Team SHWI pull papercutting out of the bag

My last meeting as WI President summed up the best things about being in Seven Hills WI - teamwork and friendship.

Sometimes, planning a smoking hot programme of activities and speakers a year in advance comes a cropper and we have events that fall through. A week before our meeting, our plans came undone.

But instead of taking the easy option and filling in with an easy back-up meeting, my crack team of dedicated commitee members decided that a papercut workshop was something we could pull off ourselves.

Cue desperate googling off templates, trips to a high street stationer and certain individuals ordering hundreds of scalpels online. 

When we arrived at St Andrews before the meeting, it was fantastic to see so many members arrive early to help move tables and chairs. We got ready in super quick time!

Members mingled and chatted about the month's news and helped themselves to Vicky's awesome vegan courgette cake.

It was fantastic to be visited by WI friends from around the country - Joanne Croxford from Cambridge was in Sheffield prior to our trip to the Good Life Experience, as well as ladies who are setting us a new group, Wellbeck WI.

The meeting soon began and we ran through WI business. My amazing committee members presented me with a surprise bunch of flowers and asked me to give a speech! I was not prepared at all. In fact, I'm still President until next meeting but I won't be able to make the October or November's meeting. Apologies for mumbling a strange thank you! 

After a quick break, it was time to start papercutting. Laura and Grace decided to put the skills they have learned at Denman College to good use and lead the workshop. They showed members how to use templates to practice their designs or simply come up with their own patterns. I was amazed to see some of the fab designs people came up with in such a short amount of time. 

Soon enough, it was time to get packed away too. Another big thanks to everyone who helped clear away.

Being President has been fantastic. I have got to be involved in so many things I would not have had the chance to - a judge on the Great British Menu, a guest on BBC Radio Sheffield, and help fundraise thousands of pounds.

I'm really excited to take a break as President, continue to support the group and campaign for change in the organisation that we are a part of and the society we live in. 

Kirsty Bowen

President 2014 - 2016

Ready? Ok! SHWI does Cheerleading

I am sad to say that I haven't made it to many SHWI meetings this year and I was especially gutted to miss Sam Cleasby last month. Yet, I'll also admit that I wasn't totally psyched about cheerleading; it's hard when you're as badly coordinated as I am! But, as usual, I had a brilliant time. And I'm pretty sure everyone else did too.

We started the meeting with the usual updates from Laura.  That really doesn't do the "Bainbridge News n Views show" justice at all as she manages to make the announcements intriguing and enticing and hilarious all at once. We are really lucky to have such an entertaining secretary! Before we began working up a sweat (and I really did, sorry!), we sang Happy Birthday and Jerusalem for Winnie - a lady in Sheffield with few family or friends who is about to turn 100! Happy Birthday Winnie!!

But alas, the time had come for me to flail my gangly arms and legs about out of sync and in the opposite direction to everyone else. It wasn't so bad at first as we did a nice little warm up; a bit of marching on the spot and some arm and neck stretches but then we had to clench and unclench our fingers quickly with arms outstretched - that's a lot more tiring than it sounds! So far so good though - I hadn't whacked anyone else or fallen over and everyone else was ready to start learning our cheer routine, and shaking pom poms.

The routine was set to the classic 90s rave song The Key: The Secret - great choice! We started with some basic footwork - got that. Then we did some arms - got those (forgot the name of the move though). Then we did them together - aaaaand that's when it all went wrong for me! Ha ha ha. But, everyone was having a great time and I didn't care! I was glad when it was our turn to move to the back so that other people could get a good view of the moves though.

We soon added some windmills followed by steps forward with arms and jumps backwards and then some sidesteps with turns and pretend pom pom shaking. It was all broken down into manageable chunks (phew!!) and then we got to practice in small groups with the pom poms!!!!!!!!! We were a little bit excited!

