose to hide to be found by others.  The idea behind Bristol Rocks is to decorate rocks and hide them in various places to randomly brighten someone's day. You can use whatever you like, paint, sharpies etc., they just need to be sealed with some clear varnish to make sure the rain doesn't wash away your designs.  If you add a message on the back saying 'Bristol Rocks Facebook Page' or something along those lines, you can even add your name, then maybe some will be reposted to the group when they are found.
 
All materials will be provided but if you have a favourite stone or two that you would like to decorate do bring these along as well.
 
We hope to see many of you on 27th November, but for those who can’t make it, we wish you happiness and good health for the festive season.

October news....

 

Although we had a last minute change of venue due to water damage in the hall, our alternative venue of the Hen and Chicken was a great place to practice some chair yoga with Ashley Russell. It was lovely to see so many of you there and to hear how much you enjoyed it.  Thank you for being so understanding with the last minute changes.
 
October’s meeting will have a distinctly Japanese theme.  Yukiko Hosomi will be teaching us how to make origami Christmas trees and Christmas decorations.  Yukiko will introduce us to origami and kimono as well her early life in Japan. There will be opportunity to try on some kimonos and taste a bit of vegetarian sushi.  All materials will be provided, but if you have any paper you would like to use to make decorations, please bring it along
 
Yukiko has lived in Bristol for the last 15 years – coming to the UK in 1996 as an international student at Lancaster University. Originally from Shizuoka prefecture in Japan, 1 hour by bullet train from Tokyo, she grew up seeing Mt Fuji every day. Her love of hand crafts were developed at a young age, watching her mother knit and sew, and making things by hand has been a shared love. Since 2018, Yukiko has been sharing her love of Japan, kimono and fabric with others thorough her creative outlet Unsui.
 
Yukiko sells accessories created from kimono material and you will have an opportunity to purchase these (cash or card) at the meeting, especially for those looking to start their Christmas shopping early!
 
This month’s meeting also marks our 11^th birthday and will be holding our AGM where we can share many of the great activities we have done this year.
 
Have you got any books you have read, loved but no sure what to do with them?  We are looking for book donations which we can sell, at a very small charge, at our meetings as part of our fundraising for Malago WI.  Please bring along any books you would like to donate.
 
We look forward to seeing you on the 30th!  

SEPTEMBER MEETING CHANGE OF VENUE.....

Unfortunately, at very short notice, we have had to move our September meeting.  Over the weekend the lead from the roof of the Methodist Church Hall was stolen and the building has flooded after the recent heavy rainstorms. The lovely guys at the nearby Hen and Chicken Pub have come to our rescue and will host our September meeting this coming Wednesday 25 September.  We look forward to seeing you in the upstairs room of the Hen & Chicken, 210 North St, Bristol BS3 1JF at the usual time of 7.45 for 8pm for our armchair yoga session. Do help to pass on the information to anyone else you know who is planning to come along.

September news...

In August we thoroughly enjoyed a visit to Colston Hall to find out about their major transformation project.  After an overview of the project we took a virtual tour of the main construction areas using Willmott Dixon’s  state of the art computer modelling of the interiors and then donned VR headsets to ‘see’ what the new main hall and the Lantern will look like when finished. Thanks to the Colston Hall team and Willmott Dixon for their hospitality and accommodating us in the midst of this exciting but challenging building programme.
 
As the nights start to draw in we are back to the hall for our September meeting, taking some time to improve our sense of wellbeing with some Chair Yoga from Ashley Russell
 
Ashley has been a student and teacher of yoga for over 20 years working in Europe, the USA and now back in the UK. He now teaches Vinyasa, Hatha, Restorative and Yin styles of Yoga throughout Bristol as well as being a Senior Yoga Teacher registered with the Yoga Alliance Professionals and a registered mental health nurse with the Nursing and midwifery Council.
 
During the evenings meeting Ashley will give us some background & history of the origins & history of Yoga and how it has become the discipline we know today.  He will then guide us through an hour long chair yoga class which will take in elements of Gyrokenesis. Chair yoga will help to increase strength & flexibility as well as reduce stress. Focusing on the breath the class will bring us a sense of calm well-being & mental clarity.
 
Please wear comfortable clothing you can move in & suitable footwear/socks
 
Have you got any books you have read, loved but no sure what to do with them?  We are looking for book donations which we can sell, at a very small charge, at our meetings as part of our fundraising for Malago WI.  Please bring along any books you would like to donate.
 
We look forward to seeing you on the 25th!  
 

August news....

In July, we were very lucky to visit the delightful Somerset Flower Farm where the sun shone and we were treated to an amazing cream team.  Thanks to Mandy, Ken and Ella for hosting us and to Mandy for putting together and giving away a beautiful hand held bouquet.

