SHWI does science!

Sadly, our planned speaker for January’s meeting was too ill to come and speak to us. However, the hard-working SHWI committee worked their magic and found all the lovely SHWI ladies someone equally interesting and entertaining! And, whilst I was looking forward to hearing Paul Cocker speak I have to say that as a geeky scientist by background, I was very excited when I heard that Dr Nate Adams was coming to talk to us about the science of colour and that’s why I begged Jen to let me do the blog instead of her!

We kicked off the meeting with the usual WI business; introductions for our new members, dates for the diaries, all the details on the spin off groups and asking ladies to think of a charity to support for the year ahead so that we can vote on this at the next meeting. So, don’t forget to send nominations and a short blub to our email by Wednesday 11th February! We had a quick break to make sure that cakes were eaten, tea was drunk and chatting was had but then it was time to start the main event.

Mary, Vicky and Chella meet Dr Nate

I must confess that I was busy doing lots of paperwork during the break and so when I sat down and was handed a party popper I was a little confused but at the same time glad that I had a front row seat for the science! It was almost like being at the Royal Society Christmas lectures…. A teeny teeny bit anyway!

Dr Nate introduced himself and explained how a post-doctoral research scientist came to be speaking to a room full of women on a Thursday evening. I don’t want to spoil any future talks he might do but since it’s also on his webpage I don’t feel too guilty saying that he failed to get into theatre school, his degree in Chinese didn’t work out so he chose to do Chemistry instead. It’s at this point I should confess that I have a PhD in molecular microbiology but sadly my career path was not at all as interesting and did not lead me to doing CBBC with Dick and Dom!

Dr Nate showed us a little bit of his research in the form of a very complicated equation and a graph that showed the increasing population on Earth, along with UN projections of what could happen in the future. It’s a bit scary to think that by 2050 there could be 9 billion people on the planet! There was a bit of audience participation as we were asked to think about energy sources and how we could possibly provide for that many people in the future and he expertly dealt with our suggestions and came to solar power last, so that he could show us another, much simpler, equation about photosynthesis. Basically, how plants and other organisms use energy form the sun to produce oxygen and sugars. This is what Dr Nate does his day job research on. 

Dr Nate makes fire bubbles

After a short explanation about light, Dr Nate gave us what we’d all been waiting for – demonstrations! It started off quite simple with just lighting a candle but quickly progressed to some really fun stuff with fire – wahoo!! We were strongly warned not to try it at home and Dr Nate was wearing safety goggles when he set fire to his hands using the foam produced after he bubbled gas through washing up liquid. It sounded a bit like Bonfire Night from the gasps and whoops in the audience. He also showed us some lovely red coloured flickering flames from heating a lithium salt; it was a very pretty colour and explained the science behind the colour. But it didn’t just end with the visible spectrum; oh no, we had a bit of UV light in the form of a torch, glow sticks and fluorescent bubbles. And, my particular favourite, he shook a little bit of 100% ethanol up in an empty water cooler bottle and (using a wick), lit it and there was a very quick and loud whoosh and bang!

But how does that have anything to do with his research you say? Good question. Well, Dr Nate works on enzymes, or as he liked to call them ‘nanobots’. And with a little bit of help from a room full of us eating Jacobs crackers without swallowing them (and yes there were several rude comments made at this point!), Dr Nate showed us how the enzyme amylase broke down the stuff in the crackers to make small sugars such as sucrose and how if you chewed for long enough it would taste sweeeeeeet.

Things got a little dicey after this though as Dr Nate walloped our very own Grace over the hand with a big mallet! Grace was quick as a flash and saved our beautiful hands from damage the first time but was sensibly somewhat reluctant to let Dr Nate try again but this time with her hand encased in d3o armour. It’s a non-newtonian fluid, like when you mix water and cornflour and it’s pretty awesome. How this relates to his research I can’t quite recall but it was fun! To be fair to Dr Nate he did also wallop himself too! 

