A busy month full of fun things which started with the monthly ‘lunch’ outing being replaced by an evening meal at the Duncombe Arms, Waresley, so that those with daytime commitments were able to come along too.

Choir members ran a stall at the Village Fete in aid of the Papworth Hospital charity with help from  ……    (see full report in the Choir section)

Then on one of those rare sunny days in mid-month our regular meeting was replaced by a coach trip to Holkham Hall in N. Norfolk, for which members were joined by family and friends as well as others from neighbouring W.Is. Many took advantage of a private tour of the Hall while others spent time visiting the other attractions on site, before they all joined the coach (in a torrential downpour) for the journey home via Old Hunstanton where a stop was made for an evening meal.

On the 22nd, for the first time ever, we hosted the Annual Group Meeting of six local W.Is. in the Village Hall. We provided our visitors with a much appreciated spread of home-made cakes (well, the W.I. does have a reputation to live up to) and ran two competitions themed around the Queen’s 90th birthday. The Guest Speaker was Lord Jeffery Archer who talked about his experiences as an author and then spent quite some time answering a myriad of questions. Unsurprisingly he is an accomplished storyteller who informed and entertained us and kept us wondering what was coming next!

At the end of the month choir members were in good voice when they sang in St Peter’s church at the close of the weekend Flower Festival.

In the coming weeks there will be a lunch outing to the George & Dragon at Elsworth then on July 20th our meeting, during which we will be marking our 9th birthday, will feature Kathleen Dogget on ‘Fun and Flowers’. There is no monthly meeting in August but the lunchtime outing will be a bring-and-share gathering in a member’s house and, hopefully, garden. (We could all do with rather less rain and more sun!). A tour of Ely and the Cathedral has been arranged for 5th August, then in September Kerry Botha is due to come and demonstrate ‘Forever Living’ toiletries and cosmetics.

 The month started with the regular lunch outing when about 20 members sampled the hospitality at The Wheatsheaf at Perry, close to Graham Water.  The weather played its part in that the sun shone, the temperature was balmy, the birds were singing and we were able to take advantage of the comfy sofas and chairs on the terrace and around the garden for a chat and a pre-lunch drink.  Indoors we enjoyed the variety of meals that we had pre-ordered – and very good they were too.  Many were tempted outside again for coffees and teas, so the afternoon was well advanced before we departed for home.  An evening dinner outing is being organised for June so that those members who are not available during the working day will be able to join in.

Our May meeting featured Josie Charter from the Cambridge-based charity Aquaid Lifeline speaking about their work in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, where they provide care and education for orphaned and needy children. Much of their funding comes from the rental revenue from the Cooleraid water coolers that are resident in many a public place in the UK. For such a serious and worthwhile topic Josie vividly brought to life the daily lives of the rural population in a light-hearted and interesting way. She was an absolute delight to listen to.

The Choir members, looking colourful in their matching scarves, enjoyed singing their well rehearsed songs at the Trinity Service in Elsworth Church, following which they received many positive comments from the congregation. They are now preparing for their performance at St Peter’s Church, Papworth, during the Flower Festival weekend 24-26th June.

We will not be holding a formal meeting in June as we have organised a summer visit to Holkham Hall in Norfolk instead, but later in the month, for the first time, Papworth WI will be hosting a Group Meeting of local WIs in the village hall.

The next meeting on 20th July, our 9th Birthday, will be dedicated to ‘Flowers and Fun’.

On the 14th – a typical sunshine and showers April day – our ‘Ladies that Lunch’ enjoyed the selection of really tasty (and generous!) dishes provided by the White Hart in St Ives.  

The April meeting provided the opportunity for us to hear about the archeological investigations that preceded the building of the Grand Arcade in Cambridge. The speaker, archeologist Alison Dickens, fascinated us with the details of life on the site from the 11th Century up to the present day. Among the many things that were found there the digs were able to detect parts of the King’s Ditch, the Medieval defensive boundary to the city, and also the developing design structures for the wells that served the population throughout the centuries. Evidence of more recent history included the beginnings of the Robert Sayle store in the 1840s when as many as 90 of the shop workers lived-in.

Our darts team enjoy meeting up with the other WIs and the matches are good fun even though there have been no recent successes, but no whitewashes either!

