LATEST NEWS

Leave The Car At Home
27 May 2012

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It might be best to leave the car at home or arrange a lift to our next meeting. On 27th June we will be holding a wine tasting evening. Unlike last year, when Kay had to step in to deliver the tasting notes, this year we will be guided through the red wines by wine expert, Carole Clack. Carole works in the wine department at the Waitrose store in Newark and will be using her knowledge to help us appreciate a selection of red wines on the night. Although each taster will be a small measure you might be best advised not to drive home afterwards.
Your walk could always count towards your contribution for the Big Walk: Little Splash 209 mile challenge.
If ever there was a good time to come along and try out the WI this is it ladies! Come along and take a look at the WI in the 21 Century and see if it is for you. We promise no jam and definitely no Jerusalem.

Coffee Morning Update
27 May 2012

The next coffee morning will be at Sheila's house on Monday 11th June starting at 10am. If you need address details please contact Kay through the contact us page of the web site.
Pictures from the last coffee morning at Barbara B's house are now available in the gallery.

Images From The Past
26 May 2012

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Some of the tasty treats
The photos are now available in the gallery from the Plains Group extravaganza event "Putting on the Ritz".
Plains group members gathered at the Good Shepherd Church Centre on the 17th May to experience fashions from the 1920s & 1930s. A living exhibition was provided by Notty Hornblower of Hope House Costume Museum, near Ashbourne with models displaying clothes of the era. Some of the audience dressed in vogue for the period which added to the atmosphere. Tasty treats, akin to those served with tea at the Ritz, were available too as the ladies enjoyed the cat walk show. Well done to Woodthorpe WI who arranged the evening for us all and thanks to all involved.

Resolution Fun & Games
24 May 2012

Last night's meeting was the annual Resolution meeting where in anticipation of the 2012 AGM the group considered this year's topic: " There are chronic shortages of midwives. The NFWI calls on the government to increase investment in the training, employment and retention of midwives in England & Wales to ensure services are adequately resourced and are able to deliver a high standard of care" which had been proposed by Horwich WI. After a discussion and vote the group amused themselves with fun & games. Table skittles, dominoes, cards and Rummikib were played. You can see the photos in the gallery.

Big Walk:Little Splash Challenge
23 May 2012

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The mileage is building up nicely towards the 209 mile total. We have had ladies walking to work, walking round on WI business, walking as part of the ACWW sponsored walk, and even walking round new places on their holidays, including a visist to Gedling's twin town of Rotenburg. We are planning a moonlight swim in June to boost the miles and are also encouraging people to walk to Sheila's coffee morning on 11 June. The whole project is a great team effort and it is wonderful to see everyone taking up the challenge.

Coffee Morning
13 May 2012

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Just a quick reminder that Barbara B's coffee morning will take place on Saturday 19th May - the kettle goes on at 10am. It is great that one of our Bulwell ladies is holding a coffee morning as they so often can not make it to the ones held in the village.  I'm sure we will all do what we can to support her in this event.

Maps & directions are available from Kay or via the contact us page.

Ritzy Evening
12 May 2012

Next Thursday, 17 May, looks like being a great night for the Plains Group. Woodthorpe WI have arranged an evening of nostalgic glamour set in the 1920's & 30s. Fashions form the era will be modelled and tea taken in true Ritz style at the  Good Shepherd Church Centre on Thackeray's Lane from 7pm. You can dress in vogue for the era if you wish or just come along and enjoy the mood. This is a ticket only event and tickets are available at £3 from your WI secretary.

ACWW Fund-raising Total Announced
9 May 2012

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The two members of Bestwood Village WI that took part in the ACWW Plains Group walk on 29 April have now collected their sponsor  money. A total of £196 was pledged by supporters of Carol & Kay and this will very soon be winging its way through to Helen Crowder, ACWW Representative in Notts Federation. Anyone wanting to make up the £4 to round us up to £200 should contact Carol or Kay as soon as possible! We hear that the Gedling ladies that took part have raised around £120 and there is some sponsor money still to come in from Parkdale too so the event looks like being a real winner!

PTA Fashion Show
1 May 2012

The Hawthorne Primary & Nursery School PTA ladies fashion show will be held at the school hall on Thursday 3 May 2012. Kick off is at 7.30pm. Tickets are just £5 which covers your entrance, your first glass of wine or fruit juice and some nibbles.  Call in at reception for a ticket or pay on the door on the night. The clothes will be provided, as they were last year, by Euphoriaz Limited of Watnall Road, Hucknall. All sizes will be available to try on at the event and special discounts make the evening well worth going along to.

Little Walk In A Big Splosh On ACWW Walk
30 April 2012

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Kay in her ACWW T-shirt
Yesterday, during some of the worst weather of the year, several intrepid members of the Plains group of WIs set out to raise some money for ACWW. As part of the "Women Walk The World" day they planned to walk the 10 miles round all 7 Plains group meeting venues. Starting out from Gedling at 10am they braved rain, hail and driving winds to walk on to Netherfield, Parkdale (Calton), Mapperley, Woodthorpe, Arnold and finally Bestwood Village. To say they got wet would be an understatement of epic proportions, but their spirits were never dampened.  Perhaps it was a case of "Dunkirk Spirit" that saw them through but they all seemed to actually enjoy the day getting to know each other better and cheering each other on. Now comes the task of collecting in all the sponsor money. Once the total amount has been calculated it will be published here and circulated to the Plains group WIs to announce at their next meetings.
Thanks must go to all involved on the day: walkers, supporters, taxi drivers, Wetherspoon's staff (who didn't bat an eye when we took over every available warm surface to dry out our clothes on) and the bakers of amazing scones that were a welcome treat at the end of the walk. For photos of the day see the gallery.

Twitters From The April Meeting
29 April 2012

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Some of the Easter nests on offer at the meeting.
At our meeting on Wednesday 25 April David Tideswell kept us all entertained with stories about the birds in his back garden. Illustrated with a wealth of wonderful photographs gathered over a lifetime of birdwatching he explained how to make our gardens more bird- friendly. Brought to life with his own unique combination of facts, cheeky jokes and imitations of birdsong, he had us giggling most of the evening. In amongst all the anecdotes and cute pictures we also gleaned lots of useful information about our feathered friends and I'm sure we were all inspired to go and take another look at our gardens to see how we could improve them for wildlife. The refreshments were very apt for the evening being Easter nests complete with eggs, although they didn't hang around long enough to hatch!   Apparently you had to be called Barbara to win the raffle this month as all three of our Barbaras won a prize. See the photos of the night in the gallery.

Date For Your Diary
14 April 2012

Make a note that Barbara Hallam of Mapperley WI will be hosting a Jubilee Coffee Evening on June 7th. There will be  a cake stall, a bring & buy sale table and a "red, white & blue" stall. The whole thing will kick off at 7pm and will cost just £2 which includes your coffee/tea and cake. Kay will be selling tickets at our April & May meetings and handing out location maps for those of you who haven't been before. If you would like to check out what happened there last year take a look in the gallery.

Lucky 13 For Julie
9 April 2012

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Julie was feeling very lucky to have 13 guests at her Bank Holiday coffee morning today.  Despite the weather being really miserable 12 WI members braved the elements to get to Julie's house between 10am and noon to enjoy her hospitality. The lure of her famous coffee & walnut cake really is that strong!

The 13th guest was Sadie, a friend from Julie's work who brought along some hand crafted jewellery for us to buy.

Photos of the event are in the gallery.

