Barnard Castle WI
THIS month would have been the sixth birthday for our WI.
In March 2014 a meeting was held to see what interest there might be in launching a WI in Barnard Castle.
There was a positive response and 23 ladies signed up to become members and five unsuspecting ladies found themselves volunteering to go on the committee.
A meeting was set for April to create a plan of action and it was decided to hold meetings on the fourth Monday of each month.
Numbers have fluctuated up and down over the years but have remained fairly similar to opening night over the last two years.
The WI had to cancel meetings from March this year because of the Covid 19 outbreak and we are unsure when we will be able to hold meetings again, but in true WI style we have not let the virus stop us helping others or being in contact.
Ann Gill, one of our committee members, has thrown herself into making scrubs, scrub bags and head bands for the NHS. Sally Bennison has been crocheting rainbows to sell to members, work colleagues and friends to raise funds for the NHS charities.
Others have also been knitting and crocheting hearts to give to bereaved families in order to collect a box of precious memories.
Members have been contacted by email, phone and the internet to make sure that we can support each other and share ideas.
So what will we do to celebrate our sixth birthday meeting? We are hoping to have an online demonstration or speaker and then we can all share in a glass of wine at home to celebrate the continued friendships of our WI even though we are not able to meet up in person at the moment. Or in keeping with the WI, how about a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake?
Sheila Jones, secretary
