Treorchy
Women's Institute - Reports
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REPORTS for 2005 by Treorchy WI Secretary Sheila Ellis. DECEMBER 2005 Treorchy WI Christmas celebrations began with the Annual Christmas Dinner, which was held at the Tynewydd Hotel, Hirwaun, where members enjoyed an evening of delicious food in the company of good friends. Many thanks to Joyce Davies for organising such an enjoyable evening. Our WI
President, Mrs Pauline Worman, would like to thank all who came along to
the service of Carols and The Church was packed to capacity and those who attended helped to make it a joyous and happy occasion. Our thanks to Mr David Halstead for taking the service. The Choir sang both modern and traditional carols. The readings, which all gave poignant Christmas messages, were read by Kath Evans, Judith James, and Pauline Worman. Our soloist was Kath Davies and a sextet from the Choir also sang about the Christmas Story. Many thanks to Mary Price, our conductress, for the lovely choice of programme, to Sioned our accompanist, and to Marilyn who did such a good job of producing the programmes. A collection of £150 was donated to St Matthew’s Church Funds. After the service everyone enjoyed a very welcome cup of tea and a mince pie in the Church Hall. A very big thank you to Avis and Glenys, and their happy band of workers, for making the refreshments possible. The
Kitchen Band enjoyed a trip to They were also busy with their programme of concerts around the area. The WI Choir entertained members of Ystradfechan Home for the Aged, with Kath Davies giving a solo and Kath Evans made everyone chuckle with her humorous monologue. Our guest speaker for January is Mr Tom Phelps. OCTOBER 2005 Treorchy WI President Mrs Pauline Worman welcomed members to the Annual General Meeting. Congratulations to our Bowls Team – Ann Thomas, Ann Ferguson, Jean Morris and Pam who won the Outdoor Tournament in Kenfig. Congratulations also to new grandmothers – Mary Price, Kerris, and Margaret Davies. Members were sorry to hear of the sudden death of Christine Jones’ dear father Elwyn. Christine wished to thank members for their cards and messages of sympathy during this sad time. Dane John’s granddaughter Sophie is now home from hospital and we hope Sophie will soon make a complete recovery. Our President thanked Anita Bound and her sister Marian who took it upon themselves to organise the Balloon Race on 15th September. This was a very successful afternoon. The winning balloon was found by a lady on the beach near her home in Danbury, Essex – some 250 miles away. The person who won the prize asked if the money could be donated to a local children’s charity. The nearest balloon was found in Heol Orchwy. The prize-winners of the balloon race were; 1st prize – Milwyn’s grandson Thomas, and the booby prize balloon – Sheila Ellis. Our President welcomed W.I. Advisor Claire Atherton to the meeting. Our Treasurer Mrs Judith James presented the financial statement for the year 2004-2005. The Annual Report of the Committee was read and adopted. In her address, the President thanked the Committee for their support during the past year. Thanks to our tea ladies, Avis, Glenys, Jean, Pat and Dorothy who always serve us with a welcome cup of tea in a very unassuming way. Many thanks to our groups – the Yoga Class which is going strong, we consider ourselves very lucky to have Mair with her expertise taking the class. To Mary Price who has conducted our Choir almost since it first began, the loyal members of which are now busy preparing for their winter concerts. To Jean Price who is the leader of our Craft Class, which meets regularly on a Thursday. To Anita Bound who takes the Kitchen Band, who are always in great demand. Thanks to the dedicated band of members who belong to our Performing Arts Group and in particular to Margaret Wilkins. We are glad to see Betty Jones back in harness collecting our savings. Thanks to our Secretary Sheila, Judith our very capable Treasurer, and our Vice-President Milwyn for her support. Many thanks, on behalf of members, to Christine Jones for running the trips for most of the year. Finally, thanks to our members who come along and support the