See you all at the next coffee morning on 19th May.

April Coffee Morning
7 April 2012

The April coffee morning will be at Julie's house on Bank Holiday Monday the 9th starting at 10am. It would be lovely to see you there. If you are unsure of the address please contact the Secretary via the Contact Us page. Prospective members are always welcome to come along and find out about the WI without obligation to join. But in the meantime - Happy Easter!

The 209 Mile Challenge Has Started
2 April 2012

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The BIG WALK / LITTLE SPLASH! Challenge
The BIG WALK/LITTLE SPLASH! challenge started yesterday, 1 April, and runs through until WI Day, on Sunday 16 September.
In that time our WI has to walk or swim 209 miles -  which is the distance from the first WI to be established in the UK in 1901 at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogovh to the Olympic stadium in London. We will be keeping a log of everyone's contributions in words and pictures and these will be complied into a journal of our "Olympic Journey".
The first walk has already taken place - a modest jaunt of 0.65 of a mile by our Secretary delivering copies of Hornblower magazine to members who missed the meeting. From this small acorn we hope to grow and achieve our 209 miles by September, hopefully with a contribution from each of our 21 members. Watch out for updates on how we are doing.

Water Colour Wonders
1 April 2012

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On Saturday 31 March, Julie and Tanya attended their second mixed media workshop at County House, Newark.  The challenge this time was to produce a fabulous picture of tulips in a sunny garden (copied from a print) using water colours, with wax relief.  Loads of tips and tricks were shared by Rachel, the instructor, and with her support and encouragement everyone on the course seemed to improve their skills throughout the day . 

Check out the photos of the day in the gallery. 

This activity is only one of many offered by the Nottinghamshire Federation of WIs and they are well worth going along to.  This one cost just £15 per person. Not only can you learn something new but you can have great fun doing it and meet some new friends along the way.

Full House For Open Evening
29 March 2012

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John Stirland talking to the Open Evening audience
Last night our monthly meeting was an open evening. Around 50 ladies and gentlemen were present to enjoy an amusing talk by BBC TV and radio gardener, John Stirland. His ready wit and relaxed manor soon had the crowd laughing as they heard the story of a local boy who made good. The talk was followed by a Gardener's Question Time session where John offered solutions to all our gardening queries.
Along with the "in the garden" themed raffle and a plant sale the whole evening had a very horticultural feel.
Photos of the evening are to be found in the gallery.

Walk On Trial
25 March 2012

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On Saturday morning there was no lying in bed for Carol & Kay as they headed off to Gedling to start their test run of the planned ACWW Women Walk the World route. To ensure that things run smoothly on 29 April, when the "Round the Plains Group" walk takes place, the intrepid pair set out to trial the 10 miles course. Accompanied for parts of the walk by their husbands on bicycles and taking along Carol's son, Alistair, as chief photographer, they linked all 7 Plains Group WI meeting locations: Gedling, Netherfield, Parkdale, Mapperley, Woodthorpe, Arnold and Bestwood Village.  Having set out in the fog at 10am they arrived home in the sunshine at 2.30pm, having stopped for 25 minutes at Mapperley's venue for a coffee and a cake. You can see evidence of their arrival at each location in the gallery. They hope this inspires lots of the Plains group members to take part in the ACWW walk on 29 April, even if they just walk one or two legs of the route.

Nottinghamshire Federation ACM Debut
23 March 2012

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Eileen, Kay & Carol arriving at the ACM
The Nottingham Federation of Women's Institutes held its Annual Council Meeting at the Royal Concert Hall yesterday. They were celebrating their 95th year of the WI in the county. The meeting, chaired by Federation Chairman, Maureen Ashby, included talks by Ruth Bond, NFWI Chair, Chris Weir, the archivist from Nottinghamshire County Council and the TV cook Rosemary Shrager.
However, the highlight for Bestwood Village WI  was when Kay & Carol took to the stage to give feedback on the County Quiz and announce the names of the 3rd, 2nd & 1st place teams.

Although not quite as funny as the ACWW cow, (you had to be there!) their talk did raise a few laughs and they were hopefully forgiven (well almost!) for setting a pretty tough set of questions. This year's worthy winners were the Woodborough Arrows, whose answers were obviously all on target! Eileen, who was our official delegate for the ACM, managed to snap a few photographs of the two of them on stage so you can check them out along with other photos from the day in the gallery.

Bestwood B Team Victory
17 March 2012

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The B team - Joyce, Shirley, Diane, Julie and missing from the shot, Pauline
On 15th March Kay & Julie from Bestwood Village WI took part in the Long Alley Skittles evening organised by Notts Federation Sports & Leisure Committee. Kay ended up in the A team and Julie in the B team as the 25 players were randomly allocated to teams of 5 players. Whilst Team A got off to a very slow start and ended up just avoiding the wooden spoon, the B Team lead from the start and ended up worthy winners, but just 4 points ahead of their nearest rivals the E Team. The evening was great fun for both novices and regulars alike with wonderful team spirit growing throughout the 5 rounds of play. The pie & pea supper provided welcome respite from the action for half an hour and gave us all a chance to charge our glasses and coffee cups for the second half. Thanks to Lin and all on the Sports & Leisure Sub-Committee for arranging it all.

Coffee Morning Bonus
10 March 2012

This morning the usual group of WI members were treated to the bonus of two prospective new members popping into Kay's for coffee, cake and conversation. Hayley & Tracy both contacted us through the web site Contact Us page. They were invited along to meet a few of our ladies in the more intimate setting of a coffee morning before braving a full WI meeting. We all look forward to seeing them at our open meeting on 28th where John Stirland will be treating us to a talk entitled "My Life in Gardening".

Winners At Woodthorpe
9 March 2012

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Kay, Julie, Eileen & Audrey displaying their prizes after winning the quiz.
Last night 5 members of the Bestwood Village WI travelled to Woodthorpe WI's Plains Group fund-raiser evening at the Church of the Good Shepherd. They had great fun rummaging round the numerous stalls including crafts, bric-a-brac, blue theme, cakes & books. Later on there was a general knowledge quiz which "Four of the Best(wood WI)" team won with 27 points out of 30. They even managed to win one of the raffle prizes - a  very fruitful night!
Thanks to everyone at Woodthorpe WI for organising such an entertaining evening.

Dates For Your Diary
7 March 2012

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Thursday 8th March - Plains Group Fundraiser 7pm at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Thackeray's Lane - entry by ticket only - 50p

Saturday 10th March - Kay's coffee morning 10am - 12 noon.
Along with the usual drinks and nibbles we are sending out a particular invite to anyone thinking of joining the WI. Come along and try us out in a less formal setting that the monthly meeting. To find out the address just complete the "contact us" form and Kay will send you the details.

Saturday 17th March - St Mark's Church coffee morning  - 10.30am - 1pm
There will also be stalls for cakes, sweets, books, cards, unwanted gifts, children's toys & books and Mothers' Day crafts. Entry is free so do come along.

Cup Up For Grabs
28 February 2012

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The Bestwood Cupcakes almost ready to relinquish their prize!
After a year of proudly holding the County Quiz Cup the Bestwood Cupcakes finally handed it back. The contest then took place on 24 February at 7 venues around the county to find a new team to crown County Champions. Kay & Julie attended the Normanton on Soar venue to help hand out and collect papers whilst Mary Thompson ran the event on behalf of Notts Fed. Photos are in the gallery. Let's hope the winning team are as proud to have the cup in their trophy cabinet as we have been when they are announced as 2012 Champions at the ACM on 22 March.