But, it didn't end there. We added some more moves - getting into a line and doing a coordinated arms up and down hands shaky thing and then stepping out on alternate sides before another spin and a snazzy finale of pom pom shaking. Once again, it was time for the pom poms but this time we had to shout "Ready! OK!" before we kicked off. We had to do our routines in three groups but that was great as it meant we all got to watch and cheer each other on (and I got to watch it again to try and remember everything!). I had to concentrate quite hard when it was my turn but I was very lucky to be stood behind the wonderfully coordinated Alice so I followed her lead. Obviously, we all nailed our routines!!!!

We had such fun cheering with Jessica!

By the end of all those moves I had definitely worked up a nice sweat and was very glad for the lovely warm down and a big glass of water.

Goooooooo SHWI!!

Leanne Sunter
Assistant Treasurer

New year, new venue, new members and a talk from the lovely Paulette

Kim, Vicky, Paulette and Lindsay

After a couple of pints of stout, surrounded by soft falling snow, everything starts to look a bit magical...which is a good job, because I can't have been the only SHWI lady with mixed feelings about our new venue. We'd been at St Matthew's rooms for a few years now, we officially started there! Isn't a church hall exactly where a Women's Institute should be?
But now, walking towards our new, modern, bright venue, it started to feel exciting... I mean, St Matt's doesn't even have disabled access, let alone an indoor slide!

I needn't have worried. The new place, Electric Works, is perfect for us. I arrived to find a rather official - if not a tad excited - looking Miss Mountain on the brightly coloured reception. To my left was THAT helter skelter. It was at this point I went, as my Grandma would have said, "as giddy as a kipper".

Wonder how many other WIs
have a helter skelter in their venue?!

Suddenly, all at once, I had to run around the building and see what's what, say hello to everyone, get my cupcakes out and on display (not a euphemism), see where tea is made, realise I don't really need to make tea anymore (win), take photographs of anything and everything, go to the toilet, put my committee rosette on, greet the guest speaker and find a place to dump my bags whilst I carried on running around annoying everyone. And then I went on the Helter Skelter. 

Yes, yes.. I may be 30 this year, but I could not wait to get my feet in the sack and hurtle down the chute. After mildly bullying everyone else down and taking pictures of their horrified faces, I got to try it myself. Yes it was worth the giddiness - I want to do it EVERY MONTH. 

Finally I sat down, able to admire our new room. This was not the cold conference centre I was expecting. Our beautiful bunting was hanging around us, the new logo was splashed on the walls, the familiar gingham table cloths ready to catch crumbs and spills...it was warm and inviting. But best of all, there was plenty of space for us. It's now possible to walk around the tables with relative ease! Not only did I have an actual chair to sit on (as opposed to the floor) but I had a chair for my bags!

Our first speaker for 2013 was meant to be Toby Foster - but unfortunately he had to cancel last minute. Luckily for us, Mr Foster didn't want to disappoint a large group of ladies and found us a replacement - his BBC Radio Sheffield colleague Paulette Edwards. As an aside...I just think it's worth pointing out how lucky we have been with "replacement" speakers. Not once have I felt that I have missed out on the original. Good work everyone!

The fabulous Electric Works

Paulette was friendly, funny and seemed genuinely surprised that she had ended up on radio, having started her career as a teacher. She spoke of ambitions and dreams, encouraging us to keep an ongoing list of 10 things to do or achieve. Apparently, if we write them down, they are more likely to happen - certainly worth a try? She seems a great lady and up for a good laugh - she was first down the slide, despite her initial fears, was amazed at the edible glitter sprinkled on my cupcakes and was disappointed to learn that SHWI hit full capacity at 125 members at the meeting.

As another aside, not only have we had some fabulous speakers over the years, but some of them must think we're pretty fabulous too - several of our members first came to as speakers!

The evening ended with more helter skelter action and the comforting thought that now we have access to a dishwasher, I won't be spending so much time washing up on the third Thursday of the month.

Finally - I just want to say a massive thank you to the wonderful ladies at Electric Works for making this happen. I apologise in advance for any future helter skelter related nonsense. And, just in case I haven't said it enough...HELTER SKELTER!

Laura
SHWI Committee