W.I and for widening our circle of friendships. Committee for 2005-2006: Anita Bound, Eirlys Davies, Sheila Ellis (Secretary), Judith James (Treasurer), Diane John, Beryl Jones, Marian Jones, Milwyn Pearce (Vice-President), Ann Phillips, Ann Thomas and Pauline Worman (President). Eira Richards has decided to stand down as a Committee member. We are very sorry to lose Eira as she has been an invaluable member of the Committee. Future events: Performing Arts have a concert in the RAFA on the 12th October. The Halloween Fete is on the 29th October in St Matthew’s Church Hall. Members were asked to please come along and support this event. The raffle was won by Margaret Wilkins, Sheila Ellis and Diane John. Our guests for November’s meeting are Brian Meadows and Christine Tuckett. SEPTEMBER 2005 Treorchy WI President Mrs Pauline Worman welcomed members to the September meeting. Our President was particularly pleased to welcome Mair Flockhart who has recently had a hip replacement operation, Ann Barrett and Betty Williams, who is looking well after heart surgery. Congratulations to Anita Bound who has had her photograph of Pen Pych chosen for next year’s GFWI calendar. Members were made aware of the fire exits and of the need to sign the Health and Safety Register. The trip to Hereford was enjoyed by everyone. Members were reminded of the Balloon Race, which will take place at oak Tree Hall on the 15th September at 1.30pm. Anyone wishing to order a 2006 diary should give their name to Ann Thomas. A list was up for nominations for next year’s committee. Our Vice President Milwyn Pearce read various items of interest in the Newsletter In particular next year’s National Eisteddfod, which will be held in Swansea. Anyone wishing to help out at the WI stand should let our President know. The GFWI Carol Festival will be held at Brangwyn Hall on the 5th December 2005. A list of the various courses at Pencoed College was available. Forthcoming events are out Halloween Fete on the 29th October – a delightful witch that Avis Phillips had made for this event out of a kitchen mop was on display for members to have a look at. The Service of Readings and Carols will take place in St. Matthew’s Church on Thursday, 15th December. The various groups of our WI – Choir , Yoga and the Craft Class, are resuming after the summer break. Members of the Performing Arts Group have been busily rehearsing for their forthcoming concert in the RAFA on the 12th October and also the Kitchen Band have been rehearsing for their programme of concerts for the Autumn. Our guest speaker was Anwen Coffey. Anwen gave a humourous talk about her decision to take to the stage and of her appearances in both television and film acting alongside the likes of Hugh Grant. Anwen read passages from “Under Milk Wood” and we hope to see her again in the not too distant future. Pat Wright thanked Anwen for coming along and entertaining us with such a colourful look at her career. Mary Pauline, Mavis Davey and Jean Price were the raffle prizewinners.
AUGUST 2005
Our first stop was the Cider Museum, which was situated on the outskirts of Hereford. Here members enjoyed a tour of the Museum and a sample of the various types of cider that are available. We were also able to have a snack here and then a look around the gift shop before we made our way to Hereford, where members enjoyed an afternoon of serious shopping.
Our evening meal was at the Floodgates Brasseries in Hereford, where we could enjoy an aperitif in the bar overlooking thriver, before sitting down to a really delicious two-course meal.
Our thanks to Christine Jones who went to great lengths to ensure that everything went smoothly and for making the trip to Hereford with her husband David beforehand, and for choosing such a delightful pub for the late afternoon meal.
Thanks also to Milwyn for helping Christine organise the bus, etc.
Congratulations to Anna Brown who had a very amusing poem published in the Dail Mail in July. If members missed this literary treat in the Mail, Pauline (our President) will I am sure read it to the meeting in September – we are very proud of you in our WI Anna.
Our next month’s speaker is Anwen Williams who is an excellent speaker.