Changes At The Top
27 February 2012

Following the elections held at our AGM on 22 February the Bestwood Village WI is proud to announce the following changes within the committee. Tanya Jones is standing down as President to be replaced by both Julie Sutton and Eileen Donnison, who will share the role and its responsibilities for the coming year.  Also Carol Hart will be replaced as our Vice President by Brenda Langsdale. The old favourites Sheila Pearson & Kay Brown will carry on as Treasurer and Secretary respectively for another year since they have just worked out what they should be doing!
Thanks go to all involved for their continued commitment to the success of our WI. Photos of the new committee are available on the committee pages.

Last Minute Success
23 February 2012

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Remember this?
Our February meeting was packed from beginning to end and was a story of brinkmanship and last minute replacements. The Community Centre boiler had broken down and the plumber, Neil Borwick, heroically came to the rescue with the missing part only an hour before the doors opened.
Then we had two contributors to the evening who were last minute stand-ins for those unable to attend. Firstly Linda Davey took us reasonably painlessly through the annual election of a president or two. Her good wishes for completing our 6th year were much appreciated as were the 2 birthday cakes supplied by Eileen and Sheila.

Sue Clegg, a retired partner from John Lewis Nottingham, then stepped into the breach and entertained us with her illustrated talk on the company covering its fascinating story, past, present & future.
We ended a very successful night with the "Pamper Me!" themed raffle having plucked victory from the jaws of defeat.

Photos of the whole night are in the gallery.

Change Of Speaker
17 February 2012

Due to illness Robert Wignall will be unable to deliver his "History of Nottingham Cinemas" talk to our group on Wednesday 22 February. Luckily we have been able to secure a replacement speaker in the form of Sue Clegg of John Lewis who will be talking to us about the history of the store both here in Nottingham and nationally. I'm sure we all wish Robert a speedy recovery and look forward to an interesting talk from Sue.

Recommendation
14 February 2012

If you have been to an event that you really enjoyed and would like to let our other members know about it please tell the committee so we can add your recommendation to our web pages. The first event we would like to recommend to you is:-
The Nottingham Youth Orchestra's "Journey Through Olympic Cities" on 3rd March at the Royal Concert Hall.
This concert also features the Nottingham Youth Jazz Orchestra and is hosted by Des Coleman. Carol H experienced another of their concerts last week and was thrilled by their performance. If you would like to know more either check out the NYO's web site or speak to Carol.

March Coffee Morning
13 February 2012

Following the success of Eileen's coffee morning today you may want to book the date of the next gathering into your diary. Kay will be hosting on the morning of Saturday 10 March, 10am until noon. Details are on the coffee morning page.
Watch out in the library as the recipe for Eileen's apple cake which we all enjoyed at her gathering today is soon to arrive.

February Coffee Morning
7 February 2012

The February coffee morning is being hosted by Eileen on Monday 13 February. Come  along between 10am and noon to share a coffee and a chat with friends. Tickets for the Plains Group Fund-raiser on 8 March will be available to buy on the day if you didn't grab one at the January main meeting. If you need to know the address please contact a member of the committee for details or roll up to Kay's house just before 10am and walk round with her as Eileen is just a few doors down the road. The recipe for the apple cake is on the recipes page of the library.

Library Bus Visits
29 January 2012 

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A Nottinghamshire Mobile Library Bus
The Nottinghamshire Library Bus visits the village once every 4 weeks on a Thursday morning stopping outside St Mark's Church. To coincide with this St Marks opens its doors and puts on a coffee morning. So you can come along, choose a book and then spend a few relaxed moments over a coffee either starting chapter 1 or discussing your choice with friends. The bus arrives at 9.50am on:- 16 February, 15 March, 12 April ands 10 May.  We will keep the up to date list of visit dates in our local links column to the right of this page.

Willing Audience
26 January 2012

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Leanne, Mary, Sara & Kay
At our January meeting we were treated to an entertaining talk on what could have been a rather dry subject - financial planning and inheritance protection. Sara Desforges and her colleague Leanne of Simpson Jones solicitors delivered what turned out to be a thought provoking discussion of the pitfalls of planning for your future and along the way busted a few myths surrounding the writing of wills. We all learned that good decisions made now can save you money down the line - it just takes the investment of a little time considering some things we all try to avoid thinking about. The facts and advice were interspersed with a potted career history from Sara and a few cautious tales of what can happen to the unprepared.
At the end of the evening names were drawn out of a hat to win a couple of bottles of wine and the picture shows the lucky winners with their prizes.

Mapperley WI's Winter Warmer
22 January 2012

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Early January saw Tanya and Julie attend the annual Mapperley WI Winter Warmer event.  They enjoyed a fabulous meal of home-made soup, followed by tasty jacket potatoes with a choice of fillings and then, to top it off, apple pie and cream.  What a treat on a cold January evening.  Thanks should go to Lorna Weir, Margaret Pollard, Sue Smart and Joan Wild for their fabulous company and looking after our ladies so well.
Entertainment was provided by Irene Strike, who, despite technical issues with the CD player, provided a wonderful nostalgic show of songs, poems and sing-a-longs.  There was also a table quiz which, in the Bestwood Village WI tradition, our ladies won.  Hearty thanks to Mapperley WI for a fabulous evening.

2012 Here We Come!
2 January 2012

       Happy New Year everyone!
.A couple of dates for your new 2012 diaries:-

10 January 7pm at the Social Club - Committee meeting
25 January 7pm at the Community Centre - Our January meeting - which is a change to the advertised event in your programme. We have parked the normal birthday card making evening as the craft group will be meeting up to make some cards later in the year. The January meeting will now be an evening to find out how to plan your finances and the dos and don'ts of making a will with Sara Desforges of Simpson Jones Solicitors.
We hope to see you there.

Anyone For Sherry or a Sharon Fruit?
1 January 2012

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Sharon Fruit - tried for the first time by some of the ladies.
Kay's sherry & mince pie event on 27th December was attended by 9 WI ladies including Pauline & Bernice from Arnold WI. They had been invited along at our Christmas party on 14th and it was wonderful that they came over to the village once again to help us celebrate the festive season. Coffee & tea featured along side the sherry, ginger wine and mead. All this was accompanied by the promised warm mince pies as well as some Dundee cake, a battenburg and a selection of interesting fresh fruits.
Let's hope these gatherings continue in the 2012 calendar.

Netherfield's Christmas Meeting

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The winning entry in the mince pie competition
21 December 2011

Tonight Carol & Kay were guests of Netherfield WI at St Georges Centre for their Christmas meeting. The event included entertainment from the Calverton Churches Together Choir performing and leading group singing of some popular carols. There was also a fantastic raffle - which sadly we didn't win - and a best mince pie competition where we got to buy the entries to take home and taste. There was a festive buffet for everyone to enjoy and as you will see from the photos in the gallery everyone had a very jolly time.Thank you for inviting us!

Alternative Christmas Pudding Recipe

20 December 2011

Check out this fabulous recipe in the library.