Grace nearly gets hit with a mallet

He didn’t stop there though as it was Laura Bainbridge’s turn to volunteer to be a nanobot in one of Dr Nate’s experiments. There are some pretty funky and sexy science acronyms out there; AFMPFQNM (pronounced: a-fum-puh-fuc-num) isn’t one of them though! So, to demonstrate this to us Laura was a nanobot, waving her glowsticks around and doing her thing, and Dr Nate was firing x-rays at her in the form of light red balls. Sadly, Laura didn’t quite have the mindset of a nanobot initially and didn’t move away from the x-rays (balls being thrown at her!) but she soon cottoned on and we all had a lot of fun watching Laura running around with glow sticks trying not to be hit by balls! 

A bit of audience participation!

But, Dr Nate doesn’t just look at one nanobot (enzyme) at a time; he looks at how they interact with each other so Laura needed a friend and Dr Nate another volunteer. Feeling like this could be the closest I got to science for a while I volunteered to be Laura’s friend and got to hold hands with Laura whilst we both got pelted with red balls. The point being that we were much slower to move out of the way when joined together than on our own.That’s what Dr.Nate’s research is all about really; seeing how all the nanobots (enzymes) work together! Phew, sorry that was a bit long. Dr Nate explained it all a lot better than me and with a lot more fun (and fire!). And, not only is it all fun and interesting but hopefully one day it could be used to make biochips which could make lots of energy for us all in the future.

I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did. I just want to say thanks to all the committee ladies once again for working so hard to find a speaker at such short notice and also send Paul Cocker a big ‘get well soon’ from SHWI. See you all for cake decorating in February!!

(Dr) Leanne Sunter
Assistant Treasurer

What's coming up in 2015

2014 has been an exciting year for us as we turned five, raised a record amount of money at our Sheffield Food Festival stall and enjoyed some brilliant meetings. Our committee have been working hard finalising the programme for 2015 with an awesome year planned for the WI's centenary year.

All the events, activities and speakers are chosen from member's own suggestions - if you have any ideas for 2016 then let us know at a meeting or email us.

You can pick up a printed copy of our programme at January's meeting. 

Thu 15th January
Paul Cocker & Christmas Present Swap
Paul Cocker of Meze Publishing will be telling us how he brought together a career in local media with his love of food, by turning his hand to publishing cookbooks including the Sheffield Cook Book.

Thu 19th February
Claire Kemp Cakes
A Sheffield cake expert, Claire Kemp, will be polishing up our cake decorating skills and sharing her baking secrets. We will also vote for our charity of the year at this meeting.

Thu 19th MarchBobbins & Buttons: Jewellery Making
Lauren from Bobbins & Buttons will help us get crafty by making beaded tassel bracelets. Remember your scissors and needles! There will be an additional material charge of £2 per person. 

Thu 16th April
Sam Cleasby
Sam is a blogger (www.sobadass.me), writer and public speaker. She will be talking about body image, self esteem and how she lives with a chronic illness. An uplifting and inspirational talk on how you can feel more confident and happy in your own skin. 

Thu 21st May
Cheerleading
Give us an S - H - W - I! Jessica Stanley from Constance Grant Dance Centre will be putting us through our paces as we learn how to cheer.

Thu 18th June
Gary Cox: Security expert
Gary Cox has years of experience working for the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Justice. He’ll be speaking to us about his role in advising front-line personnel in challenging and complex areas such as use of force, control and restraint, intelligence analysis, surveillance, major search planning and hostage intervention.

July
There’s no meeting in July - but keep your eyes peeled for details of our annual picnic!

Thu 20th August
Jordon Cox
We’re back in August with Jordon Cox - The Coupon Kid. A regular contributor to the media, including the BBC, Daily Mail and ITV, he’ll share his money saving secrets, talk about the inspiring world of couponing and how his money-saving story began.

Thu 18th September
Cheese tasting and talk
One for the foodies! We’re always keen to support local artisan food producers and this month sees the team from the Hartington Creamery and Cheese Factory pay us a visit. As well as sampling some of their delicious produce, we'll find out how they've single-handedly revived the Derbyshire cheese industry.

Thu 15th October
6th Birthday party: Stand-up comedy with Dotty Winters
We're in for a treat at our 6th birthday party! Dotty Winters is an award-winning comedian with a secret life as a grown up business person. Fan of fancy words and purveyor of wrongness, Dotty has a talent for finding hilarity in otherwise sombre situations.