Members are reminded of our Balloon Race on the 15th September, which will take place at approximately 1.30pm at the Oak Tree Hall. This should be a fun afternoon with refreshments being served afterwards. JULY 2005 After the singing of Jerusalem, our President Mrs Pauline Worman asked members to join her in a moment’s silence as a mark of respect for all those who had died or were injured in the London bombings. Our President then welcomed members to the meeting. Members were saddened to hear of the untimely and sudden death of Marian Evans’ dear son, our love and thoughts are with her at this time. A letter had been received from NFWI informing us that the subscriptions for next year will be £22. Also in the Newsletter were samples of Clarin’s cream, which will be drawn for at the end of the Meeting. Our Vice-President Mrs Milwyn Pearce drew members’ attention to various items in this month’s Newsletter. Particular attention was drawn to the Half Yearly Council Meeting competition of a card to celebrate the WI’s 90th Birthday and also of the forthcoming Outdoor Bowls Tournament to be held on the 3rd September at Kenfig Hill & Pyle Bowls Club. Members wishing to take part in next year’s tournament should please see Ann Phillips. Anita outlined the proposed Balloon Race, which will take place on WI Day, Thursday 15th September. There will be lots of prizes. Tea will be served in the Oak Tree Hall after the race; this is to be included in the price of a Balloon that is £2. The race will take place at approximately 1.30pm. Members of Treorchy Senior Citizens will be asked to join us. Lists were up for those members who wish to be nominated for next year’s WI Committee. £5 deposit for the Christmas Dinner needs to be in this evening. Christine Jones informed members of the proposed Annual Trip to Hereford on the 4th August. The cost of the coach is £13.00, which includes entrance to the Cider Museum. Christine also had menus available for those wishing to have an evening meal in Hereford before returning home. The coach will leave Porth at 8.30am on the day and will leave Hereford at 6.30pm for the journey home. Members were reminded of our Halloween Fete, which is on 29th October 2005. Any new ideas for the various stalls would be welcome. Unfortunately the speaker we had arranged for the evening was unable to come as she had sustained an accident. Our President welcomed Glesni Jones who had come along at very short notice. Glesni’s talk was entitled “I just don’t give out Batteries”, in which she covered the debilitating complaint of deafness from birth upwards and explained that she specialises in the treatment of tinnitus. Everyone enjoyed the interesting and informative talk. The vote of thanks was given by Christine Jones. Mair Bowen, Dorothy Morgan and Marian Jones won the raffle.
JUNE 2005 Treorchy WI President Mrs Pauline Worman welcomed members to the June Meeting. She gave a big “thank you” to all who had taken part in the recent GFWI Eisteddfod, the members who did so well in the written work and those who performed on the stage. Treorchy WI won the Eisteddfod Shield for the third consecutive time, putting us on a par with our friends from Treherbert WI who similarly won the shield on three consecutive occasions. Members who gained certificates were as follows; Kath Evans, who won 1st and 3rd prizes with her Limericks, and also won 1st prize in the Monologue and 1st prize in the Unaccompanied Folk Song. Judith James, who came 3rd in the Monologue. Anna Brown won 1st prize for her Humourous Poem, 2nd prize for her Short Story about World War II, and 3rd and also Highly Commended for her Recycled Tiaras. Dian John gained 1st prize with her Cartoon illustration “The Bowls Match”, had Highly Commended for Tiara, and won 3rd prize for her Humourous Photograph. Ann Thomas came 3rd with her Monochrome Drawing. Beth Robert was Highly Commended for her Painting “My Favourite Pub” and also her Decorated Beret. Sandra Morgan came 2nd with her book cover Painting “Alice in Wonderland”. We won first prize for our clever Pub Band, very slick Line Dancing routine, a very funny Sketch, with the Choir coming a commendable second. Beth came second with her Musical Mime, with Milwyn third. Our Choral Speaking Group gained 2nd place. Judith and Christine came 2nd in the Spontaneous Dialogue with Milwyn and Dianne a close third. Highly Commended were Kath Davies in the Karaoke group and Kath Evans, Maud, Eirwen and Sheila in the Hymn Singing competition. Our brilliant humourous Ballroom Dancers won first prize with our Stripper Cleaners coming third. Letters of congratulation for Lynda Allen our new Federation Chairman and Margaret Powell were read. Joyce informed the meeting that the menu for the Christmas dinner was on display, also a list for members who wished to attend. A list was also up for our August outing to Hereford. Anita Bound gave details of our proposed balloon race, which will be held on WI Promotion Day. Members were pleased to hear that Betty Jones was now home from hospital and recovering after heart surgery. She wished to thank everyone for their cards and gifts. The speaker for the evening was Commander Clive Spanswick from the Fire Service. Clive gave a very lively and interesting talk on the Fire Service. Christine Jones gave the vote of thanks. The raffle was won by Mariel Evans, Edwina Sass and Anita Bound. Next month’s guest speaker is Lynne Danby who will speak about Victorian Costumes.