Something To Toast

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19 December 2011

Don't forget that Kay is offering sherry and mince pies at her house on December 27th. Come along and raise a glass or two between 3-5pm. It would be great to see you all and discuss what Santa has brought you this year. There is parking for a few cars on the driveway so please bring your cars in off the road if there is space.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas and see you very soon.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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What was left over when we had all had our fill!
17 December 2011

On Wednesday 14 December the Bestwood Village WI Christmas Party took place at the Community Centre. Preparations began at 4.30pm and by 7pm when the guests from Arnold, Gedling and Mapperley WIs arrived a tremendous spread had been brought together by all the members of our WI. Somehow we managed to munch our way though most of the food, including the stars of the show: Eileen's hard boiled eggs and Audrey's pork pie, which was almost as long as Moor Road! Tanya was our compare for the evening taking us through games of "Heads & Tails", playing card bingo, Pictionary and a quiz to identify countries by their coastlines. The entertainment was provided by Tanya, Carol, Julie and Eileen of the Committee who performed a comic rendition of "Four Girls Bright & Beautiful". This was followed by group singing of Christmas songs and a rousing version of Jerusalem. Everyone helped with the clearing up and we wandered home with our presents, and many with their winnings, at 9.30pm. Thank you to all who helped make it a great night for our members and our guests. There are photos of the night in the gallery.

Christmas Party Reminder

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13 December 2011

Please remember to bring along a plate, bowl and cutlery as well as your chosen food item to tomorrow's party. The committee will be setting up from about 5.30pm but just come along at 7pm as usual with your food items and we will soon get the party under way.
There will be party games, a raffle, singing and presents for everyone. We are sure to have a great time celebrating with our guests from the other Plains Group WIs.

We're Off To Denman College

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Denman College, Marcham, Oxfordshire
12 December 2011

5 ladies from Bestwood Village WI are winging their way down to Denman College for a Christmas Lunch today. Brenda, Eileen, Julie, Marlene and Kay will enjoy a 3 course set lunch and hopefully get time to have a quick look round Denman before the drive back home this evening.

See the photos in the gallery to see how they got on.

Gedling's Christmas Party  

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Gedling WI had the festive food covered!
11 December 2011

Carol and her mum, Barbara, enjoyed the Christmas party at Gedling WI on Friday 9th December. There are a few photos in the gallery but there may be a few more photos mounted later.

Inside The Committee Meeting

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Agenda & Minutes explained!
10 December 2011

At the December committee meeting we invited a photographer in to record the event so that you can all see what goes on. The results are in the gallery.

Hopefully this will encourage a few more of you to come along and join us on the committee. If you are interested in joining us - permanently or just for one meeting to see if you like it - please talk to a committee member.

Arnold's Christmas Party Is Magic

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7 December 2011

Last night two Bestwood WI members attended the Arnold WI Christmas Party at the Pondshill Community Centre. Barbara & Barbara were seated at Arnold President, Sheila Fisher's table and were treated to a wonderful evening of food and festivities. The entertainment was courtesy of a magician doing close-up table magic tricks. A great time was had by everyone and we hope our party on 14th December can be just as much fun.
Photos of the night are in the gallery. 

Woodthorpe's Christmas Party

6 December 2011

Two of our newest members, Carol & Christa, attended the Woodthorpe WI Christmas Party on Monday 5 December. They received a very warm welcome and had a super time. They are now keen to get involved in more Plains Group events and are looking forward to the Spring fundraiser and the "Putting on the Ritz" evening in May.

Lighting Up For Christmas

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3 December 2011

Last night the village got together to watch the Christmas tree lights turned on and, as ever, the WI were involved in the event. The Hawthorne Primary School Choir got things under way at 6.30pm in the Community Centre by singing a selection of carols. This was followed by the Bestwood Male Voice Choir and the Bestwood  Black Diamonds Band leading the crowd in singing two sets of Christmas songs; one before the big switch on and one afterwards. At 7pm the tree lights were turned on by Nottinghamshire County Counsellor, Chris Barnfather (Chairman of the Planning & Licensing Committee) to a rousing round of applause. Back inside the Community Centre free hot mulled wine and mince pies were being served.

Our WI stall was offering people the chance to take a little of the festive spirit home with them in the shape of Christmas decorations and hand-knitted items for sale. Our sales raised £18 for a local hospice, £10 for the Christmas tree lights fund and £32 for WI funds, with which we intend buying a much needed new kettle.
We have a few photos of the event in the gallery. Read what the Hucknall & Bulwell Dispatch had to say about the night here.

Wedding Bells For Latest WI Member

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26 November 2011

Today at 12.30pm one of our newest WI members, Carol, will be tying the matrimonial knot at St Mark's church to fiancé, Wayne.

All the members of Bestwood Village WI wish them well in their new adventure together.

Photos of the wedding are in the gallery.

Almost Good Enough To Eat                       

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Clove and Lemon cupcake soap
24 November 2011

As you can see from the photo, some of Jan Palmer's soap creations looked good enough to eat on her sale table at last night's meeting. Jan's enthusiasm for her subject and her knowledge of hand-making soaps really showed through in her talk. The sale table hardly survived the onslaught of frenzied buying that followed.

For more photos of the evening go to our gallery.

Village Christmas Tree Lighting Up

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21 November 2011

The lights on the Bestwood Village Christmas tree will be turned on at a ceremony held on 2 December. The proceedings will include performances by local school children, the Bestwood Male Voice Choir and the Black Diamonds Band. There will also be a chance to join in with some carol singing before retiring to the Community Centre to enjoy free mince pies and mulled wine. The WI will be running a stall selling Christmas decorations and other Christmas crafts and there will be a tombola stall. The whole thing kicks off at 6.30pm at the Community centre and the tree will be lit up at 7pm. Come along and enjoy the fun & festivities!

Wednesday's Meeting

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20 November 2011

Just a quick reminder that the next meeting will be this Wednesday when we will be entertained by Jan Palmer and her talk on soap making. There will be a sale table full of beautiful soaps to purchase for yourselves or as Christmas presents, so do remember your purse.

The Favoured Few

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19 November 2011

Christa's afternoon tea was well worth visiting today. Not only were those attending spoilt with tea, coffee and home baked cakes, but they were also sent home with a lovely hand-crafted favours box full of lovely chocolates. An example of the favours box is shown here.
More of these favours boxes will be available to purchase on the WI craft stall on 2 December at the celebrations for the turning on of the village Christmas lights.

Headline News

18 November 2011

This week 127 of the tiniest knitted baby beanie hats have been delivered to Nottingham City Hospital's neo-natal baby unit. This is the result of several week's work by our talented ladies. The neo-natal unit are always in need of these tiny hats as most of their babies take their hats with them when they leave, so new ones are always in demand. The City Hospital asked us to pass on a big thank you to all those involved in the project.  If you fancy having a go at creating one of these miniature marvels you can follow the pattern in our library.

Happy Birthday Hucknall WI

16 November 2011

Sheila and Kay were happy to take up the invitation from Hucknall WI to help them celebrate their 44th birthday last night. It was an evening to remember with wonderful food and sparkling entertainment. There were readings of favourite poems, both poignant and funny, a raffle and a table quiz to test the old grey matter. The buffet supper was, as always, an extravaganza of flavours with the star turn yet again being the poached salmon with the home-made chutneys and interesting salads a close second. The sherry trifle should have carried a "percentage by volume of alcohol" label and was to be avoided by anyone driving that night! Luckily I wasn't driving and so enjoyed seconds - hic! Thank you to all the Hucknall WI ladies for a warm welcome and a great evening. Hopefully we will have photos of the birthday cake soon.

Afternoon Tea with Christa

7 November 2011

The good news for those of you finding yourselves at a loose end on 19th November is that we are holding one of our "coffee mornings" on that day. It is actually an afternoon tea hosted by Christa, one of our new members. She will be expecting you between 1pm and 3pm. If you need address details please contact a member of the committee either by phone (number on your programme) or through the "Contact Us" page on this web site. It will be great to see you all there.

