Hinckley Canalside WI
2020 Meeting Snapshots
Some of the things we do on our monthly meetings
Quirky Bird Artist – Lynn Barrow
In June we had a WI zoom meeting with a difference. It involved audience participation where
talented artist Lynn Barrow talked us through step by step how to draw some lovely pictures and
make bookmarks, greeting cards, a picture and gift cards.
It was a really enjoyable experience and an easy to follow no fuss draw along on Zoom.
It worked really well and has certainly inspired us into drawing these simple but creative designs.
Howard Middleton from The Great British Bake Off
Our open zoom meeting on Wednesday 5 May 2021 was a great success with approx. 44 members and friends in total. Our guest speaker was Howard Middleton from The Great British Bake Off.
Howard was a contestant back in 2013. He gave a really entertaining talk on how he became involved in baking, the process of becoming a contestant on bake off and what it actually was like being on the show.
It was a very fun, amusing evening with his treasure trove of stories and anecdotes from the show. He shared with us some photos of his amazing bakes, which he has done since bake off. He is a truly inspirational speaker and talented baker.
The curious disappearance of Agatha Christie
By Stephen Wells
We We had another wonderful zoom meeting on Wednesday 7 April with 38 members joining in, including 12 members from Hollycroft and Burbage. Our speaker was the excellent Stephen Wells, giving a talk on all things Agatha Christie.
Stephen was engaging and fascinating as he shared his wealth of knowledge about Agatha Christie. He gave a detailed talk from her early beginnings, covering all of her novels and films, to her controversial personal life. We discovered the real truth behind her disappearance, which has been a well-known mystery for a long time.
The evening was very interesting
Nick Martin Wildlife Photographer - “The Best of British Wildlife”
At our WI Zoom meeting we had yet another fantastic talk from Nick Martin Wildlife Photographer. Nick listed his 25 favourite species in his talk “the best of British wildlife.” He had such amazing photographs, which worked very well on a Zoom presentation. With his depth of knowledge on all things “Wild”, he made it both educational and entertaining, with his laid back presenting style.
Forty- two ladies were present at the Zoom meeting with members joining us from Burbage and Hollycroft again, and we had an enjoyable evening and catch up.
Secrets, Sex Scandal and Salacious Gossip of The Royal Court 1660 to 1830. By Sarah Slater
We had another interesting talk via Zoom meeting on Weds 6 January 2021. A total of 36 members logged in and we had members from both Burbage and Hollycroft WI join us which was lovely.
The talk was very educational, entertaining and enlightening on the lives of the monarchy and public during the Stuarts reign, the Georgians and The Restoration Period.
We learnt all the naughty bits about sexual behaviours, contraception and sexual diseases of the time, which we certainly did not learn in History at school.
David Allen - Manners Please Dearest!
At the December Zoom Meeting, David Allen AKA Mr Hugo Bottomley-Smythe had 30 WI members join him in his Victorian Etiquette Finishing school. It was a fun and entertaining journey through the many weird and wonderful aspects of Upper- Class Victorian Etiquette. He took us through the different classes from posture, appearance, finding a suitor, attending a dinner party and the language of the fan to name but a few. It was a really enjoyable evening of light entertainment, with plenty of audience participation from our members.
Stitch Portrait Collage by Alish Henderson
There were twenty one WI members in attendance at the November 2020 Zoom Meeting. The speaker was Ailish Henderson on Stitch Portrait Collage.
She was very passionate about her unique talent mixing art with textiles. It was fascinating to see how she produced such amazing artwork, by using fabric and stitch. She was able to express herself through portraits from her personal memories and experiences. Her artwork inspired many of us and Ailish was both engaging and informative, giving us an interesting talk.
Felix & Reuben Keepsake Jewellery by Charlotte Wakeling
Our Zoom Meeting in September was with presenter Charlotte Wakeling. She is the founder and designer of Felix & Reuben Keepsake Jewellery. Charlotte is an experienced and qualified jeweller, silversmith, and silver clay artist. Here is a brief description of Charlotte’s presentation.
Charlotte introduced the wonders of jewellery making silver clay! Silver clay is truly magical to work with, there are so many possibilities - the only limit to what can be achieved is your imagination! She took us through an introduction to silver clay, showing the process of capturing natural forms and turning them into silver jewellery. She gave us an insight, via demonstration and videos, to mould making, shaping, refining through to firing and polishing. She teaches silver clay workshops in Hinckley. If you would like to make beautiful jewellery, you can book a workshop to learn the process in person!
To Love and To Cherish by Kath Reynolds
Thirty of our members enjoyed a lovely WI Zoom Meeting on Weds 7th October. The guest speaker Kath Reynolds gave a wonderful insight into the traditions and superstitions of weddings from the past to present day. We were shown Royal Weddings from Queen Victoria’s to Princess Eugene’s and how their traditions have changed over the decades. It brought back some wonderful memories to our members of their own wedding days.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and Kath was both engaging and entertaining.