We continue our summer outings in August and have a fantastic opportunity to visit Colston Hall.
This is an opportunity to see behind the scenes and see the work in progress on this major, £48.8 million transformation project.  The evening will start with guided tours of the building courtesy of Willmott Dixon Contractor. Access to some areas will be restricted as this is a working site - so please wear sensible shoes.  Afterwards we will reconvene in the first floor terrace bar for a glass of wine and a talk from about the overall project and progress to date. This will include trying out some VR headsets for a glimpse of what the finished areas will look like.

We will be meeting in ground floor foyer area.  Due to the limit of 15 people per tour, we have arranged for two, the first at 7pm and second at 7:30pm.  Tours will start promptly, so please ensure you arrive in time to go on the first or second tour.  Those who are not on the tour will have the opportunity to have a glass of wine or soft drink.  We will finish at Colson Hall about 9pm and we will are planning to Bambalan for a drink afterwards for anyone who would like to join us.

If you need to contact us on the evening, you can call Avril on 0780 395 4120 or Lucy on 07717 375749.

We look forward to seeing you at the Colston Hall on Wednesday 28^th August.

July news.....

In June, we were delighted to hear from Jayne Goulding who shared her design journey and learning and seeing her beautiful work as part of the Jayne Goulding Design practice, embroidery design studio.

As summer is finally here, we will be leaving the hall for our July meeting and visiting the Somerset Flower Farm in Wrington, so please do not go to the hall.  The visit will be hosted by Mandy Parker, owner of the Flower Farm and who will be giving a talk on how she got started and what running a British flower farm entails.  We will also be able to get some hands on experience as Mandy will be showing us how to put together an informal bouquet from flowers she has grown. We will have a tour of the flower beds and poly tunnels and will be able to see an array of beautiful flowers grown there. Tea, coffee and cake will be served during the evening and there will be items to buy in the gift and flower shop.

We can offer lifts to those that can’t make their own way there so please let us know if you require transport but there is plenty of parking on site. There’s lots of room to sit inside and out and let’s hope we have good weather! We will be starting at 7:30pm at the Flower Farm and expect to finish by 9/9:30pm.

If you are a member the event is included in your membership but non-members and guests will be £7 each. There’s a maximum of 30 places so if you’d like to come and haven’t already signed up then please can you do so by emailing wearemalagowi@gmail.com by 24^th July.

This year Malago WI will be supporting Pride on its 10^th anniversary and running the children’s area at the Pride festival on Saturday 13^th July from 12pm to 5pm at Durdham Downs.  This will include children’s stories and activities with our very own Geri, cakes, kite making and glitter tattoos.  This a great way for us to raise awareness of Malago WI, support our local community and raise much needed funds to enable us to offer a wide range of meetings and summer outings.  There is still time if you would like to volunteer to help on the stall or make cakes, so please email us if you would like to do so or just come and visit us and buy one of our delicious cakes!!

We hope to see you at Pride or the Flower Farm.

June news....

In May, we had an inspiring and fascinating talk by Trish Johnson, about Clifton Suspension from the prospective of its Bridge Master and being a female chartered Civil Engineer.

In June, we will be hearing from Jayne Goulding Design on embroidery design practice for fashion and interiors. Jayne will be talking about her creative role as a designer and running her own business.  We will be able to see examples of her work and Jayne will share her creative processes and exploration, inspiration and influences.

The Jayne Goulding Design practice is an embroidery design studio, driven by creative and technical research and the discovery and creation of alluring designs, for fashion and interior designers and retailers.   Jayne Goulding is a designer and founder of Jayne Goulding Design, she works from her loft Studio in Bristol. She designs, produces and sells embroidery swatches to clients globally, from high street to high-end designer for fashion and interiors. Jayne Goulding Design studio employs a breadth of research, techniques and innovation using digital embroidery, hand guided Irish machine embroidery and bead work.

This year Malago WI will be supporting Pride on its 10th anniversary and running the children’s area at the Pride festival on Saturday 13^th July from 12pm to 5pm at Durdham Downs.  This will include children’s stories and activities with our very own Geri, cakes and kite making.  This a great way for us to raise awareness of Malago WI, support our local community and raise much needed funds to enable us to offer a wide range of meetings and summer outings.  We need volunteers to make cakes and help out on the day.  If you would to be involved, please email us at wearemalagowi@gmail.com or you can sign up at the June meeting. Anyone helping to staff our stall during the day will also get an event wristband, allowing to access the rest of the event.

We will be starting at 8pm so see you then on Wednesday 29^th May.

May news...

In April, not only did we learn some fantastic tips from Sarah Alder of  Kitchen Titbits on how to reduce our food waste, but also some great ideas for making some truly delicious meals.

This month we have the opportunity to learn more about one Bristol most famous icons, Clifton Suspension Bridge.  Trish Johnson, Bridge Master and chartered Civil Engineer, will talk about the management and maintenance of this feat of engineering, whilst giving an insight into her extensive career. 