Thu 19th November
Felt Craft Workshop
Shelley Hughes will be showing us the basic skills of felt-making to create a beautiful little bird - perfect as a gift or as a little Christmas decoration. All materials will be provided and absolutely no experience is necessary - it's easier than you think!

Thu 17th December
Cocktail making
We'll be joined by Ed from the Broadfield Ale House, whose take on cocktail making is a perfect blend of art and science. Whether you like your cocktails shaken, stirred or merely muddled, Ed will share plenty of tips while you sup a tipple. Not forgetting our annual Christmas quiz and Secret Santa swap - bring a wrapped up to the value of £5.

Another New Wave weekend at Denman College

Last weekend, 10 SHWI members went to the 'New Wave weekend' at the WI’s own Denman College.  Some of us had been before, a couple of years ago, but for others, it was our first time to Denman, and we didn’t quite know what to expect.  What we found was a glorious Grade II listed Georgian house, filled with around 70 women from other WIs, and the most accommodating and friendly staff (except for one slightly disrespectful barman, but he was more than made up for by the lovely Matt!).

Joanne, Lauren and Lucy outside Denman

Once we’d settled into our comfortable rooms, Friday evening started with a welcome talk and cocktails.  The slight tardiness of the cocktails (don’t keep a roomful of thirsty women waiting for free drinks!) was thankfully no indication of the organisation of the rest of the weekend, as everything ran like clockwork.  Dinner followed, and although not Yorkshire portions, was delicious.  After a cookery demonstration by Peter Lien, Head of the WI Cookery School, the evening drinking could begin in earnest…

The SHWI gang enjoy the food and wine

After a hearty breakfast on Saturday morning, we separated to go to our workshops.  We each got to choose three activities from a range including making textile decorations, biscuiteering, Bollywood dancing, meringues and vintage corsages.  To ensure our energy levels didn’t drop during the day, there were plenty of coffee breaks with homemade cakes and shortbread, a lovely salad bar or hot meal for lunch, and another three course dinner.

I found all the workshop tutors to be excellent, although they each had their own teaching style.  I enjoyed all of the sessions I attended, even if biscuit icing turned out to not be one of my greatest skills! (They still tasted good, though).

Grace's iced biscuits

I also really enjoyed the tour of the house – it gave some fascinating information about the history of the building, and sneaky peaks into some of the other bedrooms!  Most of the rooms on the first floor were quite grand, with original features and large windows.  My room was on the second floor, in the old servants’ quarters, and featured the call bell for the previous owner inside the wardrobe.  Luckily it didn’t ring whilst I was in residence!

Laura made this at the papercutting workshop

Saturday evening split our group between the two entertainments laid on.  Some partook in the lively salsa/zumba dancing, whilst others entered the quiz.  After the organised entertainment was over, it was back to the bar for some more drinking!  SHWI managed to be last up on both nights, and I heard stories of a game of hide and seek in the early hours.

Sunday morning gave us time for one more workshop, then, after lunch, with our waistlines and horizons broadened, and new friendships forged, it was time to say farewell. 

I feel like I am running out of superlatives, but I really did thoroughly enjoy the weekend, much more than I was expecting to.  My main question now is 'can we go again next year?'

Mary Beckingsale

SHWI Member

Annual Meeting, new President and plenty of Henderson's Relish

I wanted to start this month's blog with saying one final thank you and farewell to our founding President and Secretary - Lindsay Garfitt and Kim Whelan. Without them, I probably would't be a member of a WI today and I wouldn't have made the friendships I have made. The success of Seven Hills WI is a testament to the hard work they have put into the group since 2009. So thank you so much.

From left to right: Kirsty, Lindsay, Kim and Laura

Since we waved goodbye to Lindsay and Kim last month, we've had the excitement of our SHWI getaway, our successful Christmas market plus Laura, Vicky and I appeared on Sheffield Live TV. It's been a jam-packed start to my term as President!

November soon came round and it was time for our meeting. Part of being in the committee is to organise our meetings and Lindsay and Kim have always been a huge part of making them run smoothly. That means getting to Electric Works before our members, making sure the tables and chairs are all out and ready, teas and coffees are prepared and any activities set up. It was somewhat daunting to realise that this was down to Laura and I now. I got to Electric Works ridiculously early and was soon met by Laura Bainbridge, our new Secretary. We looked at each other and laughed - our faces both said 'so what are we supposed to do now?'.

