Women's Institute

Our meeting, was held at the Victoria Institute on Thursday 6th November and was taken by our new President, Christine Mashiter. The Speaker, Jennet Bretherton, demonstrated her considerable skills at flower arranging, entitled "Christmas at Home", whilst chatting away and making it all look so easy!

The Annual General Meeting was held on the 2nd October. The Treasurer gave her annual report - the funds are in a healthy state, due in the main to a sum of £1,068 being raised at Gresgarth Hall for providing refreshments at the open day in July. The Secretary read her annual report of events during the past 12 months.

A gecko, a skink, an eight foot python and a barn owl - some of the creatures which members had a chance to touch and hold when John Makinson brought his Mobile Zoo to the June meeting. Our representative at the nation AGM in Liverpool, Mrs Kath Ions also came to give her report on the meeting. She had particularly enjoyed the talk given by Sandi Toksvig.

The first meeting of 2008 was held on Thursday 3rd January. On a bitterly cold night, it was a very appropriate choice - a presentation from Dennis Walker on the history of the Lofthouse family and Fisherman’s Friends - from the original menthol eucalyptus lozenges to the variety of flavours now marketed in many countries throughout the world. The competition ‘An old

Our Christmas party was certainly worth venturing out on a very wet and windy evening. After an excellent Jacob's join supper, our speaker, David Cook, spoke about "Humour in Education".  Drawing on anecdotes of his own family and his many years in teaching, he had us in stitches - especially when he read a piece which compared older women to older cars!