Trish has been involved in various aspects of engineering.  She has worked in a consultancy practice managing a number of Highways and Transportation offices, promoted civil engineering as Regional Director for the ICE, and maintained bridges as Head of Maintenance at the Severn River Crossing.

In 2016, she took up the enviable role of Bridge Master on the Clifton Suspension Bridge. This high profile role covers the major projects and maintenance of the bridge, the managing of the business including the visitor centre and the engagement with the public and Trustees.

She is a keen advocate of engineering and sits on the University of the West of England Advisory Board for Civil Engineering, is an ICE mentor and is one of the judges for the ICE Civil Engineering Awards in the South West.

We will be starting at 8pm so see you then on Wednesday 29^th May.

April news....

In March we learnt about the benefits, amazing flavour and multiple uses of rapeseed oil from the highly entertaining Debbie Keeling from Bath Harvest.

This month we are looking at some great ways to help reduce food waste and make the most of our weekly shop.  Sarah Alder, from Kitchen Titbits will be talking to us about reducing food waste including food waste audits, tips for storing food to reduce waste and meal planning as a way to reduce waste.  We also get the chance to try some tasty morsels to help inspire us at home.

Kitchen Titbits is all about helping people to cut their food waste, slim line their food bills, improve family mealtimes, get food on the table quickly and learn new skills in the kitchen.

Malago WI will be sending a delegate to this year’s WI AGM in June. At this month’s meeting, members will be able to decide on how they want our delegate to vote on this year’s resolutions which are; A call against the decline in local bus services and Don’t fear the smear.  Notes on these resolutions will be available at this month’s meets as well as the WI website.

We will be starting at 8pm so see you then on Wednesday 24^th April.

March news....

Our February meeting saw us trying on beautiful creations by Ani Stafford Townsend which would have rivalled Ladies Day at Ascot.  

This month, we will be joined by Debbie Keeling from Bath Harvest who will be talking to us about rapeseed oil, from harvest to production, it health benefits and most importantly how and what you can cook with it.

Debbie started her business 7 years ago after leaving behind an office job.  Living on a farm had a major influence in choosing which business to set-up.  Since the beginning Debbie has won numerous awards for her rapeseed oil and been success in developing a number of new products such as infused oils, soaps and mayonnaise.

Debbie will be providing a number of product for us to try and you will have the opportunity to buy some of her amazing products so please bring some cash if you are interested in making a purchase.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 27^th at 8pm.

February news.....

Our first meeting of 2019 was a great way to ease us back into the New Year learning about the benefits of Reflexology and Reiki from Shelley Jones.

This month, we will be looking at the art of millinery with Ani Stafford Townsend.  Ani is a British couture & theatre milliner, striving for ethics in fashion and pushing artistic boundaries. Starting out as a theatrical milliner working for national companies, the West End, and film productions, Ani has developed her own millinery label, known for bold and adventurous use of colour and unique, stylish designs.

Ani trained at Wimbledon School of Art under theatre milliner Sean Barrett, and continues to create both theatre millinery and work under her own label as well as running the Milliners’ Guild in Bristol which she launched 2013. Ani will be talking about her extensive experience and we will have the opportunity to try on some of her amazing work.

We also be holding a raffle of all the unwanted gifts that have been donated to raise money for future meetings and outings. If you have anything else you would like to donate, please bring it along.

If you have not already done so you can still pay for your annual membership.  The membership fee for 2019 is £42.  Payments can be made in cash and cheques payable to Malago WI.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 27^th at 8pm.

January news.....

We hope that you have all had a lovely Christmas and New Year break.  It seems a long time ago since we last met in the hall, getting a bit messy with Laura Humpage from Colourful Minds.  We hope that the cards and gift tags we made were put to good use.

It is normal for a new year to inspire us all to be a bit healthier and focus on our wellbeing during the dark and cold winter months.  So for our first meeting of 2019, we are delighted to be welcoming back Shelley Jones of Shelley Jones Reflexology and Reiki. Shelley is a professional reflexologist and Reiki practitioner with almost 20 years’ experience in Complementary Medicine. She has a home practice in Knowle as well as providing treatments in several workplace settings.

Shelley will be talking about the origins of Reiki, its practice and providing a brief demonstration.  She will also be introducing us to ear Reflexology and the chance to pair up and try it on a friend. If you would like to have a go, you may want to bring along some hand cream/moisturiser and a hand towel.

If you have any unwanted Christmas presents, please bring them along and we will raffle these off to raise money for future meetings and outings.

As it is the start of the year, it is time for membership renewals.  The membership fee for 2019 is £42.  As part of this membership you get 11 meetings per year including 1 summer outing, a monthly copy of WI Life, WI member benefits and a book of handy vouchers when you join.  It’s helpful for existing and new members to arrive a bit earlier so we can start the meeting on time.  Payments can be made in cash and cheques payable to Malago WI.

We look forward to seeing friends old and new on Wednesday 30^th to celebrate the start of another year of exciting events.