MAY 2005
Our President Mrs Pauline Worman welcomed members to the May Meeting, which was being held in Oak Tree Hall because of the Election.
Our President read out a “thank you” card from Mrs Anna Brown who is, we are very pleased to say, making a remarkable recovery after her recent surgery. Our love and best wishes go to her.
Members were informed that the bus for the Eisteddfod is now full.
VE Day celebrations to be held on the 7th May were to be celebrated by our members and members from the Treorchy Senior Citizens Group with a buffet lunch in the Church Hall commencing at 2pm. It was agreed that there would be no charge for the refreshments.
Mrs Joyce Davies confirmed that the Christmas Dinner has been booked at the Tynewydd Arms on the 1st December, this year the meal will not be a carvery. Christine Jones gave a few ideas for the Annual WI Trip in August. A vote was taken and the most popular venue was Hereford.
The meeting continued with the Resolutions for this year. Farmgate Milk Prices and Care of the Environment. Members voted unanimously in favour of both resolutions.
Christine Jones gave a vote of thanks to Milwyn and Pauline for conducting the meeting, with special thanks to our Vice-President Milwyn who also acted as Secretary for the evening.
Thanks also to the members and Committee of Oak Tree Hall for allowing us the use of their Hall for this meeting. The raffle was won by Pauline Worman, Jean Toghill and Anita Bound. APRIL 2005 Treorchy WI President Mrs Pauline Worman welcomed members to the meeting, pointing out to the members the various fire exits and the need to sign the Health and Safety Register.
The postponed Group Meeting to Tonyrefail will now take place on Wednesday 13th April.
Lists were up for the Annual Council Meeting on the 26th April, the forthcoming eisteddfod and the Evening with Edwina Currie.
Mrs Enid Davies outlined the VE celebration activities taking place in Treorchy on the 7th May.Our members unanimously agreed to having a buffet lunch on this day at approximately 1.30pm, dressing up in 1940’s clothes. Our friends from Treorchy Senior Citizens Club will be invited to join us.
Mrs Joyce Davies kindly volunteered to organise our Christmas Dinner this year, the most popular venue being The Tynewydd Hotel, Hirwaun.
Members also voted in favour of having a coach trip in lieu of our August meeting.
Our guest speaker for the evening was Audrey Preston, who gave an interesting talk on Antiques on a Shoe String. Audrey brought along bits and bobs she had picked up at various Jumble and Car Boot Sales. The talk was both amusing and interesting. The vote of thanks was given by Mrs Eirlys Davies.
The raffle was won by Margaret Wilkins, Marian Jones and Anne Thomas. Will members please note that our Meeting on the 5th May will be held in Oak Tree Hall.
MARCH 2005
As our President, Mrs Pauline Worman, was unavoidably delayed for the start of the meeting, our Vice-President, Mrs Milwyn Pearce, welcomed members to our St. David’s Day Meeting.
Members were very pleased to see Beryl Jones at the meeting.Our love and best wishes go to all members who are ill.
Betty Jones who is not well at the moment and Myra Phillips who was taken ill whilst visiting her daughter Alison in Stoke, also former WI member Betty Preece who is in hospital.
Bus money needs to be in for the Group Meeting in Tonyrefail on the 23rd March. Also final entries for the forthcoming Eisteddfod have to be in shortly.
The choir gave an enjoyable concert at the St David’s Day coffee evening organised by St Matthew’s Church. Our soloist Kath Davies sang a Welsh folk song and Kath Evans recited the well-known poem “Daffodils”. Mary Price was thanked for providing the entertainment with such an enjoyable variety of Welsh and English songs, also many thanks to Sioned, the Choir’s Accompanist.