Of course we knew. Laura has been a member of Seven Hills WI from the very start. She lives and breathes WI - baking for our food festival, attending federations events and always first to help with our campaigns and activities. Well-respected by other local WI's, Laura will make a fab secretary - she has the pencil skirt and sexy specs down.

Sam Foster, our new meeting attendance secretary, Treasurer Vicky P-M and Vice Treasurer Leanne Sunter had a busy night. It was the last chance for our current members to have their membership guaranteed for 2015 so we had a good turn out of familiar faces wanting to get their place for next year.

It was also our annual meeting - a chance for us to review the highlights of the last year. Laura had spent hours putting together a brilliant presentation running through everything SHWI had done since October last year - that's a lot of stuff! It included our food festival fundraising, the start of SHWI Mad Skillz, ceilidh dancing and our Christmas party. Vicky P-M also gave us a run though of finances where everything is ship shape and shiny. Then we had our yearly rousing rendition of Jerusalem (one member did ask me if we would be singing every meeting from now on but unfortunately I don't think we would be able to fit it in every week!).

Laura's presentation for our annual meeting

Our guest speaker was Jim Connolly, illustrator and artist. Jim grew up in Sheffield but has moved to Manchester now and works freelance at home. He showed us some of his illustrations, prints and commissions which was great to see. I particularly enjoyed seeing the designs he has done for Kelham Island brewery's beer pump clips.

Jim Connolly and one of his most iconic pieces

As Jim has been inspired by Sheffield's favourite condiment, Henderson's Relish in his artwork, we asked him to be a judge for our Hendo's bake-off. Aided by condiment expert, Anna P, Jim got to taste some fantastic bakes including two sets of muffins - one with chedder and the other wensleydale as well as spicy sausage rolls which went down a treat. It was a close competition and Karin Safwenberg was runner-up with her incredible pork pie with cheese centre and hendo's jelly. But the winner once again was Sam Foster with her homemade blinis topped with mozarella, tomato, basil and Henderson's Relish caviar. That's right - CAVIAR. I think we might have to ban her from the next competition, she is just too good. A big thanks to Paul Cocker for donating the prize - a copy of the new Henderson's Relish cook book.

It was soon time to end the meeting and our members did a fab job of clearing away tea cups, tables and chairs. We were out of the door in record time so thanks very much ladies!

Hope to see lots of you at our Christmas Party on the 4th December at Haggler's Corner. If not, see you next month for Secret Santa, Christmas food and our annual quiz!

Kirsty Bowen
President

Christmas market raises £368 for the Young Women's Housing Project

We're proud to announce that our Christmas market on Saturday 15th November raised an awesome £368.

The market featured stalls from local WI members and local businesses such as Crafty Jackdaw and Abbeydale Road beer shop, Hop Hideout. Cakes and refreshments baked by Seven Hills WI members raised over £200.

All money raised will go to our charity of the year, the Young Women’s Housing Project. The project helps young women aged 16 to 25 who have been affected by sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or sexual/domestic violence.

Vice President Jennifer Marsden said: ‘I'm so pleased we could raise £368 for Young Women's Housing Project. They make a huge difference to the lives of vulnerable women in South Yorkshire. A big thank you to everyone who supported the event and our super talented members for baking cakes.'

Some of our cakes baked by members

Seven Hills WI on Sheffield Live!

On Tuesday 11th November, Kirsty, Laura and Vicky were invited to local TV station Sheffield Live! to talk about Seven Hills WI, the groups recent 5th birthday celebrations and to dispel some myths about the women's institute. 

SHWI Getaway: The Sequel

I’m writing this post from the loneliness of my sofa. It feels weird, no, in fact WRONG not to be surrounded by a bevvy of SHWI beauties. Once again, I’ve left my heart in Keighley! 