The Choir is looking forward to singing at Trinity Church Elsworth on Sunday 22nd May at 6pm for the annual Trinity service and at St. Peter’s Church, Papworth, at 6.00 pm on 26th June during the Flower Festival weekend.  They are also delighted to once again be singing at The Papworth Hospital and Ely Cathedral Carol Service on 17th December.  The Choir will be actively involved in the Hospital Charity this year by running a stall in St Ive’s Corn Exchange with all proceeds going to the Charity.

Our meeting on 18th May will feature Josie Charter, from the Cambridge-based charity AquAid Lifeline, speaking about their work in Malawi. There will be no meeting in June, then on 20th July we plan to hold an open meeting dedicated to ‘Flowers and Fun’.

Correction to our report on Sign Language in February, the speaker Jane Kennedy is an independent British Sign Language tutor, she is not employed by Action on Hearing Loss.

On the 7th, as part of the annual Cambridge WI Federation competition, the darts team had quite a remarkable match. Five games are played, each one usually lasting about half an hour.  The first game was won in 10 minutes, as was the second, then things became a bit more normal(!) and we lost the third and fourth games.   So all depended on the last game – which we won!  The whole match was completed in just over an hour and as usual the team had loads of fun with a great bunch of ladies.

On the 10th we met for lunch at the White Hart in Godmanchester.  The generously sized portions of freshly cooked food were absolutely delicious and the company was, of course, great.  It must be about three years since we started gathering for these monthly luncheons and our numbers have steadily grown until we regularly have at least two dozen members sharing cars and enjoying the opportunity to get together to enjoy each others company.  We usually try to sample a different venue each month, though occasionally return to a previous favourite as we do not wish to have to travel too far out of the area.  

On the 12th the WI quiz team, “The Misfits”,  plus two husbands won the Friends of Pendragon school quiz for the second year running!  Taking part is one ways to support the village community as it is a fundraiser for the school.

16th.  After the usual monthly business section and refreshments, our March meeting was dedicated to our AGM. This is often perceived as not being the most exciting of evenings so we were pleased that almost all of our 42 members came along to enjoy each others company, to listen to the variety of annual reports and to play their part in ensuring that we have a viable committee for the coming year.  Rosie, our President for the last two years who wished to step down from the position, was  warmly thanked for all her hard work.  The new president is Angela Charles who had been our first President when this WI was formed in 2007.  

A somewhat depleted WI quiz team of four ably assisted by a.n.other took part in the Patient’s Link quiz on the 17th.  At least we didn’t come last!  By taking part we were able to support the surgery and the community, and it was an enjoyable evening too. The Patients Link, which is apparently one of the oldest in the country having been in operation since about 1987, is raising money for specialist equipment for testing oxygen levels in babies and old people and for new chairs in the waiting room.

An interesting and varied programme for 2016-17 is nearing completion, starting with a talk by Alison Dickens on April 20th on the archaeological finds prior to the building of the Grand Arcade in Cambridge. 

Our hands as well as our minds were kept busy during the February meeting as Jane Kennedy from the Action on Hearing Loss charity gave a fascinating and illuminating talk on British Sign Language. She showed members how to finger spell the alphabet as well as some basic words and phrases, she then encouraged us to use what we had learned to ‘talk’ with a partner before we finally joined together to ‘sing’ the Rainbow song. Pat even ‘signed’ much of the Vote of Thanks!

As February can be a difficult month for travelling (though not this year! Isn’t it uplifting to see the sun shining on the unseasonably early Spring flowers?) over 20 of us gathered for an enjoyable lunch at Rocky’s in Papworth. The March lunch will be at the White Hart in Godmanchester for which we will be organising our usual car shares again.

The darts season has started again and our enthusiastic team members, who thoroughly enjoy the matches (whatever the outcome!) are hoping to improve on last years results, while the Papworth and Elsworth WI choir are already busy rehearsing for their performance at Trinity Church, Elsworth on 22nd May.

The meeting on 16th March will be our AGM during which we will be reviewing the activities and events of the past year, voting on membership of the committee and outlining plans for the coming year. Our April meeting will feature Alison Dickens who is coming to talk about the archeological investigations that preceded the building of the Grand Arcade in Cambridge. We have a variety of other events organised for 2016 including a day’s escape by coach to Holkham Hall, Norfolk, in June.

To find out more about what is going on in our W.I. and you are 18 or over just come along to one of our meetings at 7.15 for 7.30 on the third Wednesday of each month in the Studio next door to the Library. The visitor’s fee is £4.00 including refreshments.