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!