New Year, New Venue: 2016

Committee members Rachel and Sam with
Rev Kate Bottley and a giant teapot.
Photo credit: Rachel White

After finding ourselves potentially venue-less for 2016, the SHWI committee were panic stricken: ensue canvassing everyone we could think of for venue ideas, enough googling to break the internet and lots of mad ringing round. One of the umpteen options mooted was St Andrew’s URC. We didn’t want to get our hopes up but headed off for a nosey. They told us they didn’t have a room we could hire…but that we could use the actual church! January was our first meeting there, and it immediately felt like home. Giant teapots a-hoy!

As a Gogglebox fan, I was right chuffed when committee member Anna P said we’d bagged #revkate as a speaker. Turns out I’m not alone, as it was one of the busiest meetings we’d had in yonks (the busiest ever, perhaps?). With old members, new members and visiting members from other WIs, there was a lovely, lively, anticipatory feel at the start of the meeting. It seemed somehow fitting that our first speaker at the new venue would be of a religious persuasion.

Rev Kate with SHWI members and THAT tea cosy
Photo credit: Laura Bainbridge

For those of you who don’t know, Reverend Kate Bottley is a Sheffield lass born and bred, who was a teacher at Ecclesfield (my alma mater) and then Yewlands school before going into vicaring and appearing on Channel 4’s Gogglebox. Kate’s energy was contagious and her delivery more stand-up comedy than Sunday communion.  A self-confessed attention-seeker of the warmest, humblest kind, she revealed that her husband, Graham, does speak (but we suspect a lot less than Kate), that her favourite TV programmes feature zombies and that many of the tea cosies they own come from fans of the show. Well, she has one more now thanks to crafty knitter, Di Coupe. We’ll be looking out for it on the next series.

Rev Kate's Star Wars-themed shoes
Photo credit: Laura Bainbridge

Kate wowed us with her shoes (she’d swapped her usual slippers for R2-D2 heels), her tales of bumping into other Goggleboxers (they’re not allowed to meet under normal circumstances) and her crazy vicar antics (flash mob wedding, anyone?). There was so much #shwilove for Rev Kate and she stayed ages after the end of meeting, chatting to members and posing for photos. It was a fantastic start to the new year and new venue! Thank you to everyone who pitched in to make it a brilliant evening, not least our revered speaker, Kate.

Next up in February: salsa! Hope to see you there.

Jennifer Marsden

Vice-President

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