Autumn Fayre Cancelled

7 November 2011

Sadly the Gedling WI Autumn Fayre planned for the 19 November that we publicised back on September 29th has had to be cancelled. If we hear of a rescheduled date we will let you know.

Sweet Stall A Blazing Success

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5 November 2011

As part of the Bestwood Village Bonfire celebrations the WI provided a "Sweets & Treats" stall at St Marks Church. Alongside the usual hot dogs and mushy peas available on the night from the organisers, our stall offered a sweet alternative by serving up toffee or chocolate apples, fudge, cinder toffee, peanut brittle, fridge cake, marshmallow sparklers and bonfire toffee lollipops. It all went down a treat with both the young and young at heart. A donation was made to the church from the night's takings and the remaining amount will give a small boost to our WI funds. A big thank you to all the ladies who got stuck in to making of all those irresistible goodies, and to all those people who bought them -  a selection of the treats are pictured here.

Take High Tea With Tanya

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28 October 2011

This month's coffee morning has morphed into a high tea. Tanya will be open for guests between 4pm and 6pm on Monday 31 October. Despite this being Hallowe'en there is nothing scary about the event except perhaps the prospect of running out of chairs!
If you need the address or directions please contact a member of the committee - the secretary's number is on your programme booklet - or email her using the Contact Us form on this web site.

Double Celebration

26 October 2011

At our October meeting we were pleased to welcome 2 new members to the group. Carol and Christa both took advantage of the membership discount offer and joined in October and only paid the annual membership fee of £31.50. This means they will be fully paid up members of the group right through to December 2013. Welcome aboard ladies!

Love Your Libraries Campaign

23 October 2011

The WI are supporting the "Love Your Libraries" campaign as a result of the successful resolution vote in 2011. If you would like to sign  the e-petition please click this link.

Craft Club Offer Free Training Places

22 October 2011

NFWI has agreed to support the Crafts Council Craft Clubs project by providing 10 "Pass it on"  training days over the next 2 years.  These training days are free for competent knitters & crafters who wish to set up & run, or volunteer to take part in, clubs in their areas. WI members will also receive up to £50 to cover travel expenses. There is also money available to help support the members' travel to cascade their Craft Club training knowledge to others. To find out if there is a training day that you could attend click on the Craft Club Volunteers Page.

Workshop Works Well

19 October 2011

Tanya & Kay attended a Presidents and Secretaries' workshop this evening which was held at Lowdham WI Hall. The evening was really useful for both of them. The advice they received from the tutors on their respective roles was invaluable. But perhaps even more enlightening were the shared ideas from members of the other WIs at the workshop. Watch out at the next few meetings as the closing message of the workshop was to keep things fresh by ringing the changes!

Bargain Offer

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18 October 2011

WI members have been offered 2 for the price of 1 on tickets to see the new Stephen Lowe play "Séance on a Sunday Afternoon" at the Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park, Nottingham. The matinee performances on Saturday 22nd and Wednesday 26th October, both starting at 2pm, will cost just £10 for 2 tickets. (concessions £7 for 2 tickets).

Contact the box office for details on 0115 846 7777

Winding House Photos

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17 October 2011

Photos are now available of the famous lift rescue during the Hucknall Heritage Bus Tour.

They are in the gallery

Two More Dates For Your Diary

17 October 2011

There are two more events in the village that you might want to make a note of:-

1) Tuesday 18th October -TOMORROW!!! - Hawthorne Primary & Nursery School PTA Ladies Fashion Show. Entrance is just £5 which includes a glass of wine, nibbles and a raffle ticket. It all kicks off at the school at 7.30pm. The evening will include fashions from Euphoria Ladies Fashions of Watnall Road, Hucknall along with jewellery & make up stalls, a nail bar and massage chair. Tickets are available from the school or at the door on the night.

2) Stampin'Up are running monthly card making classes at the Bestwood Village Community Centre. They take place on the last Saturday of every month and cost £15 a session. For that you will receive full tuition in card making and all the materials for your projects along with light refreshments. The classes run 9.30am to 12.30pm. If you have the basic equipment of scissors etc you should bring them along but if not they can be provided. You must book 2 weeks in advance either by phone on 07891 476636 or by email on tracy6636@hotmail.com.

Talent Blossoms On Sugar Craft Course

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16 October 2011

Julie & Tanya have been on a course to learn sugar craft. You can see the results in the accomplishments section of the web site - click here.

We are thinking about asking the tutor from their course to come along next year and give us all a chance to see how it is done.

Ribbon Craft Photos In Gallery

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1 October 2011

Photos from Wednesday night's meeting are now available in the Gallery. Didn't we do well!

Displayed here is Tanya's finished card.

Three Dates For Your Diary

29 September 2011

1)    A WaterAid Big Ceilidh is being held in Nottingham on 15th October.
Venue: West Bridgford Community Hall, Church Drive, Nottingham NG2 6AY
Time 7.30pm   Tickets: £10   Contact: email  kirsty.fulton@hotmail.co.uk

2)    The next hostess of a coffee "morning" will be Tanya but she is turning it into a high tea instead. We will be gathering at her house on 31 October. There will be no trick or treating but there may be a game of musical chairs as Tanya only has 8 in the house! Details of the location and exact time will be available at the October meeting.

3)   Gedling WI will be holding an Autumn Fayre on Saturday 19th November 10.30am to 12 noon at Gedling Road Methodist Church, Gedling Road, Carlton. There will be a tombola, stalls selling bric-a-brac children's toys and books, home made cakes, james & preserves for sale and light refreshments available. All this for just a 50p entrance fee.

Beauvale Group New Members' Evening

28 September 2011

Last night Watnall WI hosted a New Members Evening for WIs in and around the Beauvale Group area. Bestwood Village WI were pleased to be invited and Tanya & Kay went along to learn a little, meet some new people and to get some great ideas on how to help out our new and potential members. It was a full house with representatives from Watnall, Leenside (Hucknall), Nuthall, Eastwood, Newstead (as seen on TV), Kimberley and ourselves attending, Representatives from all aspects of the Nottingham Federation were on hand to give talks, answer questions and generally encourage all the ladies to make the most of what is on offer at the WI. There was something to learn for everyone, be they potential new members or old hands. Well done to Helen Rose, President of Watnall WI, and her team for an inspiring night.

Plains Group Handover Goes Without A Hitch

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27 September 2011

Last night's meeting of the Plains Group Committee members was a roaring success.  In about an hour the paperwork was handed over from the outgoing Bestwood Village members to the incoming Woodthorpe members. Woodthorpe then set out their plans for the coming year which sound very exciting. The evening was rounded off with a glass of vino and a toast to another great year for the magnificent 7 (Arnold, Bestwood Village, Gedling, Mapperley, Netherfield, Parkdale and Woodthorpe). We can now look forward to the next fantastic Plains Group event which will be on the 17th May, 2012, but so far the details of the star turn are not being revealed.

WI Help BAG Project

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26 September 2011

In Nottinghamshire all the WI groups have been asked to help out the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group (BAG) with their project to map the spread of the invasive species Himalayan Balsam. To find out how you can help click this link to the BAG web site or come along to our September meeting to find out more from the committee.

Recipe - Beetroot and Orange Relish

25 September 2011

Have a look in the recipe section for Carol's great recipe for all that surplus beetroot.

