Jan 18th Meet: The big DECLUTTER

Oh yes, we all know that January is the sugar and excitement crash after Christmas. You set unrealistic resolutions that broken before 12th night. It’s cold and wet outside, and pay day seems ever so far away. Yet, most of us wallow until February, repeating the same pattern year on year, spending most of January feeling stressed out or just frazzled! However, fear not ladies because BBWI is here to help you! A few of the committee work in mental health so it is an interest that is very close to our hearts. Our first meeting of 2012 is to help you de-stress (or declutter) your mind & your house!

Katie, a trained Cognitive Behavioural Therapist who specialises in stress workshops is coming to lead a mini stress workshop, where we’ll discuss what can lead to stress, what can keep it going and some techniques for reducing it! We’ll even have a bit of relaxation to help you rid your body of any tension.

There’s also nothing like a good physical clear out to help you feel lighter of mind, so the last half an hour of our meet will be an unwanted Christmas present swish! So, bring along any items (clothing or otherwise) you would like to swap and any things left over will be donated to the local charity shop! It will also give us a bit of time to socialise and get to know everyone, so it will be a good first meeting for any newbies out there debating whether to come along…attending WI once a month is new years resolution you will want to keep!

Our meeting will be in the usual place- the Welsh Chapel, and at the usual time 7.30-9.30

*Emergency* change of venue for Xmas meet!

My dearest Belles,

We are so so sorry but unfortunately we will not be at our regular home the Welsh Chapel tonight, due to a complete oversight on our behalf.  Luckily, local pub The Roebuck has come to our rescue and offered us their function room for free - hoorah!!  So, the good news is we still get to have crafts and christmassy food, the sad news is we won’t be mulling owt, unless the pub do it!  But we do get to hang out in a very nice pub for a few hours.

So, to get to the ROEBUCK, you just exit the station, cross the road straight in front of you, and then go down Great Dover Street.  I’m assured it’s a 5 minute walk from the station!

http://www.theroebuck.net/index.html

Hope to see you there for crafty christmassy fun tonight!!

Love the girls @ BBWI

DEC 7 MEET: Merry Craftmas!

Ho ho ho!As everyone knows, we are a big fan of Christmas here at BBWI headquarters!  As we told you last time, because the third weds is so near to Christmas, we’ve brought the meeting forward to the 7th to kick off the Christmas party season!!In keeping with traditions past, we’re going to have a Christmas Craftacular event for you! We’ll be teaching you some fantastic Christmassy things you can make from stuff lying around the house (inspired by our March meet with Sian Berry). And if you’re just not that into Christmas, we’ll have a non-Christmas activity for you guys too! Here’s what to expect:

* PERRI LEWIS CHRISTMAS WREATH living in central london, it can sometimes be hard to find all the ever green you need to make a good Christmas wreath so Perri uses left over material to do hers! We’ll provide some stuff, but if you’ve got any scraps of material, particularly christmassy type ones please bring them along!

* HOME MADE BAUBLES We’ll be showing you how to make some simple but lovely baubles out of cardboard and paper!

* JEWELLERY- perfect for stocking fillers or pressies for friends

* BBWI QUILT Help us finish our lovely quilt we started with Katherine May a few months back!

You should also expect the usual Christmassy music, including live piano carols, & mulled wine or apple juice! If everyone could bring either a bottle of wine to mull or a plate for food for the buffet, that’d be brilliant!

15 Nov Meet: Anti Street Harassment

Hello ladies,

We’re pleased to welcome a fellow London WI-er along to talk to us this month! Vicky Simster of the Shoreditch Sisters is coming along to talk to us about the campaign she started formally called ‘London Anti Street Harassment’ but which is now known as ASH (Anti Street Harassment UK). You may have read some of the articles that have been written about, and the involvement with other campaigns such as the ‘slutw…alk’. She also recently won the ‘London Social Justice Award’ this year. Vicky will be speaking about her own experiences and what led her to start the campaign, how the campaign has progressed and it’s future aims. We will also be interested in hearing your experiences and views, whether you agree with these sorts of campaigns or not I think there will be a lively discussion sparked from it!

Here’s the website http://www.facebook.com/ASHCampaign

And here some articles about it if you want to read a bit more, including feedback on a shoreditch sisters meeting about it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12771938

http://www.upliftmagazine.com/uplift/2011/03/hollering-back-the-growing-movement-against-street-harassment/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/20/street-harassment

https://edgeoftime.wordpress.com/2011

19TH OCTOBER MEET: Let’s do the HOP!

“SWING SWING SWING SWING, everybody start to SWING! When the music goes around, everybody goes to town…”

Yes ladies, after the success of Beyonce and Belly dancing, we thought we’d get physical again to drive away those October blues!  As those who have come to either can testify, we welcome dancers of all levels it’s just about having a laugh so just come along with some comfy clothing & an open mind!

This time, we’re going old school for a bit of the Lindy hop!  Yes I know this is traditionally done with men and women, but hey, we’re going to do it WI-stylee with ladies only.

Lindy hop evolved in Harlem in the 1920s and 30s, as a dance to jazz.  It evolved from several different types of dance: jazz tap breakaway and Charleston, and though it declined after WWII, it was thankfully revived in the 1980s!  We’re going to have some wonderful teachers from  London Swing Dance Society & Lindy Hop Shop.  Those of you who came to the ‘big feastival’ may remember the fun times in the tent on Saturday!  I’m hoping if we speak to them nicely, we may even learn the LAMBETH WALK again!

http://www.swingdanceuk.com/

Sept 21 – Bees

Ladies,

This month we’re all about bees!  The WI has long been a supporter of the campaign to save the honeybee and the Borough Belles are no different. Camilla Goddard from Capital Bee is coming along to our September meeting to talk to us about bees.  Capital Bee is an ethical business based in South London and was set up by Camilla in response to the current critical shortage of honey bee colonies in Britain.