The Kitchen Band also gave enjoyable concerts this month at Homes for the Elderly, where the audiences love taking part with the Band.
Members then enjoyed a social evening of a ham and salad supper. Our President’s surprise guest for the evening was Brian Meadows, who entertained us by speaking about his life on the stage, especially his remarkable likeness to Gordon Kaye. We hope that Brian will come again to entertain us in the not too distant future.
Christine Jones thanked the Committee for providing the ham and salad supper and our thanks to Brian for coming along and making the evening so enjoyable.
Our thanks also to Anita and Marion, who did nearly all of the shopping for our meal.
Carol Clarke and Enid Roberts won the raffle. Eirlys and Milwyn donated the raffle prizes for the evening.
FEBRUARY 2005 WI President Pauline Worman welcomed members to the February meeting. Members were saddened to hear of the untimely death of Amy Thomas’ son Terry who lives in the Bahamas. Our thoughts are with Amy at this very sad time. Also in our thoughts are Kerris and Rae whose dear sister June passed away recently. Lists up this evening are for the St. David’s Day Supper and for the forthcoming Group Meeting in Tonyrefail on the 23rd March. Various items of interest in the Newsletter were brought to the attention of the members. Members were asked to think up suitable limericks for the forthcoming Eisteddfod, and also a suitable caption for the Calendar Girls photograph. Anyone wishing to take part in the Quiz on the 22nd March should please give their names to Ann Barratt. The choir has restarted after its winter break and have been invited to sing at the St. David’s Day Coffee Evening to be held at St. Matthew’s Church Hall on the 1st March. The Kitchen Band also has two engagements this month in Tylorstown and Church Village. Enid Davies informed the meeting that Treorchy Forum are putting on various events in May as part of the VE Day celebrations, and it is hoped that Treorchy WI will join in with these celebrations. Our guest speaker for the evening was John Pearce, who gave a very interesting talk on Cinemas, such as the Abergorki Hall, the Pavillion and the Grand in Pentre, over the years. It brought back many happy memories to most of us. The vote of thanks was given by Christine Jones.
The raffle was won by Esme Holmes, Myra Phillips and Barbara Phillips. Our March meeting is our annual St. David’s Day Supper, and members are reminded to bring along a plate, sweet dish and cutlery. JANUARY 2005 Our President Mrs Pauline Worman welcomed members to the January meeting and wished everyone a Healthy, Happy New Year. Our best wishes go to all our members who are not well. Congratulations to Beth who recently celebrated a special birthday. Preparations are underway for the forthcoming Eisteddfod. Ann Phillips is organising the Darts Tournament this coming month and a team is being organised for the GWFI Quiz, a heat for this will take place in Oak Tree Hall on the 22nd March. Lists for the St. David’s Day Supper, and for the Group Meeting which this year is being held in Tonyrefail on the 23rd March, were on display. Members were reminded, the essay for the Gwyneth Jarman Plate, needs to be in by the end of the month. Our Christmas Dinner this year was in the Ty Newydd Hotel, Hirwaun, where members enjoyed a lovely meal in the comfortable surroundings of the hotel. On the 9th December we held our Service of Readings and Carols in St. Matthew’s Church. Pauline, Kath Evans and Judith gave the readings and Kath Davies was our soloist. Many thanks to Mary Price for arranging the musical side of the evening and to Sioned our organist. Members then enjoyed a welcome cup of tea and mince pie in the Hall afterwards. The collection of £102 was donated to St. Matthew’s Church Funds. During December, the Choir entertained at Ystradfechan and Ty Glyndwr Nursing Homes and the Kitchen Band were also busy entertaining in the various Homes for the Aged. Our guest speaker for the evening was David Powney who spoke about his experiences as Father Christmas in Selfridges and Harrods. The vote of thanks was given by Christine Jones. The raffle was won by Anne Ferguson, Sheila Ellis and Jean Toghill. |