Currer Laithe Farm

I’ve just arrived home from SHWI Getaway: the sequel. The thing is about sequels is that they rarely live up to the original (except for Grease 2, of course which is AWESOME and I shall not have a word said against it!) So, after last year’s escapades, which can be revisited here, how was a return visit to Currer Laithe going to pan out? Was it going to cut the mustard (or, homemade chutney?) Was it going to be an unfortunate cringe-fest of epic proportions a la Sex and the City 2? Or was it going to be a legendary, action-packed thriller in the mould of Terminator 2 (only HOPEFULLY without the molten metal, shape-shifting cyborgs)? 

Well, I’m here to tell the tale (just) and while there were certainly a few incidents that would make even Samantha Jones blush, I’m chuffed to announce that SHWI Getaway 2 was a resounding success! As last year, the convoy of SHWI-ers arrived at Currer Laithe farm just outside of Keighley on Friday evening anticipating the Pot Luck Buffet that awaited them, managing en masse to avoid the hideous fate of pushing cars up Cobbled Hill of Doom (I think I need to trademark that name). The weather was kind to us but the roaring fire, courtesy of firestarters-extraordinaire Julie and Cat, was a welcome sight, as we all settled into our rooms and pondered the sensible evening of quiet reflection and polite conversation that was surely to follow (!!!) The buffet was IMMENSE as ever, and I think I speak for all when I give a special shout out to Di’s terrine, Corinne’s Aero traybake and Carolyne’s breads for providing ultimate culinary fitness. Ain’t no buffet like a SHWI-made buffet. Word.

The first night was all about getting to know each other and the ice-breaker games were nothing if not slightly revelatory. I think it’s fair to say that we all went to bed feeling that we had made new friends, and even those who were old friends definitely became more, er, intimate, as there were a few stories that made us QUAIL (sorry, readers, Getaway in-joke alert). But, onto Saturday. 

We headed into Saltaire to visit its Salts Mill complex and wander about the town. It was a very relaxed day and people wandered in groups finding activities to suit their own tastes. Some people visited the David Hockney exhibition, some trawled the vintage shops, some went to partake in milkshake heaven, some went in search of beer kegs and some bankrupted themselves in the frankly marvellous book shop. We all also enjoyed a fantabulous packed lunch constructed from Friday night’s leftovers by Anna T and Carolyne. Us SHWI-ers love many things (one in particular, as the Getaway go-ers know), but we do hate waste, so thank you again ladies for this. This was much-appreciated after a hard morning’s browsing and lined our stomachs nicely before heading to Fanny’s Ale House. There we met several lovely ladies from Saltaire WI and spent a couple of hours spreading the WI love over an ale or two. We do love a bit of bonding.

SHWI meets Saltaire WI

All too soon it was back to the house to prepare for our fancy dress pizza party. This year’s theme was ‘female characters from film, TV or literature’ and only myself and Jen could manage with a category this wide to come as the same person! However, we were both happy as it goes to show that great minds dress alike! So, who did we have this year? We had literary lovelies (Hermione Granger and The Owl and the Pussycat), animated awesomeness (Tank Girl, Kiki, Marge Simpson, Leela, Velma), TV titans (Joan Holloway, Wednesday Addams and Leslie Knope) and filmic femmes fatales (Mrs Mia Wallace, Dorothy, Frenchie, Sarah Tobias, Viane Rocher and of course Lydia Deetz x2, which I think proves that Beetlejuice is one of the best films EVER and should be watched IMMEDIATELY by all SHWI-ers). 

Fancy dress night

As with last year, I’m afraid I can’t divulge any more about the evening’s shenanigans, but I will say that a few important lessons were learned: that Jen makes a mean Prosecco punch, that we can’t eat as much pizza as we previously thought , that I now know Brook and Grace rather better than I did before, and that Carly is one HARD taskmaster…

Sunday was a day of recuperation, with some folks blazing a trail round the farm and its neighbouring footpaths, others staying behind to prep for the Sunday lunch of epicness that was to follow, and others (i.e. me) put on tea-making and dancing duties (really) so as not to cause havoc anywhere near the kitchen. We all convened to sample the feast of wonder at 2pm, as some people sadly had to leave on the Sunday night. Surely it should be written into every SHWI-er’s employment contract from now on that time off for the Getaway is a non-negotiable basic human right? Not sure how the catering team managed it, but I think it’s fair to say that this year’s effort surpassed last year’s. Grace’s Yorkshires were a triumph, Julie showed mad skillz (chest thump) in pimping the packet stuffing, the roast squash was simply ambrosial and I’m just going to have to observe a reverential silence of wonder as I recall Di’s leeks… sigh.

