Upton St Leonard’s WI with speaker Liz Harvey on Maggie’s centres

IT IS good to know that caring and sharing others misfortunes is still alive in our society today.

Our speaker Liz Harvey introduced us to the Maggie’s centres so revered and used by cancer patients and families today.

These centres purposely built to enhance peace, love, tranquillity, a small oasis freely given for cancer families to relax and enjoy sharing their thoughts and feelings over tea or coffee or just relaxing around a large kitchen table as the centre point of the room.

It all began when a vivacious lady call Maggie had to sit in a hospital corridor after being diagnosed with cancer.

Later speaking with friends the idea came to modernise and use an old stable block in Edinburgh hospital grounds which took her name.

This was the first of many, others are based in Dundee, Inverness, Fife, Swansea, Nottingham, Newcastle, Aberdeen, even as far as Hong Kong, as her parents were traders.

Her husband was an architect, and along with his friends the above centres and many more were individually designed with no cost occurring.

Not only used socially but many classes and activities take place, such as writing classes, art, mosaic, music, choirs, yoga, walking groups, tai-chi and Nordic walking to name a few.

Fundraising is ongoing as 8,000 people per year are diagnosed and 35,000 people need help.

£100,000 was raised in London through many charities including the Foreign Office and the Royal Ballet, who gave a performance as a 40-60 mile walk took place along the route.

With our speaker came two local ladies, Pauline and Jenny who both spoke with affection for all the wonderful help and treatment they both receive and Liz herself has walked marathons over ten years to raise funds for all the brave people who need the help freely given.

A very warm round of applause followed by a vote of thanks from Diane.

Pockets were emptied to help this worthy cause.

Our fashion show on Friday, April 21, was a great success, eight models paraded the cat walk showing M&Co’s clothes from Stroud.

We have just returned from a GFWI holiday to Lincolnshire where visits were made to Burghley House the lovely minster at Southwell, The Workhouse which was sparse and bleak but showed the abject poverty people in the 1800s and 1900s had.

Two freezing cold days followed as we visited the castle in Lincoln displaying one of the four remaining Magna Carta’s.

After ascending Steep Hill in a hailstorm, we viewed the magnificent Lincoln Cathedral, Newark on Trent was bleak, like the weather, but we braved the elements to take a boat trip on the River Trent, needing to thaw out at the hotel with hot drinks or hot tubs.

Friday, we departed for home but not before we had visited Geoffrey Hamilton’s legacy of Barnsdale Gardens.

Truly beautiful, thirty-eight separate gardens, showing trees, flowers, shrubs, topiaries of all designs with the added joy of songbird melodies filling the air.

We thank Liz Goldie for all her hard work in organising this holiday.

May 1, May Day was our Resolutions and Social Evening.

Opened by Diane business was brief as most news is in the GFWI’s news sheet.

Bowls and croquet taster sessions are on offer in the summer and Wednesday, December 6, guest artist Wynne Evans will sing at the Christmas Concert.

As already mentioned out Fashion Show was a great success, M&Co Stroud should see some WI ladies looking and perhaps purchasing some of their colourful clothes.

Wednesday, May 16, the lunch club meet at Haresfield Beacon and Railway Hotel 12.30pm.

The Quiz night at Painswick old school was contested with our team of Upton St Leonard’s gaining second place, ready for the next round.

Two resolutions were read and discussed.

Alleviating loneliness and plastic soup, keeping microplastic fibres out of our oceans.

Both we felt were very important issues and need to be presented to parliament.

The evening ended with a fun game of Beetle, Judy was the winner and Monica received the wooden spoon, all in good fun of course.

Our next meeting in Upton St Leonard’s Village Hall on Monday, June 5 at 7.30pm.

Objects of Interest, speaker Sandra Ashenford, Trade table colour – purple.

All ladies very welcome.