WI Well Represented At The Village Vision Meeting

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24 September 2011

Today's open meeting of the Village Vision Group was well represented by WI members with Carol, Kay, Sheila & Sue attending  at the Social Club Hall from 10am - 12noon. Lots of great ideas to improve life in the village were discussed and anyone is welcome to attend the next Village Vision group meeting at 7.30 on 19th October at St Mark's Church where these ideas will hopefully be progressed towards reality. There is talk of a Village Vision website being developed as a one stop shop for all village activities. As soon as we have details we will post a link from this web site for you. In the meantime, any village event can be publicised here - just let us know the details through the contact form.

September Meeting - Lynda Kinnard's Ribbon Craft

21 September 2011

Just a quick reminder that this month's meeting is the ribbon craft session with Lynda Kinnard. If you want to enjoy having a go at making the greetings card decorated with ribbons to take home with you,  please bring along £2. There will also be a sales table on the night so maybe you should drop a few extra coins into the purse just in case something takes your eye.

A Bit More Info

20 September 2011

The observant amongst you will have noticed that we have added some extra links and useful information to the column on the right hand side of this page. We now have links to bus and tram time tables and shop & PO opening times. If you think of something you would like us to link through to on this page please let someone on the committee know so we can add it. This site is for you so please make use of it and help us to make the content relevant to you.

Drama On WI Bus Tour

8 September 2011

There was drama last night when some of the passengers on the free Hucknall Heritage Bus Trip were stuck in a lift during a tour of the Bestwood Winding House. Several people on the tour, including WI members Nell, June & Barbara, became trapped in the lift for around 30 minutes. In the end the Fire Brigade were called - always a bonus! - and helped release the ladies & gents from their ordeal. There are photos in the gallery.

Thinking Caps On!

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7 September 2011

Be warned ... The Bestwood Cup Cakes - winning team from last year's Notts Federation County Quiz - are locked in a darkened room thinking up devilish questions for next year's quiz. So, if you want to stand a chance in the County Quiz 2012 get your thinking caps on and try to work out what we will be testing you on.

Carol's Coffee Morning Hits The Right Spot

5 September 2011

This morning's get-together, hosted by Carol, was another great success. The 7 guests enjoyed a good chat and exchanged recipes to deal with the various glut crops in their gardens, whilst Carol (ably assisted by Alistair) plied them with tea, coffee, biscuits and cakes. The raspberry & white chocolate cakes were definitely the stars of the show.

Watch out for details of the October gathering at Tanya's house, but be warned, you may have to bring your own chair!

Links List Lengthens

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29 August 2011

Two more Nottinghamshire WI groups have let us know about their web sites. We have linked through to both Clarborough WI and West Bridgford WI in the Notts WI Links section on this page (right side of the page).

Please check them out and let the committee know if you spot any good ideas we can use on our web site.

Caricature Evening Draws To A Close

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27 August 2011

Do you recognise this lady?

Now nip over to the Gallery to check out more of those amazing drawings we did at our last meeting.

Caricature Fun At Next Meeting

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21 August 2011

The next meeting of the BVWI will be on Wed 24th August at 7.15pm. David Darby will be talking about the history of caricatures & cartoons and then letting us loose with white boards & pens to have a go ourselves.  Just bring along your sense of humour.

There will also be an envelope auction of the donated beauty bags so please remember to bring your 50p coins along for that.

New Parish Council Web Site Launched

15 August 2011

Take a look at the new Bestwood St Albans Parish Council web site. It is still in development but is looking really good. It will be a one stop shop for everything in the village. We have added the link to our "Village Links" section (below and to the right) or you can just click here.

WI Help Fund-Raise At Hospital Garden Party

15 August 2011

Bestwood Village WI helped the City Hospital celebrate their milestone of 25 years of bone marrow transplants. Carol Hart & Kay Brown had a home made and home grown stall at the garden party held on Sunday 14th August. Selling home grown produce & plants and home made items such as cards, knitted hats & baby clothes, sewn gift bags & patchwork and watercolour paintings, they raised over £130 for the hospital. Alongside a wealth of other stalls and entertainments it all made for a great day for patients, past & present, their families and the hospital staff from the haematology department. Here's to their next 25 years of great work.

Cheese & Wine Evening - 10 August

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8 August 2011

Hopefully you have all remembered that it is Sheila's cheese and wine evening this Wednesday 10th August. Things get started at 7pm so don't be late.

The address details were on the reminder slips given out at the July meeting but if you need location details please contact Kay through the web site, by email, or by phone on the number printed on the front of your programme. See you there!

Jumble Sale & Coffee Afternoon - Saturday 13th August

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4 August 2011

The Bestwood Village Community Centre will be a hub of activity on Saturday 13th August when Notts & Yorkshire Boxer Rescue hold their annual jumble sale & coffee afternoon. Admission is free and the event will be running from 2pm until 5pm. Come along and support a good cause and no doubt go home with a bargain or two!

If the parking gets a bit hectic at the venue, WI ladies are welcome to park on Kay's drive.

Plains Group Expands - Welcome to Netherfield & District WI

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13 July 2011

The Plains Group of WIs that Bestwood Village WI belongs to has had a new WI join. Along with Arnold, Bestwood Village, Gedling, Mapperely, Parkdale (Carlton) and Woodthorpe we now welcome Netherfield & District WI to the Group. Our first gathering as a group of 7 will be on September 26th which will be the handover meeting from us to Woodthorpe, who will become the host WI for the year 2011/12. You can read all about the past year when Bestwood Village WI were hosts on the Group pages of our web site.

The Magic Of Stained Glass

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10 July 2011

The next meeting of the Bestwood Village WI on 27th July will revolve around a talk on stained glass by Rosemary Pike. The image to the left is an example of her work.

To see more visit her web page.

There will also be a sale table of stained glass items to purchase so remember to bring your purse so you can indulge in the goodies on offer.

Warm Welcome To New Residents

27 June 2011

Having noticed that we had no members resident in the new David Wilson Homes it was decided to make an effort to let them all know what they are missing. Leaflets (and welcome cards to the most recent arrivals) displaying the web site address were posted through letterboxes today to encourage people to take a look at our forthcoming events and consider coming along to a meeting. So, if you are a resident of the David Wilson Homes checking our our web site for the first time - Welcome! It would be great to see you at one of our meetings.

Next Coffee Morning - July 23rd

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24 June 2011

The next BVWI coffee morning will be held at Julie's house on 23 July 10am - 12 noon.
We are still looking for a hostess for the August event.
Carol has offered to host the September event on 5 September 10am - 12 noon.
If you need directions to any of these events please drop Kay a line using the contact form.

Nottingham City WI "A Twist of Fête" - 2 July

24 June 2011

For those of you interested in attending the Nottingham City WI's summer fête please click on this link to find out all the details.
   Nottingham City Wi

Lot of Bottle Displayed At The June Meeting

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23 June 2011

When no speaker could be found to host the advertised "Wine-tasting" evening on 22 June Kay Brown, Secretary of the BVWI, showed some bottle and stepped into the breach. After a brief talk on the effects of climatic variations on a single grape variety she challenged the group to a blind tasting of 3 Chardonnay wines from around the globe.  With the help of a taste wheel everyone was soon comparing the "zesty" and the "Gooseberry" with the "Pear" and the "Mango". This was all washed down in true Wimbledon style with a generous helping of scones, jam, cream and strawberries and a glass of Asti-Spumante. A good job no one drove to the meeting that night!