Awesome Sunday lunch

Dinner was followed by a chilled out evening of crochet, reading and chat, lubricated by leftover booze, tea and homemade bread and butter, jam and Nutella pudding (oh, yes, we went there). Or at least this would have been the case had we not switched on Absolute Radio Gold and got a bit overexcited by Ace of Base and Shed Seven, and had we not then gotten out the Taboo (the board game, not the spirit, although to be fair that wouldn’t have gone amiss). A hard-fought battle left Team A overall victors (boooooooo), but special mention must be given to Zoe’s talent in both guessing (Di: ‘It could be a man or a women and is present during…’ Zoe (interrupting):‘midwife?’ Di: ‘YES!’ Everyone else: sound of jaws hitting floor) and describing (‘hard egg on a cake’. Answer: meringue and yes, Bainbridge guessed it correctly from that clue!)

Anna learns to crochet from Sarah

And again, Monday arrived like a slap in the face. But unlike last year, I am not in a deep chasm of depression. This is because when Kirsty and Grace went to hand in the keys, the ladies who own the farm asked if they wanted to pencil in dates for next year! No brainer! SHWI Getaway the Third WILL occur! Roll on 2015, only 362 days to wait! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Kirsty and Grace from us all for all of your hard work organising the weekend, we are forever indebted to you both. But, seeing as you are so good at organising these things, when are you going to start organising a commune for us all to live on?!

Anna Pilson

SHWI Committee Member

SHWI turns five and waves goodbye to Lindsay and Kim

October’s always a special month for Seven Hills WI. It’s a time for partying as we mark the anniversary of our official forming meeting and this year it was a little sad too as Kim and I addressed the group as President and Secretary for the very last time.


Our October meeting saw us celebrate our fifth birthday (five! Time flies!) with a birthday social, pot luck supper and cake competition. We had an abundance of food from crisps to pasta salad, mackerel pate to sausage rolls, and everything in between! And then there were the cakes. Special mentions go to Anna P’s Kinder egg cake with photos of me, Jen and Kim, and Vicky’s M&M and Maltesers dairy-free cake. After a gruelling taste test (it’s a hard life!) we chose Sam’s sponge piñata cake with a hidden filling of M&Ms as the winner. Well done Sam and thanks to everyone who entered the competition or brought food for the buffet, you are all brilliant! 

Sam's piñata cake

In true kid’s party style we played a round of pass the parcel although we had to draw the line at musical chairs; we’re still scarred from the musical chair incident of 2010…
It was a lovely night and great chance for members to have a chat in a more informal setting as we marked reaching the grand old age of five. It makes me so happy to see how far SHWI has come in the past five years and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next five hold. 

Members with the winning birthday cake

October was also a time for goodbyes and hellos as six members of the current committee stepped down, one new member joined the committee and roles were swapped around. As you will no doubt already know, after founding the group with Jen back in 2009 and being officers for the past five years, Kim and I decided to step down from our positions of President (me) and Secretary (her) as from November’s committee meeting. Kim and I will continue to be SHWI members and are looking forward to being able to fully enjoy meetings without worrying about organising them! Other committee members to step down this year are Ruth, Katie, Chelle, and Louise – thank you for all your hard work ladies – while we welcome Sam as a new committee member. 


We are very pleased to say that current committee members Kirsty and Laura will be taking over as President and Secretary so you’ll be hearing more from them soon. Good luck K-Bo and Bainbridge!

Lindsay (centre) with Kirsty (left) and Laura (right)

Kim and I were overwhelmed with the thank you cards and gifts our lovely members bought for us and would like to say another big thank you for everyone’s kind words. So many people told me at the meeting that through founding the group we had changed their lives for the better and that’s something I will continue to be proud of for a very long time.


I look forward to seeing you all at meetings and thank you to each and every member, past and present, for making SHWI such an amazing group to lead.

With love,


Lindsay x

President of Seven Hills WI

Seven Hills WI Christmas Market

On Saturday 15^th November, we will be hosting a fabulous Christmas Market with a chance to buy handmade crafts, homemade food and gift ideas galore from both WI members and local traders.

