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.

May news...

 

Hopefully, those of you who joined us in April have been able to enjoy your hand made both bombs, and in a few months will have some bright and cheerful ranunculus flowers. 

May’s meeting will focus on women’s physical health and wellbeing, led by experienced physiotherapist Claire Callaghan. Claire has worked in the NHS and private sector, both in the UK and Australia, supporting patients with management of aches, pains and injuries and maintenance of physical activity and exercise. As an active mum of two, runner, swimmer, and tennis player, she understands the demands on your body, focus and time.

Claire will explain more about joint, muscle, and bone health, which different types of exercise are best for women, practical hints, and tips for managing changes in health at different stages of life and ideas for wellbeing at work such as how to sit well, desk-based stretches and moving more. For more information, visit Claire’s Facebook page or her Instagram profile.

As part of our fundraising programme, we will be holding a raffle with prizes kindly donated by members earlier in the year. Please bring some cash for your tickets. We are also going to have a regular second- hand book stall, and welcome donations of books that members and guests can take home for a small donation.

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

April news....

 

Happy belated Easter to you all, we hope you've all had the chance to enjoy the Spring sunshine.  For our meeting in March, we had an interesting and entertaining talk from Andy Lewis about the history of Bedminster Down, and how it has evolved over the years.

For our April meeting we are embracing spring by planting miniature Ranunculus bulbs for some summer colour for you to take home.  Bulbs, pots, and compost will be provided, however if you do have a small plant pot, you'd like to use, please bring it along.  We’ll also be putting some fizz into our lives by making bath bombs.  The bath bomb ingredients will be provided, but you will need to bring something to make them in, small flexible plastic or silicon items such as silicon ice trays, muffin cases or even old yogurt pots will work.  We'll have some essential oils to use to add scent, but if you have any favourite scented oils or any dried rose petals or lavender do bring it along to use.  If you don't have a suitable mould, a glass jar would work for making fizzy bath powder instead.

April is now the month when subs are renewed. The 2022 subscription is £44, which is split between the WI, federation and the NFWI to help with running individual groups and the organisation. Payment can be made via cheque, cash, or bank transfer.  We also now have a card reader, this can't be used for subs but can be used for paying for guest fees, refreshments, raffle tickets and donations.

Lastly, we'll be asking our members to vote on this year's resolution so that our votes can be carried forward to this year’s WI national AGM in June.  The resolution is Women and Girls with ASD & ADHD - under-identified, under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, under-supported and further information can be found on the WI website.

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

 

We had a magical night in the company of the Great Baldini, who amazed us with his close up magic last month.  It was a fun way to spend a February evening!  

For our March meeting, we will welcome local writer and historian Andy Lewis.  Andy leads the local history group at Zion Community space, has written several books and publishes a blog: "The Ramblings of a Retired Utility Worker". A lifelong resident of Bedminster Down, Andy will tell us all about the history of the area from its position as a "no go area" for large parts of the 16th & 17th Century to its transformation as a mining community and then its development as a largely residential community. He will also talk about some of the organisations that were key to making it a "real community area" at its height, their subsequent demise and how the area has changed since.  

The committee is close to finalising the programme for the year and look forward to telling you the plans for the rest of 2022.  As part of this, we are considering changing the date of some meetings that fall in school holidays so that they are in term time instead.  We'd love to hear what you think about this plan, so please let us know by e-mailing wearemalagowi@gmail.com or chat to us at the next meeting.

Finally, as ever, we need your help.  We have some ideas for fundraising which we will share with you, over the next few meetings.  In the meantime if you are able to help with providing a cake (homemade or shop bought) or helping with teas at the March meeting please e-mail us.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 30^th March.

It was lovely to see friends old and new at our first meeting of 2022 and to be able to get together once again.  Thanks goes to Judi of Fire and Sand Glass Design for a great start to an exciting year of meetings.
 
To help springle a little bit sparkle during these dark evenings, this month we are delighted to be hosting the Great Baldini! ‘Emperor of illusion’, ‘Prince of Prestidigitation’ and ‘Maharajah of Mystery’, the Great Baldini is a magical legend, a music hall relict, and an old school theatrical performer.  The Great Baldini’s History of Magic is an hour-long lecture that traces magic from its origins as an essential part of religion, to its persecution by burning to a global entertainment phenomenon.  Interspersed with astounding and entertaining illusions.
 
As with 2021 membership, WIs have the flexibility to charge a lesser amount for their share of the membership fee.  Last year, we only charged membership fees which covered WI and AFWI contributions but did not charge anything for Malago WI's share.  Unfortunately, our current finances mean that we are unable to do this for 2022 membership.  We are therefore proposing to charge the full fee of £44 for 2022.  We need to ask current members if they are happy to support this.  You can do this or ask any questions by emailing wearemalagowi@gmail.com.  Membership renewals will take place at our April meeting.
 
We are settling into our new space at Bedminster Methodist Church.  As logistics are slightly different, we need help to set up at the start at the meeting and with refreshments.  If you can help, please arrive, about half an hour early or come to speak to us when you arrive.  We ask that everyone help to put the room back to its original set up before you leave so we can all get home in good time.
 
We would be delighted to see new faces at our meetings, so guests can attend February meeting for free, so why not bring a friend along!
 
See you on Wednesday 23^rd 8pm start.
 

 Happy New Year to all our members and friends! 

 
After being nomadic for most of 2021, we are delighted that we have been able to secure a space again at Bedminster Methodist Church.  The hall continues to be used as a vaccination centre, but there is another charming room we can use at the church with easy access.
 
For our first meeting of the year, we are delighted to have Judi Edwards, a former Malago WI member join us.  Judi of Fire and Sand Glass Design has been working with glass in a variety of formats for 7 years. Being originally trained in the traditional skill of leaded glass she has extended her work to include foil (the “Tiffany” method) and fusing in a kiln. She regularly sells her work at craft fairs and creates work on commission.
 
The presentation will consider the history of glass and will look at different ways of working with glass as a hobby/craft at home. Judi will explain both “cold” and “hot” work as well as demonstrating some basic techniques. A number of examples will be provided to inspire participants to take up this exciting and creative activity.
 
The last year has meant it has been difficult to raise funds, so we hope you can help us in a few ways.  If you have any unwanted gifts or books, please bring them along.  We will raffle unwanted gifts at February’s meeting and set up a second-hand book stall at each meeting should you want to pick up a new read.  We also have some merchandise left from the Christmas fair we took part in during December, so please bring some cash along to pick up some lovely handmade items.
 
We want to make sure are meetings as safe and enjoyable as possible.  We will ensure that the room is well ventilated and there is hand sanitiser available.  Although face coverings are not a requirement, please feel free to wear them.  We would also be grateful if you could consider taking a lateral flow test before you attend a meeting. 
 
Our new room is located in the main church building.  When you arrive, go to the entrance via the metal ramp and through the opposite door. 
 
We are really looking forward to seeing you.  If you haven’t been for a while, why not make it a resolution to attend or even bring a friend.
 
See you on Wednesday 26^th, 8pm start.