WI Ladies Get Fruity At Village Fun Day

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20th June 2011

Vice President, Carol and Secretary, Kay enticed those attending the Village Fun Day to enjoy the "fruits of summer" with the goodies on the WI stall. Fruit milkshakes, fruit punch, fruit jams & chutneys, fruit jellies, fruit muffins, fresh fruit & cream and chocolate dipped strawberries were all on offer. It was a chance for Carol's new chintzy bunting to have its début. Check it out behind the stall.
There was also a lucky dip game called "pick your own" where, for 50p, you chose 3 paper strawberries from the tree and if you were a winner you chose a prize from the basket.
The stall next door was a WI  "grow your own" plant stall offering tomatoes, raspberries, broccoli, squash and much more. Many of our WI ladies and some from other groups dropped in on the stall during the day and a good time was had by all. Check out the rest of the photos in the gallery.

Bestwood Village Fun Day 19th June

6 June 2011

The BVWI will be having a stall at the annual Village Fun Day. This will be held at the Community Centre, Moor Road on Father's Day, Sunday 19th June starting at 1.30pm. Watch this space to find out more about the event and details of the  WI stall.

WI on Tour

2 June 2011

It looks like we will be having 2 bus tour dates for you to choose from. The mini bus only has 14 seats so we will have to spread ourselves over two events. The proposed dates are Saturday 16 July at 10am and Wednesday 7 September at 6pm. The route will be :- Hucknall Market Place, Bestwood Winding House (tour), Bowman pub (refreshment stop), Annesley Old Church (tour), and back to Hucknall for about 9pm.
If you want to go on either of the tour dates please let Kay know as soon as possible. Although the trip is free we need to pay a refundable deposit to reserve the places so we need to know numbers very soon.

Knitting Needles at the Ready!

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1 June 2011

For the knitters amongst you please check out our new  "Library" pages where you will find 2 patterns to keep you busy - the baby beanie hats for the neo-natal unit and Carol's cardigan that she modelled at the "show & tell" craft session.


Bulb Scheme Up & Running

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30 May 2011

The bulb scheme catalogues are now available. We have 8 circulating round the group so you should get a look at one very soon.

Please look through the catalogue, make your order on the form, pass the order along with your cash or cheque (made out to "Bestwood Village WI")  to June before end of June. We will remind you of the process at the June meeting.

Select Band Attend Coffee Morning

30 May 2011

The torrential downpour this morning (along with the alternative temptations of Take That in Sunderland) may have been the reason only 5 guests struggled through the elements to attend Kay's coffee morning. Those who made the trek were rewarded with cheesy rabbits, chicken wellingtons, butterfly cakes, marshmallow chrysanthemum cakes and fridge cake. Let's hope the weather improves in time for the next gathering.

WI Members Help Out With Village Vision Litter Pick

28 May 2011

There was no lie-in for Secretary, Kay Brown or Vice-President, Carol Hart today as they turned out to help with the Bestwood Village Vision litter pick event which kicked off at 10am. After coffee at St Mark's Church, and a quick lesson in the use of the litter grabber, they were off down the length of Moor Road and the side roads in Mill Bank. Their team collected 5 bags of rubbish and 1 bag or recycling (cans, plastic bottles etc). All the volunteers returned to the church for a well earned buffet lunch at 12 noon.  The village looks at its very best now it has been tidied up, so woe-betide anyone dropping litter in the village now!

Bank Holiday Coffee Morning

24 May 2011
Kay will be hosting a coffee morning on Bank Holiday Monday 30th May 10am 'til noon. All the details of where to find her will be available at tomorrow's meeting so don't forget to pick up an invite slip. See you there.

That's The Way To Do It

24 May 2011

Our WI Adviser, Sandra Thornley, paid a very welcome visit to the recently appointed officials of our committee to lend them a helping hand in understanding the small print of how to run a successful WI. Over a coffee and a cake (or two) Sandra talked us through the finer points of gift aid, petty cash, minute taking and other mystifying details of the WI handbook.  A very useful evening which we would recommend to any new WI officials - there is so much great supporting information out there and your adviser can help you discover and make sense of it all. Thanks, Sandra!

May, June & July Poster Available

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19 May 2011

The poster that has been up around the village for 3 weeks has finally made it on to the web page!  A larger version of this is available by clicking here.


You will also notice that our programme of events leaflet is now taking pride of place in the Parish Notice Board boxes around the village.




Sad News

19 May 2011

We are sad to announce the death of one of our founder members, Diana Langley. Diana passed away peacefully yesterday evening after a courageous and inspiring fight against cancer. She will be remembered fondly by many of our members and our thoughts are with her friends and family. A card will be available to sign at the meeting next Wednesday for those that knew her.


Group Event Photos in Gallery

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7 May 2011

A selection of photos from the Plains Group event held on 4 May are now posted in the Gallery section. Click here to have a look. A write up of the evening can be found in the Group and Federation / Plains Group Events page here.

Men Allowed at WI Event

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5 May 2011

Last night Bestwood Village WI hosted the Plains Groups annual event. This year the entertainment was provided by Bestwood Male Voice Choir, their musical director Mirek Rus and their pianist Glenys Skidmore. An audience of around 90 enjoyed an evening of wonderful singing with a variety of music ranging from songs from the shows, through Northumberland folk tunes, to Nessun Dorma.  For the finale the audience joined with the choir to lift the rafters with a rousing chorus of Jerusalem (what else ?) No one went home hungry as the buffet  was both tasty & bountiful. A full set of photos will be posted in the gallery very soon.

Bank Holiday Garden Party

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2 May 2011

Well, the weather stayed fine, if a little breezy, for Barbara's garden tea party today. Her garden looked a picture with something for everyone to enjoy, including plants, ponds and even a model railway! Tea, cakes and conversation were all enjoyed with relish, including some flower themed cakes baked by Kay - the novice baker - pictured here. 
It's amazing what you can do with a packed of mini marshmallows!

See if you can spot yourself in the photos in the gallery.

Growing Interest in April Meeting

1 May 2011

Steve Routledge from Floral Media received an enthusiastic welcome from the membership on Wednesday 27th April when he delivered his talk on growing your own fruit & veg. The science of soil type & pH were discussed along with crop rotation plans and pest control methods. However, rather than a pre-written talk it was more akin to our own episode of "Gardener's Question Time"  with Steve fielding questions from the audience on every topic from, when to prune your raspberries, to how to improve the plants growing in the shade of a conifer hedge. We all went away a little wiser and much inspired to try a bit harder to grow our own.
The plant sale was very popular so I guess we all know what the WI members of Bestwood Village were up to on the Bank Holiday weekend - planting of course!

Bestwood Male Voice Choir Concert

24th April 2011

The last few tickets are available for this Plains Group event on 4th May at 7pm. Please see Julie at the next meeting to secure your ticket for £2.50.

Bank Holiday Garden Party

24th April 2011

Monday 2 May 2pm to 4pm we will all be gathering at Barbara's house for afternoon tea. The weather looks set fair for us to admire the garden and enjoy the tea & cakes so see you all there!

Christmas Arrives in April

14 April 2011

Fellow Plains Group members Parkdale (Carlton) WI held their Christmas party last night. It had originally been snowed off and was eventually revamped as an Easter Party. The entertainment included the usual magnificent buffet, a tombola, Christmas present lucky dip, a talk by Sheila Whitfield on millinery in the theatre and an Easter Bonnet Parade. Tanya, Kath & Kay attended from BVWI and had a wonderful time. Maybe more Christmas parties should be held in April to share out the festive spirit throughout the year.