The Market will run from 11am and 2pm and is being held at Electric Works, Sheffield.

Interested in taking a stall?

For full information, download our Stall Holder Application Form and Guidance 

Please be aware that completing an application form does not mean you will automatically be given a stall. We will prioritise WI members and local people that make or design their stock themselves, or that sell unique products and vintage items. We will also try to ensure that we have a variety of different types of stall.

Able to help out on the day?

We are looking for willing WI members to volunteer to bake, help set up, look after stall holders and serve refreshments. If you can help, please let us know by emailing SHWIChristmasMarket@outlook.com

Venue

The front entrance to Electric Works can be found on Sheaf Street, conveniently located in front of Sheffield Interchange and on the opposite side of the road to Sheffield Railway Station.

Poster

Can you display a poster? If you have somewhere you can share our poster, such as your workplace noticeboard or in a window, we’d be really grateful.

Lastly, we’d be delighted if you could share this post on social media using the icons below. Thank you!

SHWI Mad Skillz: Pretty Girls Make Shelves

SHWI Mad Skillz is one of our spin-off groups organised by Di and Anna T. They organise bespoke sessions where SHWI members can learn a new skill in a smaller-sized group. Last week, ten members went along to Sheffield City College for a night of furniture making. Committee member Kirsty tells us all about it....

The last time I was let loose with a band saw was my year 9 design and technology class and to be honest, I spent most of the lesson in the toilet swapping notes with my mate who was doing IT next door. Making furniture was just not a priority at 15. But now, I'm 27 with my own home and I need to know the right way around a power drill. So I was really up for a night of furniture making. 

The Women's Workshop is nearly 25!

Anna and Di had organised Sheffield City College teacher Anna Childs to give us a one-of taster session of the course that she runs in the Women's Workshop there. Due to numbers, the courses in the workshop are now open to men too. Liz Kettle from WEST (Women in Engineering Science and Technology), a voluntary organisation that encourage women and girls to take up careers in non-traditional roles in Science, Engineering, Technology and the Built Environment, was keen to show us the facilities.

Liz and Anna met us on a rainy Wednesday night and supplied us with plenty of tea, coffee and tunnocks biscuits (just what some of us needed after the horrific traffic). They introduced the course, how WEST can help women with bursaries and outreach work and then it was down to what we were making - shelves. 

Anna explains what we're going to do

Anna took it step by step - explaining how we would go about starting the project then letting us do it ourselves. It was scary to be let loose on the big machines like the drill and sanders but Liz and Anna were very encouraging (and nobody lost a finger, so yay!). Using her example, we measured, sawed, drilled, screwed and sanded our wood into something that looked a lot like a set of small shelves!

I must say that there was some more talented members in the group than me - Chloe and Carolyne took so much care in sanding and smoothing their shelves that they were left with something very professional looking. Mine on the other hand was a bit rough and ready but acceptable enough to go on my bathroom wall. 

Anna and Liz were so generous in their time and resources and we were so grateful to have the opportunity to play with all their tools and create something really worthwhile. 

Our finished shelves!

If you're interested in one of the furniture making courses, have a look at the page on the Sheffield City College website. 

Kirsty Bowen

SHWI Committee member

September meeting - Badge and mirror making

Our September meeting saw us getting nifty with glue and scissors, with Crafty Jackdaw helping us to design badges and mirrors.

As members and guests gathered in the club area at Electric Works, Crafty Jackdaw were already busy setting up the conference room into three long tables with a finishing station at one end.

Kim, Lindsay and Vicky started the meeting by going through WI business, including news of the upcoming Don Valley Rally, Autumn Council and our fabulous limited edition Christmas cards (which we’re selling for £5 a pack in aid of our charity of the year, Young Women’s Housing Project).

During the break, while we were all quaffing tea and cake, Crafty Jackdaw put out all the bits and pieces we needed to make our badges and mirrors. Following a brief explanation, members set about using the templates to create their designs out of everything from comics and children’s story books to sheet music and vintage fabric. 

The ladies from Crafty Jackdaw press our badges

Members could make various different items, which saw even the creatively-challenged (that’d be me) engrossed cutting and sticking. Crafty Jackdaw were kept busy all meeting, as members queued to have their inspired designs made into badges or mirrors, so that everyone got the chance to take home a unique keepsake they’d made themselves.