Capital Bee maintains hives and hive-sits for companies, charities and individuals, they have helped St Ermin’s Hotel in St James Park set up a new apiary on its roof. There is also a new apiary up and running for Greenwich University as part of their sustainability plans.

Safe bee sanctuaries have been established across South London and expansion is still continuing. These sites are as diverse as allotments, parks, and churches. Where possible eco friendly methods are always used for bee management and hive maintenance. Bee friendly plants are also established around hives where appropriate.  Capital Bee also runs a bee rescue facility whereby swarms or colonies in danger are removed from sites in London and taken to an ancient oak woodland in Kent to establish in a hive and get checked and treated for any colony problems.

Camilla will be speaking to us about the plight of the honeybee and the work that Capital Bee is doing.   She will also bring along some of the honey Capital Bee produces for us to try (and buy!)  Time Out rated Capital Bee as one of the top honeys in London so it will be a real treat!

Usual time, usual place: Third Weds of the month from 7.30 – 9.30pm (doors open at 7.00pm) in the basement room of Borough Welsh Chapel, 90 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 0EX. Guests pay £3.

August 17th – Quilting

We have a treat this month Ladies – we have Katherine May coming along to teach us the basics of quilting.  Katherine is a local quilter and is passionate about passing on craft skills and ’textile stories’ and runs regular workshops, looking at creative upcycling using patchwork and quilting techniques.   Taking inspiration from communities which hold a tradition of making textiles for the home. Katherine creates textile objects that celebrate the marks made by hand and her designs reveal the often intimate relationship we have with textiles. Katherine takes a thrifty approach to textiles, collecting pre-loved and vintage textiles to piece her fabrics.

Katherine will talk to us about her projects and workshops and teach us some beginning quilting techniques to give us a taste and start us on our own projects!   If you have some fabric that you are particularly keen to use or some pieces that have some meaning for you, please feel free to bring them along.  Katherine will provide us with some lovely vintage fabrics to use if you prefer.  You can view some of Katherine’s work here - http://www.katherinemay.com/

Usual time, usual place: Third Weds of the month from 7.30 – 9.30pm (doors open at 7.00pm) in the basement room of Borough Welsh Chapel, 90 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 0EX. Guests pay £3.

20th July 2011 – Jam Making

 

Ladies,

This month we are carrying on a long-standing WI tradition – we’re learning to make jam!   Jenny Yates (the mother of our committee member, Lucy) will be along to teach us the basics of jam-making and to share with us her award-winning blackcurrant jam recipe – the jam won last year’s WI Real Jam making competition in the “cottage industry” category, so we are in very good hands!

http://www.thewirealjamfestival.com/jamfestival_2010winners.html

Jenny will give a short presentation about Oak Farm and the WI jam competition, and will bring some award-winning Oak Farm jam and chutney of various flavours for people to buy.   You will also be able to take home a taster pot of the blackcurrant jam we make on the night, so please bring a jar along with you.  And you’ll be given the recipe to make your own batch at home.

Usual time, usual place: Third Weds of the month from 7.30 – 9.30pm (doors open at 7.00pm) in the basement room of Borough Welsh Chapel, 90 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 0EX. Guests pay £3.

15 June Meet – Women in Art

This month we have Mat Sanders from the Magic Lantern Art Education project coming along to lead a discussion on the history of women in Art.  Magic Lantern is an educational charity which uses visual learning in schools and a range of adult groups. The group use art to help people observe and explore the world around them and to think creatively and critically.   Their interactive shows of famous artworks bring to life and enhance a wide range of subjects while stimulating confidence, encouraging an imaginative use of language and sparking a lifelong enjoyment of culture.

Mat will talk to us about the history and depiction of women in art although he intends this to be a debate and discussion rather than a lecture – so please come along ready to get involved!   There may also be a practical element to the evening, and Mat is hot off the plane from Cannes so all in all, we have an interesting evening in store for us…

Usual time, usual place: Third Weds of the month from 7.30 – 9.30pm (doors open at 7.00pm) in the basement room of Borough Welsh Chapel, 90 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 0EX. Guests pay £3.

 

18th May 2011 Meet- Chocolate tasting (&AGM)!

Yes ladies, it’s the meeting you’ve all been waiting for!  Just in case you missed out on chocolate at Easter we have a treat for you at our next meeting! The WI has quite a history of supporting Fairtrade products so we have invited David from Divine Chocolate to come along to talk about all things chocolatey.  Divine was the first ever Fairtrade Chocolate bar to be launched into the UK confectionery market with a co-operative of cocoa farmers owning shares in the company. You can find out more about there work here:  http://www.divinechocolate.com/default.aspx

He’ll give us a quick history of chocolate, the issues surrounding Fairtrade, how Divine was formed as a company and what they do, and then we will have a lesson in how to taste chocolate. Apparently it is as complex as wine tasting so prepare to have your tastebuds tickled! There will be a chance to sample some chocolate and buy some chocolate, as well as learn how to make truffles. Look forward to seeing you there for a truly divine evening!

*** We’ve also got our AGM that evening, so if members would like to come along at the earlier time of 7PM, or anyone else interested in our review of the year!  Although just so you know only members can vote on our resolutions for the year ***