Bestwood Cupcakes Win Notts Federation County Quiz

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8 April

Julie, Carol and Kay (aka The Bestwood Cupcakes) proudly pose with their cup and vouchers for being the winners of this year's County Quiz.

Well done ladies!


Birthday Cards

8 April

A display of this year's birthday cards can be seen in the Accomplishments part of the Gallery.

Federation Events

7 April 2011

Check out all the forthcoming events on the Federation page. There's lots of things on offer. If you're interested in any of the events sign up at the next meeting.

May Coffee Morning

7 April 2011

The May Coffee Morning will be held at Kay's house on BH Monday 30th May, 10am to Noon. This will be in addition to the Garden Party at Barbara's on the BH Monday 2 May. Two for the price of one this month! Reminder slips for both events will be available at the April meeting.

Bestwood Village WI Quiz Team Win the Cup

31 March 2011

Carol was presented with the Notts Federation Annual Quiz trophy yesterday during the ACM at the Concert Hall. Photos of the winning team and their cup will be available as soon as we have got over the shock and can hold a camera steady!

April Open Evening Poster is Now Available

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31 March 2011

The poster advertising the April meeting which is an open evening is now available on the "our meetings - event posters" page.
Remember the Open Evening is where we encourage guests - both men and women - to come along and join in the fun for just £3 on the door.

March Meeting - Recipe for Success

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26 March 2011

Nell's oat cakes went down a storm at the monthly meeting we held on Wednesday evening. Jackie, the speaker from WaterAid made a special mention of them and asked for the recipe. So to avoid any disappointment we have put the recipe on the web for everyone to enjoy. Just click on the link below to download the recipe.
Happy baking!
oat_cakes.pdf
File Size: 87 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

April Coffee Morning Confirmed

21 March 2011

Ladies. We can confirm that the April Coffee Morning will be on the 11th April at Nell and June's house.
Usual time 10am - Noon. See you there.

Plains Group Banner Panel Picture

18 March 2011

If you want a sneaky view of our Plains Group Banner contribution have a look in the Accomplishments section of the Gallery just here.

New Photos in the Gallery

14 March 2011

There are some new photos in the gallery covering Christmas 2010 and the 5th Birthday party.

May Garden Party

14 March 2011

Barbara Turner has agreed to host a tea party in her garden rather than the usual coffee morning. This way, along with all those lovely cakes, we will also get to enjoy the wonderful show of bulbs in her garden - which are in part a result of the WI bulb scheme. The event will be on the Bank Holiday Monday, 2 May between 2 and 4 pm. You can contact the committee for details of the location.

April Coffee Morning

13 March 2011

Nell and June have kindly offered to host the next coffee morning. This will be held during the Easter holidays - the date is still to be confirmed - watch this space!

23rd March Meeting - WaterAid

12 March 2011

This month's meeting will be a fun talk about the charity WaterAid. Bring your pennies along as there will be the usual raffle as well as a sales table with things such as plants and craft items for sale.
Tickets for the May Group Event - the BMVC Concert - will also be on sale at £2.50 each.

5th Birthday Party

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24 February 2011
The ladies all had a good time at the 5th birthday party with 20 of the members attending (there we are on the left).

As well as the festivities a whole new set of officials were elected.
We now have

President - Tanya Jones
Secretary - Kay Brown
Treasurer - Sheila Pearson
Vice president - Carol Hart

Well done to all of you and here's to the next 12 months.

5th Birthday Celebrations Tonight

23 February 2011

Tonight's the night we celebrate our 5th birthday. There'll also be the selection of the new Officials and Committee as well as the normal fun and chat.

We'll be listening to some of the Officers’ memories and there's cheese and wine and a quiz based on the latest  "WI Life" magazine.

Come along and join in the celebrations.
Happy Birthday

March Coffee Morning

23 February 2011

The next Coffee Morning will be held at Marie's house on 7th March. Put in in your diary and look out for further details later.

February Three Month Poster Available

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1 February 2011

Here's the latest poster.

As you can see we've taken a slightly different approach and advertised the next three months' worth of events.

Large version available in Our meetings->Events Poster

Coffee Morning - Monday 7th Feb 10am-12noon

27 January 2011

Details of the next coffee morning are on the Our Meetings page. Click above to see.

2011 Programme of Events

24 January 2011

The full programme of events is now available. All members will be getting a printed version but an up to date version is available on the "Our Meeting" link above.

This link will also have details of Coffee Mornings throughout the year so keep an eye out.

January Poster Available

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It's a new year and a new look and feel to the monthly poster.


January's Meeting - 26 January - Making Birthday Cards

1 January 2011

As usual our January meeting will involve making birthday cards to send to members of the group in the coming year. Any extras will be available for sale on the night.

Come along to the Community Centre at 7.15pm armed with ideas, inspiration and enthusiasm.

As always new members would be most welcome. Have a look on the "Meetings" tab at the top of the page for more details.

Coffee Morning - Monday 3rd Jan  10am-12noon

1 January 2011

Happy new year everyone.

We're really excited about the coming year. We have a packed schedule of great events being planned for the 2011 program and as you can see the Coffee Mornings are becoming a regular and very popular event. The next Coffee Morning is at Carol's (President) house. If you're not sure of her address drop her a mail on her email address president@bestwoodvillagewi.org.uk
Hope to see you there

November Poster Available

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Christmas is fast approaching and we'll be putting our talents to good use preparing for the festive occasion.

Fund-raiser photos

8 October 2010

A great night at the fund-raiser evening (and the boiler worked!). We raised over £300. See some of the snaps in the Gallery.

Diary Date

3 October 2010

New date of your diary under Events. 

Trip Down Memory Lane

3 October 2010

Have a look in Gallery/Accomplishments to see a great photo from 2006 showing the original founder members (or follow this link)

WHO ARE WE?

Bestwood Village Women's Institute are a relatively small group and you are definitely guaranteed a warm and friendly welcome at our meetings which are held on the 4th Wednesday of the month. We also hold monthly free coffee mornings in members' homes that you can enjoy.

OFFICIALS
Presidents        - Eileen Donnison &                                  Julie Sutton
Secretary          - Kay Brown
Treasurer          - Sheila Pearson
Vice President - Brenda Langsdale

MEMBERSHIP
Current membership - 21

Charity No: 1015139 

NATIONAL LINKS

The WI web site
Denman College
The MOODLE

NOTTS WI LINKS

Notts Federation
The opening times of the federation office at Trent Bridge House, Beastmarket Hill, Newark, Nottinghamshire. NG24 1BN
are as follows:
Mon–Wed 10am–3pm,
Fri 10am–12.30pm.
Closed April 4 - 11 for Easter

Brookside (Mansfield) WI
(Nottingham) City Wi
Clarborough WI
Gedling WI
Watnall WI
West Bridgford WI

VILLAGE LINKS

Bestwood St Albans Parish Council
Village Vision
St Mark's Church
Country Park
Bestwood Male Voice Choir
Bestwood Black Diamonds Band
Hawthorne Primary School
(often unavailable)
Post Office opening times
(nb: these are the PO counter opening times.)
O.J's  Thoroughgoods store opens as below -
Mon - Fri 6.30am to 8.30pm
           Sat 7.00am to 8.30pm
           Sun 7.00am to 8.00pm
141 Bus timetable
228 Bus timetable
Tram timetables
PWP Limited

Library bus visit dates: 9.50am on Thursday
12 April
10 May