I found it quite therapeutic and enjoyed doing something that meant we could chat while we had a go at doing something new!

Some of Laura's badges

Next month we will be celebrating our 5th birthday with party games and a pot luck supper. Remember, to bring a dish a long to share and if you fancy getting your bake on you can also enter our birthday cake competition!

See you soon,

Jennifer
Vice President

August meeting - Blood donation and why it's important

After a month off, it was FINALLY time to head back to Electric Works for some Seven Hills action. After catching up with familiar faces and meeting a few new ones, the ladies settled into the meeting room for an informative evening of talk. 

First up - business! President Garfitt announced her decision to step down as captain of the great ship SHWI in 2015, a post she has kept since she conceived the group back in 2009. There'll be lots of changes afoot next year, as the committee loses some major players (including another founder member, Kim Whelan, our current Secretary). I don't think it's possible to thank these ladies enough for all that they've done. I think I speak for all SHWI members when I say we are SO grateful that they set this wonderful group up. But before I start blubbing, I know that the ladies that take on their roles will also do a fantastic job and so while it's the end of an era, the future is looking bright for SHWI.

Our first guest speakers were Katie and Jo from our charity for 2014, Young Women's Housing Project. It's great to have representatives from the charities come speak to the group – not only do we find out where the money goes, but it's nice to know how much the funds we raise are appreciated. The YWHP ladies seemed genuinely surprised and delighted that we had chosen them, courtesy of a nomination by SHWI member, Kat. The ladies explained the money we raised at the Sheffield Food Festival would be used to take some of their young women on a day trip with their children, an opportunity some of them would never have had before.

Lindsay and Kim handover the cheque to Katie and Jo from YWHP

Our main speaker was Holly Mason from the NHS Blood and Transplant Service – rather fitting for the WI, as our national resolution this year is to encourage people to talk about organ donation. Holly gave us a talk on blood – why we should consider giving it, what we can donate (it's not just blood! Platelets and bone marrow can also be donated) and where to do it. With only 4% of the population giving blood regularly, it really is something worth considering – not only does it help save the lives of people who have been in tragic accidents, but premature babies, people with sickle cell disease, cancer patients (to name but a few) all benefit from the generous donations of blood givers.

Kirsty and Liz meet Holly

After we'd all learnt a bit about Dracula's favourite drink, our resident blood expert (and Assistant Treasurer) Dr Leanne had prepared a little bloody themed quiz for the group. Did you know that blood can be used as an egg substitute? Bear it in mind, SHWI bakers! (Actually...perhaps not... brings whole new meaning to red velvet cake!) The winners were treated to some Haribo strawberries (as hearts weren't available) but the pride of winning was the real prize! We know how competitive these SHWI quizzes can get...

If you fancy finding out more about blood donation, check out Give Blood – Do Something Amazing

Laura Bainbridge
SHWI Committee member

WI Resolutions - Making a difference on issues that matter to you

Every year all WI members are given the opportunity to suggest issues as 'resolutions' for the national organisation to campaign on. This is a chance to take forward a personal concern and develop it into a national campaign once adopted at the NFWI Annual Meeting.

It's the time of year to put forward resolutions so if you have great idea for a resolution or would like further information, please read on…

What makes a good resolution?

·         Is it topical and does it fit with current areas of public interest?

·         Does it have clear and realistic targets?

·         Would the change bring a meaningful and sensible outcome?

·         Does it reflect the current situation?

·         Is it based on accurate data?

·         Is there an opportunity to obtain positive media coverage?

·         Does it fit with the overall WI vision?

If you need some inspiration, here are details of other campaigns the WI is involved in...

• Time to Talk about Organ Donation
• SOS for High Streets and Town Centres
• More Midwives
• The WI Great Food Debate
• Love Your Libraries 
• Care Not Custody
• Country of Origin Labelling (COOL)
• SOS for Honeybees

Support is available through your WI group, our local Federation and Federation Resolution Advisors.  The deadline for submission of resolutions is 12 September. Full details and submission forms are available here.

Any questions please email us 

Kim x

SHWI Secretary